Thirty

Alexa’s Point Of View
“You could have at least told someone before you left,” I said.
Ace turned to me and I raised a brow. He didn’t notice me when he came in. I had been waiting for him in the hallway since morning.
“You left home yesterday and came back a day later without dropping a letter or something.”
“I don’t remember where it’s stated that I have to report to you everywhere I go.”
“There is nothing like that but be considerate. You had everyone worried. I thought you had gone haywire like Riaz.” I said.
“Right. Sorry about that.” He said apologetically and I hummed in understanding.
“So… where did you go to? Did you go to search for Riaz?” I asked and he nodded. Gosh, poor guy.
“Any leads?” I asked and he shook his head sadly.
“It’s okay. We’ll find him. For now, just go and rest. You must have walked a lot.” I said and he smiled wearily.
“Thanks, Alexa.”
“You are always welcome.”
“Where is Akira?” He asked and I shrugged.
“He’s been gone since yesterday. I’m beginning to worry, honestly.”
“He’s okay.”
He sounded so sure.
“Why do you sound so sure?”
He smiled and motioned me to come forward. “Let me show you something.” He said and I followed him. I followed him until we got into a pitch-black hallway. He took a fire torch from the wall and lit it.
“Come.”
I followed behind him as we walked down the hallway. We got to a door and he opened it.
“Let go in.”
I nodded and followed him inside.
“Wow,” I gawked as I came to view countless lit lanterns hanging down the ceiling. Their lights illuminated the room so brightly.
“What is this?” I asked as I looked around. There was a particular one whose light shinned brighter than the rest.
“Each of these lanterns represents the soul of each pack member.”
“Soul?” I asked in fascination and he nodded.
“This one is for Luna Mother. This is for Xena. This is Me and this ridiculously bright one is Akira’s.”
“Wow.”
“The lights would continue to shine as long as we’re alive. And the intensity of each light depends on how strong its soul is.”
“So it means Akira’s soul is the strongest amongst all the rest?” I asked and he nodded.
“Indeed.”
“If that’s the case then Riaz’s light should be here, right?”
He nodded. “Yeah. That is Riaz’s,” he said, pointing to the corner. I walked forward to see it clearer.
“Wow.”
Riaz’s light was very bright and burned a blue flame. “Why is his blue?” I asked and he shook his head.
“I don’t know. Probably because he has always been unique. Everything about him is just different. Different in an amazing way.”
“Hmm, what is that tone?” I teased and he widened his eyes at me.
“What do you mean?”
“That fondness in your tone. What does it mean?”
“Don’t start, Alexa.”
“What? You have that tone in your voice every time you talk about Riaz.” I said as a matter of fact.
“I..”
“Do I also have a lantern here?” I asked him, changing the topic.
“Not yet.”
“Not yet?”
He nodded. “Once you get officially mated to Akira, your lantern would be lit. I wonder what light your lantern would shine.”
“Probably just a regular light. I’m not really special, you know?” I said and he chuckled.
“I… I wanna ask a question.”
“Huh?”
“Well… don’t take this the wrong way but have you always been uh…”
“Wolfless?” I completed his sentence and he nodded briskly.
“Yeah. I was born this way. Because of this, I’ve always been weaker than my peers. At ten, other kids could already lift a trunk on their own but I could barely move a wooden chair.”
“Must have been hard.”
“It was. It still is. I mean, I still crave to shift into a wolf. I crave to roar and communicate with my wolf but I can’t do all of those. I’m more or less just a human.”
“You are not weak, Alexa. Strength has nothing to do with muscles or how loud you can roar. You have a strong heart. Akira told me what you went through in your previous pack. I wouldn’t have survived if it were me. Despite the suffering and the wounds in your heart, you still managed to survive with a smile. That alone is a big achievement.”
“You really do know how to butter my bread.”
“I’m not. I’m just speaking the truth.” He said and I smiled.
“Well, thank you. It feels great to hear that once in a while.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Can we go now?” I asked and he nodded. Just as we took a step, Ace suddenly stopped.
“Akira is back.”
I frowned. “How did you know?”
“I just know. Go up and you’ll find him.”
In excitement, I rushed out of the room and ran down the hallway. My excitement increased when I heard his voice. I climbed up the stairs and landed on the first floor. There he really was, him and a couple of men, talking.
Like he noticed my presence, he turned to me. His face lit up when he saw me. Without thinking, I rushed toward him in excitement and crashed into his welcoming arms. He carried me and twirled me around.
“You should have told me you’d be this late.” I snapped and he chuckled.
“I’m sorry.”
He brought me to stand on my feet but I never let his neck go. I kept my arms around it.
“I see you missed me just as much.” He said, bopping my nose and I rolled my eyes.
“Not really.”
He grinned and planted a quick kiss on my lips.
“We.. we are outside,” I said in embarrassment as I tried to hide my head in his chest. How could he kiss me in front of these men?
“If you’re so uncomfortable with their presence, I can tell them to leave.”
“What? No, I..”
“Leave.” He ordered and the men bowed in respect before leaving.
“You shouldn’t have sent them away,” I said and he smiled.
“They shouldn’t be here anyway. So… what have you been up to?”
He shrugged and took my hand and pulled me along with him.
“Where are we going?” I asked giggling.
“We weren’t able to go on our date.”
“Wait. Are we going on the date now?”
He nodded.
“But I’m not even dressed up!”
He chuckled and pecked my cheek. “Even if you were clad in a rag, my darling, you’re still the prettiest in my eyes.”
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as those words left his lips. I lowered my gaze bashfully and said, “you flatter me too much.”
“I’m not flattering you. I’m just stating a fact.” He said and I smiled.
“What do you wanna do?” He asked me and I hummed.
“I want to meet the people. You know, walk among them and see how they live. Most of them don’t even know how I look.”
I looked up at him and found him grinning sheepishly.
“What?” I asked.
“Why do you wanna meet the people? Have you finally decided to become the mother of the pack? Have you finally decided to stay?” He asked excitedly.
“Well… I… I don’t know.”
“Oh, you know, Alexa. Why did you say that then?”
He’s right. Little by little, I’m forgetting my purpose. I let go of his hand and scurried forward.
“Hey, wait up!” He yelled after me and I increased my speed. Oh Alexa, control your stupid mouth! It took Akira just seconds to catch up with me and carry me on his back.
“Jeez! This is embarrassing, put me down!” I yelled in a whisper.
“Embarrassing? I stopped caring about that the moment I brought you here.”
Gosh, many eyes are staring at us. They are probably wondering if their alpha went crazy on his way back from his trip.
“Okay okay. Just put me down, okay? You’re an alpha for goodness sake.”
“I’m an alpha to them but I’m your mate. There is a difference.”
“Okay then. Your MATE is asking you to put her down.”
He finally put me down but he didn’t let my hand go. He held it and tucked it in the pocket of his coat.
“Are you cold?” He asked and I shook my head.
“No. I’m dressed well for the weather. Raya wouldn’t have let me leave the room if I didn’t put on this coat.” I said and he nodded proudly.
“I should give her a raise. She knows how to do her job well.” He said. “I can see why they called her the best-trained maidservant in the South.”
“You brought her from the South?” I asked and he nodded.
“I want you to have the best things. She might not look like much but she is a great cook, and great at embroidery and crafting. She dances well and to crown it all, she’s a great fighter.”
I frowned. “Wow. You must like her a lot.” I said sarcastically and he nodded.
“Of course,” he replied, turning to look at me. Seeing the expression on my face, he changed his words instantly.
“No! I don’t like her. In fact, I detest her. Who cares if she can cook, dance or fight? She’s not the only woman that can do that. Every woman can!”
“I can’t.” I said and he gulped in fear.
“W.. well, I’m sure if you practice, you’d be as good… scratch that, you’d be better! I trust you!”
I eyed him annoyingly and took my hands off his.
“Alexa,” he called after me but I didn’t reply to him. I folded my arms like a baby denied of her candy and stumped away.
“Alexa, wait…”
I turned to him and he stopped in his track.
“Don’t! Stay three feet away from me.”
“But-”
“Or would you prefer if I asked you not to follow me at all?”
He pouted like a puppy and I swear I almost melted. I quickly turned away to avoid getting affected by his cuteness.
He kept calling my name as we walked. We left the palace and got to the pack’s market. It was packed with a lot of people merchandising. Some stopped me and advertised their products to me. Talk about different types of fish, meat, hair accessories, coats, herbs, and many more. Even puppies!
“Alexa…”
Oh! I almost forgot about Akira. I turned to him and he clasped his palm together.
“Please,” he mouthed and I thinned my lips to prevent myself from laughing. He’s just so cute. If he had dog ears, they would be fallen in sadness.
“Fine,”
He grinned happily and rushed to me. He took my hand and intertwined our fingers.
“I’m not letting you go now.” He said and I giggled.
I don’t want you to anyway.
With our hands intertwined, we walked through the market.
“Do people not recognize you?” I asked.
“Hm?”
“I’ve not seen anyone bow to you dramatically since we came here,” I said and he laughed lightly.
“This market is filled with merchants from different parts of the empire. Some of them don’t even know the route to the palace. And also, not every pack member would be able to recognize me as it is not all of them that are around anytime I pass by the market.” He said and I hummed in understanding.
“Wow, young woman you’re so beautiful! My beautiful shoes are for beautiful women like you!”
“See? Even the market woman recognizes your beauty.” Akira said and I blushed. I went to the woman advertising shoes and greeted her.
“Good afternoon, ma’am.” I greeted and she grinned.
“Angels are out to shame by your beauty! You know, I was as beautiful as you are in my youthful days.” She said and I laughed.
“Really?”
She nodded proudly. “Many heads would turn and almost fall because of how beautiful I was.”  She boasted.
“I can’t even imagine,” I said and she giggled.
“Come. Try my shoes on. I’m sure they’ll fit you perfectly.”
I sat on the bench she provided for me and proceeded to take off the shoes I was wearing but Akira beat me to it.
“Let me.” He said as he got on his knees before me. He took my foot and placed it gently on his knee. He took off my shoe and looked up at me and smiled, making my heart skip a beat.
“Wow, you two look so perfect together!” The shoe seller beamed, snapping me back to reality. She gave Akira the right foot of the show and he wore it for me. The shoe was of gold color and it was embedded with gems. It was so beautiful and as she said, it fitted my foot perfectly.
“See? I told you it’ll fit you.”
“It’s beautiful.” I gawked and she squealed.
“Should I pack it?”
Ah, but I have no money.
“Yes, ma’am. Please pack it.” Akira said and the woman skipped happily into her shop. She came back with the packed shoe and Akira paid.
“Thank you, wonderful customer! I hope I see you again!” The woman yelled after us and I waved her goodbye.
“Having fun?” Akira asked and I nodded.
“I’m having a really nice time,” I told him.
“I’m glad. Now, we’re going to the real date.”
“Huh?”
“I planned something, you see.”
“Really?” I beamed. “What is it?”
“You’ll see when we get there.” He said and I smiled. I wonder what it is.