>>Clio
Days at the pack were quite peaceful and I found myself adjusting here far better than I had thought. Waking up in nature surrounded by tears and natural beauty was doing wonders for my mental health
But there was something else that was filling my head
Matthew Merikh
I saw him going on a run every morning with other pack members. I mean, not as a human. From my window on the second floor I saw a few of the members who could shift turn into wolves and go running around in the forest.
Now anyone would think I'm going crazy and perhaps I have gone crazy.
But his black furred wolf is so hot!
His dark ebony colored fur and his huge size has been making my heart flutter! GOD! I have gone insane!
I know I have,
I took a deep breath and walked around the pack around noon when I saw Matthew talking to Azef.
OH!
The director is here too. When did he arrive?
"Any news about Elira?" Matthew asked
"No," Azef replied, "Nothing…" They both looked down in disappointment.
Elira,
Right, she would be Azef's sister as well. As I walked over to them, both their ears twitched and they looked at me.
"Chicky!" Azef smiled at me, "How are you doing?"
Chicky… Looks like he's sticking with that nickname
"I'm good, when did you come?"
"Just this morning," His smile didn't fade, "It's nice to see you're doing okay."
"Mmm," I nodded, "Thanks to you,"
"Me?" He asked, "What did I do?"
"You saved my mom," I answered, "I recognized you, it was your wolf form, right?"
He was a little surprised, "No problem," His smile got gentler, "I couldn't let my brother's mate be sad now, can I?" He looked at both of us who stood side by side, "Anything for the happiness of my family." Azef had a sinister tone yet his words sounded really genuine.
"I'm really glad you were there," I told him, "Thank you,"
He nodded, "Well, I better get to work," He waved at us as he started walking away, "Duty calls,"
"Work?" I looked at Matthew
"He's the beta of the pack, so he's got a lot of responsibilities as well."
"Oh," I nodded, "I see," I licked my lips, and then chose to ask the question,"You're still looking for her?" I asked, "For you sister,"
Matthew glanced at me once Azef was out of our sights, "I am,"
"After all these years?" I had unspoken words stuck in my throat, like what if she's dead? Or what if she doesn't want to be found? Because after so many years, if she was here, something about her would have been found right? But those words didn't leave my mouth. They couldn't. Because I didn't want to hurt Matthew.
"All I can do is try," He replied and I wondered, His family must mean a lot to him, especially because there aren't many members in it.
"Chris's case became a huge deal on social media." I changed the topic, "People are saying that's the karma the Head Hunter got, his own head was barely attached to her body."
Matthew smiled, "Azef told me if he got his hands on Rameen's killer he would kill them himself," He chuckled, "And that's what he did."
I know I shouldn't be thinking about it. But I get a feeling that Azef might actually be a brutal person.
***
The ringing of a phone led me to the lounge. I wasn't sure what I'd do following the ringtone but I just decided to check it out anyway.
What I didn't expect was to find Matthew's phone there and what I clearly wasn't expecting 'that' name on the caller ID
'Zhou-Lin'
The phone continued to ring and it reminded me. Doesn't he like Matthew? He even tried to kill me because of that… Although that changed but still… It bothered me knowing someone who was so into my mate was someone so near him as well.
I stared at the phone and the ringing died.
…
I didn't move and he called again. And I don't know what I was thinking but I picked up the phone, "Hello?"
He recognized my voice, "...Hello Clio," Zhou-in's voice was full of confidence, "I see you're picking Matthew's calls for him now,"
!!!
"It's not like that, he's just away," I felt embarrassed because it felt like he knew what I was doing.
He let out a gentle snicker, "Is that so?"
"Yea," I answered, "You've been calling him for a while and I thought I'd ask if it was important." My attempt at covering it up wasn't that great but what else was I supposed to do now that I had already picked up the phone.
"Oh I do have something important to tell him, but since you picked up the phone, I have something to tell you too."
"...What?"
"You know that girl, Cherelle, from NLN?"
!!!
How could I not know her? She's the reason everything went awry between me and Nolan-
No,
She may have been a part of it, but she wasn't the reason.
The reason was Nolan himself, "Yea,"
"It seems the CEO fired her for disclosing your info,"
He did!?!?
That was a shock. I didn't think he'd fire her when he was having an affair with her!
…
Well, it's all too late for that. It doesn't matter what he does now. We're over.
"I see," I nodded, "Disclosing an employee's information is breaking the rules so she deserved it."
"Right," He chuckled, "And unless she uses the thing between her legs again she's gonna find it difficult to find a job again."
I frowned at his words
"Zhou-Lin," I called his name, "You like Matthew, don't you?" I said that to corner him or to startle him.
"I do," But he was unfazed.
"No, I mean, not as a person but as a man,"
"Hmmm~" He wondered, "I wonder," He let out a chuckle, "Curious?" My frown deepened. My strategy was backfiring!
I can't say yes, it would make me seem insecure!
So, I didn't answer and he spoke again
"What I like or who I like stays with me, but Matthew and I have history and we're business partners, so you'll be seeing a lot of me."
"I'm his mate," I told him
"Oh?" It seemed like he was smiling, "So you know now," He hummed, "I guess that's that," His indifferent behavior was getting to me.
"If you try anything, wouldn't Matthew let it go."
"I won't do anything to you," He said, "You don't need to worry, you'll find me an ally,"
???
He's really not going to do anything?
"Will I really?"
"Time will tell you itself," He sighed, "Tell Matthew to call me, I need to talk to him."
"I-" He cut off the phone before I could tell him anything. What was I even going to say? That I wouldn't convey his message? What am I? Am twelve years old?
I placed Matthew's phone back on the table and then stared at it.
What am I doing? There was no need for any of that.
Ever since Matthew took me away from Zhou-Lin, declaring I was his mate, Zhou-Lin hasn't done anything.
So maybe he won't do anything to get on Matthew's bad side.
I don't have anything to be insecure about. Right? I'm his mate, not him. I'm the one he wouldn't want to lose.
"Clio?" A familiar voice started me and I looked back in shock
"Matthew,"
"Hmm?" I had no idea when he came over or how long he had been there.
I felt awkward about my actions now and I felt embarrassed, "Zhou-Lin called," I didn't meet his gaze, "I'm sorry I picked up your phone, it just felt like it was urgent," I mixed the lies in, trying to make myself feel better.
"It's fine," He answered
!!!
He was pretty chill about it which made me feel better, but also a little bit guilty
"What did he say?" He asked
"He just said that you should call him, he had something important to say,"
"Alright," He grabbed his phone from the table and began to walk away. He was pretty busy today, "Ah, right," He looked back at me, "The girls wanted to talk to you."
"To me?" I pointed at myself, "About what?"
He shrugged, "Guess we'll both find out what's it about," He opened the phone to call Zhou-Lin back as he walked out of the place.
I took a deep breath and walked out to see what the girls wanted.
***
The pack girls, fueled by a mix of mischief and camaraderie, had decided to embark on a mission to transform me into something that could, according to them, rival the moon in its radiance. The moon, unfortunately, remained indifferent to my predicament.
So there I was, reluctantly seated in a makeshift salon they'd arranged in an empty room of the pack house that had a huge mirror in it.
"Are you sure about this?" I asked because I certainly wasn't sure about any of this.
A particular girl named Runy, with an unyielding enthusiasm for all things glamorous, took charge. "Trust me," she assured, wielding a makeup brush with the confidence of a seasoned artist.
The transformation began with a dress that belonged to Runy herself.
"I can't wear your dress," I shook my hands as the girls tried to hand it over to me.
"It's a gift!" The insisted
"It won't suit me,"
"It's cute, trust me," They all insisted so much I gave up in the end and changed.
As I reluctantly changed into the dress, the pack girls whispered excitedly, like conspirators hatching a plot. Makeup followed – brushes, powders, and an assortment of colors. They worked with precision, not over doing anything to make sure the look looked natural.
Hair, usually left untamed, became the focus of their attention. The mirror reflected a version of me that was both familiar and foreign, and I couldn't decide whether to embrace or flee from the reflection.
But,
Once the ordeal was over, I was ceremoniously presented before the mirror. Gasps of delight erupted from the pack girls. Even I couldn't deny the change.
I smiled as my heart fluttered. There was a sense of happiness bubbling inside of me and I liked the feeling. I liked what I was seeing in the mirror.
I looked pretty
***
Now this was the most difficult part. I stood outside Matthew's office with a heavily beating heart.
I wonder how he'll react.
I'm so nervous! I almost don't want to go in!!!
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, before I walked to his pack house office. Through the door I could hear him talking to Azef.
"Zhou-Lin said the Somas know we're protecting Clio,"
"So what are you going to do?" Azef asked
"I'm still thinking,"
"What if they want war?"
"Then let there be war," Matthew's voice held no hesitation and his line made me open the door and walk in as I panicked.
They both turned to look at me and Matthew paused.
His usual composed demeanor faltered for a moment as his eyes met the unexpected sight before him.
As I approached him, I could feel his eyes on me before I even met his gaze. His reaction was immediate—his confident demeanor faltered for a split second, replaced by a genuine surprise. The subtle raise of his eyebrows and the way his eyes widened and his gaze, usually composed and knowing, lingered on me.
I froze as well, my heart fluttering as his gaze bared me, refusing to leave.