Bound By Moonlight to My Mates (by Sofange Daye) novel Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I try to ignore the overzealous Uber driver waiting for me in the parking lot. I didn’t ask for his help, and I don’t need it.

The diner is empty save for an old couple sharing a slice of pie in the corner. I approach the counter, but not after looking over my shoulder again. Jake waves stupidly out of his window, and I am suddenly reminded of the pictures I left behind. Perhaps he is the one who took them. He does seem a little preoccupied with me. I guess it would make sense.

Ethel looks up from the register and frowns. “Your shift was this morning?”

I choke back tears that threaten to fall. Ethel has always been kind to me. She is more of a mother to me than my own. I attempt to plaster a fake smile on my lips, but my bottom lip begins to quiver.

“I know payday is tomorrow, but I really need my check.”

She looks around me, and a weak snarl rumbles in her chest. “Do I need to handle him?”

I laugh through my tears. “No. He isn’t the problem.”

Ethel turns her attention to the couple. “Out!”

They jump out of their seats and scramble for the door. Ethel may be old, but she isn’t to be trifled with. Her feet shuffle against the floor, and she locks the front door.

“What happened?”

This time, I can’t stop my tears. They flow fast and heavy down my cheeks. I drop into a booth and spill my heart out. I tell her everything. Starting with how the pack has treated me, and the Alpha being my mate. I talk about the rejection and my choice to run. All the time, Ethel listens, and she doesn’t interrupt or judge.

She does growl when I tell her about Mom and slams her fists onto the table when I mention the pictures. I jerk at the action, but the truth is, I feel better confiding in someone.

I wipe the tears from my eyes before sighing. “That’s why I need my check.”

Ethel is silent for a moment. “What about that young Beta?” She nods her head in the direction of the parking lot.

I tilt my head to the side. “He is my Uber driver.”

“And the son of the Southpaw’s Beta. Did you not notice that he was a werewolf?”

“Oh,” I whisper. “I just assumed… I don’t know what I assumed.”

She chuckles. “The Southpaw insists that their children work regular jobs. It keeps them grounded.”

“Oh,” I groan. Now I feel bad for asking him if he is a serial killer.

Ethel’s feet slide across the floor, and she disappears into the kitchen. She returns with a lockbox in her hands. “Your father left this for you.”

She tries to hand it to me, but I step away. “Why would he leave something for me here?”

Her teeth tug at her bottom lip. “I don’t think that is for me to tell you”

I take the box from her like it might explode. I look it over and carefully examine the combination lock on the front.

“What is the combination?”

Ethel shrugs her shoulders. “He said you would know when the time came.”

“Cryptic.” I huff.

89

20 vouchers

She returns to the register and empties the till. She shoves it all in a bag and thrusts it in my direction. “Take this.”

My eyes widen. “I can’t.”

She pushes me to the door. She is stronger than she looks. “You can and you will.”

“I will pay you back,” I tell her. “Every penny that I didn’t earn.”

Her eyes fill with tears. “I know you will.”

It is a lie on her part. She doesn’t believe that I will return to this place or see her ever again, but she is wrong. Once I get myself settled, I plan on coming back on the weekends to see her. She is all I have left in the Blackthorn pack.

I hug her the best I am able with my arms full, and turn back to the waiting car. Jake is waiting for me with a concerned look on his face. Luckily, he doesn’t try to fill space with meaningless chatter.

Instead of opening the back door for me, he opens the passenger side. I don’t argue. He closes the door gently and hugs Ethel before he gets behind the wheel. I wait for him to turn the key, but he doesn’t. Instead, he turns to me.

“We should talk.”

I turn my head slowly to look at him. “About what?”

“About us.”

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