"Goddess Sif?" The confused look in her eyes, when she asked about that name made me realize she had no clue that was her wolf's name. I'm flabbergasted. Like how could she not know the name of her own wolf!?
Even though a shifter's wolf and human have different bodies and names, we are the same. Like two in one entity. Our wolves live in us and vice versa. We depend on each other to survive, so how can she be that clueless about something that's part of her? Who are the shifters that raised her to be that ignorant of her life... Ignorant of me?
The bond between my mate and myself goes deeper than the ordinary mate bond. According to the seer, we were destined to rule and do great things together. I've known everything about her since I turned eighteen. I was told her parents would get her informed about me but unfortunately, she was raised by another who now I suspect has hidden agenda
I need to speak with her adoptive parents. I need to find out how they come about raising her and why they deliberately raise her to be clueless with the intention to make her useless. They're not from my pack but they will answer to me for their crimes against my mate.
I already have her in my arms, walking towards my car when Alpha Nate's Beta comes out of the door.
'Slowpoke!' I thought with disdain, glaring at him. I want to call him that and many more hateful words I can sum up in my head to his face but I don't.
I know Eric will nag me to no end about how I should avoid anything that can cause war between our two packs if I do, so I just continue on my way, minding my business like he's invincible.
But the bastard is asking for it! Because instead of him also continuing on his way to attend to his almost dead daughter, he stops at first as if he's confused about what to do before he starts walking towards me.
"Where are you taking her? She's a member of this pack and therefore my responsibility!"
I hear someone give a snort of disgust behind me because of what he said. I want to quickly check the person out but Alpha Nate's Beta is begging for my attention
"If I didn't know any better I would say you care for her more than your daughter that obviously needs urgent medical attention..." I indicate with my chin toward his daughter that is violently coughing and spluttering blood on the ground, struggling to get air in through her obviously crushed lungs
"Yes I know but did you see her strength!?..." The fool is in awe of my mate. He should be attending to his daughter, making sure she gets urgent medical attention but he either doesn't give a shit about her or he takes his Beta duties too seriously.
"I bet that is why you have her. You want the first opportunity to question and study her yourself right? You want to find out how she comes about such power right!?..." He's practically frothing at the mouth with excitement as he talks
I raise a brow at him and the idiot takes it as an affirmation to his questions.
"Yes, I knew it! He exclaims. "But I'm sorry to disappoint you, I can't allow you to take her. She's a member of this pack which gives the Night Howlers pack the right to question and study her first. She belongs to us, lock, stock, and barrel until the day she clocks eighteen and is free to do whatever she likes.
"You can't allow me to take her when I don't remember asking for your permission!?..." I say coldly.
I'm furious and can't believe what I'm hearing. I can't believe he's talking about my mate as if she's some kind of specimen they can do as they like with! If only I'm not carrying her in my arms this son of a bitch would have been lying dead at my feet the instant he opens his mouth to talk shit about Ash.
I want to hand her over to Eric but I know he won't accept her. He won't want me losing my shit in broad daylight since he doesn't want anything that will jeopardize my Alpha position. I can of course hand her over to Ivar but hell no! I don't care if he's already mated or not. Apart from Eric, no male is allowed to hold my mate that close to himself.
While I'm deciding what to do with Ash, the son of a bitch wants to retort to me but Eric's voice growls out in anger, shutting him up instantly...
"Unless you have a death wish, then I suggest you shut the fuck up right now and carefully consider your next words before you say them out, otherwise your next word might be your last!"
Eric takes a step towards him as he talks and the fool finally has the brain to take several steps away from us
"Shame on you Hank!" The voice that snorted behind me earlier says after Eric was done talking.
'So this fool's name is Hank' I wonder as the owner of the voice comes forward. I'm surprised to see it's Alpha Nate's old maid. She's just a human maid yet she spoke to the Beta of the pack she works with in such a manner! It's either she's foolish or she's sure the Beta won't harm her.
"For your information, the Alpha already gave his permission for her to be taken home. If you have any problem with that then I suggest you take it up with him." She says again as she walks closer to the Beta
"If that's the case then I'll call her parents to come and get her themselves..."
"What parents?" The maid scoffed. "I am her legal guardian now and I guess you don't know since you only care about the respect that comes along with your title as a Beta, being in control and issuing commands!
Ash is my daughter now and I already have all the necessary paperwork arranged with the Alpha the moment she started living with me... As I said earlier if you have any problem believing me then I suggest you take it up with the Alpha! Good day!" She finished talking to Hank and then turned to me...
"Thank you, Alpha for coming to my child's aid. We live on human land and we will be grateful if you can drop us there?" She says questioningly
"Yes, of course, ma'am... This way..." She addressed me but Eric is the one that replies to her, indicating towards where we parked our car while I'm still trying to wrap my head around the human maid who is my mate's legal guardian and my future mother-in-law.
Eric tells Ivar to go back to the house Alpha Nate assigned to us while the rest of us filed into the car. I'm at the back sitting with Ash's head cradles on my lap while the old maid sits at the front with Eric. None of us bothered to check if Hank is still waiting where we left him or had finally gone to be by his daughter's side. I don't know about the others but I personally don't give a shit about her
"Is she going to be okay?" The old maid asks as soon as Eric pulls the car out of where it was parked
"Yeah, she'll be okay. She's just exhausted" I reply to her this time
"Are you indeed her guardian or were you just putting up a show so the jerk could get lost?"
"I am indeed. Well, not that she needs a guardian you know since she will be of legal age tomorrow... Anyway, I've not told her about it yet. I just got the papers from Alpha Nate today and I planned on telling her when we arrive home in the evening"
"You're human. She's a werewolf... I don't get the connection... Why? I mean she's almost eighteen and like you said she doesn't really need a guardian anymore, so why do it?"
"She's a werewolf you say?" She scoffs and raises her voice a bit higher... "How come she's a werewolf when no shifter gives a damn about her!? Not even her so-called parents! The parents who preferred to raise their child as a maid!?... None of them cares! They're either hitting her because..." She suddenly stops talking. For some seconds, there is silence in the car, then she sighs deeply, I guess to calm herself down
'They were hitting her because of what!?...' I wonder in annoyance when she didn't continue her talk from where she stopped. I can tell she still has a lot to say on the topic of the Night-Howlers pack members hitting my mate but I let it slide. I'll find out everything from Ash herself when she wakes up.
"I am the only one she has and as you can see, I'm old. Already at the age where death is imminent. It could happen now or I could live to see another twenty years, nobody knows. I love Ash as if she was mine. My greatest fear is to die without making provisions for her needs, making sure she will be okay after I'm gone.
Now I have provided for her. Everything I owned now belongs to her. Even if I die today, I will be happy, not because of the little I've provided for her but because I know she now has you to protect her.