“Elia?”
Lena called her as she pointed her chin towards the unopened parcels in the corner, “They came in your name a few hours ago.”
Elia turned to look at the cardboard boxes, “I had ordered some clothes and other basic things.
I’m glad it came right on time.” Then she glanced at her friend, “Will you please help me unpack them?”
“Sure,” Lena walked towards, and together, they opened each and every pack.
Elia had also ordered a small suitcase to keep all her belongings, as Lena’s place was small.
She didn’t want to unnecessarily horde her friend’s space.
But that prior decision came in handy now that she had to take her luggage back to the crimson moon pack.
“And done!” The two exclaimed together at the same time as they zipped up the red suitcase.
They laughed at one another and soon hugged each other.
“I’ll miss you.”
“Me too”
“Don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything. I’ll always be there for you.”
Elia smiled, wiping away a stray teardrop on her cheek, and mumbled, “Yes, Miss guardian angel.”
After a final hug, Elia picked up her suitcase and crossed the door, “It would have been nice for you to send me off, but I think it’s better if you stay here, I don’t know how my driver will react seeing you”
Lena scoffed, “Trust me, it will not be good. Your driver is from the Crimson Moon Pack. I will be lucky if I don’t get killed on the spot.”
“Surely not, we are in public,” Elia also felt that Mira was not someone so irrational.
But then again, she worked under Samuel Donovan, who’s to say how she really was.
An hour ride together didn’t seem enough for Elia to put her friend in danger.
“You still have much to learn about that place,” Lena, who knew about her kind, didn’t elaborate further than that.
She didn’t have to put more fear inside Elia’s mind when she was supposed to stay in that place: “Take care.”
Elia nodded, “You too, take care.” When she was about to leave, Lena suddenly stopped her.
“Wait!”
“What’s wrong?” Elia turned back in confusion and stilled when she felt Lena spray perfume on her.
It was a strong one too,
“Cough….What are you doing?”
“Masking my scent,” Lena replied as she put the lid on her perfume bottle, “The wolves that too complete ones have very developed senses compared to humans. Your chauffeur would have smelled me on you right away, and then would come here tracking me.”
Elia paled at hearing those words.
It was new information that she stored in her mind.
“Go before your driver decides to come looking for you.” Lena’s words brought her out of her thoughts.
With a final parting smile, she walked down the stairs to reach the elevator.
Lena leaned against the railing and watched until Elia disappeared from her sight.
She got out and helped her load the luggage in the trunk before driving away from Lena’s apartments.
After some time, Elia got a message from her friend.
A link to another job interview.
She quickly opened it, filled in basic information, and got a time slot for a physical interview.
It was scheduled for tomorrow morning.
But she needed some of her documents.
It was in her house, which her stepsister now owned.
Elia knew that her things would have probably been burned the moment she stepped out of that house.
Lorna hated her too much and would have tried to erase her presence just to spite her.
At least, she had some important documents saved in her phone and could apply for new ones if it came to it.
She already had her physical driver’s ID in her purse and hoped that would be enough for tomorrow.
The drive to the pack was a calm one.
Elia had a lot on her mind, while Mira didn’t want to overstep by unnecessarily starting a conversation.
Cool evening breeze hit Elia’s face as she looked out of the window.
The hustle and bustle of the city faded as they neared their destination.
It seemed like the wolf kind preferred to live away from the city and in seclusion from the outside world.
Travelling back and forth for her job would be a hassle if she gets hired.
“Are there any train stations near the pack?” Elia broke the long-held silence, “The one that connects to the city?”
Mira nodded, “I think there is one 10 minutes away. If you don’t mind, can I ask why, Luna?” She could get an exclusive driver if the Alphas ordered it.
“Ah..” Elia said, “It’s for my job.”
“You work?”
“Not yet, but I plan to. I have a job interview tomorrow.”
“I don’t understand,” Mira had a confused look on her face, “Why must you work? Alpha Asheron will support you, and there will also be Luna lessons for you. I don’t think you will find time.”
Elia raised her brow at that.
Samuel hadn’t said anything like the Luna lessons, and she had also not read the clauses regarding it in the contract.
Maybe, he thought it was not necessary because she would not become a Luna….Alpha’s partner in the end.
And Elia already had enough of these housewife lessons; she had spent years learning them and didn’t want to waste any more of her time doing it for a mere contract relationship.
“I will talk with Asheron about it,” She replied, careful enough to take the right brother’s name.
In reality, she had to talk with Samuel, but according to Mira and the pack members, she was Asheron’s mate even though that guy hadn’t spoken a single word to her.
Mira tried to hide her troubled face as she heard Elia’s lukewarm response.
It was a matter that was already decided.
No talk would change that.
Just to warn her, she informed, “I think you are conflicted because you are a human, but the women in our pack are more inclined towards domestic work rather than working outside. Especially the Luna” New chapters come out on novelping dot com first.
Elia had a hard time controlling her expression.
She looked at Mira, baffled, and sharply replied, “Well, I’m not one of your kind. Women being independent is encouraged amongst Humans. We believe in choice, an individual can either be a Housewife or work outside on their own terms,” And both deserve equal respect.
Mira was taken aback, “I’m sorry I seemed to have offended you, I didn’t mean it like that, Luna”
“What work do you do in the pack?” Elia couldn’t help but ask.
“I’m a warrior”
That answer caught her off guard.
It took a moment for her to reply, “That’s awesome.”
Mira smiled, “Thank you,” But she said something more that left Elia surprised, “But I will be required to quit once my father arranges a chosen mate for me. Males don’t approve the she-wolves working out.”
“And you are okay with that?”
“That is our way of life. Every she wolf is expected to do the same.”
That answer was not what she wanted, “I’m not talking about what is expected from others. I want to know your opinion; do you love your job?”
Mira smiled sadly, “It is my whole life, Luna. I have gone through gruesome training from a young age to land that job.”
Elia’s eyes softened, hearing her words, “Then why do you intend to quit, Mira? You can continue working even after marriage….I mean mating”
“My chosen mate will not agree to it,” Mira said, gripping the driving handle, “My father, too, will not tolerate his daughter working after mating.”
“Please don’t feel bad, but you keep on talking about other people. Your father, your mate…. Your life is not theirs, Mira. You did the hard work, and they hired you because you are capable. It has nothing to do with them.”
“I don’t understand…Is it wrong to heed my father’s words?”
“Mira,” Elia turned completely to her side, facing the driver’s seat, “I believed the same notion as you not long ago. I quit my university dream, starting a socialite life because that was what my family and my circle expected from me. I spent ten years as a man’s girlfriend and then a fiancée, trusting that it was what I was supposed to do, and you know what happened? He cheated on me and left me for my sister.”
“Luna…. I…”
Elia felt shame coating her face as she murmured, “Please don’t say this to anybody; it is a dark past that I want to bury.”
Mira didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but she nodded, “Your secret is safe with me”
“Thank you so much”
“And then? Then what happened?” Mira asked, and Elia felt like they had grown close with this conversation.
“And then I broke up with him, sold the ring that he gave me, and left my family. Now I’m trying to start my new life. Becoming independent is the top priority for me now.”
“Don’t worry, Alpha Asheron and our pack will take care of you.”
Elia smiled, “That is sweet, but back to your topic.” She grew serious now, “Don’t make the same mistake as mine, you already have a job that you love, don’t let it go if you can.”
Mira finally sighed and nodded, “I will try my best.
And I will also search for my true mate” She was all smiles when she said that, “If he is a human, then I can keep my job and even if he is a wolf, he will try his hardest to please me and will accept my wishes, it will be far different from a chosen mate” then she glanced at Elia, “This is why you are important to us, Luna.
You bring more than hope to our kind, especially to the she-wolves.
We are tired of living under the tyranny of the male wolves who only mate with us to breed.”
“Even if I fail to find a mate, you can just influence Alpha to make changes to the pack. You are like a miracle to us.”
Elia chose not to respond to that.
The guilt inside her heart grew exponentially.