ON THE WAY TO DINNER

Arielle’s POV:

I had finally finished unpacking.

Sighing with a feeling of triumph filling me, I looked around my new room. There was a sense of belonging that I had begun to have now, and me fully unpacking was a sign of settling down, finally.

Ever since I left my precious pack for medical school, I had become a nomad of sorts. I never unpacked my things fully, always ready to move at the last second. I did not do this consciously, but it now dawned on me that I was avoiding settling down before.

Now, I was ready – ready to settle into my life in this new pack, and for all the possibilities that lay before me.

A hope bloomed inside my chest, making me feel warm on the inside and grin like an idiot on the outside.

I was hoping to find my mate here, in the Redding Pack.

A part of me wanted to be realistic, and shun any and all ideas of true love. But hope springs eternal, and to me, the concept of finding my one true mate was important. I dared not think of my past, when my future was ahead of me.

I heard my phone chime with a message, and I picked it up from where it sat on the desk. My eyes widened as I took notice of the time. 5.46pm!

Had I really spent the entire afternoon unpacking?

When had Darren said I should come for dinner? 6.30, I remembered he had mentioned it while bidding me farewell.

“Shit,” the curse word left my mouth without me noticing, and I all but ran to the bathroom which now bore my toiletries and other important essentials.

I needed to freshen up and not be late for dinner!

It took a few tries, but I got the shower working just fine and at the right temperature. Praising the goddess for hot water, I began to furiously scrub at every inch of my body until my skin was pink. I rinsed off quickly, all but running to the dresser where I kept my underwear.

About ten minutes later, I was dressed in dark blue jeans and a pale blue cotton top. I let my hair down from the ponytail that it was in through the entire day, using my fingers to brush through the waves before I let it settle. My hair was now a bit longer than it had been for the past five years, I realised. I had not cut it in a while. Now, the coppery-red hair I was blessed with went just a little bit past my waist.

After applying lip gloss and a coat of mascara on my lashes, I was off, purse in hand.

By the time I left the clinic, the sun had already begun to set, red and orange hues colouring the sky in a beautiful palette. I spared it a glance before I turned to walk in the direction that I remembered Darren had told me.

Not long afterwards, I sighed, troubled and confused. I scratched my head a bit, trying to recall whether the Beta had said left or right at the turn. I came up empty, and decided that I would have to ask someone for help. This would be embarrassing.

I spotted a dark-haired lady my age and walked up to her to tap on her shoulder.

She turned to me with a snappish tone of voice, “What?!”

I gaped at her, stunned. My grey eyes met her blue ones in a stare, before she looked away a second. Then she looked back at me, giving me a once-over. I cringed inwardly; maybe asking this girl was too much hassle.

“Well, what do you want? Speak up, I don’t have time to waste here,” she said, eyeing me with a glare.

“Ah, sorry. I was just hoping you could direct me to the Hendricks’ home?” I asked her, trying to ignore the weight of her stare. I was tense nevertheless, and I did not like it. This girl was really annoying.

“What do you want at the Hendricks’ home?” she sneered at me, clearly not thinking much of me. Two can play at that game, I retorted in my mind, squaring my shoulders and holding her glare.

“Well, that’s nothing to do with you, ma’am,” I emphasized the last part, before turning away from her. “If you don’t want to tell me, then I will go and ask someone else.”

I waited a beat, then two, then three.

Fine then, I sighed, moving to walk away when her voice stopped me.

“It’s a left at the intersection right there, then the third house on the right.” I turned back to her as she answered my question, giving her a bright smile. She scowled in response, clearly miffed. She must have been having a really bad day.

Well, regardless, “Thank you. I appreciate it,” I said breezily, walking away from her and towards the direction of Darren’s home.

It took me only about five minutes more to get to my destination, and I climbed up the stairs to the porch, knocking on the front door and praying that the girl had not misdirected me.

There was no answer. I made to knock again when I heard a female voice shout, “I’m coming! Hold on,” then there was the sound of footsteps. Seconds later, the door opened to the sight of a lovely-looking woman. Her hair was blonde and she wore a tank top and flared jeans. Upon seeing me, she smiled, opening the door a little more for me to enter.

“You must be Dr Grey. Welcome,” her smile was so warm that I smiled back, stepping into the house. “My name is Lilian,” she finished.

The aroma of soup and spices had filled my senses and I sniffed in appreciation, shutting my eyes for a brief moment before I turned to Lilian, who had now shut the door, and gave me a glance.

“Sorry, I’m just really hungry,” I grinned in apology. She snickered at my words, and I felt glad for it. “You have a lovely home. It’s beautiful,” I remarked.

“Glad you like it. It’s all because of me,” I heard a voice reply, and I turned to see him.