“Astra!” It is out before I can stop myself.
“My wolf, Anise, does that, too. She is talking to you, right? Annoyingly, Anise is usually accurate with whatever she says. Hm, Astra and Anise. They should get along nicely, don’t youthink?” Taking the lead, she walks along a path through the herb beds.
“She is most certainly not correct in this instance.” I try to smile as though it was just some funny remark from Astra, but it probably looks more like I’m constipated.
“Haha. I know that look, too. It’s a good job that they can’t mind link. We’d have no secrets, and they would be ripping us apart for years to come with caustic remarks. We would be good friends, Fenya and Astra, if we were not destined to be so far apart.”
“Does distance matter to friends? I ask because I have only one. She is in my pack and so have no experience to draw on.” Why did I admit to that? I must sound needy and desperate.
“I have few friends myself. Many acquaintances but few genuine friends. I would be honored if you would see me as a friend, Fenya Stormhowl of the Wolfsong pack.” Holding out her hand, I take it and receive a firm and pleasant handshake in return.
“Wow! I didn’t expect to wake up this morning and increase my ‘friends list’ by one hundred percent. That is quite an achievement.”
“You are a very approachable female. You give off quite a vibe of safety and caring. I’m surprised you have so few friends.” Taking my hand in hers, she leads me through a door and back into the packhouse. Into the kitchen, to be precise.
“This is the beating heart of my temporary domain. This is where the magic happens!” Laughing she lets go of my hand and spins around with her arms spread out.
“Don’t let your mate hear that. He probably thinks the magic happens in your bedroom.” Why would I say that? Astra is obviously having an influence on me that I am not aware of.
“I should be so lucky as to have a mate. I think my fated mate is deaf, dumb and blind, with no sense of smell. How else could he not find me? I would welcome the bond of a male to share my life. One chosen by the Goddess herself. Could anything be more satisfying?” A dreamy look takes over her features and I dash it with a sentence.
“A cup of unsweetened lukewarm tea would be more satisfying.”
Her face changes in an instant to one of horror. “How can you say such a thing? Do you not yearn for your mate to complete you? We can all go through life alone, but to have that bond that helps you reach the next level in your consciousness and physical well-being, is something we should all hope to achieve. Is it not?” Her words sound like some life coach or guru, but her sincerity is there for all to see.
“Ash, as my friend, can you keep a secret? It is huge, so I must know that you will not repeat this.”
“I will take your secret to the grave, I swear.” She takes my hands in hers and I can only believe her words.
“I have found my fated mate, yet I have all but rejected him. I know how he feels towards me. I don’t have those feelings to return.”
“How can this be? How has the Goddess made such an error in judgement? Do I know this male?”
“You will know him as Alpha Lyle of the Spirit Walker pack.” I wait for her to tell me how I must be mad not to grab this opportunity by the horns and run with it.
“Then there is something that has not yet happened to awake these feelings within you.” Her words surprise me and again there is nothing but sincerity in them.
“What? What?” I stammer and stutter. I don’t grasp the meaning of her statement.
“Well, it is obvious, Fenya my friend. You must stay near him until that something occurs that will awaken your feelings for him. Perhaps you have to witness his strength and bravery as you are clearly of warrior stock. Maybe he has to rescue a pup to arouse something within your femininity? You must not abandon this mating without giving it its chance to rise, like a dough! So far you have flour and water. The Goddess has put the yeast in and now you must be patient for it to rise in a warm, nurturing environment.” Her comment flows from her, and I’m not sure I totally believe her, but I’m listening.
Your new friend is a literary genius. She is also correct in what she says.Astra drops in the conversation once more.
“My wolf believes you to be a genius, Ash. I have to admit that I too believe you may have something there. Although I have never wanted a mate or to become a luna, you may have something about an incident needing to happen to awaken something inside me.”
“Oh my, yes. You would become a luna! What a luna you would be. You have the skill to be a Warrior Luna like no other. The softness of character to nurture a pack as if they were your own pups. You would be a formidable mate to a very fortunate alpha. He must be distraught with your hesitation to accept him.”
“I have not looked at it from his perspective, though I don’t see myself as much of a catch, Ash.” I laugh nervously as I say this. Iam tall and skinny. Hardly something for an alpha to parade in front of his pack as an exquisite catch.
“Are you mad? Have you lost control of your faculties? Any male worth his salt would give up his wolf to have you. Well, maybe that’s not the right way to say it, but you know what I mean. Do you not possess a mirror? I have a decent figure and one I know that draws occasional glances. You have a body to die for. Long legs, slim waist, I bet you have abs like a six-pack under that top. I could roll dough on that stomach. And don’t get me started on those breasts. All perky and pert and, and, well, just and!” Stopping to draw a breath, she looks at me with owl-like eyes, big and round.
“Obviously, we see two very different Fenyas. I have never met the one that you just described,” I mumble.
“I bet Alpha Lyle has though! What does your wolf say? Wolves are far more attuned to each other than our human side.”
“Astra believes they were meant for each other. She thinks I’m stubborn and foolish for not jumping into bed with Alpha Lyle at the first moment we met!”
“Hahaha! She sounds like Anise's twin. Perhaps they were separated at birth? When she commented earlier, did she call you a virgin or something similar?” Ash laughs as though she had heard Astra’s comment.
