After playing with their new fire ability for an hour, Lydia stopped and held up a hand. "Girls, I think we've had enough fun. Let's go outside, grab the clothes we bought for the formal, and change here. Since we have so much more time in this space to get ready compared to the outside world."
"Good idea." Allison agreed.
The three girls teleported out of the Harem Space, quickly gathered their clothes from the mansion, stored the outfits in their spatial rings, and teleported back, reappearing beside Jacob and Cogman.
Lydia was holding one of Jacob's tailored suits. "Jay, stop what you're doing and go take a shower and put this on. We're going to be late."
Jacob wiped his hands on a cloth. "What time is it outside?"
"It's 6:00 p.m." Lydia replied.
"Then why the rush? We don't have to be there until 7:00." Jacob pointed out. "Which means we still have five hours since we're here in the Harem… ahem, ahem." He quickly caught himself. "By the way, girls, what should we call this place?"
Allison smiled sweetly. "What did you just call it? We can just call it that."
"Oh, I called it the har…" Jacob's eyes widened slightly. 'Oh crap, that was close. She almost tricked me with that sweet smile. Although it is called the Harem Space, if I tell them that, I'll never hear the end of it.'
Allison narrowed her eyes. "Go on. I'm listening."
Jacob coughed awkwardly. "I didn't say anything. You girls can name this place."
Allison decided to let him off the hook—for now. She looked at Lydia and Malia. "So, what should we call it?"
"Well, this is our home." Lydia said thoughtfully. "So we should give it a good name."
Malia tilted her head, a playful smirk on her lips. "Hmm… The Coyote Den? Or maybe the Coyote's Playground? Or… I dunno… the Thunder Coyote Den?"
Allison giggled, shaking her head. "Malia, we can't name the whole place the Coyote Den. You can name your room that if you want."
Lydia held her chin in thought. "How about something that feels calm and peaceful? Serenity… it means the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled. Maybe we could call it Serenia?"
Allison tilted her head, considering. "That sounds nice, but… not quite right."
Malia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that sounds stupid. Let's call it The Hidden Coyote Palace or The Dragon Den instead."
Jacob said. "Well… how about Serendell?"
Allison's eyes lit up immediately. "Serendell… Serendell… I like that. It sounds good to me."
Lydia nodded, a soft smile gracing her lips. "Me too. I like it."
Jacob looked at Malia, raising an eyebrow. "And what about you?"
Malia shrugged. "I still think The Thunder Coyote Den sounds better. But… Serendell doesn't sound bad either."
Jacob smiled. "Then it's decided. We will call this place Serendell."
"Alright," Lydia said, holding up Jacob's suit again. "I'll leave your suit in your room." She then looked at Allison and Malia. "Since we have five hours, let's do some more exploring of our new home."
Malia shook her head. "You girls go ahead. I want to help Jay and Cogman butcher the two cows."
Lydia stared at her. "Seriously?"
"Yeah," Malia said. "It's more fun than exploring the palace."
"If you say so." Lydia said with an amused shake of her head.
With that, Lydia and Allison teleported to the residential wing. They chose the two bedrooms closest to the main bedroom—which they designated as Jacob's—dropped off his suit, and then set off to explore more of the vast palace.
Meanwhile, after finishing butchering the two Sker Buffalo, Jacob helped transport the mountains of meat by storing it in his pocket dimension and depositing it directly into the main kitchen's magical storage room. Afterward, he and Cogman cooked up a barbecue feast. Allison and Lydia eventually joined him and Malia, drawn by the smell, and the group shared a relaxed meal.
Once they had eaten, it was finally time to get ready.
Jacob took a quick shower and put on his elegant suit. He then went to the main living room in Serendell to wait, idly scrolling through his phone. Soon, Malia appeared.
She was wearing a perfectly fitted woman's suit.
Jacob looked at her, his eyes widening with genuine appreciation. "You look gorgeous. But… don't you want to wear a dress?"
Malia said, "No. I don't like wearing dresses." She gave a little twirl, showing off her suit. "Don't you like my suit?"
Jacob stood up, pulling her into a gentle hug. "I like it very, very much, Ms. Tate." He lowered his voice to a playful murmur. "And I do hope you'll wear it from time to time in the bedroom and act as my teacher."
Malia's lips curved into a smile. "Would you like me to wear glasses and be strict with you, too, you little pervert?"
Jacob whispered. "Yes, ma'am, I would love that. And I promise I'll be a good student." He kissed her softly, then added. "Allison and Lydia are going to take forever to get ready. Let's go back to the outside world. That way, time will pass more quickly."
With that, Jacob and Malia teleported out of Serendell and settled into the living room of the mansion to wait.
A few minutes later, Lydia and Allison appeared in the living room in a shimmer of displaced air. Allison wore a striking red dress, while Lydia was dressed in blue.
They both turned in a slow circle, showing off their dresses to Jacob.
Allison asked with a smile. "So, what do you think?"
Jacob looked at them, a genuine smile spreading across his face. "You girls look absolutely gorgeous."
Lydia smirked, striking a playful pose. "Yes, I think we look gorgeous, too. After all, we bought these dresses, and Malia's suit, from..."
"Stop, stop!" Jacob held up his hands. "I don't need to hear what brand your clothes are or how much they cost. We're going to be late. I'm going to find Cogman." He quickly left the room, calling out for his butler.
"You're boring!" Lydia called after him. She then turned to Malia, who was about to follow Jacob. "Wait a second, Malia."
Malia looked at her warily. "What do you want?"
Lydia smiled, holding up a small makeup bag. "You haven't put on your makeup yet."
"I don't need it." Malia said flatly. "I don't like its scent."
"I know." Lydia said. "That's why I bought you fragrance-free makeup."
Malia groaned. "Do I have to?"
Lydia caught her hand, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Yes. Sit your ass down and let me do a quick touch-up on that beautiful face of yours."
Malia sighed in defeat and sat down. "Fine. But just my lips."
"Sure, sure." Lydia agreed, already opening her kit. "Just your lips... and a few more subtle touches."
---
Outside the mansion, Jacob stood with Cogman, waiting for the girls.
"Which car shall I use tonight, sir?" Cogman inquired.
"Drive the Bentley tonight." Jacob decided.
"Very well, sir." Cogman gave a slight bow and went to retrieve the sleek Bentley from the garage.
Jacob waited another fifteen minutes before the girls finally emerged. He smiled, handing his phone to Cogman. "Take a few pictures of me and my ladies."
He took individual pictures with each of them, then gathered all three into a group hug for a final shot, their smiles bright against the evening light.
After the photo session, they got into the car—the girls in the spacious back, Jacob in the front passenger seat. Cogman smoothly pulled the Bentley out of the driveway and onto the road toward the school.
On the way, a translucent system screen materialized in Jacob's field of vision.
[Available Sign-Ins:
- Location Sign-In: Host can sign in after participating in the Winter Formal.
- Important Event Reminder: Host has 5 hours until the fight between the Argents and the Hales at the old Hale house.
- Event Sign-In: Host can sign in after witnessing Peter Hale kill or turn Kate Argent.
- Event Sign-In: Host can sign in after witnessing Derek Hale become an Alpha.
- Quest Sign-In: Save Peter Hale's life.
Note: Peter used Lydia Martin as a backup plan in the Teen Wolf series canon. He no longer has that backup plan. Therefore, he will die permanently tonight if you do not save him, and the sign-in opportunity will be lost.]
Jacob read the list of sign-in opportunities with growing excitement. 'So, they will finally fight tonight. I'm so lucky today. First, the rewards from bonding with Malia, and now I have four sign-in opportunities! What a great day. And I'm definitely not going to miss the quest sign-in; I was planning to save stupid Peter for Malia's sake anyway.'
He checked the time. 'We still have time to enjoy the formal. After that, I'll have to tell the girls.' His excitement dimmed slightly. 'Although I really don't want to. I don't know if Allison will choose to save Kate or not. I might lose a sign-in opportunity, but I have to tell her and let her choose for herself. I'm not a scumbag. I'd rather lose some rewards than break her heart when she finds out I was there and didn't tell her. Besides, even if I don't tell her, Derek might contact Scott, Scott will tell her, or maybe Kate will reach out herself.'
Jacob sighed inwardly. 'I just hope she chooses to let Kate face the consequences of her actions. I don't care if Kate dies or not. I just don't want to lose a sign-in opportunity.'
He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. 'Anyway, there's no point worrying about it now. I just need to wait and see what happens.'
Out loud, he smiled and said. "Cogman, turn on the music. I'm in a very good mood today."
The sounds of music filled the luxurious interior of the Bentley as they continued toward Beacon Hills High.
To be continued… 😊