CHAPTER FOUR
TINY'S POV
PRESENT DAY
"I tried making breakfast," Akila choked, fanning the thick gray clouds of smoke, "but you know my place isn't an apron."
"Yeah," I giggled in amusement, "you should be on the field. Leave the crescents and pie baking to me."
She rolls her eyes while sitting at the kitchen table. I scrap the burnt bits of breakfast before scrubbing the scorching pans. I don't mind the hot haze on my hands or the overbearing clouds. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have feeling in my hands or what the house smelt like when Akila set fire to an entire tray of crescent rolls. I start breakfast by rolling the dough and portioning it. Setting bits of cocoa bark inside the random dough, leaving a mixture of regular and chocolate-filled rolls.
"God, it smells like burnt arse," a gentle voice rumbled from the living room.
Akila's cheek flushed as she glared at the person before turning to me in defeat, "Tiny was late so I wanted to help out, Teresa."
Another voice filtered behind Teresa, following with obnoxious laughter, "Akila in the kitchen?"
"Can it, Serene!" Akila growled as she flipped her newspaper open.
I brush melted butter on the rolls, listening to the light bickering. I smile as I place two trays of rolls into the oven. Cooking used to be difficult. Especially with lacking the ability to smell, but thanks to Teresa's recipes and cookbooks, I've been able to complete dishes through detailed instructions. Akila flipped the cover page as Serene joined me in the kitchen. She waves as she begins to crack eggs into an empty bowl to whisk away the yellow yolks.
"Good morning, Tiny!" Serene chirps as I lightly dust her batter of eggs with pepper and green onions.
"Morning Serene," I replied as I unloaded a tray of maple sausages from the fridge, "going off to see your mate today?"
The young girl's cheeks burn a fierce tint of red as she chokes for air, "excuse me?"
I should find her flustered state to be adorable. Maybe I'd even envy her if I liked her mate. But Matthew Colins was everything I despised in a man. He's arrogant, spiteful, and selfish. Serene deserves someone who will cherish her. Protect the bubbly and sincere woman I grew up with. I don't know what the moon goddess was thinking when she twined their fates together as mates. Serene deserves better.
Akila flips the page pretending to read, "it's that obvious, nitwit."
Serene looks down at her hands, slowly whisking before replying faintly, "he asked me on a date to the Moors. I think he's going to propose-"
Teresa gasped as she walked into the tiny kitchen, squeezing Serene's shoulders, "that's great! Congratulations, my dear!"
"Thank you," Serene smiled, tugging her midnight blue hair behind her ear.
"He's very lucky to have you," I chimed in as I joined her to cook the sausages.
"Akila," Mother Teresa said, "don't you have anything to say to Serene?"
Akila snorted, "no."
Bloody hell, I swear, here we go.
"Akila!" Teresa snapped, glaring at her.
"This is the fifth time I've heard her say that." Akila says coolly, flipping the page, "when he actually proposes, then I'll congratulate her."
Serene's smile fades as Teresa gently pats her back, "patience is a virtue, Serene. Don't listen to Akila."
It was no secret that Akila wasn't the nicest person or one to believe in love. I could almost guarantee that if Akila met her mate, she'd reject him instantly. Her inner circle doesn't even include her twin sister Tori. She has a strong belief that she only needs me, her son Charlie, and herself.
"Tell us all about it when you get home," I added while flipping the meat over.
"Yeah," Akila mumbles despite Teresa's stares, "tell us how he botched this time."
Serene rolls her eyes as she spreads the broken batter of eggs into a thick skillet pan, "under your rock exterior, we all know you're a softy."
Akila ignores her, flipping another page, "M'kay."
"You are!" serene smiles, "You love Charlie and Tiny more than anything and anyone. I bet that if your mate showed up--"
"Don't have one," Akila replied instantly, avoiding eye contact.
Serene laughed as she scrambled the eggs, "of course you do! Everyone has a mate--"
"Moon goddess doesn't pick a mate for everyone," Akila whistled, pretending to read the newspaper, "not everyone's happily ever after involves frolicking around hand-in-hand."
"I bet Tiny has a mate," Serene adds. "What will you do when she finds her counterpart?"
Dread fills me as I crunch on her words. The idea of having a mate is almost repulsive. At first, no one could look at my disfigured face without a tinge of disgust or discomfort rising. I became self-conscious and aware. I can't walk properly without my aid- a tatered wooden cane- and I refuse to use it. To show my struggles so openly. Who would want me as a mate anyway?
While half of my face is nearly unscathed, the rest is leathery and with splotches of irritated skin. There's no way I had a mate. One look and I would be labeled weak- rejected instantly.
Akila rolled her eyes as she flicked her newspaper, "Tiny and I don't need mates. We're perfectly happy where we are and we will grow old raising pups and yelling at yours to get off our lawn." I smiled at the thought as I poured a cup of coffee for Akila. Even though I can only assume in a matter of time that Serene would be right about Akila.
She really is a soft-loving person despite being an airhead. Plus, Akila is twenty-one now. Her mate should come around soon. It's unheard of to be in your mid-twenties and unmatched. After everything she's been through, she deserves a happily ever after ending. Even if I'm not in it.
"I bet he's just as stubborn as you," I hummed, flipping the sausages once more.
Serene sneered at an unbothered Akila, "Probably got a big di-"
"Serene Amenos Phillips!" Teresa shrieked, swatting her with a washcloth, "keep that filth out of my house!"
Teresa brushed her brow as she huffed. Pressing her back against the counter and rubbing her temple with her index finger. It wasn't a secret that Teresa should be retiring soon. Her tan skin looked washed and thin while her eyes always looked heavy. She's supposed to pick a new head mother for the den, but we all know she's waiting for me to turn twenty-one. Once you're the den mother, all responsibility of the children falls on you. And it's up to the den mother to select the supportive structures of the orphanage. Teresa once explained to look at the orphanage as a body. The den mother is the head that sends signals to the remaining organs and joints to flow functionally without fail. The arms and legs are maintained by the selected apprentice mothers. Followed by a healer as the heart, a warrior as the lungs, and a chef as the stomach.
Den mothers are typically unmatched by the gods, set aside to care for the unfortunate offspring destined to grow up with an abandoned complexion. They typically can't have children of their own due to living a life without a mate. Therefore, the pack selects them as den mothers for one of the many reasons.
It didn't make sense to ask Serene to forget her duties to her mate. We all know she's grasping straws to be a dotting wife. And even though Akila would make an impressive den mother. We all knew her place wasn't there. That leaves me and Tori as the remaining options. And Tori is far too busy..
Satisfying her own needs.
So Teresa asked me if I'd accept the position.
Serene shrugs her shoulders as she sets the table, pushing Akila's plate under her broad newspaper. She pauses as she slips a cup of coffee as well, peeking at Akila over her paper, "wait a minute."
"What?" Akila grumbled.
Serene reaches over, snatching the contents from Akila's hands, "try reading the newspaper right side up next time." Serene huffed as she nudged Akila over to sit down, "It's an article about the Redwood alpha."
"Yeah," Akila smiles in agitation, "it's about his engagement to the Walker
princess. She looks like a bit--"
Teresa shot a warning glare at the two girls. I slipped on the oven mitts and glanced at Akila apologetically. I can't help but chuckle in amusement as I pull out the trays of golden rolls. If she keeps a sour expression on her face much longer, I'm afraid she'll be frozen in time like that.
"Watch your tongues, girls." Teresa sighed, grabbing the skillet of eggs. "It's not proper to speak ill of anyone. Especially royals."
"Royal or not," Akila contemplated, "Alpha Kobay looks miserable."
"Anyone would be with her." Serene shivered. "I've heard stories about the Walker pack including her. She's the devil."
Teresa portioned the eggs carefully onto the porcelain plates, "don't you think you're exaggerating a bit, dear?"
Serene shrugs, "even if the stories are exaggerated, I wouldn't trust her around the pups. Walkers believe in survival of the fittest. Even if it's a grown male against a pup."
"So why is Alpha Gahiji inviting waste into Silver Crest?" Akila grumbled.
I join Teresa as I portion a roll for each plate, "it's always been a tradition to celebrate the moon harvest before the Blackwell war."
Teresa turned to me for a moment. She bites her bottom lip in response before switching skillets to portion the meat between the plates. Serene nods in thought before replying, "too bad the Blackwell pack lost. I heard that witches
foretold that Alpha Kobay's true luna was the late Blackwell princess."
"Poor bloke probably wishes he died in the fire too," Akila sighed before inhaling a cup of coffee.
"Akila!" Teresa and Serene snapped in unison.
I place the pans in the sink and wipe my hands from the contents. Serene beckons me to join them, "Tiny, come look at this."
I could feel Akila's glare as I turned to join her. Serene scoots over, pressing Akila to the wall as she held the paper in front of me, pointing to the cover image of a young couple hand-in-hand. The young woman was gorgeous with a perfect tight lip smile. Her hair looked sleek with long honey-coloured waves and a heart-shaped face outlined with light freckles. The princess wore a deep blue dress with thick velvety sleeves that clinged to her skin. Her garments looked to be made of silk. Meanwhile, Alpha Kobay looked jaded. His eyes carried little light, and his smile resembled gritted teeth.
"She's pretty," I said quietly, smiling.
Akila rolled her eyes as Serene gawked at me, "you've got a picture of a bachelor alpha and all you notice is that the she-devil is pretty."
I ignore her comment as I look at Kobay's image. It's no secret that all of the girls are smitten by him. Especially considering he's an alpha to one of the most prominent packs. He's a handsome man with short dark hair, a well-groomed beard, but he looked tired. His evergreen eyes were dull and appeared heavy. His navy suit was tailored and outlined his broad shoulders. I froze when I noticed a small object, the shape of a bead lily (also called a bride's bonnet), pinned to the alpha's blazer. The flower resembled gold, shining against the man's chest.
Where have I seen a brooch like that before?
"He's okay looking." Akila blurts, "not my type though."
Serene turns her attention, grinning wickedly, "oh, so you do have a type?"
"Of course," Akila hummed as the sound of footsteps descending down the stairs.
Serene leaned in to her, "and what's that?"
"Far away from me."