Nia POV
After talking some more with the strange man that night, whose name I found out was Travis, he helped me find my way back home in the dark. He told me of how he grew up out here in the wilderness with his brother and was taught how to track and hunt by his father.
Travis also told me more about the small country town and confirmed my suspicions about the shops and stores with the name 'Hagen', which were owned by his family. I told him I worked at the 'Hagen Market', to which he asked me questions like How are they treating me? Am I getting overloaded with work and If I feel unsafe around certain people or situations? I just told Travis that the staff is friendly, I mainly work the register except for when they need help stocking shelves, and that I haven't felt unsafe around anyone or been put in any dangerous situations. Since the market was one of the places he owned, I guess it was only normal that he wanted an employee's opinion on how the store is being run.
The thing that surprised me most was how easy and comforting he was to talk to, given him being a random stranger I met out in the woods. At certain points during our walk, I could feel him move his body closer to mine, then move away a bit when he saw I noticed.
It's been 2 weeks since our first encounter and he gave me his number to call if I should ever need something or require help with anything in town or around the house.
In a few days, the town would be having their annual "Ylir" festival, based on the Viking holiday we now know as the Yule time that's from mid-November to December. Travis called and asked if I wanted to go with him to the festival, to which I gladly replied yes, earning me a chuckle followed by what I'm guessing was a smile on Travis's end. He did seem like a great guy and genuine with his friendly intentions, I just hoped that like the few people I've become friends with in this town, he was someone I could trust.
One of the few people I've become friends with is Stacy, a girl that works in one of the novelty shops that seeks souvenirs as well as some antiques. We met when she came into the market looking for ingredients to make a stew and we got on the subject of the town's history, including how the Hagen family-run everything around here.
A couple of days before the festival, we had a girl's day out to go shopping for new Fall/Winter outfits and grab lunch afterward. When we got to the jewelry shop, a few pieces of jewelry were on sale that fit my budget but the prettiest one I saw was a silver wolf pendant that I would love to have.
I looked at the price tag to see it was definitely out of my price range right now, so I just stood there gazing at it until Stacy's voice snapped me out of my trance.
"That pendant would look great with the red dress you picked out earlier, you should get it"
"I would if I could but I think I've done enough shopping for today and I need to head home to start on dinner", I replied feeling tired since we had been walking around town most of the day to different shops.
"Ok, well I'll see you at the festival and make sure you wear that new lilac and jasmine perfume, it'll help you stand out", Stacy said before walking off down the street to her shop.
Her last statement about wearing the perfume to make me stand out was confusing but I guess it was probably just her way of giving me beauty tips anyway, I had already picked an outfit to wear that was feminine yet comfortable which is a hard combination to find out here in these parts.
As I was walking back to my car, I noticed a tall, dark-haired man ahead of me stop walking and stare straight at me with what seemed like a look of confusion and anger before he kept walking past me while giving me a sideways glance.
If there was ever a moment I felt unsafe around someone, this was it and all my senses were screaming danger in response.
Travis POV
Little did my precious mate know that the girl she's been hanging out with Stacy is one of the most entrusted pack members that I assigned to look after Nia while also giving her a girlfriend to hang out with for some female bonding. Stacy reports back to me what Nia likes and dislikes, which is important to know especially when wanting to keep your mate happy.
Today she told me about their shopping trip in town and how when they went to the jewelry store, Nia saw a beautiful wolf pendant that she wanted but couldn't buy. It broke my heart to hear my mate wasn't able to get something she wanted because of money but once she is my Luna, she'll never have to worry about problems like that ever again.
When she accepted my invitation to the festival, I immediately met with the planning committee which were also pack members, to make sure it was perfect this year since my mate would be attending and I wanted everything perfect for her. Every year we have the festival in town for the humans, so they have something fun to do while also bringing in business from tourists and townspeople that buy from the shops and vendors that will have stands set up for selling souvenirs.
After the human festival is over, the pack has their tradition where we all shift at midnight and go on a nighttime Yule hunt around the territory where each wolf makes a kill, like a deer, rabbit, or some other type of game animal, and brings it back to the pack village where the following night it's cooked in the main packhouse kitchen that's designed to feed so many wolves. The cooks also use local ingredients from the farmer's market like vegetables and spices to add extra flavor and make tasty side dishes.
I wish I was able to bring Nia to our feast and introduce her as the pack's new Luna but we are nowhere near that stage. As far as she knows, we're just friends and besides, I'll feel more comfortable revealing to her who and what I truly am when we're alone together. The best way I'd like to do that would be over a small intimate dinner where the focus would just be the two of us and that might help her grasp the information of what I tell her better.
For now, I haven't made any mention of me finding my mate to anyone except Stacy, who needed to understand why I was assigning her to monitor this particular human. Since an Alpha's mate is the second-highest member in the pack, that means she will have a lot expected of her from the pack, and being a human adds more pressure to the situation.
Since my ancestor Chief Erik and his pack first shifted, his line has only ever mated with either Betas or other alphas to keep the lineage strong. It's not considered a big deal for lower-ranked wolves to mate with humans but for the higher-ups, we are expected to stay with the tradition that says to keep your bloodline pure wolf and free of human genetics. I don't see the point in following those strict rules since the world is changing and we must change with it if we want to survive into the next generation but there are still those like my brother that still believe in the old ways like our father, who made him Beta since I was older and going to be Alpha.
Dad didn't want to take a chance and have another wolf with different worldly ideas that would rival his beliefs in a high position like that in the pack, so he gave it to Garrett since he practically brainwashed him into following everything that he believed unlike me who refused to follow his ways and still got the Alpha title because it is my birthright.
Since I've been the pack leader for many years after dad's retirement, the pack has already shown their loyalty in standing with me in most of my decisions but when it comes to my human mate, I'll see who's loyal to the Alpha and who isn't.