Mia
I was racked with nerves. I was afraid. I didn’t think that I had ever been afraid in my life. My heart beat loudly as if it was going to jump out of my heart and I knew that I didn’t have to knock on the door when I got to Albert’s study to announce my arrival to the elders and whoever was in there.
With the superior hearing of the wolves and the way my heart was beating loud enough to compete with the beats from a drum, I was sure that they would have heard me coming, even from miles apart.
I was about to get to Albert’s study when I turned back and ran outside to the garden. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t face the elders when I was this much of a mess and didn’t even know what they wanted from me. I had to be composed to stand before them and not be torn into shreds by them but I couldn’t find it in me at all to compose myself.
I ran all the way out to the garden seeking some fresh air for myself. Maybe after some minutes out there, I would have gotten the strength and courage to stand before the elders but for now, I couldn’t, not even if my life depended on it.
I hadn’t lied to mum. I needed fresh air. That was what I needed most at the moment and I was going to get it, a whole lot of it before stepping inside. I continued running, not bothered of how far I was getting to the study with how far I ran. I didn’t care at the moment that I was keeping the elders waiting. They could wait for as long as they could till I was ready to meet them.
I was sure that they also wouldn’t want me to come there and faint in their presence. I didn’t even know if they wanted me to faint and embarrass myself in their presence but I wasn’t about to give anyone that chance.
Quinn was now the alpha of the pack and I was his mate. I was going to be the Luna of the pack and I wasn’t about to let their first impression of me be that of a weakling. I didn’t even know if they liked me yet or what they thought of me. I wasn’t about to throw myself further down the pit and ruin my reputation in their mind.
I had to show them that I was worthy to be Quinn’s mate and fit to be the Luna of the pack. I wasn’t going to leave here till I had gotten myself under composure. I would rather be seen as the busy or rude girl who had kept them waiting than the human bundle of jittery nerves.
I sat down on the park bench, my head bowed as I breathed in and out.
“Mia?”
I raised my head up at the sound of my name and a cry escaped my throat as I saw the boys walking towards me, the three of them.
I jumped off the bench, my fatigue forgotten as I ran towards them and straight into their arms. They stood still, wrapping their hands around me and patting me lightly on the back.
“What are you doing here?” John asked when I finally released them.
Quinn nodded, echoing John’s words. “Exactly. We weren’t expecting to see you here. I almost convinced myself that it couldn’t be you when we walked into the house and saw a lady seated in the garden with her head bowed and looking sad.”
Looking sad? I had no idea. I had only been concerned about getting some air to calm my nerves down. Was that the vibe I gave? I guessed one could say that I looked sad. I shrugged. If that was the vibe I gave, then so be it. It wasn’t as if I could deny that I was sad.
“What is wrong with you?” Jack asked. “Why do you look sad?”
“I missed you.” I blurted out the first words on my tongue. That was what I had always wanted to say to them when I finally see them after the long days of missing them.
They looked stunned at my words, staring at me in surprise. Their eyes, however, glowed at me and that was the only thing that made me know that they were pleased with what I had said.
“You are sad because you missed us?” Jack finally coughed out, breaking the silence. His voice was filled with awe.
“Isn’t that enough reason?” I scoffed, arching my eyebrows at him as I placed my hands on my hips. “Don’t you miss me? Do you want to tell me that you didn’t? Do you know how long it had been that we had seen one another?” I gave a dramatic sigh. “What a pity. It seems like I was the only one who was missing you guys and you all didn’t miss me. Good. Bravo. It really pays to be busy. You don’t have the time to be missing your girlfriend even if she is sad at home and busy dying from missing you. Are you indirectly telling me to get a life and get myself busy?”
They chuckled at my defensive posture. They seemed amused as I talked and listened to me get dramatic all through. I didn’t know why I was trying to pick a fight with them – I knew they wouldn’t ever think of me as idle and ask me to get a life – but I realized that I was able to get my mind off the meeting with the elders the more I talked and that helped me to calm down.
I blew out a breath. I finally found what I needed. A dose of fresh air and seeing the boys. I believed I could finally meet with the elders now.
The three of them pulled me into an embrace at the same time. “You know that we wouldn’t think of you as idle and ask you to get a life. What other life would we ask you to get when we are here? We missed you. We missed you so much it hurt.” Jack said.
I chuckled at his words. Of course, he was always able to disarm me with his sweet words and I guessed that was why the boys allowed him to be the spokesperson in scenarios like this, whenever I pretended to be angry and they felt like they had to pacify me.
“I know. I just needed to talk.”
“Are you fine?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m not. I got a message that the elders would like to see me in Albert’s study.”
Quinn sighed. “I knew that they were going to ask for you to see them after last night meeting. That was why I had to leave the house as fast as I could this morning to get John and Jack.”
I nodded. That explained why he wasn’t home this morning when I had gone in search of him. I smiled, glad that he had been concerned for me and had woken up early because of me.
“Let’s go together to see the elders. We would go with you.”
I nodded. I didn’t think that I was going to be afraid of facing the elders if I had them with me. With a determined nod, I moved forward, walking towards the study, knowing that the boys weren’t far behind me.