Ash's POV
On the bed after I slammed the door in Celine's face. I find out I'm too excited to sleep. I keep tossing from one end of the bed to the other since my mate's face and the conversations we had kept playing over and over again in my mind.
Who would have thought that the Ash that every shifter in Night Howlers pack referred to as a freak, ugly, maid, servant, and many more degrading names will actually have a mate who is important to the Alpha of the Night Howlers pack? He's not just any wolf but the most handsome of them all.
I'm so happy I can't contain my happiness. He was right by not telling me his name since I feel like shouting out my feeling for him from on top of the pack house so every shifter will know I've finally found my mate and I've fallen hopelessly in love with him
But even though he said nobody knows who he is right then and I shouldn't tell anyone about him, I wonder if I can tell Martha who is like a mother to me. I thought and wondered about it till I finally drifted off to sleep
In the morning, I was already busy in the kitchen when Celine showed her ugly face.
"Good morning!" She announced as she entered the kitchen, looking as bright as a button. I wonder what's making her this happy since I've always known her to be gloomy and unhappy about life.
I ignored her greeting, treating her like air as she had sometimes done to me when I was living under her roof. Any day she managed to answer, it was always with... 'What is good about the morning?'
Celine was the daughter of a Beta. She had high hopes of being mated to an Alpha but according to her, the Moon goddess treated her unfairly when she got mated with an Omega.
Her mate, my supposed father, Pete, is really not a mean man. He love his wife to bits and will do anything for her, like punishing me whenever Celine forced him to, but he would always come behind her back to apologize to me with things he knows I like
No matter what he does for her, Celine was never satisfied. Her favorite line anytime they had a disagreement was always...
'I blame my father! I wouldn't have been married to an Omega or working as a maid if my father had supported rejection'
I feel sorry for Pete sometimes because if Celine's father had supported rejection, Pete would have probably been mated to a new wolf and wouldn't have been condemned to a life with bitter Celine as a mate
"What can I help you with?" She asks again, looking around the kitchen to see what she can help me with that doesn't need me to give my permission
"I don't need your help with anything, I have everything under control"
"But the..."
"Oh, I remember something you can do for me. You could help sweep, dust, and mop the common room." I immediately say to cut her off. I already know she wants to use the Luna excuse on me as soon as she opens her mouth
"The common room?" She sound aghast. Looking at me with a frown. "But that will take hours and..."
"You better hurry and start right now. It seems the executives are hosting some kind of workshop there by 10 am this morning. You know how the Beta doesn't take kindly to tardiness." I say and smile sweetly at her.
The Beta's name made her hustle to start the cleaning. Even though the Beta won't physically abuse another man's mate. We both know how he always have befitting punishment for everyone no matter their status.
The common room I sent her to clean was very big. It can conveniently accommodate more than a thousand werewolves. It will keep her busy and out of my hair for some hours
"Was that Celine I saw just zipped past me?" I hear Martha's voice say behind me and I immediately drop the vegetables I'm shredding and rushed to hug her
"I was just wondering when you're coming back, I've missed you so much!" I say as I hug her closely to myself. I'm glad to see her and eager to share the good news of finding my mate with her. Then my mate's words flash through my mind and I decide to hold my tongue.
Martha laughs in amusement
"Wow, kid! It's been what? Seven hours and you're crushing my old bones in a hug? What if I now travel out of the country?"
"Well I'm going to be eighteen tomorrow, you can travel all you want, as long as you take me with you. We can finally have time to ourselves, shopping, gossiping... Everything girls do together that I've never done in my life, I will do with you"
"Yeah, as long as you remember that I'm human and old and you promise to take it easy on me since I can't match your supernatural strength, then I will be glad to accompany you to do girls' stuff."
"I know you're an old, old woman!" I tease and we laugh before she walks out through the kitchen's back door to change into her uniform."
"So was that Celine I saw just now or my eyes were playing tricks on me?" She ask again as she returns to the kitchen, pulling the breakfast trolley with her
"Yeah... It's her alright. She said the Luna sent her to come to help me since you weren't around"
"Wow... And she liked the idea of working under you even if it's just for a few hours!?" Martha asks in disbelief"
"She looked very happy as a matter of fact. I think she has ulterior motives too. I've been careful ever since she came though. I sent her to clean the common room" I say and laugh when her eyes widen in amusement
"You didn't!" She exclaimed and laughed. We both know that a cleaning agency always comes once a week to clean the common room since it was too big even for both of us to clean
"I did! It will take her the whole of today to finish. Knowing Celine, that is if she didn't drop it halfway and run back to the Luna"
Martha and I talked and laughed about Celine for a little while before Martha changed the subject
"So what is your plan after leaving the pack?" She asks
"Well, I'm going to take a whole week's holiday where I planned to wake up late, have fun with you doing girls' stuff together..." I want to add '...and getting to know my mate' but I'm not yet sure if it's okay to tell Martha about my mate.
"After the holiday comes to an end. I'm thinking of getting a job with the humans..."
"Humans? Why humans? Are you sure about that? She asks, her face frowning up at me
"Yes, I am. I don't want to move from one pack to another yet. I've been living in a pack all of my life. Aside from that, you're the only human I know. I want to get to know more of them, know their way of life..."
"You know you're the only werewolf I know who is eager to work with humans. There are some establishments on human territories that are owned by werewolves though. You can start from there. I won't advise you to go from living inside the four walls of a pack to working in any organization owned by humans until you know how to handle them...
I'll start introducing you to some, starting tomorrow. We won't tell them you're a werewolf yet. We'll keep that to ourselves until they've fully accepted you into the community. We, humans, can be funny sometimes with our sentiments and ideologies..."
"Okay, I understand, thank you, Martha," I replied to her with a smile
"So what next after finding a job? Thought you said something before about going back to school?"
"Yeah, I'll go to work in the morning, come back and attend evening classes so I can get my high school diploma. Then I'll sit for the SAT or ACT for college. I already talked to Ethan about it, he's helping me handle everything"
"That's great! So where do you intend to go for college?"
"I haven't quite decided yet. I don't want to go out of California though. I'll ask Ethan for advice..." 'Or my mate' I thought silently to myself. Even though I don't know much about mate bonds, I don't think I would want to go too far away from him for college
Martha's next question makes me pause from what I'm doing...
"What about your mate?" She asks and I freeze for some seconds, thinking maybe she already knew about him and was just waiting to see if I will tell her or not.
"Have you ever thought of ever finding your mate? You're going to be eighteen tomorrow. If you happen to meet him tomorrow, I hope you will still do something with your life. I hope you won't abandon your plan of getting your diploma and going to college?"
"I found him already, Martha..." My voice is barely audible as I spill the truth without thinking. The guilt of keeping it from her this long gnawing at me.
"You found who?" She ask at first before she suddenly realize what she heard me say
"Oh my god, Ash! You found your mate!?" She scream-whisper. Her eyes huge with surprise.
I silently nod in response and she pulls me tightly to herself, asking... When, how, who... All the questions I don't have answers to