chills

.2.

'I don't have much time. I excused myself to speak to you. Go downstairs and look for a girl named Ashley. She will help you with whatever you need.' he said, then added, 'The meeting is almost over. 

I'll talk to you then.'" 

"Okay," I said and hung up the call. 

I put on some decent pants and a shirt since I was only wearing boxers and a t-shirt that belonged to Daniel. 

I hesitated to open the door, feeling a surge of uneasiness, but I walked out anyway, driven by my hunger. I reached downstairs and saw no one waiting for me there. 

She was probably on her way, so I decided to explore a bit while she wasn't here yet. 

I walked along the hallway to my right, admiring the light yellow walls. I saw a skinny blonde girl approaching me with light steps, smiling brightly at me. "you must be Ester" she said, extending her hand to shake. 

"I'm Ashley," stretching her mouth into a grin, we shook hands and somehow ended up hugging as we suddenly realized we were close. 

"The kitchen is this way." She led me through the hallways, passing a few doors, until she stopped and pointed at a huge counter for me to sit behind. The kitchen was connected to a large room with chairs and tables, a lot of them. It felt like being in a school cafeteria. And... 

"What would you like to have first?" Ashley asked, demanding my full attention. "First?" I was dumbfounded by the usual question 

"Yes, for starters," she said, giving me a silly smile. "I just need to fill my stomach. Anything will do, as long as it tastes good," I said, tapping on the counter. 

"Okay, as you wish, but you need more than just filling your stomach," she whispered, leaning closer and invading my personal space. 

"You know, the others usually start with salads and rice, before moving on to heavier dishes like chicken, meat, and that kind of stuff. Then they have desserts. My friend Judi always goes for ice cream and chocolate cake," she said, turning her back to me as she went to the line of fridges that had more than five. 

"What kind of diet do you have in your pack?" she asked, looking up at me. 

I watched her as she unwrapped the food and put it on a plate. "I don't know," I said. She handed me the plate and I gladly took it. 

"Aren't you living in the pack house? Oh, yeah, since you're the alpha's girlfriend, then you're living with him in his house," she answered her question, which I didn't bother to correct. 

People always assumed I was Daniel's girlfriend, or worse. But I was used to it. Besides, I didn't have enough energy to explain to everyone I met. 

A few minutes later, my head was about to explode from the barrage of questions Ashley had for me. I answered most of them with a nod or a yes/no. 

Despite being annoying, she was a good server. She made me a delicious cocktail and a banana cake. I hadn't eaten that much in a while. 

"You know, even though my brother already built his house, he refuses to move out until he finds his mate. Isn't that sweet?" she said, sitting on a chair next to me. I nodded with a smile and was about to reply when Daniel stormed into the kitchen. 

"Come on, Ester, we're leaving," Daniel said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me after him. He was walking so fast I didn't have a chance to say a word until we were in the room they had given us when we arrived. 

"What's going on?" I asked as he quickly packed the few things we had used into the suitcase. "I couldn't get along with the alpha," he said angrily. I walked towards him and touched his arm to make him look at me.