Is It You

Adira POV 6

Three Days Later

Malachi sat next to me at the dining table going over a few pack business documents while I rearranged the flowers in the vase. The kitchen was looking a bit lighter with the addition of the flowers and with my fever being gone I could smell their sweet essence tickling my nose and wafting around. Malachi had looked after me closely when I was sick, making me soup and giving me enough pills and liquids. I’d literally banned him from making soup for the rest of his life!

He had also become more attentive and kinder, paying attention to my questions and trying to be a friend. I don’t know what changed his attitude but I appreciated that we were now equal in some way. I gave him one last look before finishing the assortment and set it back in the middle of the table. Malachi looked up from his work and glanced at his watch.

“What’s my schedule again?” He asked out loud.

I looked around the kitchen. Was he talking to me?

“Oh right, I keep forgetting,” He muttered to himself. He tapped his watch twice and then repeated his question. “What’s my schedule again, Amy?”

He looked back to his papers as a robotic voice filled the air.

Tomorrow is Saturday, January 5th 2019. You have a meeting slated with Alpha Carlyle of the Dark Moon Pack at 9AM

I’d never seen this happen before. He nodded to himself and the kitchen became quiet again. I turned to him and took my seat again.

“Um, what was that?”

He stopped and looked over at me for a second. He seemed confused but then he paused and chuckled lightly. Seeing him smile had been a custom over the last few days and I loved it. His eyes would turn hazel and his eyebrows would relax, not to mention his lips would curl up in the most sexiest smirk. I think six months here is still going to be terrible. If I’m choking now then I’ll surely keel over later.

“That was Amy, my home AI” He explained. “Wildon’s memory is shoddy and I tend to get lost in work. Amy keeps a track of my schedule from inputted information and my health from a chip in my arm.”

That made sense.

“Amy, register a new user” He called out.

Please continue

“Adira Stone”

What should I refer to her as?

“My mate”

Malachi’s eyes flew to mine as the words left his lips. I knew he said it as a reflex but it still stung me. I did wish he was mine.

“I’m sorry,” He apologized. “Refer to her as Miss. Document her requests as needed, senior position authorized”

Confirmed. Welcome Miss Stone

Amy died down then and I smiled to myself. Even after everything he still called me his mate, even if it was by accident. I hadn’t realized before how precious that word was until he kept repeating it. But my value to him was nowhere near that. For now though, I’d make him as happy as I could.

“You have to meet the pack in a few days,” He started saying to me while packing up his documents, “For now, we’ll introduce you as my mate. You’ll be staying with me here so it’ll be suspicious if you weren’t. I know you don’t want to do this but you’ll have Luna responsibilities until you return home.”

He put his hand on top of mine on the table and I looked at his shoulders. I didn’t want to meet his eyes again. Those gorgeous eyes.

“I understand. I’ll be mentally prepared to be swamped by the pack members,” I joked.

“You’ll also accompany me to the meeting tomorrow with Alpha Carlyle. We have to discuss a peace treaty between our packs to strengthen the bond for the other surrounding packs. Is that good with you?”

I loved how he was considering my feelings and taking it slow. I nodded since I couldn’t trust the words to come from my mouth.

“Great!” He complimented. “We leave first thing in the morning. It's a forty-five minute drive and I’d like to survey the area before we head directly to him.”

I wasn’t sure what it was but it seemed he distrusted the neighboring Alpha. I’d figure it out on my own tomorrow but for now I enjoyed his calmness. I removed my hand from his and got up from my seat. I’d taken up Malachi on his offer and called the grocery store in the pack villa. The owner, Gina, had made sure to deliver the packages earlier but I didn’t have a chance to set them out. Three large brown bags lined the counter. Better get started.

I started to pack out the first bag. It contained a large bag of pasta, spaghetti noodles, three tins of chicken soup, three tins of beans and a medium sized bag of parboiled rice. I put them away in the cupboard and turned to the second bag. It had all the meat stuff, bacon strips, chicken, fish and salmon. I pushed it aside and was surprised when Malachi started to load them into the freezer.

“Let me help” He gave me another smile. These smiles were going to be the death of me. How was Adair’s mate so handsome!? You truly won sis.

I let him focus on that and looked into the last bag. It was filled with snacks. Doritos, Lays, Ritz and everything under the sun. Gina had told me that he usually ordered the same thing every month so she had a set list but I never imagined it was filled with junk food. Malachi slid the bag from me and gave me a demure look.

“I sometimes have no self control,” He shyly admitted. He dished the snacks into a large cupboard on the other side of the fridge.

“So, what’s for dinner today?” He asked. He propped his hip against the counter and faced me.

“Well, I was thinking of some chicken in black bean,” I replied, lost in thought. I grabbed the cooking book from a low shelf and shuffled through the pages. “Buttered Parmesan Rice is a favorite with my parents, I’m pretty sure you’d like it too.”

Malachi’s hip brushed mine as he closed in behind me. He was looking at the image of the rice on the page and rested his chin on my shoulder. I froze. I wasn’t use to this, in fact, this was new. It was clear he was just doing whatever his body led him to and he didn’t realize I had stopped talking.

“I’ve never had either so let's give it a shot,” He agreed. He removed himself and stood to his full height again. I didn’t want to remind him that we had agreed to be friends. It felt nice having him against me. Even for a little while. This was what my mother had meant by there is beauty in having a mate. Someone to share your moments with. The idea of being alone had grown on me over the years that I never imagined it would feel this good.

I shook my head to refocus my thoughts and reached for the ingredients to begin cooking. Malachi had cleared the table by now of his stuff and pulled a snack from the cupboard. He motioned to the living room and I nodded, knowing he’d be just a breath away if I needed him.

Yeah. If I needed him.