Arielle’s POV
I enjoyed the warmth as the sun streamed in through the car window. It was barely 10am, yet the sun was high up in the sky already. I loved it – this part of the country really suited me. I enjoyed the sun, and summer all year-round.
The driver made a turn onto a smaller road, and I could see the gate of the pack compound right in front of us. My lips turned up in a smile, despite my anxiety. This was a new place after all.
We passed through the gates after a few moments. One of the guards had asked for my name and I gave it, “Arielle Grey,” and only seconds passed before we were finally let through.
Another minute or so passed before the car stopped in front of a large house.
As I exited the car with my handbag in hand, I could feel my nose twitch erratically. The new variety of scents I was being introduced to was not unexpected; I would get used to it in time. Hopefully.
I looked around me as the driver removed my luggage from the car, seeing the large expanse of land, with houses on one side that I could also see a clear path to the forest surrounding the compound.
So, this is the Redding Pack.
It was even larger than I expected, and larger than I was used to; my previous pack only had a few houses apart from the main pack house; the forest was also not this large. Then again, the Redding Pack was one of the most notable packs in the country – of course, their pack compound would be as majestic.
My new home, I reminded myself, a wistful smile on my lips.
My attention was brought back to the present when I heard a throat clear around me. My heart leapt in my throat as I whipped my head to face the direction. My eyes met the man whose arrival I did not notice.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” the man chuckled, and brought out his hand for me to shake. “You must be Dr Grey.”
“I must be,” I took his hand, shaking it slowly before letting it go. “And no need to apologise. Really, I was just a bit distracted. Normal stuff for me.”
He nodded, giving me a grin, which I returned. “My name’s Darren Hendricks, the Beta of the Pack.”
“Pleased to meet you. You’re the welcoming party, I guess?”
“The one and only,” he nodded at the driver, who gave him a respectful neck bow before he got into the car and drove off. We watched the car disappear into the distance.
After that, Darren turned to me, “Shall I take you to your quarters, then, doctor?”
“Please, call me Arielle,” I replied. He picked up my two duffle bags as I rolled my large box behind me. We began to walk. “Doctor is too formal, I think. Besides, would you prefer I called you Beta all the time?”
He laughed at that, and I felt a warmth bloom in my chest. I was making a good impression, thank the goddess.
“I see the point, Arielle.” He turned briefly as someone called his name, and I could see him nod to someone at a distance. “Keep that up, and you’ll become the fan favourite. The last doctor we had was not too friendly with the pack members.”
“Doctor Charles? I heard he passed two weeks ago,” my brows furrowed as I tried to recall some detail. “I only met him once, when I was still in medical school. He was a guest speaker at a convention. One of the only werewolves there too. He was not too friendly then, either.” A smile slipped unbidden onto my lips as a memory came to mind. “He argued with several of his colleagues during the event. The organisers considered removing him from the hall because of that.”
Darren smirked at me, and we both burst out laughing. “That’s Charles for you. Very strict, and not a filter in his mouth.”
We finally arrived at a house with double doors. Climbing up the straight to the front door, he opened it, and we went in.
“This is the clinic you’ll be in charge of. Your suite is up the stairs and to the back. Hold on,” he pulled out a key from his pocket, handing it to me. “These are your keys. I have a spare if you lose these ones, but try to make sure not to lose them.” I nodded, holding the key while he led me up the stairs, pointing out a few things in the lobby of the clinic as we climbed.
All too soon, we reached the doors of my room, and he dropped the duffle bags in front of them.
“Thanks for your help, Darren. I really appreciate it.” I told him.
“Don’t worry about it. Just get settled in,” He waved it off. “Oh, you’re invited to dinner, by the way, at my home. No better way to be welcomed into the pack than a dinner hosted by my mate and yours truly.” I nodded gratefully – I really needed to make friends – and he smiled in return.
He left after giving me the directions to his home. I hoped I would not get lost when I actually left though – I was just not good with directions sometimes.
Finally opening the door to my room, I entered it. A gasp left my lips as I saw how big it was. I was in a sort of study, and a smaller door to my left led to my bedroom. This was huge! My lips parted in wonder as I glanced around me.
No wonder Darren had called it a suite.
Richard’s POVThe work never ends.I sat in my study having a quick rest, having drawn the curtains. It seemed that I never had enough time in the day to complete my work, and it had led me to staying up all night dealing with paperwork, again.I sighed, rubbing my eyes, which were sensitive at this moment. Being Alpha was definitely not for the faint of heart.Unfortunately, it seemed that rest was evading me. Thankfully, I still had a bit more time to fit in a power nap, before I met with the council that afternoon.My nose twitched as I recognised my Beta’s distinct scent. A second later, I heard his knock on the door, and I shut my eyes, pretending to be asleep. Hopefully, Darren would see that and walk away q
Richard’s POV:“What do you want?” was the first thing I could think to ask. Being sleep-deprived was not a good feeling, and the hot shower I had helped to loosen my stiff muscles, thus worsening my drowsiness.I could see Elise flinch as I practically snapped the question at her, whilst moving to my closet to pick out and wear something suitable for bed. I removed the towel from my waist unceremoniously, and I could feel her eyes rake over my naked bottom half like she had never seen it before. I felt a tinge of frustration and anger right then; she had not answered my question.“Elise,” I ground out, “if you have nothing worthwhile to say, then please get out. I don’t have time for you or your antics today.” I finished putting on the cotton pyjama pants, turning to
Arielle’s POV:I had finally finished unpacking.Sighing with a feeling of triumph filling me, I looked around my new room. There was a sense of belonging that I had begun to have now, and me fully unpacking was a sign of settling down, finally.Ever since I left my precious pack for medical school, I had become a nomad of sorts. I never unpacked my things fully, always ready to move at the last second. I did not do this consciously, but it now dawned on me that I was avoiding settling down before.Now, I was ready – ready to settle into my life in this new pack, and for all the possibilities that lay before me.A hope bloomed inside my chest, making me feel warm on the inside and grin like an idiot on the outside
Richard’s POV:It was a new day, and I had finally awoken after forcing myself to get some rest the previous day. I had managed to also finalise my plans to send Elise to the Everneal pack as the main delegate on my behalf. She had not been pleased when she had heard it from me the previous evening, when I had called her into my study just a little while after I had forced her out of my room.Now, as I was pacing the length of the large study, my mind was focused on other important pack matters I had to deal with, specifically those to do with our growing relationship with the neighbouring packs.Before, when my father was Alpha, the Redding pack was not as powerful as we are now. We were a small pack, and our territories were just the same as well. However, now that we were expanding our territories and our influence, the neighbouring packs have now looked to us as a threat, and that has been a big problem we have been dealing with.As Alpha, it was the top priority to work on.I was
Arielle’s POV:I sighed, shaking my head as I continued to check through the patient file, before opening to a new page to update the records of today’s visit. When I had finished updating the file, I then placed the file in the compartment for my assistant-slash-receptionist, Daisy, to return to their proper place. Then, I continued with another patient file, which sat atop a pile of paperwork that I had to sigh again at, before turning away.Suddenly I heard loud noises outside the door of the medic room I was currently in. My brows furrowed as I heard what sounded like Beta Darren’s voice. Was everything alright.My questions were answered promptly when the door banged open which made me stand up in alert, wolf instincts prepared to defend. The familiar scent of a pack member calmed me down as Darren was the one who stumbled in. My relief didn’t last for long as the scent of panic reached me and to my surprise by his side was a man I had not seen before, who he was struggling to ho
Arielle’s POV:I quickly pulled my arm off him. I felt my hackles rise as high as my eyebrows also did. I was still gaping at him, stunned by his behaviour. What was his problem? Why was he acting so damn stubborn?Shaking my head, I tried to come back to my senses. Focus Arielle, I thought grimly, putting on my stern Dr Arielle Grey face. He would not intimidate me, if that was what he was trying to do."Well as the healer of this pack and currently in charge of your health, I do." I snarked back, unable to help myself.I was rubbing my hand lightly now, having taken it away from his grip. His grip wasn't strong but somehow I could feel it is pressure like a lick of flame burning my skin.I could not help a shiver as I tried to center myself. He may be handsome and your Alpha, but he is clearly disrespecting your station, I told myself, shaking my head.Unable to process my feelings at the moment I turned back, aiming for the shelves. His voice stopped me in my tracks "I hope you hav
Arielle’s POV:“So, how are you finding the pack so far?” Darren asked me.The both of us were taking a walk as the sun was waning, leaving orange-red hues in the sky. It was beautiful, and a lovely way for me to end the day.Hours after Alpha Richard left unceremoniously, the friendly Beta Darren had come back looking for him, and had let me on my way back from a short break. I told him of Richard’s exit hours ago, and he seemed to calm down, deciding to postpone his meeting with him, instead offering to walk me home. That small walk turned into an impromptu tour as we enjoyed the fresh air.I shoved my hands into the pockets of my black pants as a cold wind breezed through.“It's all good, I’m coping I guess and everyone has been so nice to me so far.” I replied honestly. This pack was truly good to me. Despite being a new member, they were all so welcoming and trusting. Yet I shoved my mind off thinking of the one person I met who has been the absolute opposite.Darren brightened
Arielle’s POV:With my mind made up, I finished the files with quick order, and soon after, left the hospital and set out. It did take me some time to recall Darren’s direction to wherever the house was. I was still so horribly bad with directions, but I just had to recall what he had said about the main pack house aka Alpha Richard’s home.“It’s the largest house once you turn the corner of the street up there. Just don’t take the trails through the forest, you could get lost if you don’t know them too well,” he had said, after he gave me the tour of the compound the previous day.I found the house easily, to my relief – goddess knows that I did not want to be stuck and have to ask for directions from someone who might be incredibly rude about it, just like my first night here. Not to mention, it was just horribly embarrassing for me to continually get lost.I easily passed by the guards, after confirming who I was to thm, and I climbed up the steps to the front porch, before reachin