Looking To Belong (A Runt's Story)

Chapter 13

We eventually came to another store that had baked treats displayed in the windows. A lady in her mid-thirties glanced up as we entered. "Ah, Will. It is nice to see you again. Who is your friend?"

Will grinned as he put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer. "This is Jade."

The lady blinked in shock at his actions before realization dawned on her face. She sent a genuine smile in my direction. "Congratulations! You have no idea how glad I am that Will has managed to find his mate!"

It was normally a big deal if an Enforcer found their mate since it was a rare occurrence. I gently poked Will in the side and he released me. I grinned up at him while I answered the lady, "I am pretty glad that I found him too."

Will sent a heartwarming smile down at me; I could feel his relief and pride that I was accepting him so easily. It was common for rogues to have some resistance or difficulty when it came to settling down with a newfound mate. Going from a free rogue to being part of the complex pack life was a huge adjustment.

I pulled my backpack off of my shoulders and dug out the box. Offering it to her, I said, "Here, although I would appreciate getting the box back."

She took the box with a slight frown of confusion before opening it up. Her excited eyes darted to me. "How much do you want for this? This is a beautiful truffle and out of season, too."

I shook my head. "Nothing, it is yours."

Her jaw dropped. "Are you sure?! This thing is worth a lot!" A big truffle out of season was very uncommon and expensive. Truffles like this were actually the reason that I had some money in my backpack.

"Well, if you ever happen to be cooking at the pack house, I would love a refresher course on some of the appliances." I laughed lightly. "I looked at the stove they have there, but I haven't used a stove in years, and I have no idea which one of the fifty buttons on that thing actually turns the oven on."

They both laughed with me. The lady replied, "Well, I will be more than happy to show you anything you want in the kitchen. I have a morning shift there three times a week, so feel free to join me. My name is Sylvia."

I nodded with a smile. "Thank you for the offer. My name is Jade."

Sylvia pulled the truffle carefully out of the box to examine it more closely. "Where did you find this lovely thing?"

"To the west, not far from where the creek splits." I glanced sideways at Will as another grin tugged at my lips. "Although you should have seen Will's face when I started digging up that thing."

Will shook his head. "I fail to see how anything that looks like that can possibly be edible."

Sylvia and I grinned at each other in amusement. We visited with Sylvia a while longer before we finished the tour.

We headed back to the pack house, which had a lot more people around since it was getting close to supper time. I stuck close to Will's side as we entered the crowded hallway. We went into one of the smaller living rooms just off the main hallway. There were a handful of people in far corner of the room talking, although they didn't seem to notice us.

Will had likely known that I would be uneasy in huge crowds after spending so much time alone. I breathed a sigh of relief and realized that Will was oddly silent. I looked up to see that his eyes had a far away look. I felt his Enforcer aura appear and strengthen. He blinked and looked down at me in concern. "I have to go break up an overly rowdy group of teenagers, will you be okay here?"

I really didn't want him to leave me here in a house full of strangers, but I knew he had responsibilities. I replied, "Yes, I will stay here until you come back. I think the main bulk of the people are heading for the dining area anyway. Most probably don't even know that I am in the house. I will give a shout if I need you."

He ducked down to plant a kiss on my cheek before disappearing out the door. I slowly blinked as the warmth of his presence faded from the room. I had been beside him most of the day and his sudden absence was as if the sun had hidden behind the clouds. He had only been gone a few seconds, and I couldn't believe how much I missed him already.

I glanced around the room again. When we had come through the house, Will's bulk had shielded me from sight, and since I smelled like Will, I doubted that anyone had picked up my scent. The four people in the room still hadn't turned around or noticed my presence. My Omega senses told me that they were truly unaware of me and not simply ignoring me.

I walked silently to the side to examine the various pictures on the wall. I recognized the Luna and examined the other pictures. I sensed the change in air when the other four realized that they weren't alone in the room. I turned around as I heard footsteps approaching. The three guys and one girl were around my age and looked curious.

One guy held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Tim. I don't believe we have met."

I shook his hand. "I'm Jade. I just came in today with Bruce and his group."

His face lit up as he asked, "Are you planning on staying long?" I was somewhat shocked at his hopeful look, how did he not pick up Will's scent on me? Or did he just assume that Will had passed by and that I had no scent since I was a rogue?

The girl beside him was more observant and snorted faintly. "Tim, use your nose before Will chucks you out of the window."

Tim gave her a blank look before taking a deep breath. His eyes went wide as he realized his oversight. "Uh, sorry about that. I didn't realize that you had a mate."

I accepted his apology. "No worries. No harm done."

The girl shook her head at his denseness. "I'm Samantha, and this is John and Mark."

John shook my hand. "If you didn't pick it up, Sam is my mate."

I said, "Yes, I noticed." I tilted my head as I examined Mark. "And your mate is Cassie from the library, right? I met her earlier today, she seems nice."

Mark shook his head. "No, I haven't met my mate yet."

I quickly apologized, "Sorry about that, my mistake." I rarely made a mistake when assuming that someone was mates with someone else. My mistaken assumption had me ducking my head slightly as my cheeks faintly flushed with my embarrassment.

He seemed amused and didn't take any offense at my mistake. "No problem, I kind of wish I had found my mate."

I said, "I shouldn't have assumed, my apologies. What do you four normally do during the day?"

They gave me a rundown of where they worked and what they did. John and Sam owned their own store, while Mark and Tim ran patrol. I glanced at the door with a smile as I sensed Will's approach. His eyes went straight to me as he entered the room. Will wasted no time in closing the distance between us as he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders in a hug.

I leaned my head back against his chest to gaze up at his amber eyes. He smiled softly at me as he said, "Feel like braving the dining hall? Most of the crowd has already eaten and dispersed."

I nodded, and he once more guided me down a hallway. The other four tagged along as well.