~~~Valerie~~~
Azure and I spent two hours in the young adult section of the store discussing the books I’d read and the ones I’d heard others talk about—both the good ones and the bad ones. In the end, she decided on three books—a copy of Romeo and Juliet, the first Hunger Games book, and Where the Red Fern Grows. She didn’t have enough money on hand for all three, but luckily, we were able to get a used copy of Romeo and Juliet from Anne.
Anne had had two customers who eyed me the entire time Azure and I were in that section of the store. I tried to find the other two books for her, but Romeo and Juliet was all we had used. I smiled and tried to make conversation with the two women, but all they did was smile back and say hello.
“I’m sorry people aren’t friendlier,” Azure said when we went back to my side of the store.
“Don’t apologize. People are cautious. They don’t know me. Not only am I a stranger, but I’m a stranger from another world. They have a right to be leery of me.”
“Are you scared of us?” she asked as we made our way to the checkout counter.
“I thought I would be, but I’m not. Everyone I’ve met and have spent time with has been nothing but nice to me. Not everyone is as welcoming of me as you, Anne, and Stephanie are, but no one has been mean…except…”
“Mr. Nichols?” she asked as I rang up her books.
“Yeah. No. He hasn’t exactly been mean to me. He’s just stoic or indifferent, or I don’t know what to call it,” I said and unconsciously rubbed the palm Jackson had touched.
“Don’t let him get to you. He’s like that with everyone. His wife and baby died in childbirth fifty years or so ago, and he’s been detached, emotionally, ever since, or so my mom said. Hey, what did you do to your hand?” she asked, reaching out for the palm I was rubbing.
“What?” I asked before looking down to see what she was looking at.
My entire palm was red as if I had somehow burned it. Inside the red coloring, there was what looked and felt like a thin, raised welt that circled in and out of itself like a Celtic knot, but the bottom point was elongated and nearly reached my wrist. The mark had a slight resemblance to a wolf’s head.
“I don’t know,” I finally said, lightly tracing the mark. “I think I burned it somehow, but it doesn’t hurt. Does it look as if there is a design in there?”
“Yeah, there is. That’s a Wahya symbol,” Azure said in awe.
“A what?”
“A Wahya symbol. It’s a wolf mating mark. We still call it by an old word the ancients used to use. At some point in the last two days, your mate has touched you. The mating mark pops up wherever a person has skin-to-skin contact with their mate. Who touched your palm?” she asked excitedly.
“I don’t know.” I lied, knowing I couldn’t tell her that Jackson was the only person to touch my hand. I’m aware that I technically came to Valeterra to meet my mate, but I didn’t think it would happen so soon or at all really. I wasn’t sure if I wanted it to happen. Jackson didn’t appear to be showing signs of wanting it either.
“Look, Azure,” I said, feeling guilty that I wasn’t happier about the mark. “Please don’t tell anyone. I’m new to town. I don’t know anyone. I don’t want the news of this spreading just yet. I’ve caused enough of a disturbance coming here. I don’t want to create anymore by mating with someone so soon.”
“Okay, but people will find out eventually. Your mate will have that mark as well. I don’t know who in the area volunteered for the program, but if he or she wasn’t the one to touch you, this might cause a problem.”
“You don’t know who’s in the program?” I asked, unsure why the rulers of Valeterra had kept such a secret from its people.
“Well, our alphas were supposed to be the first on the list, but Mr. Nichols hasn’t said anything to us about signing up. Mrs. Katherine, one of my teachers, says it’s because he’s still in love with his wife. She says he’ll never fall in love again. When he announced you were coming, he told us that once you’d settled, alphas from all over Valeterra would come here to meet you. Although, just because they want you to meet an alpha doesn’t mean you can’t mate with someone else. Despite their plans, the fates choose our mates.”
Azure had a dreamy look on her face as she spoke. At her age, she must find the thought of a mating as being the epitome of romantic.
“Shit,” I said, plopping down on the stool I had behind the counter. “Thanks for the information dump, but I’m still begging you not to tell anyone. I need to think about things.”
“Okay. Is it all right if I come by tomorrow afternoon to read and work on homework?”
“As long as it’s all right with your parents, then I’m okay with it.”
The look that spread across her face told me that I’d said something horrible. The realization that her parents might be dead took a moment to dawn on me.
“Oh, sweetie,” I said, coming around the counter and pulling her to me.
I had no idea if the people of Valeterra permitted such a gesture. The tears threatening to spill from the child’s eyes made me want to hug her. She allowed the hug but didn’t let herself cry.
“Who are you living with?” I asked as we separated.
“Mr. Nichols has an orphanage set up next to the school. Ms. Talia and Mr. Stanley, who used to teach at the school, run it with the help of volunteers from town. Mr. Nichols even comes sometimes to help serve meals or take us on excursions on the weekends. There are about fifty of us in the orphanage and only about a little over a hundred students, total.”
“Do they take good care of you there?” I asked even though it sounded like they did.
“Yeah. We don’t get a lot of one-on-one attention, but we have clothes, food, strict schedules.”
“Good. Well, if you don’t mind, have Ms. Talia or Mr. Stanley send a note with you tomorrow stating that they know where you’re at and that they’re okay with you staying here, please. I don’t want anyone getting upset with me.”
“I will. Thank you.” She gave me a quick hug and left.
I went upstairs to find a shirt long enough to cover my hand. While I searched my clothes, I contemplated the store. With so many dead and with people still dying, how did Jackson and Stephanie expect me to have a successful business?
I didn’t have another customer the rest of the day. At the end of my first shift, I counted down my drawer, deposited the tiny bit of money I’d made into the safe, and met Anne outside the building. She invited me to dinner, and I felt that turning her down wouldn’t be a good idea so early in my stay. I could accept such invitations for the first few weeks. Gradually I would start making excuses to eat at home.
With what little money the store was making—Anne had done better than me, but not by much considering the books on her side were barely half the price of mine—there was no way I could afford to eat out every day. Since I hardly had any food in my fridge, I would have to eat out until the weekend when I could do some real shopping.
We went to The Grove, the same little restaurant Stephanie and Scott had taken me to the night before. I ordered water and a house salad, telling Anne that I wasn’t that hungry. When our food came, though, the waiter brought me a large grilled chicken salad, a buttered sweet potato, and a glass of wine.
“Excuse me,” I said, catching the man before he could leave.
“Yes?” he said.
“I think you gave me someone else’s order.”
“No, Ma’am.”
“I only ordered a house salad and a glass of water. This food is too much.”
“No, Ma’am. Mr. Nichols said that you would prefer that instead.”
Yes, I would, but I couldn’t say that. I also couldn’t say that I was on a limited budget, and whereas I could afford the meal right then, in a few months, I probably couldn’t and needed to save money, so all I said was, “But…but…” and looked helplessly from the waiter to the plate.
The man leaned in close to me and said, “Mr. Nichols also said that the payment for the meal was on him.”
“All right. Thank you,” I said to the man, knowing it was useless to protest. He nodded and walked away. I scanned the restaurant for Mr. Nichols but didn’t see him.
“Is Mr. Nichols always this way?” I asked Anne as I prepped my food.
“Pretty much. What you’re doing for us is a good thing. Mr. Nichols may not show it, but he wants you to be happy. He wants you to acclimate to our world as easily as possible. He also intends to set a good example for the other alphas and his people. The best way for everyone to feel at ease with you here is for him to show them how to treat you.”
“But won’t people get angry at him for taking care of me this way? I can’t prove that I’m worthy of this place if I can’t take care of myself.”
“He’s the Archon here, and the alpha of the local shifter pack. While you’re in Greenleaf, he’s your alpha. It’s his job to take care of you, and it’s your job to be appreciative of the things he does.”
“Okay. I’m sorry. I’m just not used to having someone take care of me like this.”
“You’re going to be some alpha’s mate soon. You’ll need to learn to get used to it.”
After we had eaten, I said goodbye to Anne, then searched the restaurant for Jackson again. I found him in a back corner, reading one of the books he had bought from me earlier that day—the one that wasn’t the romance, thank God. I pulled my shirt sleeve down over my hand and approached him. That time, he saw my approach and sat his book down. He still didn’t speak to me, but he did nod his head at me. I wasn’t sure if the nod was a greeting or an invitation to speak, so I took it as both.
“Good afternoon, Ja…I mean, Mr. Nichols. I just wanted to come over and say thank you for the food. Today was a slow day, but I do hope business will pick up and that I make your investment in me worth it.”
He only blinked at me, so I nodded my head at him and left.