Joan's POV
Her cottage is something out of a fairy tale and the perfect example of not judging a book by its cover.In contrast to its rough exterior, the interior looked like the walk room of a royal family.The couch looked like something made out of the finest timber and clothing. From the ceiling, hanging down is a lovely chandelier and the bookshelf on the wall held different books from across all packs."My son. He loves to read"I took another look at the countless books, just about what percentage of thus has he been able to read?From the furniture to the fittings, it looked way too pleasant for an average old woman."I have a son who thinks it's a wise decision to spend a lot of money to make this place look homely. It's looking like a guest house, not a family house""It is…really beautiful ma'am""Ms Anna is just fine!" She cautioned with a smile "And yes it is lovely. Not so lovely if you live alone""Your son. He doesn't stay home?""For his own safety, he visits once on a while. I'm sure you'll get to meet him one day"There was something really warm about her that was beautiful and…homely.She reminded me of my family….A family that was long gone and dead."Sit child, you must be hungry."She walked into the kitchen and I sat down on the couch. I didn't realise how tired I was until my back leaned on the sofa.My feet ached badly and the shoes I had were covered in mud."Here"She handed me a tray which held bread, bacon, butter, cheese and French toast.I dived into the meal without thinking, I was so hungry from walking for days without food or water."Slow down dear"I was too hungry to slow down. Soon,my plate was empty and I was more than satisfied with my meal.She handed me a glass of water and I gulped it down."Thank you Ms Anna""You're welcome"I knew I had to explain myself to Ms Anna. Maybe then, she would allow me to stay in her cottage."Ms Anna, I…""You don't have to talk now, child. You must be tired. Get some sleep and we will talk tomorrow alright?"She led me into a room and as soon as my head touched the pillows, I drifted into a deep sleep. ****Sunlight seeping through the curtains and on my face, I forced my eyes open.Where was I?I took a look around and slowly, the incident from the night came flooding in.I was rescued by Ms Anna. If she hadn't appeared in the woods at that time she did….I couldn't tell what would happen to me."Are you up?"I hurried out of my bed and out of the room. She was standing by the door with a tray of food in her hands."Good morning dear"I took the tray from her hands, a smile on my face. "Thank you so much Ms Anna. You saved my life last night and have me a place to stay""Eat. Take a shower so we can head out. The earlier I open the store,the more chances we have at selling our treats"Ms Anna heads towards the table where she had freshly baked bread on the table and a few sweeties as well."They smell marvellous Ms Anna""I sell this to the kids. Many of the women here love bread and bacon for breakfast. If I'm fast enough, I will sell all this"I didn't want to hold her back so I hurried to get my food and took my bath. Ms Green had my clothes arranged, she was such a kind hearted old woman.I took a dress and was soon out in time to help her carry the breads that were neatly placed in a basket.This pack was vibrant with life. The kids run around with bright smiles on their faces….I couldn't say the same for Blood Moon Pack. But whatever the case, this 0ack seemed delightful."What is your name dear?""Joan ma'am"She turned to face me, her eyes scanning me closely. My heart raced wildly in my chest at a thousand possibilities.Is she going to change her mind about me? Did I do something wrong?"Is…is everything okay ma'am?""Yes. Everything is fine. You have nothing to worry about" she smiled and turned away from me.Something was wrong and she wanted to tell me."What is the name of this pack?""Dark Stream Pack. Ruled by the notorious Alpha Jerome""He sounds like a nobleman"Ms Anna said nothing."Where are you from Joan?" She asked as we approached a small store."Blood Moon Pack. I…I was a maid to the Alpha""You ran away"I stared up at her, my fear evident in my eyes."Please don't.. don't send me away Ma'am"She chuckled, "It must have been horrible for you there. '' she pushed the door open, welcoming me to a lovely bakery store."I could use some help, keeping this place running" she offered"I will do everything ma. Clean, bake, sell…anything you want me to do""Alright. It's good to see how eager you are" Ms Anna said"Thank you so much ma'am""Get to work. Line the bread out on that tray and the treats over there. The store needs to be wiped clean and the the sign flipped once you're done"I made my way to the back and returned with napkins and a broom. The store was cleaned in minutes and the bread on display. I flipped the sign over and watched as customers trouped in one after the other .With the price tags on each product, sales were easy. It is surprisingly refreshing to do this, handing the bread to satisfied customers.All through this, Ms Anna watched my every move.I wouldn't be surprised if this act is as a result of past employees stealing from her..Alpha Rex's POV "What do you mean by she's gone?!" I yelled, asking my beta for some answers.Joan was in my bed the night before she went missing for almost a week and he has the guts to tell me she's missing."Alpha Rex, we've looked everywhere for her and no one seems to have seen her. Nor even the maids Alpha" "Your reply is not what I want to hear, Beta. Find. Her" He left immediately.Staring down at the paperwork I had to go through, a sigh of frustration escaped me. Why do I care where she was and why do I feel so unsettled knowing she might be missing? If made no sense to me! She's just a maid! /And your mate Rex, don't ever forget that!/ Aaron snapped, he was as irritated as I was about her absence."I am aware of my name Aaron! Where the hell has she gone? Who does she think she is sneaking out of my bed?" /You were never going to accept her as your name. What point was it for her to stay with you?/ Aaron was starting to frustrate me with his useless talks!
Joan's POV "It must have been nice growing up here" I said with a smile. Ms Anna was back from her meeting and she seemed very light headed.We were out in her cottage eating dinner under the stars and she filled me in on tales about her youth."I was never born in this part of Dark Stream my dear. There's little or nothing to say about where you were born after a war" My heart sank at her words as memories of my home came flooding. My home was raided and rendered desolate by Alpha's Rex's father. "I'm really sorry to hear that Ms Anna " I managed to say "It's been a long time ago, all water under the bridge. I can barely remember what it looked like anymore or the way that leads to it" She sighed, a sad smile on her face."What have you come to enjoy in this pack Ms Anna? The people seem really nice and wonderful" She chuckled, almost in mockery."In a place ruled by a ruthless Alpha , the people chose to live a life of hospitality. Things are hard on everyon
Joan's POV "Hurry up, we don't have time to waste" Ms Anna called out I packed the last of the baskets and hurried out of the cottage in time to meet up with Ms Anna."I'm sorry, I understand to check on the windows again" "I understand Joan but we can't be late for morning like this" I took a look at Ms Anna, she looked very pale and barely able to keep one leg after the other without slouching."Ms Anna, are you alright? " "I am alright child, as healthy as a bull!" She snapped I know she is lying but what could I do when she's not going to take a break from work?Ms Anna works so hard it's hard to keep up with her despite being younger than she was.I wondered if she lived her life like this, every day without breaks. It is only a matter of time before she breaks down with a fatal illness.."Ms Anna, I can handle the sales for today. You can go home and take a break" "What would I do at home? Sleep all day? Only the lazy do that, taking a break when they don't deserve one!"
Joan POV "Are you new here?"My heart skipped a beat, racing wildly in my chest as I turned slowly to look at him.He's about my height, golden brown hair and brown eyes that sparkle with delight.The awkwardness of our meeting…I am in the stream,without clothes! I was back from the morning sales and I craved some peace and quiet. Ms Anna seems to be out more often and I couldn't stay in the h0use all alone.It was hard getting used to a place where I wasn't abused everyday….Is this a bad thing? "I work for Ms Anna" He chuckled "Why so formal? She's your aunt after all" he got closer and I felt even more uncomfortable."Do you mind staying put?" "What?""I'm without clothes" I announced, feeling embarrassed.He laughs out loud " I look like a boy don't I?" I took another look at her and my chin coloured with embarrassment! I really thought she was a boy from first glance because she had her hair in a pixie cut."I want to take a swim too" She joins in and sighs in
Joan's POV A knock on the door and I was back to panic mode. I almost forgot about the pastries in the oven and that made me so scared , I could throw up! Now there's a knock on the door, Ms Anna barely has any visitors. "Who is it?"I asked quietly, thinking of ways to get out of this situation if it got worse."It's me Racheal " A sigh of relief washed over me, thank goodness! I pulled the door open, wondering where Ms Anna had gone so early in the morning."The festival is happening in an h0ur! What are you doing?!" Racheal walks into the house, uninvited "Good afternoon to you too" I muttered, shitting the door behind her. "What are you going to wear? Your shoes? You need to get ready!" "Why is this an emergency? What's so big a deal about this gathering anyway?" I asked, feeling drained from the panic of making sure the pastries turned out right. Asides that, the thought of parties was draining. I wasn't the type to party and getting ready for one was exhausting
Joan's POVI should have known Racheal was one of those people who love to dress up and doll up for some dumb event. If Ms Anna had not forced me into attending the ceremony,I would be glad to disappoint Rachel."What about this? What do you think?" Rachel asked as she showed me another dress from her wardrobe.She had decided to keep the appointment at her room and I was shocked to find out she lived alone with her brother.Or at least,so I thought.I really never asked if she lived alone."I sincerely do not care what I wear to the ceremony." /Why don't you go to the ceremony looking like a beggar then? I'm sure it would look amazing/Maya said in annoyance.Thanks a lot for being a pain in the ass smile even though I never asked for your opinion to begin with!I wasn't exactly in the best mood to party. I was going to spend the evening in bed, catching as much sleep as I can…"Come on! it's going to be fun! I told you that already. Don't you believe me?" Rachel said
Joan POV He wasn't so bad looking and he had this aurora around him that made me very uncomfortable. On a regular basis, the presence of an Alpha makes any sane person uncomfortable but what I felt as he walked by was fear not submission. Soon,he was out of sight and the party returned back to its full swing,like the Alpha had not just graced them with his presence.I believe I have had enough at the party and it's time I return back to the cottage.As much as Ms Anna tries to hide it, I could tell she was very ill. What if her illness got worse when I was away? I search rhe crowd for Racheal, hoping to let her know i was leaving to check up on Ms Anna.Just as I was about to give up, she came running towards me, grabbing my arm and we broke into a run.What is happening? I glanced over my shoulder and was even more confused when I saw no one following. "Wait!" I cried ,forcing her to syop after we were miles away from the party."Why are we running? What happen
Rex's POV "What do you mean you don't know where she is?" she snapped in annoyance Never have i seen my mother so upset or irritated in my life! I had successfully irritated her to the point that my very presence must have disgusted her."Your mate is nowhere to be found and you're telling ke, you don't know where she is?! " She adds, making sure to point out how ridiculous the whole situation seemed ."She ran away mother, she clearly doesn't want me " "I've met the young lady and I know she would have rejected you to your face if she wanted to" She went quiet suddenly and eues moved front the glass I held to her face in worry.Her health seemed to get worse by the passing day abd i was worried . I lost my father way back, I didn't want to lose my mother eurher.."Is this about Gwen?" She asked sharply "Mother…" "Did your mate run away because of Gwen? Answer me Rex!" She snapped The only one who dared to raise her voice on me was my mother, anyone who dare to