Chapter Thirteen
1078 Words
On her way to the kitchen, the storm filtered out of her skin leaving only a quiet resignation behind. “Was this how things was supposed to be?” The question bounced over her head. She wasn't known to be consistent by people that were close to her but in this… In this issue concerning the mate bond, she had been consistent enough, trying to change Zeke's mind but what if this was the way the moon goddess wanted it to be.
Her grandmother's words floated into her mind, “All mate bonds aren't meant to be, some are meant to be a lesson,” Maybe this was what she was talking about. Being a lesson.
She paused as the large oak door of the kitchen came into sight. The last event that happened before she returned to the clinic was still fresh in her mind. She had lost her composure and her wolf had taken over. She had even hurt a girl.
She let out a rough sigh before taking another step further and pushing the door open. All eyes turned towards her as she stood before them. Some lowered their eyes in reference and others in fear. Her eyes scanned the room before landing on the girl that had challenged her the last time.
She stood with a frying pan in her hands and a small smile on her lips. A smile? “Wasn't she supposed to be afraid?” Ivy wondered.
The silence that followed constricted the large room into a small, suffocating space. Eyes darted towards her and she could feel sweats gathering in her palms. Her eyes were kept neutral and indifferent, that was the best she could do.
“Luna,”A thin voice broke through the silence. Ivy raised her head to the direction in which the voice came from. The girl with the frying pan.
“Let me show you around,” She added with a smile. The eyes looked away as they all returned to their normal duties.
Far from where she stood, she overheard a conversation between two workers. “She's supposed to be familiar with the kitchen environment,” One said with scorn. “She's been here multiple times enough to mistake her for a maid,” She added.
“A Luna that works in the midst of maids is a maid,” The other said with a disdainful hiss.
Ivy's footsteps paused for only a split moment before resuming her walk. The kitchen head - maybe still afraid of her - had assigned her to the dishes. She and the girl who had introduced herself as Ada.
Ada did most of the work, scrubbing and washing while Ivy rinsed the plates and kept them back.
“Luna,” Ada called in a whisper, making Ivy raise her head from the sink to stare at her.
“What's wrong?” She asked when she saw the look on Ada's face.
“The woman that spread those rumors about your parents hit a fortune recently…” She said and Ivy hummed with disinterest. “She stopped the work and relocated with the money, my guess is that she was put up to it by someone else, someone superior,” Ada said, placing a washed plate on the sink.
“Really,” Ivy twitched her lips and looked away but the words echoed in her head. “put up to it by someone superior,” And in the archive part of her head, she filed that information away.
The kitchen hummed lowly and uneventful as the workers made the evening meal ready. They still moved carefully around Ivy but this time, she was seated kneading flour, her hands and thighs white with it while her a stroke of flour stood against her face.
Her streaks of laughter bounced over the walls of the kitchen with the atmosphere seeming a little lighter. Workers laughed with her as they worked while sharing jokes. Her gown was a little raised but she was unaware, her fingers moving over the white flour.
This was the posture Zeke walked up to. Laughter spilling from her lips, gown slightly raised with excitement splattered over her face.
He had reassured himself that it was his usual evening check up on all units of the pack but he was never this early to the kitchen. He had spent the last hours making arrangements for a sudden fire that never came to pass but knowing Ivy, she never made empty threats.
He stood behind a pillar, not knowing whether to hide it walk in, his darting eyes found her immediately and his face softened a little, she looked human, not like the fire-breathing dragon that she presented to him everytime.
Someone said something funny and she slapped Ada's arms before erupting into laughter again. He stood there motionlessly, watching.
Ivy noticed him immediately she finished her bout of laughter, her heart skipped her beat and the smile on her face grew wider.
“He came,” She said in her head. “Then why?” She left that question to hang in the air as she returned to her duties, intruding in little talks and laughing when she wanted to.
Time passed and Zeke didn't moved, Ivy shook her head in frustration, a slight smile playing on her lips. “Could this mean he was afraid maybe?” Ada called at her and she turned her attention to her but something flew past her mind.
An alpha hiding from his subjects. Pathetic.
The gossip with the workers stole her attention again and she allowed herself went loose with them.
The sound of footsteps shuffling reached her ears and she looked up. His back was turned to her, his hair catching the wind. He was leaving.
A sigh left her lips as she returned her gaze back to the almost smooth flour. “You can come in, you know. I don't bite. Much” She muttered, loud enough to carry out of the room. Loud enough for him to hear.
The workers looked at her in confusion before catching the disappearing figure of Zeke. She heard his footsteps pause for a brief moment when he thought he was already gone from her. But she heard.
A wild grin threatened to break through her face and she bit down on her lips, hiding the grin or trying so damn hard to hide it.
“Stoneheart,” She shook her head.
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