Vow of a Mate

ROSE

I looked up from my laptop when I heard a shriek followed by a giggle. A smile involuntarily formed on my lips at the sight in front of me.

A small boy was chasing a girl. They looked like they could be siblings, with a difference of one or two years. They didn’t care about the hustle and bustle in the airport lounge but were running around, happy and carefree.

The girl suddenly hid behind a lady, who lifted her up. The boy immediately raised his hands for his turn and shrieked in surprise when a man lifted him up from behind. A cute family cocooned in their own love.

A sharp pang of sadness hit my chest as I watched the scene. Why had I been denied such love? My thoughts drifted to my mom and dad, who I had lost at a young age.

My dad was a doctor in our pack and Mom was his assistant. He was loved and respected by everyone. I still remember that fateful day. I was ten.

Mom and Dad dropped me off at school before leaving for the clinic. Dad held me, peppering kisses all over my face. I laughed and squirmed out of his grasp, then ran inside the school.

That was the last time I saw them. A couple hours later, Alpha Jackson himself came to the school to pick me up.

He took me to the luna in the pack house instead of to my home. I could not understand why they looked so gloomy. I got scared at the way Luna looked at me with unshed tears.

I did not understand when they said that my mom and dad had had an accident. How could Mom and Dad have had an accident? It was not possible.

I stayed with the luna for the next two days. I was afraid to ask anything, except to see my mom and dad. Alpha Jackson kindly said that they were still in the hospital.

I felt happy when he mentioned the hospital, because that was where Mom and Dad used to be every day. If they were in the hospital then they should be fine.

When I said this to Alpha Jackson he smiled, patting my head. The only person with whom I could talk freely was the alpha’s daughter, Olivia. She became my friend. She was three years younger than me.

Even though everyone was kind to me, I was getting antsy by the end of the second day and asked for my dad and mom again. Luna promised to take me to my parents the next day.

Holding on to that promise, I went to Olivia’s room, which I was sharing currently.

But early next morning, Luna woke me up. She didn’t say a word, but made me get ready. She was shedding tears the whole time.

After my breakfast, Alpha took me to his room and made me sit next to him. He slowly said that Mom and Dad had left the earth to visit the Moon Goddess.

I refused to accept that. Mom and Dad left me? They would never do that.

And it had been a blur of events when they brought them back to the place where I used to visit Grandma and Grandpa. Now they too would have a stone with their names.

I sighed when I came back to the present. It would be another hour for my flight.

Normally we wolves avoided flying as much as possible. We would try to travel via cars or trucks. Even if we wanted to fly, it would be on a chartered jet with minimal companions.

Even though we were humans, our soul was mixed with our wolf’s.

Our inner wolf would be antsy if we were caged in an enclosed vehicle in the air, and it may result in unwanted accidents. Especially when humans were nearby.

We were still not known to humans.

We lived in packs, in areas close to forests. Our places resembled posh integrated communities, with privileged access. That way, we were close to humanity but satisfying our beast selves.

Olivia offered me a private jet, but I wanted to travel on a commercial flight. My wolf also knew the reason, and she was fine with that.

I know it was she who suffered to the max on these journeys. I shared her pain every time and was not sure how long we could survive that.

For a person who preferred staying indoors, I was now traveling to crowded places as much as I could. That was the reason for my early arrival at the airport.

I wanted to see as many people as I could, who were moving in and out of the place.

My wolf and I were looking for just one person. The person who had been etched in our mind, heart, and soul. The person who suddenly disappeared just like my mom and dad.

Ironically, the person disappeared in a similar way, but instead of peppering kisses like my dad, gave me one long kiss with a promise to see me again.

I wanted to see him and ask one question. WHY?

***

“Good evening, Diana.” Entering the diner, I greeted her slouched figure behind the counter, checking on some papers.

“Hi, dear. Are your classes over?” she asked me, looking up upon hearing my voice.

“Yup!”

“Your coffee is ready. And also, I have some biscuits there for you. Go freshen up and come back,” she said with a motherly smile.

I chuckled at her. “Sometimes I feel as if I am coming home, not to a workplace.”

She laughed, shaking her head.

I sat in my favorite spot overlooking the forest and sipped the coffee leisurely. We had another hour to open the diner.

I still remembered that fateful day: how the alpha picked me up at school shortly after my parents dropped me off; how I was given the news that Mom and Dad would never visit me again; how I realized that I couldn’t see them anymore.

I was under the care of Alpha and Luna from that day on. I moved into their house. I could not understand why Mom and Dad had left me and often asked when they would be coming back.

Why Mom and Dad had had an accident after they visited a patient. I could not accept that they had been very severely injured and had died in the hospital.

It took another couple of years for me to realize that they would not come back at all. I slowly became closed off to others except a handful of friends, especially the alpha’s daughter, Olivia.

Olivia was my only best friend and sister till now.

After that, I had only one thing in mind—to become a doctor. I felt that becoming a doctor, same as my dad, would create a connection with my parents.

My dad was always Dr. Nooman, and whenever I was addressed as Dr. Nooman, I felt as if Dad was beside me and smiling at the name.

But becoming a werewolf doctor was not an easy task. You needed to study human medicine and veterinary science. Then you must work with a pack doctor for a year. Only this qualifies you to work as a pack doctor.

Spending more than ten years working to achieve your dream was not a small feat. Also, only a handful of people would choose this path, so there isn’t an exclusive institution for werewolves.

You need to leave the pack to move to the human community.

Being part of a pack was the life of wolves. But if you moved out of the pack for this reason, you would not be considered a rogue.

You would not be a part of that pack, merely under their protection. This is why werewolf doctors are so respected; becoming one was no easy task.

I had completed my course in human medicine and was now in my final year of veterinary science. I was residing near my university, as I did not want to take any risks staying in the dorms near humans.

Also, I could not share my house unless it was with another wolf. So my expenses were quite high compared to others.

Even though I was under the protection of the nearby pack, I could not ask for anything more than basic help. Though my parents had saved a small fortune for me, I always wanted to stand on my own two feet.

Hence, I was working part-time in this diner close to my university. Diana, the owner of the diner, was also a she-wolf who loved me as her own daughter.

Her mate died some time back in a rogue attack and she did not have any other family.

So we were living our lives, supporting each other.

It’s been two years since I had seen Olivia. I last saw her when I completed my human medicine course and was about to start my next one. I missed her mating ceremony, which happened last year.

She was still mad at me.

Her parents, Alpha Jackson and Luna Allison, still kept in touch. Even though they saw me as their own daughter, I always felt like an imposter in their home.

But I could never forget nor repay their support and the care they showed me. They never treated me as a mere responsibility, but as family.

I came back out of my thoughts when I heard the wind chime near the door. Customers had started coming in, so I got up to begin my shift.

Apart from myself and Diana, four other people worked here. Nate and Yoni worked in the kitchen, and Alice and Clarke were servers.

Alice was another wolf, but Nate, Yoni, and Clarke were humans who did not know about us.

All were very friendly people, especially Alice and Yoni.

As if my thoughts had reached her, Alice entered the diner.

“Hey ya, Rosie.”

I smiled at her. Her laughter was surely contagious. I wished I could always be with her. But we did not have any time to talk.

There was a steady flow of customers, and after a couple of hours, the crowd started thinning.

We finally closed the diner, bidding goodbye to Nate, Yoni, and Clarke. It became a tradition for me, Alice, and Diana to sit and talk for some time after closing.

We usually either had dinner or just coffee. I made a cup of hot chocolate and sat in a chair.

“Did you know Aubrey is back?” Alice chirped out.

Diana nodded her head. “Yes, I heard.”

“Aubrey?” I asked in confusion.

“Alpha Reol’s sister. She had gone away to college, but she is back today.”

Diana asked, “Why am I hearing that she brought her boyfriend here?”

Alice answered, “Yes, she’s brought her boyfriend with her.”

“Boyfriend? You mean mate?” I asked.

“No, not her mate. She’s twenty-six and said that she’s lost her hope in finding a mate. So she’s brought her boyfriend with her. I heard she had primarily come to get her brother’s permission.”

Yes, if you’ve chosen a life partner other than a mate, you need your alpha’s permission. This custom was created mainly to benefit wolves who had lost their mates.

Wait, if Aubrey was twenty-six, how old was her boyfriend? And what about his mate? I asked the same.

“He is thirty-one and hasn’t found his mate. Possibly he’s also lost hope.” She shrugged.

Diana shook her head in disapproval. “I am not sure what they are playing at. You should not take a mate bond for granted.”

Diana respected the mate bond more than her life. Almost all the wolves did. It was our way of life.

“I am happy that you haven’t caved in to such relationships, Rosie.” Diana smiled at me.

I chuckled at her. Little did she know that I was not ready to commit to anything, except for my career. Diana could not understand that and I didn’t want to hurt her.

“Anyway, there will be a welcome party tomorrow for Aubrey. Almost all the nearby packs are coming.”

“Why so many packs for a welcome party?” I asked in wonder.

Diana answered, “These parties are merely for namesake. The real purpose is to discuss allies within packs and strengthen them.”

Ah! Pack politics. I would never understand those.

“You should also come, Rosie.”

I shook my head. “No, Alice, I have my exams in two days.”

Alice muttered something about abducting me. I laughed at her antics.

I then bade goodbye to Diana and Alice, leaving to go to my room.

Did I know that this party would be changing my whole life?