The Designated Mate novel Chapter 23

I scarfed the rest of my food down, not being able to handle feeling like a statue on display at a museum for even a second longer. Getting up, I wasn't sure what the general rule was about dishes. Did I take them back and do them myself or was there someone who had the job of clean-up for each meal?

Deciding I'd rather be safe than sorry, I made my way into the kitchen and proceeded to clean my mess up. Deciding I wanted to speak with the Alpha about the possible jobs I could do within the pack, I set my sights out for finding his office. I used my sense of smell here and there to sniff out his headquarters before knocking and respectfully waiting for him to grant me permission to enter.

"Alpha," I murmured before bowing respectfully. I closed to door behind me and took a few steps farther into his office. There were three other men in the room, two of which I recognized to be Beta Donovan and Gamma Gray, but the third man I'd never seen before. He didn't emit a strong aura, but he did have an air of intelligence around him.

"Do you fucking smell that?" Beta Donovan hissed to Gamma Gray louder than I think he intended to. He made eye contact with me before clearing his throat and sharing a meaningful look with Alpha Aaron.

"Poppy, to what do we owe this visit?" Alpha Aaron asked, his body tense and seeming to be on edge. I wonder if they were discussing something about my old pack before I came in here.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted a meeting. I just wanted to speak with you about possible jobs around the pack I could acquire." I explained.

"Nonsense, you didn't interrupt anything. Ironically, we were just giving our Peace Keeper Jorgensen a brief rundown on your old pack's current situation and the threat that was administered by Alpha Williams," he said.

I totally called it.

"As far as jobs go, we have many various positions that need to be filled just about everywhere. Here's a sheet outlining those open positions and the correct phone number of who to call to set up a meeting," he instructed before handing over a two-sided piece of paper filled with names and numbers. I smiled before thanking him.

I hesitated in leaving when he appeared as if he had something to say, but he kept his mouth shut. I brushed my hands down the front of my body when he kept eyeing my top, thinking I maybe had food or crumbs stuck there from breakfast. He must've realized that I'd caught him staring because he awkwardly cleared his throat before casting his eyes down to his desk.

"If that's all, Poppy, we must get back to our discussion." He said while avoiding eye contact. I nodded, feeling dumb when I realized he couldn't see me.

"Oh dear..." I whispered while glancing towards my house with a worried look.

"It wouldn't take but a day or two for me to repair those walls," He said, hinting at me hiring him for the job.

"I have no money right now," I sighed with a wishful glance his way.

"I didn't ask for money," he bluntly replied. "Besides, the supplies are free of charge to pack members. There's a warehouse filled with everything I'll need about five miles from here for when the pack population grows to need new housing at the last minute. I can start today if you'd like, but you would probably have to have somewhere else to stay for the time being," he spoke off-handedly while inspecting the outside of the house.

"That would be great, thank you! Just give me a moment to see if I can coordinate somewhere to stay," I said before opening the front door and propping it open for him to follow behind me. "Feel free to - uh - have a seat," I mumbled while glancing at the only possible seating in the room - my bed. I wandered off to the bathroom so I could have some privacy while mind-linking the Luna, feeling far too uncomfortable to have the man watch me while I did so.