The Masked Wolf

Time

Ava’s point of view

I awoke to the melodic chime of my phone, signaling a message from Gloria. "I'm heading to my grandma's. Hopefully, your day won't be too hectic. Sorry, I'm not there with you today. I'll pick you up later, and we can go to the bar together. Love you, bestie."

"Okay, sounds good, bestie. Have a great time. Love you too," I replied to Gloria, a pang of loneliness settling within me.

As I went about my morning routine, I noticed a void in my messages. Tom hadn't sent his usual good morning greeting yet.

It was unusual, as Tom was usually an early riser. Curiosity sparked within me, and I couldn't resist reaching out.

"Good morning. Hope I'm not disturbing your sleep," I texted, gathering my things for a shower. A small smile graced my lips, relishing the opportunity to be the first to reach out this morning.

"Actually, you did wake me up. But it's okay. I spent the night in a different pack, so I didn't have to wake up as early. I need to finish everything on time to make it to our date tonight. Thank you for the message, beautiful," Tom replied, his words sending a flutter of excitement through me.

Seeking to maintain an air of mystery, I responded, "Well, I have some things to take care of as well, so I won't be late, hopefully."

Tom's response made me blush. "If you're late, I'll add the minutes I have to wait for our next date," he texted, clearly teasing me.

Feeling slightly taken aback, I responded, "We haven't even agreed on a time yet. Next date?" I reminded him that our plans were only for tonight.

"Okay, let's meet at 7. And yes, there will be a next date. Do you really think I'll be satisfied with just seeing you one more time, beautiful?" Tom's message sent a delightful wave of excitement through me.

Realizing I needed to focus on my tasks for the day, I decided to stop texting and take a shower. I had to find Stephanie to get my duties and leave on time. Tom was becoming quite the distraction, and I didn't want to be late for our date.

I quickly finished my shower and set out to find Stephanie. Along the way, I decided to utilize my newfound mind-linking ability to communicate with her.

"Stephanie, what are my duties for today?" I asked, attempting to establish the mind link.

Surprised by my sudden question, Stephanie responded through the link, "You can mind link now? When did you gain that ability?"

"I recently shifted, and Gloria taught me how to do it. Do I need to handle the main dining room and the common room today?" I inquired through the mind link.

"Yes, those areas are your responsibilities for today," Stephanie confirmed.

Worried that Stephanie might change her mind, I promptly severed the link as Gloria had instructed me, wanting to avoid any potential alteration in my tasks, such as bringing the Alpha his meals.

In a rush, I hurried to the kitchen and grabbed my breakfast, not even taking a moment to savor the taste as I scarfed it down. With breakfast finished, I headed towards the dining room, only to be greeted by a sight of complete disaster.

The room hadn't been cleaned the previous day, and it was in worse condition than ever before.

Feeling a sense of frustration, I messaged Tom, "OK, Fine, 7 pm. Hopefully, I'm not late," before putting my phone back into my pocket.

As my phone pinged with a notification, I completely ignored it, determined to focus on the task at hand. Cleaning up the dining room became my top priority, and I worked as swiftly as possible. It was an arduous and unpleasant process, leaving me wondering how people could neglect their responsibility to clean up after themselves.

Finally, when I finished the cleaning, I stepped back to admire my work. Glancing at the time, panic struck as I realized it was already 4 p.m., and I hadn't even paused for lunch yet. Without wasting a moment, I rushed through the halls towards the common room.

To my surprise, Gloria was already cleaning it. “I thought you were visiting your grandma?” I asked, hugging her tightly.

"I did visit her, and then I came here to help you. You must see Tom tonight, and I don't want you to miss your date. So, please stop hugging me and lend me a hand to finish cleaning," Gloria replied, gently wiping away the tears that escaped my eyes.

After working diligently, we finally completed the cleaning by 5:30. "Okay, let's grab a bite to eat, then we'll freshen up with a shower. I brought a change of clothes, and then we can head to the bar," Gloria suggested, her voice filled with amusement as she playfully took hold of my hand as if it were an order rather than a request.

When we were finally ready, I glanced at my phone and noticed a message from Tom. It read, "Please come, even if you're a little late, beautiful. I really want to see you." His words brought a warm smile to my face, knowing that he was eagerly anticipating our time together.

"I will be there on time," I quickly replied, feeling a mix of anticipation and nerves.

I examined my reflection in the mirror, dressed in a baby blue dress with fishnet stockings that Gloria insisted I wear, along with matching baby blue heels.

The outfit perfectly coordinated with my purse, and Gloria made it clear that the stockings were meant to match my mask. I couldn't help but wonder if she was subtly hinting that I should wear them for Tom.

"Great, I can't wait to see you too," Tom's response read, causing my heart to skip a beat.

I quickly joined Gloria in her car as we hurriedly made our way to the bar, determined to arrive on time.

As we pulled into the parking lot of The Masked Wolf, I reached for the door handle to exit the car in a rush.

"Wait," Gloria interrupted, handing me my mask.

"Thank you, I almost forgot. What would I do without you?" I remarked with a grateful smile, swiftly putting on the mask.

"Well, you'll never have to find out!" Gloria exclaimed, slipping her own mask over her face.

We giggled merrily as we approached the front door, and a friendly security guard graciously opened the grand golden doors for us.

However, something caught my attention, a captivating scent that swiftly vanished as Gloria ushered me into the bustling bar. She hurriedly guided me to the nearest available table, and I glanced at my watch.

"It's only 6:30, and we'll have to wait for him. Let me treat you to a drink," I exclaimed eagerly, wanting to reciprocate the kindness Gloria had shown me.

A server approached us with a welcoming smile, ready to take our order. "What can I get for you lovely ladies?" she asked politely.

"We'll have two Malibu Sunsets, please," I ordered, flashing a smile and winking at Gloria. I learned the name of the drink while I was serving tables.

"Those sound delicious. Thanks, bestie," Gloria chimed in with gratitude.

As the server returned with our drinks, I insisted she keep the change. Just then, my phone chimed with a notification.

It was a message from Tom. "I'm entering the bar now. Let's change the meeting time to 6:34, so if you're late, you owe me more time on our next date," his playful message read.

I glanced at the entrance and spotted Tom donning a plain black mask as he walked in. Swiftly, I replied, "Let's change it to 6:30. That's when I arrived. Looks like you owe me four minutes on our next date."

I couldn't help but smile as I watched Tom read my message, chuckle, and lift his gaze to meet mine.