Chapter seven

Amber's pov

I woke up after having slept barely a few hours. I was unable to forgot about the events of last night. Who was the mystery wolf and would he tell someone what he saw?

I couldn’t focus on this right now, Alpha Axel and his pack would soon arrive and I needed to help get the Mansion and packhouse ready. We needed to set up all the rooms at the packhouse, fill the pantry and I brought some of my fresh vegetables and fruit. We needed to decorate the dinning room in the Mansion and make preparation for Dinner that night.

I started at the packhouse, making sure each room looked nice. Alpha Axel was bringing his Beta and the Beta’s mate. Plus his Delta and some security. When everything looked great in the bedrooms in the packhouse, I went downstairs to head to Alpha’s mansion.

I heard noises coming from the kitchen, people talking very seriously. Suddenly I smelled Eucalyptus and Sandalwood, I turned my head slightly trying to sneak a peak at the person that smelled so nice. But before I could see I heard Alpha Drakes voice.

 "Welcome Alpha Axel, I wish you would have told us about your changes to the schedule. You’re rooms are almost ready and we welcome you and your guest to attend dinner at my house later this evening."

I quickly ran out, ran towards the mansion, where I closed the kitchen door behind me. The rest of the staff was still busy decorating the dinning room, so I had a moment to calm down and think. Even I could not deny the very big possibility that the wolf I met last night was Axel's wolf. He even had his eyes, how could I not have noticed before. This was even more reason to avoid him for the time being.

I didn’t know if I could trust him, I thought I knew Axel until he started to ignore me and wanted no contact with me. Maybe he was more like his dad than I thought, if that was the case he would want to power of my wolf to himself and I didn’t even know what this all would mean for Elias. 

I started getting some things ready for dinner, chopping some vegetables, making some dough to bake small buns later. But my mind was still spinning, I decided to bake some desserts. I wasn’t a great cook like some of my colleagues, but I loved to bake when I had the time. Perhaps this would calm me down and keep my mind occupied.

I made some brownies and something I hadn’t had much practice making : macaroons. I knew making them would require my full attention and I didn’t even notice the rest of the staff coming in and making dinner around me. They knew by looking at me, I was in the zone and left me alone.

Baking had worked to keep my mind busy, before I knew it was time to serve dinner. I was on clean up duty in the kitchen, to avoid the dining room. Every time one of the courses was finished someone brought in the plates and I cleaned them and helped set up the next plates. It was like an assembly belt, each of us working in sync with each other without saying much. The last plates were send out, with small pieces of my brownies and a macaroon and some other small pastries made by the other kitchen staff.

Dinner was almost over, I just needed to help clean up the last plates  and I could head home. I didn’t even notice the kitchen door opening until I smelled a familiar scent. I kept my head down and my back turned while continuing to clean the kitchen. Just hoping he wouldn't notice me. 

"Dinner was lovely, I just wanted to give my respect to the chef", a familiar voice said. "I especially enjoyed the dessert."

His voice was almost the same as how I remembered, but more mature and with more authority. Axel sounded like a real Alpha. I heard one of my colleagues Bill answer, while I slowly turned around. I tried to make myself invisible, as small as possible and keeping my head down.

It was disrespectful to have your back turned to an Alpha while he addressed you. So I hoped he wouldn't notice me. 

"Thank you Alpha Axel, you are too kind. It was our pleasure. Most of the dessert was made by our colleague in the back near the sinks." Bill said.

I cursed at Bill in my head, why would he mention me while I was doing so well staying hidden this evening. Of course I quickly felt guilty for blaming Bill, he didn’t know the true reason I was back here and just wanted to give credit.

Alpha Axel slowly turned his eyes towards me. I hoped he wouldn’t recognize me, I didn’t look like that teenage girl he had a summer fling with. I have had a baby and that changes a body, I had wider hips and less perky boobs (let’s be honest), I had gained some muscles from training and lost some of the baby fat in my face.

At twenty-one I was a woman and looked like one. But I still kept my head down just in case and nodded as a way to acknowledge his presence. It look like he was smelling the air for a moment and then turned around and went back out the kitchen door.

I couldn’t move for what felt like forever, frozen in the same spot hoping he wouldn’t have recognized me as his teenage crush or as the wolf he met yesterday evening. 

When I could finally move and felt the coast was clear, I grabbed my stuff and headed out the back. It didn’t go great today, but it could have gone far worse, I thought to myself. I couldn’t wait to see Elias, but because dinner ran late he was spending the night at Cassandra again. I would pick him up after breakfast and we could enjoy our Sunday together.

I was walking home my mind repeating the events of today,  the way Axel sounded and smelled. I didn’t realize his sent before meeting my wolf. When I met my wolf my senses became heightened and I could hear and smell better. But I’ve never smelled anyone so clearly, I usually have to stand very close to someone to really smell them like that. When I hug Cassandra she smells like cinnamon and honey. Brian drinks too much, his scent is covered by alcohol. Elias smells like fresh cut grass. I love to sniff his head while he sleeps and breath the fresh scent in.

I was almost home when I bummed into something hard and big. I landed on the grass. A few seconds later the scent hit me. No, no, no! I couldn’t run away, that way he would know something was up.

I softly spoke, "my apologies Alpha Axel,  I was not paying attention to my surroundings."

I tried to look down,while still sitting on the grass. He stuck out his hand and grabbed my arm to help me stand up.

"We’ve got to stop meeting like this, bumping into each other," he said jokingly. "You are the wolf from yesterday right? The one that outran me? I recognize your scent. Where you the one who made the desserts as well? They tasted great."

"Yes, that’s me, thank you Alpha Axel," I said while keeping my eyes on my shoes.

"Please look up at me," he said gently. “I won’t harm you or tell your secret."

I instantly knew what secret he meant and my wolf breathed a sigh of relief after hearing those words.

I slowly lifted my head to meet his eyes. And there he was, beautiful as ever. He got even muscular and bigger, with a few added scars, I noticed. One that scarred his eyebrow and could have cost him his eye. Luckily his bright blue eyes were still intact. His golden hair was shaved on the sides and a bit longer on top. He stared at me for a second before the realization hit him.

"Amber! Is that you?!"