The Pet🐾 (Completed)

Chapter 14

Sophia

As time passed, I sat Marita down where she said her seat was, and people started showing up. I recognized some from earlier, and I could tell they recognized me because they didn't give me the friendliest looks. As every chair slowly filled, the table I was supposed to sit at remained empty. No one dared go near it.

As the last person arrived, Marita had already composed herself and looked at the table, then back at me. She chuckled softly.
"Guess the beta is not coming," she muttered to herself.

"And what does that mean?" I asked.

She stood and walked toward the alpha table, with me following. The whole room went silent. Everyone stared intensely at us. I tried to smile at as many people as I could, signaling that I meant no harm. Some looked like they were ready to rip my head off.

Marita raised her voice, letting everyone know to listen.
"Welcome, everyone. As you can clearly see, we have a guest—a human guest. But not just any human. This human is my youngest son's mate."

Whispers and gasps ran through the room, but Marita continued.
"Since the alpha and my youngest are out, and the beta will not be joining us, the highest rank gets to eat first. And at the moment, she holds the highest rank," she said, gesturing toward me.

I couldn't keep it in.
"What?!" I practically yelled, releasing Marita's arm and staring at her. Whispers and growls rippled through the tables. I looked around, feeling like I had to say something. There was no way I should go first.
"This can't be true! I know he told me about the mate thing, and I feel it, but I don't think I deserve to go first. Maybe someone else should—maybe the best fighter, the elderly, or someone else!" I said loudly. The whole room went silent. The growls and whispers stopped.

Marita looked at me.
"No one has ever said that," she said.

"Oh," was all I could manage.

Then one of the kids I had given the ball to stood up in his seat.
"You should go first!" he shouted, even as his mother tugged and nudged him back down.

I smiled at him. I knew what I was going to do. I walked over, everyone's eyes on me, determination on my face. I knelt down to get on his level.
"How about we eat together?" I said, holding out my hand. Then I looked at his mother and smiled. "Can he?" I asked.

She was speechless but nodded. The boy grabbed my hand, and we walked together to the buffet table. I leaned down.
"My name is Sophia. What's yours?" I said, handing him a plate while grabbing one for myself.

"My name is Sam, and I'm seven," he said, taking the plate from me, eyes sparkling.

We walked through the buffet, filling our plates. I grabbed small amounts of food I liked—I didn't want to come across as self-centered. I also made sure Sam had enough. Once we were done, I walked him back to the table I was supposed to sit at and had him sit next to me. Everyone watched silently as we took our seats.

I took a spoonful of mashed potatoes and glanced at Sam. He mimicked me and started eating. Soon, everyone got up and lined up for food.
"So, Sam, what's your favorite thing to do here?" I asked.

He shoved a piece of chicken into his mouth and swallowed.
"I like playing outside with my friends, but my favorite thing is when my uncle lets me ride on his back while he's a wolf." He shoved more food into his mouth.

"That must be so much fun, becoming a wolf," I said.

He looked up at me. "Yeah, I can't do it yet. Mom said when I get older, I can." He pouted and grabbed more food.

I slowly ate, smiling at everyone who walked past, while Sam waved enthusiastically. I giggled every time—he was so cute. I always wished I'd have a kid like that someday.

When we finished, I asked, "Where do we put our plates?"

"Over here," he said, getting up and taking my hand.

I carried both our plates to a large basket of dirty dishes. Then I walked Sam back to his mother.
"Thank you so much," she said.

"Oh, no. I should be thanking him. I don't like being in front of big crowds alone," I smiled.

"So, how long have you known about being Jasper's mate?" she asked.

"About an hour ago," I laughed, and she laughed too. "But I still don't get it," I admitted.

"Don't worry, Jasper will explain it when he gets back," she waved off.

"Okay, I hope so, because this whole place is so confusing to me," I said.

Marita walked over and linked her arm with mine.
"It seems Sophia here has already started making friends," she said. "But I will have to take her away from you all."

She looked at me. "Please say goodbye to your friends," she requested.

I looked at Sam and his mother. "I guess I have to go. It was great meeting you—I hope we can see each other again." I smiled at both of them.

Sam hugged my leg and smiled up at me, while his mother gave me a hug.
"See you soon," she said, picking up Sam.

Marita and I linked arms and walked out of the dining room, the guards flanking us.
"Back to the room, please, boys," Marita said.