How I met my Mate - being a Human

Another Incident

"Luna Annie." he said, bowing his head respectfully.

"Tom. Good evening. Are you back from border patrol?"

My pulse began to race as I saw the nightmare of my childhood standing in front of me. My ears were ringing and I couldn't hear what he was talking about with Luna Annie. When their brief exchange was over, he looked straight at me. His expression hadn't changed, he still looked friendly.

"Hello Mary." The tone of his voice showed no trace of anger or the hatred I had endured from him for years.

"Oh you already know each other?" Luna asked Annie.

"Yes. Mary and I grew up together at Savina's orphanage. Mary was already an enthusiastic cook back then."

Huh? Was that a compliment? Well Tom and I hadn't seen each other for ten years. But I found it hard to believe that he'd dropped his hatred for humans. He had been almost fanatical before he got old enough to join the pack.

"How nice that you still have someone from your childhood here in the pack Mary," said Luna Annie. Her voice was full of sincerity, she was really happy for me, if only she knew how he had been to me as a teenager.

Irma squeezed my hand as I was still too overwhelmed to reply.

"See you around Mary. Luna." With that, Tom went and got something to eat from the buffet.

Luna Annie told me a few more stories about different pack members, but I only listened with one ear.

Had Tom really changed and had no problem with my presence here in the pack? And if so, what had made him change?

In my childhood, not a day had gone by without some kind of insult from him. Fortunately, he had only hit me a couple of times, but it had been enough. I still had problems opening my eyes for weeks.

I went back into the kitchen with Irma, Luna was busy preparing everything for the Alpha's arrival.

He would be back tomorrow and there would be a little party for him. I would spend the whole day in the kitchen tomorrow and would get the whole next weekend off in exchange.

When we had tidied up everything in the kitchen, I looked at my notes again.

"I'm going now, can you handle it on your own?" Irma asked me.

"Yes of course, I'm just going to the garden to get the herbs for tomorrow. Just go home and enjoy your eventing wit Tim." I said it with a big smile, to asure Irma that I could handle it alone.

"Mary, are you okay? You turned very pale earlier when Tom was standing at pur Table."

Crap. Had it been that obvious? Maybe not to a Human, but Irma was a werewolf and had more heightened senses. Could I tell her about my childhood? I didn't want to cause a scene. Maybe Tom really had changed and then I would just be making a fuss about nothing.

"Yes, everything's ok. I can tell you another time."

Irma nodded and left the kitchen with a wave goodbye.

I got everything ready for the next day before picking up a basket and heading out into the garden.

The air was still warm enough that I didn't need a jacket - a light sweater was enough. I went to the herbs section in the garden and started cutting the amount I needed. I put everything in my basket before sitting down in the meadow and taking a deep breath. The sun was just setting and the sky was shining in a pale purple. It was really beautiful here. I understood Irma and her desire to stay here forever. Even without the pack, it really is a beautiful place in the world. It was never so cold that it snowed and in the summer it was never as hot as in the tropics. The area was surrounded by forest and all in all it was very peaceful here.

Just as I stood up to go back, I heard something rustling behind me. I turned around and saw a face filled with hatred. It was Tom's. He stared at me the same way, as he had when he had beaten me, full of disgust.

"Mary."