4

CREST POV

'Woah. That's our mate? Damn, what a hottie!' My wolf, Twyla commented in my head. I might look young, but my wolf is almost a century old. I guess the moon goddess gifted us with 'old' spirit wolves in us. Meeting our mate today might also be the reason of her mood this morning. She was being an annoying wolf.

I mentally rolled my eyes as my wolf's tail swung all over my head with her tongue out, drooling at our mate. Yes, we have found our mate, and I am astounded by his stunning physique and his attractive face. I keep my gaze fixed on him, despite the fact that my wolf is purring, which makes me nervous.

He had lovely brown eyes, silky straight raven hair, and masculine arms that were a sight to behold.

'I bet he can pin you anywhere with those arms of his.' She said, as I tried to ignore her.

He was still standing in front of the kitchen island across from mine, wearing a camouflage hoodie, one of my weaknesses, a person wearing a hoodie, because I love wearing hoodies.

"Um. Uh-hum!" someone coughed loudly enough for me to be distracted from my train of thinking. Urgh ! Those large, kissable lips! Snap out of it Crest! I thought you didn't like to have a mate and now after meeting one, all you think about is how to kiss him?

Okay. I've got it. By the way, how does this work in real life? Should I extend my hand to shake his, or should I wait for him to say something? Is it going to be me or him who says hello first? Urgh! I hope my mother taught me this, like, alright Crest, when you meet your mate, you're going to kiss him right immediately. Wait, what?

'Stop talking and go kiss him!'

'Shut up, if I kiss a man I just met, he'll think I'm weird!'

'At least I have an idea of what to do,' She brushed her fur off and slapped me with her tail. 'Have you?'

I just bit my bottom lip in response to her snorting. Urgh! I never imagined meeting your mate would be so difficult. Finally, I inhale some fresh air and have the bravery to move closer to him and extend my hand.

"Hello, my name is Crest," I said with a smile. I suppose I should begin with this as a simple way of introducing myself, right? Because of the awkward introduction, my wolf concealed herself with her tail. I wish the floor would swallow me now.

I waited a few minutes, but he only stared at me, making me even more anxious. I waited some more before gently taking back my hand, letting out some short uncomfortable coughs to hide my embarrassment. Was my introduction that weird? Or was it bad?

He appeared to have come out of whatever trance he was in as he shook his head and walked away from me, then sat on one of the seats without noticing me. Before joining him at the table, his beta and friends gave me a sympathetic glance.

I slowly returned to what I was doing, which I had abandoned a while earlier. "Okay..." I said awkwardly and quietly as I moved closer to the stove to finish frying some chicken.

I felt as though a thousand tons of metal had slammed into me. I've been waiting for my mate to arrive since I was twenty. My buddies received their mates for their eighteenth birthdays, but I didn't. Being a third wheel on all occasions made me feel more lonely throughout those years.

"Hey, sweetie."

I took a deep breath and turned to face my father, a fake grin on my face. "Hey, dad, I'm sorry I rushed away; we were almost halfway when I realized I forgot to turn off the burner."

"It's okay, honey, you didn't miss anything," he chuckled as he approached the island. "Have you met the Alpha and his commanders?"

"Uh, no, not yet; I was really working on finishing this up." I partially lied, but true, I haven't got any chance to learn their names.

"All right, come here, and I'll present you to them." Before I could say no, he switched off the burner and took me to the table where the four of them sat.

"Crest, here is Alpha Hunter, his Beta Cromwel is beside him, his Gamma Levi is on his right, across him is his Delta, Carter."

Hunter? Woah. That is a scary name for wolves. I don't want to face any wolf hunter of wolves, but his name sounds nice to him.

'I agree.' My wolf nodded.

I guess his name wasn't all that frightening. Bravery and confidence suit him well, especially after detecting that powerful aura, which could make any wolf shiver. The four of them just gazed at me as I looked at them, but I tried not to look at my mate. His gamma then rose up and offered his hand to me.

"Glad to meet you, Crest, after all those bad rumors, nothing can compare to your utmost beauty." He said as he excitedly shook my hands, beaming at me before stooping down to kiss the back of my hand. My cheeks have become rosy as he keeps his lips on it longer, winking at me, then grinning at his Alpha.

'Is he trying to make my mate jealous?' My wolf inquired.

She got concerned about this man's present behavior, which made me even more uneasy. I didn't dare to glance at my mate to watch his response, but from the corner of my eye, I noticed his claws burrowing softly in the table. Great, he has been affected by the mate bond. That's good. I hummed in silent. At least, the bond noticed me as his mate, unlike him who had ignored me earlier.

My dad seemed to be perplexed as he looked at me, then to the Alpha.

"Ah, sure. We can talk to my office," he muttered. Did they just mind linking to each other? Then I saw him stand up and followed my father. What is happening?