The Alphas Hidden Mate

One Week Before...

I was no longer sleeping through my alarm now. Thank god. I don't think I would have been able to stand another extra 20 miles. Not that I couldn't or wouldn't be able to do it. It was just driving me crazy. However, that didn't mean that Archer was now happy with me. He was still making me work my ass off more than the others. I just took it and did what he said. 

I am still suffering nightmares, and now I'm running a minor fever. I didn't dare miss training, or miss work. I was saving every cent I could to get my own place in the pack territory. I needed to get out of that hellhole as soon as possible and missing work was not happening. I just simply couldn't afford it right now. 

Another thing I have noticed is that I have been noticing Crace watching me. Not in a normal way either. He seemed...intrigued...maybe? It was creeping me out a little and made me a little self-conscious. It was really strange. I tried not to notice but it was hard. His gaze was like a heat ray - I could feel it burning on my back or my head. Nevertheless, I would go about my day and get lost in my activities. Work was great for that. I worked in a bakery and I was the patisserie chef there. I wasn't going to lie to you, I was the best at what I did. That's why I wasn't fired for running late so often these days. The manager, Sophie, adored me and wouldn't fire me for running a little late. As long as I picked up my slack and got straight to work, she was fine. My days passed seamlessly. Training in the morning, work during the day and chores at night. My days were kept busy and that was how I liked it. 

Today was a particular busy day at the bakery. We had a lot of customers in who wanted all sorts of pastries. I was trying really hard to keep supplies up and I couldn't catch a break. Literally. I worked through my rest breaks and lunch break. Luckily, I always made extras so I was able to eat a ham and cheese croissant quickly while waiting for some fresh scones to cook. Then it was right back to work. The day passed quickly and before long, it was time to head home finally. I tidied up the kitchen, did the dishes and grabbed my belongings before heading out. I said goodbye to my colleagues and exited the store. I put my headphones back in and started listening to some music. The way home was easy and not far, I had it memorised, so once I stepped out the door, I allowed my mind to wander aimlessly. Usually, the walk went without a hitch. I should have known, though, with how my life had been going so far, that something would have gone wrong.

Not one minute after walking out the door, I bumped into something hard. My wireless earbud came out in the process and fell to the ground. I sighed in exhaustion before looking to see what I had bumped in to. Unfortunately for me, it was a who and not a what. Crace was standing in front of me. 

"Oh sorry, Alpha. I didn't see you" I apologised to him. I went to get the earbud but he leant down first to get it and handed it to me.

"No worries, love. You looked like you had a lot on your mind" He said, smiling at me. His eyes seemed to be asking an unspoken question.

"Quite the opposite, actually. I had a long, busy day at work. I usually zone out on my way home" I explained, taking my earbud from him. 

"Really? I didn't see you in there" He said to me, confused. I gave him a small smile.

"That's because I'm the chef. I work out the back making the food" I said, starting to walk again. He followed. 

"Ah, I see. That would make sense" He said, nodding slightly.

"Yeah" was all I replied. Then my ever slow brain finally processed what he said and I halted in my tracks. "Wait a second" I started, narrowing my eyes at him. He just smiled at me. 

"Hmm?" 

"What do you mean 'you didn't see me in there'? You were watching the bakery looking for me?" I asked him, confused. He chuckled and my heart skipped a little beat at the sound. Huh.

"If I said yes?" He asked back, motioning me to keep walking. I looked at him for a second, calculating his moves before I started to walk. He walked in time to my steps. 

"Honestly...wouldn't be surprised" I answered, shrugging. My steps were slow, dragging out the walk. There was something about his presence that I enjoyed in a familiar kind of way.

"You wouldn't?" He said. He didn't seem shocked, more like fascinated. 

"Don't play coy, Alpha. I'm not blind" I said. "I've noticed you during training and everything. You're not that subtle" 

He chuckled again. My heart skipped another beat. "Oh really?" He asked me, not denying it. I nodded. "I guess I would be found out eventually." He said, sighing dramatically.

"So why have you been watching me, Alpha Crace?" I asked. We turned a corner and I started to notice our surroundings. Subconsciously, I had decided to take the long way home. We had entered the forest on the outskirts of our territory. It was a vibrant green this time of the year, moss covering the floor, fairy nymphs danced around the mushrooms, hummingbirds fluttered their wings hard as they sucked the honeydew out of the flowers. The trees had vines climbing up them and the sounds of the forest animals all harmonised in sync to create the most beautiful music you would ever hear. This was where I would go sometimes to relax. Occasionally, the fairy nymphs would gift me with a daisy crown. I thank them and they would all giggle and go back to their dancing. This was my favourite place, my safe haven, and I somehow ended up showing Alpha Crace it by accident. 

I looked at him now as he had fallen silent. He looked around him in awe. "Wow" He breathed. Fairy nymphs flew around his head, giggling. They truly were the most joyous, precious things. Always giggling. He watched them as they flew to another part of the forest, eyes wide, taking it all in. A hummingbird flew past, a brilliant blue and yellow. "What is this place?" He asked me, still looking around, too entranced by the forests beauty to look at me.

"It seems I have taken you to my safe haven without realising. I'm surprised you don't even recognise you're own forest, Alpha Crace" I informed him. A fairy nymph came back then, with some friends. They saw me and I held out a hand. They all landed on it. Fairy nymphs were small creatures. They were about the size of a pen lid and when they were on you, it tickled slightly. I had grown accustomed to them though. Their voices were so quiet due to their size that sometimes you'd have to be in complete silence to hear them. They wore the tiniest of flower petals as clothes. They only knew joy, so I always felt so happy watching them dance on mushroom heads and fly past.

The fairy nymphs gave me a small daisy crown today and bowed slightly. They were the cutest. "Thank you" I told them, in a gentle voice. "Is Tabitha here today?" I asked them. Tabitha was the shyest one of the group and she was the one I liked the most. I cherished her like my own. We had a special bond. They all giggled and nodded. Then without a word, they all flew away. Crace watched the interaction, astonished. 

"This is my forest?" He asked. I smiled and put the crown on. It fit perfectly, they must have spent a couple days on it.

"Yes, Alpha Crace. If you cared to explore the forest, listened closely and watched quietly, you'd see that there are many wonders in this forest of yours" I told him. I began to walk out of the forest. Crace didn't follow for a minute or so before he caught up. 

"What were those?" He gestured to my crown, referring to the fairy nymphs. I smiled fondly, thinking of them.

"They are fairy nymphs. They reside in the forest inside mushrooms." I explained. We were getting closer to the cottage house now. The sun was finally starting to slowly set, casting an orange haze on the territory and turning the sky colours of pink, orange and red. I would never grow tired of the sunset here. Beside the forest, it truly was so magical. "I thought being the Alpha would mean you'd know about the other magical creatures that exist" I told him, perplexed. 

"My father never deemed it important enough to know those things. He only informed me of those that might pose a threat to the territory one day" He admitted to me. "Why did they give you a daisy crown?" 

"Oh" I laughed, feeling a little silly but I left it on. "When I first met them, they thought I was one of them. In fact, they thought I was their queen. I asked them why. They told me I possessed such a natural beauty, they had only ever seen it in pictures of their queen. Of course, I told them I wasn't but they still give me daisy crowns now and then." I told him. We were now on my street and I could see the lights were on inside the main house. 

"I'm not surprised that they would think that you're their queen" He said, quietly. I pretended not to notice though. I wasn't sure what game he was playing. "Whose Tabitha?" He asked me. We approached the little cottage house out the back. 

"Tabitha is one of the fairy nymphs. She is quite shy which is why you didn't see her today. She must have seen you with me and stayed hidden. She rarely shows herself and usually keeps to herself too. We connected because we understand each other. She's quite special to me" I told him. I couldn't help but smile a little, thinking of her. 

"You really are something else, aren't you?" He mused, looking at me, captivated. He didn't mean it in  a mean way, either. I just couldn't work it out, I couldn't figure him out. We had finally reached the door and we both stopped. 

"So I have been told." I said, smiling. He frowned a little at that before smiling at me, again. 

"Thank you for today, Serena" He said. Now it was my turn to frown.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Why are you thanking me?"

"For taking me to your favourite place, for showing me the forest and it's wonders, for telling me what I should already know but don't, and for showing me something that it is sacred to you" He said, candidly. 

"Oh" was all I could muster. His honesty was something I never expected. 

"Goodnight, Serena, fairy nymph queen" He said, bowing slightly. I shook my head at him, amused. 

"Goodnight, Alpha Crace" I replied. He gave me a coy smile.

"Call me Crace, Serena." He said. He began to turn and walk away. I turned to unlock my door before I realised something.

"Wait, Alpha Crace!" I called out. He stopped in his tracks, turning and gave me grin.

"Please, I told you to call me Crace" He said. I sighed and laughed a little.

"Fine" I conceded. "Crace" I amended myself. I played with my house key.

"Yes, Fairy Nymph Queen?" I rolled my eyes at his ridiculousness.

"You never answered my question" I told him, raising an eyebrow and biting my lip, anxiously.

"What question was that?" He asked, confused. In his awe and wonder of the forest, the question seemed to have slipped from his mind. 

"I asked you why you had been watching me" I reminded him. He beamed. 

"That, my little Fairy Nymph Queen, is a mystery" He said, and he turned and left. I stood there, wondering what the hell my afternoon had turned into before I unlocked the cottage house and went inside, still wearing the daisy crown.