Chapter 9: Welcome!

Zander gazed into my eyes before pulling away quickly. My heart was racing so fast. I wondered if he heard my heart beating. It felt as if it would leap out of my chest.

He said apologetically, “I don’t know what came over me. Please forgive me.”

Forgive him for trying to kiss me? He shouldn’t have apologized for that. Wait, what was I saying? I had Ash. But I couldn’t ignore what I felt for Zander. He still had my heart rate up just by looking at me.

Finally, I said, “It’s okay. Let’s just forget about this.”

“Good idea.”

I turned my gaze away from him and tried to calm myself down.

He seemed different tonight, and I felt more aware of him than usual. Part of me wanted that kiss from him. I shook my head and noticed he was watching me.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.” I tried to avoid eye contact and added, “We should get back on the road.”

He nodded his head in agreement and paid the bill for us without asking me. On the way out the door he held it for me. I tried to hide my surprise and continued to avoid his gaze when we left.

Two hours later we arrived at the Full Moon pack’s headquarters. A few members stood outside in the wide driveway.

This pack’s headquarters wasn’t in the woods like ours. It was in a rich neighborhood in a small town. Other houses on the way up had gates and long pathways leading up to them.

The Alpha's mansion had less of an effect than my home. Outside there was a cast iron gate where guards stood on either side. Past the gates, there was a steel wolf statue placed in the center of everything. They asked for our IDs before letting us enter the property.

After looking inside, their chandelier was gold with exquisite crystals that hung in icicle shapes. I also noticed there were only two levels compared to back home.

When we got out, we were greeted by the Alpha. “Hello and welcome to the Full Moon pack. We’re so excited to have you here!” Her back turned to the rest of the crowd and said, “These are our honored guests, so make them feel at home.”

“Thanks for letting us stay and train here,” I said in a warm tone.

Zander didn’t say anything and looked around the estate in fascination. I noticed I had become more aware of him since our almost kiss. Our trip up was actually pretty fun, but I wouldn’t admit that to him.

She told me, “It’s no problem. I enjoy helping out other packs and their future Alphas. Your dad told me to have high expectations about you.”

I felt flushed and said, “I’m not surprised my dad talked me up. He always likes to brag.” Then I laughed and added, “I guess it’s because I’m his favorite daughter.”

The Alpha had one Beta show us to our separate temporary living quarters. I was led to a fancy suite that had a chandelier in the middle of the room. A king-sized bed was in there, and it was so spacious that more than one person would be able to live comfortably.

Zander was led further down the long hallway. I watched by the door of my suite until he was out of sight. I turned towards the Beta.

“Where’s he going to stay?”

“Oh, he’s staying with the other warriors. Sorry, you can’t stay with someone you’re dating.”

My face felt hot and I blurted, “He’s not my boyfriend. Zander is just a pack member that's accompanying me.”

The Beta stood there awkwardly and walked out of the suite. Why did the Beta assume I was with Zander? I shook my head at the thought of us together.

Minutes later, the Alpha of their pack entered my room. She said, “We will be holding a grand dinner in honor of your arrival this evening. I hope that you will join us..”

She motioned for me to follow her. My stomach grumbled loudly as we walked down the hallways and made a left turn.

She brought me to the dining room which was huge. It had a long table that was meant for twelve people. A white tablecloth was set on the table and an arrangement of red and yellow roses worked as the centerpiece. The roses looked freshly cut, and I leaned in to get their fragrant scent. Even the napkins were red, their satiny feel smooth between my fingertips.

I spotted a line of people for a buffet spread, but chefs dished up what people wanted. I spied creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes. Different meats rested on elegant plates and included lamb and veal. Shrimp scampi was the last option on the right side of the table.

What would I possibly choose? They all looked so appetizing to me.

I dished up my food and headed for the table. Next thing I knew, I was face to face with Zander.

My mouth dropped open and I asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Don’t get excited. I’m not staying long. I just wanted to check out the food.”

I laughed and shook my head at him. Zander eyed the food before looking me in the eyes again. My heart raced as our eyes were still locked on each other.

“Well get going before you’re caught,” I said after a few seconds passed.

He smiled his dazzling smile, and I saw a dimple appear at one corner of his mouth. It was so cute. He left the dining room, and I watched until he was out of sight. I’d have to prepare for my training after dinner.

When I finished eating, I went to the training room to investigate. I was curious to see if it was like ours or not.

This was my second time at someone else’s pack, so I took an opportunity to explore. It wasn’t like I visited other packs all the time.

I inspected what their pack had. It had the usual wooden staffs, knives, punching bags, and boxing gloves. There were also treadmills in the room and other regular exercise equipment.

Before throwing myself into my workout, I decided to call Ash. I thought it’d be nice to tell him I got here safely at least. He was probably worried about me, and it didn’t help that he didn’t trust Zander.

I called Ash and frowned when I heard his voicemail. “Hey I’m not available right now but leave a message at the beep.”

I left him a message to call me back when he was free and walked into the training room with
my head down.