Chapter 3. My Mate

~GABRIELLA’S POV~

It was early in the morning again, and all the high-ranking wolves in the pack slowly filled up the hall. I and the other maids ran about, serving the guests with as much hospitality and efficiency as we could muster. Today, my mother, Luna, was caught up with greeting all the guests that had arrived, meaning that for the entire day, or at least until the party was over, I was free from verbal assaults.

I moved from table to table with a forced smile, serving food and drinks to the beta wolves present for the ceremony. From exasperating old men and women to the most disrespectful little brats, I was drained to the bone even before the day began. I walked back to the kitchen to get some more food, dragging my feet on the ground as I groaned in pain.

As I opened the door to the kitchen, I felt a strange presence in the area. It was that of an omega, someone I couldn’t recognize. I thought for a moment if it was someone from the pack who sneaked in, but I realized that the heavy security mounted at all the entrances was impenetrable.

I slowly pushed the kitchen door further open and stepped in as quietly as I could.

“You maids are really good at cooking, aren’t you?” A male’s voice sounded from inside the kitchen, specifically from the area where the food was kept. I rushed into the kitchen and instinctively swung my tray at him, hoping to land a good hit. He casually moved to the side as if sensing my attack, and I fell to the ground, face flat.

“You should watch your step; you don’t want to be losing a tooth on a special day such as this one.” He said this as he threw a piece of meat into his mouth.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” I asked as I struggled to get back on my feet.

“My name is Steven, and I’m here to get some food. There’s such a huge selection; I don’t know what to pick,” he said, staring at the different bowls that rested on the kitchen counter.

“Only the maids are allowed in here, omegas aren’t allowed in the party so go find food elsewhere,” I queried, pointing at the kitchens exit. 

“Okay, okay. I’ll leave if you give me some more meat and stew to head home with,” he said with a warm smile. He had dark blue marble eyes and black silky hair. He wore a black leather jacket and black leather pants. As I got more and more absorbed into his features, emotions I never knew existed started to well up inside me.

“No, I can’t let you have any of these; I would get in serious trouble. Please, you have to leave now."I replied, turning away from him. I couldn’t let myself be absorbed by his charms.

As I stared at the ground continuously, tightly gripping my tray, I didn’t realize when he slipped past me with one of the bowls in his hand.

“LATER!” His voice sounded loudly from behind me. I turned around as quickly as I could, and to my surprise, he was already through the door.

“HEY!” I exclaimed as I rushed after him with my tray. My arm and legs, which were extremely exhausted before, suddenly burst with energy as I ran after him through the passages. After a while, I started to wonder how he knew the building so well. No outsider was allowed to come close to the Alpha building, so no one but the servants and family members knew their way around the building.

As I stretched my right arm forward to grab his jacket, I heard my mother’s voice coming from the next corner in the passage. We both stopped running and panicked for a moment.

As my mother got closer and closer, I grabbed him by his jacket’s collar, opened a door beside us, and pulled him in.

As I shut the door again, he said, breathing heavily, “It’s pretty tight in here, isn’t it?”

“Shut up; if my mother finds out I’m out here slacking off with some freeloaders, that would be the end of me. So be quiet and stay still,” I replied. The room we were now in was an extremely tight space where cleaning tools were kept. Both bodies were tightly pressed against each other, and I could feel his warm breath gently glide over my nose. Our gazes locked onto each other, and neither of us could look away, not because of the tight space but because we both didn’t want to ruin the moment.

As I stared at him, the glow in my eyes I had lost over the years and the happiness in my heart I thought was gone all returned in an instant, and for the first time in forever, a genuine smile grew on my face.

Suddenly, my mother’s presence was gone. I quickly broke the eye contact we had and cleared my throat. I reached for the door behind him and pushed it open. Not realizing the door was already open, he attempted to rest on it and fell to the ground, the bowl of hot stew scattering over his face.

“AGHHH! IT BURNS!” He yelled, and I quickly rushed to help him up, urging him to remain quiet. I helped him back to the kitchen and washed off the stew from his face and body. Luckily, there were no bruises or burns on him.

I stealthily guided him out of the house as fast as I could, making sure not even the servants saw him. After moving around for a few minutes, we burst out of the exit of a secret passageway in the building.

He said good-bye to me with the most charming smile, and as I stood there waving him goodbye, the only thoughts I had in my head were, “I found him; my mate.”