Accepted

Mateo.

“Are you ready, love?” I inquire.

“Yes, we can leave now,” she says as she stands up. I take her hand in mine and walk her down the stairs.

“Good morning, sir,” says Mandy. “Good morning, madam.”

“How are you doing, Mandy?” I ask, my face beaming with joy.

“Good morning, madam Mandy,” my mate says.

“Please, ma, you can call me Mandy,” she says, and my mate agrees. We take our seats, and they begin serving us. I wonder why none of them are asking for the deceased girl, or did Josh erase their memory of her?

“Good morning, my king,” Josh greets me before taking his seat, clearly pleased.

“Good morning, Beta Josh,” my mate says respectfully. I turn around and gaze at her. Did I hear her correctly? She greets him and refers to him as Beta. Calling him beta implies that she has already accepted me. Is this her way of saying she already accepts me? I observe Josh’s reaction. He is taken aback. He never anticipates her greeting him. None of us expected that from her. He promptly gets