Vow of a Mate - Book cover

Vow of a Mate

Umanathan

Chapter 2

ROSE

It’s been a week since I was at the diner. A day after my exam, Alice called and mentioned that there was an emergency in the pack and no one was allowed to go out. So the diner had been closed for a week.

Diana would be reopening it today. My classes were finishing early, so I decided to go there instead of my room.

As usual, the diner was empty when I entered. Alice was cleaning the counter and Diana was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, Alice! Where’s Diana?”

Alice looked up at my voice and smiled brightly.

“Hi ya, Rosie. You’re early.”

“Yup! My last two classes got canceled.”

“Hmm…Diana will not be coming today.”

“Why? Is she all right?” I was now worried.

“Check the date,” Alice said gloomily. I checked and then realized.

“Oh! Today is her mate’s death anniversary.” I flinched even voicing it. I knew the pain of losing your loved ones. No one should have to go through that.

“Why did she open the diner today? We could have opened tomorrow.”

Alice chuckled. “Diana said that you would be missing the diner, and us.”

How right she was. Diana was one of the few souls who loved me, and I was grateful for that.

Sighing, I stood up to update the menu board and set up the tables and booths. We could expect more customers than usual today as the diner had been closed for a week.

***

Alice asked me to substitute her for ten minutes when she got a call. I put on her apron and headed toward the booth when I heard the growl. It was low enough for the wolves alone to hear.

I turned to see a tall woman standing at the entrance. With dark brown locks and pretty curves, she looked absolutely stunning. But she looked at me with hatred. Did I know her? Confusion clouded my mind.

With narrowed eyes, she marched straight toward me, grabbed my hand, and dragged me to the back end of the diner.

When Clarke tried to interfere, she just glared at him but never stopped. I stumbled a couple of times trying to free my hand. She never loosened her grip nor answered my questions.

She just pushed me against the wall once we were in the back.

“You don’t smell like a rogue. But you don’t smell like my pack member. Who are you, wolf? What are you doing in my territory?”

Her territory?

“Who are you to ask me this?” I asked in a stern voice. I was taken aback by this type of treatment. No one had behaved this way toward me.

“I asked you a question, and if you wish to live one more day, just give me the damn answer.” She spat the words between clenched teeth. I decided to approach with caution in this situation.

“I am Dr. Rose Nooman.”

“Doctor?” Her stance faltered a bit.

“Yes,” I answered back curtly.

“What are you doing here? And why are you wearing Alice’s uniform?” she asked, still not completely believing me.

“She’s just wearing my apron, Aubrey. I took a break and Rose substituted to wait the tables. She’s working part-time here.”

We both looked up to see Alice coming toward us fast. Aubrey? Alpha Reol’s sister? I turned toward her.

“My apologies. I have not seen you in my pack. That and seeing you in Alice’s uniform, I became suspicious,” she said to me in a voice devoid of emotion.

“I understand,” I responded in an equally plain voice.

Alice turned to me. “Clarke was so worried. I have stopped him for now from calling the cops. You better hurry back inside.”

I nodded at them and we went back into the diner.

“Who is that, Rose? Are you okay?” Clarke, Nate, and Yoni were now near me. I looked around to see the customers were curiously looking at us. I sighed at the sudden attention on me.

“I am all right. She was Alice’s friend. She mistook me since I was wearing her apron. Now everything is fine.”

Nate and Yoni nodded their heads at this and went back to the kitchen, but not before checking that I was fine. Clarke was still suspicious. Of course he would be, as he had seen the whole thing.

“Clarke, relax. I am fine now. Look, all the customers are watching. We will talk about this later.” I patted his arms. He checked me once again before leaving.

I let out a breath and moved to the counter, not before removing the much controversial apron.

Alice and Aubrey came back inside after some time. I then realized that another man was with Aubrey. He was lean and taller than her.

He looked more like a soft person, possibly not a warrior type. Was he the boyfriend?

Both of them sat at one of the booths. Alice chatted for a couple of minutes with them and resumed her serving. After the crowd thinned, Alice called me to join Aubrey and her friend.

“Rose, Sorry about earlier. Let me start fresh. I am Aubrey, Alpha Reol’s sister. This is my mate, Leon.”

Mate? Didn’t Alice mention he was her boyfriend? Had they mated already? Before my face could reveal these thoughts, I felt a sharp kick in my shin.

I glanced over to see Alice with a warning in her eyes. Her subtle shake of the head made me understand I was not to ask any questions.

I simply smiled with a hi. Aubrey was questioning about me on the whole. She even asked about my plan after the course.

Though I was planning to settle in Olivia’s pack, I did not want to disclose that information. I did not want people to know my next steps. This way I could avoid many people without any discomfiture.

I simply stated that I had not decided yet, since I had one more year to complete. She nodded, stating that she understood.

I excused myself and went to the counter to tally up the day’s accounts. Since Diana was not there, I did her job. Also, I knew she would not be okay for the next couple of days, so I did not want the work to get piled up for her.

Clarke, Nate, and Yoni bade farewell for the day. I observed Aubrey saying goodbye to Alice after some time.

Alice came and sat next to me.

“Thanks for not giving anything away,” she said. I stopped my work and looked up at her.

“No problem. But are they mated already?”

She shook her head.

“Then how come she addressed him as mate? Isn’t he her boyfriend?” I voiced my confusion.

“Because he is her mate.”

What??

“Aubrey brought her boyfriend to get permission for mating. But she met her real mate at the party organized on that day. Leon is from Alpha Pearson’s pack.

“He’s the alpha’s cousin. He had gone away for some training and recently returned to his pack.”

She sighed before continuing. I didn’t utter a word as I was still unclear.

“The party fell into absolute chaos. Aubrey was about to introduce her boyfriend to the pack and suddenly Leon jumped on the poor guy and started fighting with him.

“After the chaos, everyone understood the situation. Aubrey was shocked at how the events turned out. She was torn about whether to go to her mate or her boyfriend.

“Finally, Alpha Reol removed three of them from there to talk it out. The next day, the new guy was nowhere to be seen and Aubrey has been with her mate ever since.”

“Wow,” I said.

Alice chuckled. “Wow indeed! And the pack was shut down due to this tension. Her boyfriend is the brother of an alpha, so there was a lot of tension between the three Alphas and therefore the three packs.”

I shook my head, digesting the information. Somehow, I felt pity for the other guy. How disappointed he would be. He hadn’t found his real mate and had lost his chosen mate. Poor guy.

The wind chime sound indicated that someone was entering the diner.

“Excuse me. Is this place still open?” A deep voice echoed across the room and sent shivers down my spine. Why was this voice creating such a reaction in me?

When I went to look at the source of the voice, I heard Alice’s faint comment. “Oh God!”

I looked at her in question.

“It’s Aubrey’s ex-boyfriend.”

I turned to see the person, and my eyes widened at the enormity of the situation. Why now? Never in my life did I think I would utter the words that I was dreaming in this situation.

Mate…

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