Chapter 21: Chapter 21

Winter settled around the packhouse, and the cold weather had seeped into my heart as well. Despite my best efforts to impress the Alpha, cook and clean for him, Aiden never became comfortable around me.

He did not try to come and talk to me. I would hear him walk from and to his bedroom morning and night, but the Alpha never stopped. It was not that I wanted to talk to him, I had nothing to say to him, but it hurt to know my husband, the man who should care and love for me did neither of those things.

Due to the cold weather, I chose to stay indoors near the fire place. I had no other choice given my status as an omega. After breakfast I shunned myself from visiting the packhouse, fully knowing that no mated omega would be around. Only betas and unmated omegas must be roaming. And the Alphas were patrolling on the border.

The isolation was getting to me, and the endless repetition of days with nothing to do and nights where I slept with one eye opened was driving me crazy. I craved companionship, someone to talk to. The stilted conversations I had with Aiden when we ate together were not enough. I needed to feel seen, to be acknowledged, to be heard.

Strangely enough, I also missed my family and my old home. My sister must be happy with her mate somewhere. I still did not get any letter from her, but I hoped she's living her life with joy, unlike me. The first few days have been difficult adjusting to the cold weather, cosy cabins and strange people. I managed to talk with a few after the first pack breakfast. That's all.

My father did not even bother phoning me or sending me a letter. I also missed my mother and her ridiculous over the top behaviour. Both of them abandoned me.

It's been a week, and I was curled in the warmth of cabin, cooking, watering the plants in our greenhouse, cleaning the already squeaky clean floors and washing leftover plates. The moment I tried to step outside, my lips quivered, and my toes went numb. Even the guard standing closer to our cabin skittered away whenever I attempted a conversation.

They feared me because I was a Luna. That's the last thing I wanted.

With a sigh, I turned around and gaped at the sight outside the window. A thick, heavy layer of snow was covering everything in sight. My heart sank, but still, I managed to get out of bed and slipped into warm clothes.

Closing the door behind me, I stepped out of the room only to notice Aiden on the table. He was eating cereal. My cheeks flamed at that. Did I oversleep again? As his omega, I was supposed to make breakfast for him.

"Good morning," I shyly whispered, padding my feet towards the ball. The Alpha did not look up from the letter he was reading.

"Morning," He muttered.

I slumped into a chair closest to him, eyeing the things on the table. Milk and cereal cartoon along with slightly browned toast stared back at me. Did he do all of this?

"It snowed," I remarked lamely.

"So it did." He looked up, scooping the cereal in his spoon and shoving it in his mouth. I gawked at him as his throat worked, milk trailing from the corner of his mouth. "If you have important letters to send, make sure to do it soon before the roads are closed for the winter."

I froze in my seat. "What do you mean?"

"Another snowfall like this one and the roads will become unusable, slippery. We have to stay in our cabins. I'll ask my beta to stock up all the groceries we would need for two weeks."

"Two weeks?" I chewed on my lips. Staying in the same cabin as him for fourteen long days made my heart rate hammer. How can we pull that off? Aiden already hates me, and staying in a closed space may escalate that even more.

"What... what if we want to go places?"

The Alpha twisted his lips. "Like where exactly?"

"To the pack house."

He scoffed, letting the spoon clatter against his bowl. I noticed the shift in his expressions, frown settling over his features. His voice raised, eyes boring into me. "You should be doing that daily. I have noticed you hardly step out of this cabin."

"Do you not know what a Luna does? The amount of responsibility they have on their shoulder? Ria is doing all your work for you."

I cowered in my seat, head bowed down. Due to the bond mark on my neck, I could feel his irritation and annoyance. In my old pack house, they ignored me and my status. My own family refused to acknowledge me because I was an omega. My education was stopped abruptly, and I have never personally met our Luna. How was I supposed to know any of it?

"Uhh...I am sorry."

He sighed. "Look at me."

I lifted my head, vision blurry due to the tears in my eyes. His stormy eyes widened a bit as he stared back at me. "You will be a Luna soon, and I expect you to be nothing but perfect. Our pack needs to have someone reliable and trustworthy to fall back on. Don't you think?"

That was the calmest tone he had ever used on me. Maybe because the Alpha could feel my inner turmoil. Whatever the reason I was glad that he's not screaming at me again.

"Y-Yes", I bobbed my head.

He exhaled, wiping the back of his mouth. "Good. My beta, Liam, will meet you in an hour and introduce you to our housekeeper. Make sure you are ready by then."

My nails dig in to the flesh of my palm as his eyes raked over my body. Mostly staying on my messy hair. In a hurry to catch the sight of him, I got out of my room, not even bothering to check my hair.

"Yes, Alpha"

Taking a deep breath, he folded his hands together before continuing. "Our housekeeper is one of the oldest pack members and will teach you everything you need to know."

"Beth?" I added.

He almost seemed impressed that I recognised her name but didn't let it show on his face. The housekeeper was lovely, round pink cheeks and pepper hair in a bun. I met her during breakfast, but we didn't have a chance to talk as the other pack members kept on starting new conversations with me.

Aiden nodded his head. "Yes. Beth will help you out and give you the basic training."

"Okay"

"One more thing", He started, lips pursed in a straight line. "Ria will also guide you. She's an expert in these things and knows me better than anyone else. Follow everything she says."

I almost winced at the 'knows me better' part, but it's the truth. They have been friends for a long time, so that might be the case.

"I will"

The Alpha gave me one last look before standing up. "Clean this up. I'm going to my training."

***