Thirty–Seven
Isabella’s POV
I woke up extra early the next day because I wanted to be able to make it for a check–up at the pack hospital and still make it to work early. I already knew I was fine but just in case Alexander had something to say. I wanted to be able to shove a doctor’s report in his face and shut him right
- up.
I was lucky enough to secure an appointment with the pack doctor so early in the morning and with little prior notice. I tried to keep a ‘not annoyed‘ expression when she told me that I had been okay enough to start going to work and go on regular errands for a while now and that right about now, I could even do some strenuous training if I wanted to.
Now the question was whether Alexander knew and decided to keep me in the dark and force me to stay home or if he was also in the dark about it. Oh well, at least I get my freedom back.
I told the doctor to write me a health report including the activities she said I was free to do now. I left shortly after that and drove straight to the gallery. There was something to notice immediately as I walked into the gallery. It was like a swarm of bees were hovering at the very top of the room, near the ceiling.
The chatter was very distinct and exciting and while I’d never claim to be a sucker for gossip, this particular one seemed to be quite juicy and I wanted to know what it was about. I mean, even the men were talking.
I walked into my office reception and was immediately greeted by Tanya and Olivia.
“What is happening?” I asked immediately, not minding their show of
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formality.
“Um, what do you mean ma’am?” Olivia asked innocently and I just rolled
my eyes.
“You guys know exactly what I mean. I’m sure you were talking about it just before I came in, the same way everyone around is talking about it.”
“The Alpha is out to find his mate,” Tanya said, almost sounding a bit eager to share the gossip like she had just been waiting for me to push even just a little. “A mating ball would be hosted and all the unmated females in the pack and neighboring packs would attend. I heard that if he doesn’t find his mate, he would have to mark and mate a random female of his choice.”
When I got into my office, my head was swimming with thoughts. What did this mean for me? For us? He wouldn’t carry this on to the point of picking some other female as his mate, would he?
I shook my head; that would not make any sense. It was a feeling I was trying to compress, a feeling I was trying to keep from myself, the feeling bubbling inside my chest when I imagined finally being acknowledged.
It made sense for me to pretend that it wasn’t there because of the state of things between Alexander and I but the thought that he would announce to the entire state that I was his mate, his Luna…the thought that things could get better…
I giggled at the image of my wolf running circles inside my head. She was just as ecstatic.
I had imagined that he would call me up already and not because of this news I just heard. I guess I have just grown accustomed to him finding something to yell at me for. Maybe to ask why I was at work again? Or to demand why I had dismissed the maid he employed for me. Fishing inside my bag for the envelope that held the doctor’s report, I grabbed it and made my way to Alexander’s office.
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When I had not found out the topic of this gossip that had everyone chattering, I had been intrigued but now that I knew what it was all about, it was plain annoying. To hear people basically nominate themselves to be Alexander’s mate.
I went into his office and waved the envelope in front of his secretary. “I have something to give the Alpha.”
“He is not in ma’am.” She said and I stopped in my tracks, raising a brow. When has he ever not been in?
That’s because most of the time you’ve come here, he sent for you.
Right.
“When would he be back?”
“I’m not sure ma’am but it may be a while.”
I sighed, “Well give me a call when he gets here. It’s important.”
She nodded and I left the room, falling behind a bunch of house staff, chattering away.
“Imagine if it turns out to be me.” One of the girls said.
“Nah, you don’t really give off Luna vibes.”
“What do you mean by that?” The girl hissed.
“And besides, you said it yourself that you’ve been sent to deliver something to the Alpha before. If you were his mate, you’d definitely have found out then.”
“I’ve never been even within ten feet of the Alpha.” One of the girls spoke for the first time. “It could be me, you know? He’s so handsome and I’m so pretty, we’ll make such beautiful babies.”
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Thirty–Seven
288 (Vouchers
My jaw ticked. “Where you employed here to loiter and chat all day?” I hissed and they spun around. “I don’t think the Luna of our pack would be as vain as any of you ladies so get to work, so the rest of us who know that we’re here to work can find our way.
”
When they moved aside for me to pass, I heard one of them say behind me, “She wants to be Luna just as much as we do.”
I just rolled my eyes. It wasn’t like I didn’t have a stronger claim to it than the four of them combined and I wasn’t going around the pack house feeling as entitled as any of them.
“You sound Jealous, Bella.”
“Shut up!” I hissed, rolling my eyes. The way my wolf acts like she’s not the bigger simp sometimes really irks me.
I went back to the gallery and got busy, my eyes darting towards the phone every half hour, expecting the call from Alexander’s secretary. It was almost 5 pm when I got angry with myself and gave myself a pep talk to snap out of it. What was I even doing? I rounded up my work for the day and grabbed my phone before dialing Chloe’s number. I felt like having a random night out and while I sucked at deciding what to do and where to go, Chloe was definitely an expert.
“And you better not bring Ryder,” I added before ending the call.
I was going to pick her up from just around where she lived so I got into my car and drove down there. When I got to the junction I was supposed to pick her up from, she wasn’t there yet and I just sighed, not at all surprised. I drove into the road and stopped in front of her house before honking twice. A few minutes later she came jogging out and I gave her side eye for wasting so much time. It was already really late.
“Sorry.” She smiled apologetically while I just rolled my eyes. She tapped my shoulder, “Oh, come on! To be fair, this is very impromptu. I had to think of what to wear.” She defended.
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“You have thousands of clothes Chlo and besides, you love spontaneity. So tell me, where are we going?”
I had told Chloe last night all about Alexander and she had been shocked, happy, and concerned…in fact, there had been a lot of conversations and reactions going on in that face time so today, while we watched the movie that she had picked out, she spent the majority of the time teasing me.
She teased me about Alexander and how he was going to weave through the crowd of girls and take my hand and then proceed to tell the entire world that we were mates before kissing me passionately while all the girls watched with jealousy and resignation.
“You’re watching too many rom–coms. Chloe.” I groaned, digging into my bag of popcorn.
And yet deep down, I wished that would be my reality because I too deserve to love and be loved. I wished to be loved and it wasn’t a single bit about the position as it was for most of the ladies.
After the movie, we had a late dinner together before I dropped a really sleepy Chloe off at her house where Ryder came out to carry her in. I realized that I wasn’t jealous of the fact that Chloe was now with the man I used to date. I was jealous of what they had and I longed to have something even close.
Someone to look at me the way he looked at her, someone to care, the way he did her. I just hoped the ball would be as promising as Chloe had put it even though she had been joking.
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