Fate Mate

Chapter 12

The late-night training session exhausted every muscle in my body. My limbs screamed in protest when I crawled out of bed the next morning. I might have stayed in bed, but hunger gnawed persistently in my stomach until I could no longer ignore the urge to eat. Nolan wouldn't be returning to Black Lupis for a few more days, so I did not bother fixing my hair before shuffling down to the kitchen. 

I hardly spared a glance to the other pack members in the kitchen. They could whisper as much as they liked. I didn't care. I just wanted food. 

I took a cinnamon-raisin bagel from a basket and made for a solitary chair in the corner of the dining area. Never in my life had I felt so alone. I want to go home. I blinked back tears and made to sit down, but a familiar voice called out to me. 

"Charlie!" Abby sat at the corner of a table with a bowl of cereal resting on her swollen belly. She patted a seat beside her, and I approached. To my relief, Raegan was nowhere to be seen. I didn't feel like explaining my suspicious behavior from the night before. 

"Good morning." She smiled, spooning the grain-cereal into her mouth. 

"I don't know how you do it, Abby." I smiled and picked apart my bagel, occasionally popping the bread into my mouth. 

"Do what?" She looked up at me with round eyes. 

"Keep a smile on your face despite... everything." We locked eyes for a moment. She knew what I meant: How do you convince yourself to be happy in this cold, hate-filled place? 

A corner of her lips rose in a sympathetic smile. "It was hard at first. But now, with Raegan, things are looking up. Just be patient, Charlie, you'll see--" The female trailed off. 

When I looked up to see what made her quit talking, she delicately took hold of my hands. "Moon Goddess, are you okay?" 

My knuckles were cracked and swollen due to last night's strenuous training. I instantly snatched my hands back. I didn't want her to investigate the bruises too carefully. 

"I'm fine," I snapped, a bit too hastily. I forced a smile onto my face. "I'm just a bit banged up from training yesterday."

"Oh." She looked unconvinced, and I could guess that Raegan relayed his suspicions to his wife. I couldn't change the subject quick enough, and, luckily for me, Abby jumped at the chance to gush about her baby boy. I asked one hundred frivolous questions and tried my best to listen to her every word. But my mind was elsewhere... 

I inhaled another bagel and an apple by the time Raegan entered the dining hall and began rattling off the patrols for the day. Unsurprisingly, he never called my name. Even if I could shift, I doubted he trusted me enough to assign me to a patrol.

"While they are out today, I wondered if you might like to work with me on some baby stuff? I planned on painting his nursery." Abby asked me with a sweet smile.

In truth, those plans sounded terrible. I wanted to train some more. Nonetheless, I nodded. Abby tolerated me, which was more than I could say for the rest of the pack. I didn't want to alienate myself from her, so I offered an eager smile. "Sure, that sounds like fun!"

"I need to pick out things for the baby's room, too. I hope you have good taste." She cast a glance in Raegan's direction, "My mate has no sense of style."

A smirk pulled on his lips as Raegan approached. "I heard that," he warned before kissing the top of Abby's silvery blonde head. "We might be gone longer than usual today because there have been several rogue scents found near the pack house." He looked at me before continuing, "But if you need anything, I can be back in five minutes."