The Rejected Alpha's Counselor

Chapter 8 Questionnaire

Nick’s POV

There is a lingering silence between them. The longer it is, the weirder they feel.

Nick narrows his eyes and examines Ara. She has withdrawn her hand sharply as if she were a thief caught red-handed. Nick gives her a suspicious look and asks, “Did that happen before?”

Ara asks innocently, “What?”

“Don’t play the fool with me. The sparkle. You felt it just like I did.”

Ara winces at the mention of sparkle.

The answer to Nick’s question is no. Never has she ever experienced a sparkle like that. If Ara had a wolf, she would think the connection is a signal that she eventually finds her mate. It could be the so-called mutual attraction between soul mates, the most blissful moment for werewolves. Very unfortunately, Ara wasn’t blessed with a wolf and she can never have a connection with her mate. Therefore, she wisely chooses to apply to science rather than romance to explain the weird feeling.

Finally, Ara recollects herself and manages it. Ara gives a casual shrug, “It could be the static electricity.”

Her scientific theory succeeds in persuading herself, yet Nick doesn’t buy it.

“Did this happen before?”He asks again and makes his question even more specific, “Between you and other clients?”

Somehow Ara feels uneasy. To be honest, she has no idea what that feeling is. She needs time to concentrate and think, but Nick’s constant inquiries distract her and make her feel even more uncertain. It seems that something is out of control and Ara dislikes the feeling. She furrows her brows and sighs, “I don’t want to talk about this. ”

Nick gazes at her for a while and theorizes carefully, “Does this mean yes? So you would receive a shock each time you established a connection with your client via the Moon?”

“What? No.”Ara’s face softens and she can’t help but laugh, “That will be too horrifying. I’d rather find an easier job than get a shock from time to time.”

“So the answer is no. You haven’t experienced this before, and the sparkle between us is exclusive.”

“You are jumping to the conclusion, Mr. Woolf.”Ara raises her eyebrow at Nick.

“Just tell me whether my deduction is right or wrong.”

“You’re right.”Ara admits reluctantly and hands The Moon to Nick, “Back to business. Please feed it the required information. You should be as honest as you can, for the information you type in will be used to analyze your personalities, taste, hobbies, etc. And it will offer you the best match. When the outcome is generated, I will help you get in touch with your target and help you win her affections.”

Hate to admit, but this plan intrigues Nick. He takes the Moon and starts going through the blanks he needs to fill in. After adding some basic information such as birthday, height, weight and s****l orientation, his attention is focused on the Preferences Section. The Moon wants to know his favorite dish, song, book and film.

“I have no preference for food and music, yet I love a lot of books and films.”Nick mutters, “It is difficult to decide which ranks top in my mind.”

“You may input all of your favorites.”Ara suggests.

Nick follows her advice and finish the part in a couple of minutes. He claims With regard to films, he picks The Matrix, Western World. The data collection goes on as the interface turns to another page, which reads “Expectation”. In this section, there are five boxes for Nick to tick and cross.

“It reminds me of my college life.”Nick scans the page and mumbles, “When the final term is coming, students major in sociology would deliver questionnaires to whomever they meet. No one shall be spared.”

That’s what Ara experienced, too. She laughs and adds, “And they behave as if they were disposing of stolen goods. They would ask you if you have a moment uncannily and eagerly pull out the questionnaire and give it to you once you give them the nod.”

“Exactly.”Nick smiles. The comparison Ara uses makes his memory become more vivid. He looks at the boxes and start to make the choice.

Question One

Do you have any preferences for the social rank of your future mate? (Eg. She must be a daughter of Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc).

Nick crosses the box without any hesitation, which surprises Ara. She scrutinizes Nick’s expressions but fails to capture a hint of dishonesty. She hesitates for a while and reminds him carefully, “No offense, but you need to be honest if you want the analysis to be true.”

“I know. You informed me once. ”Nick replies coldly, as he feels a bit anxious when the validity of his answer is suspected.

“Sorry.”

Nick glances at Ara, noticing the latter is staring at him, with curiosity filling in her eyes. This woman brings plenty of troubles to his life, but it is undeniable that she has a pair of adorable eyes. Mesmerized by those enchanting eyes, Nick finds his frustration is gone. He wants to say something sarcastic but eventually changes his mind. He opens his mouth and assures Ara, “I wouldn’t lie.”

“May I know why?”Ara asks, “Your choice differentiates from most clients, so I am curious.”

Nick doesn’t want to explain the deal he made with Alexander. It sounds so silly that an Alpha made a deal with his wolf. Besides, Nick worries that Ara will keep asking and knows that he had never got a mate before. She may realize the difficulty of this task, forsake him and cancel the bond between them. Nick isn’t fond of that idea, even though he doesn’t know why he wants the connection between them to continue.

Nick’s silence upsets Ara. She asks tentatively, “Is the answer too private to be known?”

“No.”Nick shakes his head and offers a convincing explanation, “Because I myself am a rouge. I don’t think I care about my mate’s rank.”

“You are a rouge.”Ara is taken back and widens her eyes uncontrollably .

“Is this fact terrifying you, little wolf?”Nick smirks and lowers his voice on purpose, acting like a dangerous creature.

His trick doesn’t work, though.

“No. It is just…amazing!”Ara exclaims with enthusiasm, “Never have I ever met a rogue in my life. You must have been to a lot of places and experienced incredible adventures.”

Ara’s reaction is totally beyond Nick’s expectations. He had thought she would find him scary and flinch. Yet in fact she doesn’t step back and even leans closer. The way she looks at him is concentrating, as if a navigator discovers a continent. A sense of pride wells up in his mind and Nick quickly surpasses it. He answers casually, “Well, I did travel to many places.”

“I wish you could tell me about those someday in the future.”Ara adds politely, “If you’re willing to.”

Of course he is willing to. To maintain his profile, however, Nick clears his throat and replies calmly, “Maybe. I’ll consider.”

He then looks at the second question.

Are you picky about your future mate’s appearances? (Eg. height, weight, size of you-know-what part of the body)

Nick raises his eyebrow at Ara, and can’t help but grin when he finds her blushing like an apple.

“This questionnaire is funnier than I had thought.”He muses and crosses the second box.

Ara stutters,“This questionnaire is designed by The Moon and it updates itself automatically. It isn’t perfect and some questions are stupid. I hope it doesn’t offend you.”

“No a bit. It entertains me.”There is a curl on Nick’s lips.

Ara pretends not to see his smirk and suggests, “Good. Finish the questionnaire, please.”

Nick looks at question three.

Do you believe in the existence of a soul mate?

Nick ponders on the question, hesitating for a long time and ticks the box.

“That’s interesting.”Ara remarks, “You don’t look like a romantic person to me.”

“How observant you are.”Nick answers sarcastically, “I am not a romantic person.”

“Says someone believes the existence of a soul mate.”Ara challenges him and her smile becomes brighter when the latter is speechless.

Nick asks,“What about you? Don’t you believe such a thing?”

“I do.”Ara nods. She finishes the sentence in her mind. I just don’t believe I deserve one.

The knit in Nick’s brows is gone. He gives a satisfactory nod and says, “Well, we are on the same page. How will the Moon take in this message? Projecting me as an optimistic person? I’m afraid it would make a big mistake if it categorizes me into the likes of optimists.”

“Don’t underestimate my assistant.”Ara assures Nick, “It has its own calculating way. Come on, finish the last question and the Moon can start analyzing and generating a report about you.”

Do you prefer to stay alone or hang out with friends when you feel lonely?

Staying alone is what Nick chooses without a second thought.

“Great. You’re free to go now. The Moon need some time to digest the information.”Ara lets out a breath in relief and announces happily, “Please come back tomorrow when you’re available. We will have a further discussion based on the report produced by the Moon.”

Nick realizes it is time for him to leave the office. Strangely, he feels reluctant to go. An invisible force lures him to stay so that the conversation between them can continue. He doubts if this is some magic conjured by the Moon.

The connection between a client and counselor functions like a chain, making him drawn to his counselor. Nick wonders if Ara feels the same way, but he doesn’t ask as he knows this is a stupid question, especially if he is the only one that feels the attraction.

Nick conceals his swirling emotion carefully and stands up in an unnecessarily slow motion, focusing his gaze on Ara’s face, “What’s your working hour?”

“From 9 a.m to 5 p.m. And I need an hour and a half to grab lunch and a walk for a breath of air. Apart from that, you can drop by anytime. ”

“How about we eat lunch together?”Nick blurts out. Noticing the confusion on Ara’s face, he quickly adds something to justify this invitation, “Don’t make me wrong. IT department is deadly busy. I assume we can make use of lunchtime to discuss the plan.”

“Right.”Ara agrees and waves to Nick, “See you tomorrow then, Mr. Woolf.”

Nick gives her a nod and walks out. The moment he is outside the room, Ara sinks in her chair, holding the Moon against her chest and whispers to the device, “I am in trouble, my dear friend.”

A question mark pops up on the screen, waiting for more information.

“My heart races for him.”Ara murmurs, “This is not a good sign.”