Alpha King’s Wolfless Mate by Scarlett Higgins

Chapter 92

**Nora POV

It had been a very busy day at the store and I was hungry and exhausted. The first shipment of winter goods had finally hit the shelves, and people were eager to prepare.

We don’t get snow in our kingdom, but winter nights could still be bitterly cold. Warm blankets, sweaters, and hats were in high demand. A surprising number of teenagers had taken their lunch break to come to the store and snatch up the cutest clothes and hats before they sold out.

I had run to the stock room three times to retrieve more boxes of hats. I would have to let Dave know that the wool hats had sold out already. Hopefully, if he ordered more soon, they’d be here before the chill really set in.

The rush had finally died down and

I was leaning against the counter and enjoying the stillness. I had plenty of work left to do, but it could wait a little while.

The bell above the door chimed and I stood straight.

“Welcome to Dave’s,”I called out.

The delicious scent of strong herbs and garlic filled the room. My stomach growled instantly.

“I brought lunch,”Christian said ashe turned the corner and approached the counter.

“You’re a saint,”I replied eagerly.“Iam so hungry!”

“I heard that it was crazy in herethis afternoon, so I figured you didn’t get a chance to eat.” He sat a takeout bag on the counter in front of me and handed me a paper cup.

I took it gratefully and savored the warmth on my skin.“Tea?”

“Chai,”he confirmed.“You said it’syour favorite.”

“Thank you,”I answered happily. Itook a sip of the steaming liquid and sighed.

Christian was such a kind and thoughtful guy. I hadn’t expected to make such a good friend when I started working here. Now, I considered him the little brother I never knew I wanted. He gave me a hard time, and he was sarcastic, but it was all meant with love.

I sat the cup down and opened the bag. I pulled out a container of pasta and a disposable fork and took a big bite. It was as good as it smelled.

Christian let me eat a few bites, then leaned against the counter and cleared his throat to get my attention.“Guess what?”he said excitedly.

“What?”I asked around a mouthfulof food. It wasn’t dignified, but I wasn’t worried. No one else was around to judge me.

“I aced my exams,”he said. The

grin on his face was filled with pride.

“I knew you would!”I exclaimedwith a smile.“You studied way too hard to fail.”

“I wasn’t so sure,”he confessed.“Iwas so tired from training and everything else, I actually fell asleep during one of my tests.”

“Poor guy,”I mocked. I did feel badabout how hard Christian was working, but I knew that he would wave me off if I was too sympathetic about it.“I know putting up with me is exhausting.”

He laughed and shook his head. “You have no idea. And I just haveto work with you! I feel so bad for the castle staff.”

“And the poor king,”I added.“Don’tforget him.”

Christian shook his head.“No, he signed up for the stress when he married you.”

We both laughed. It was nice having someone that wasn’t too afraid to poke fun at me. I was glad that Christian didn’t treat me like a queen or Luna, he treated me like a friend.

I hoped that I would eventually find more people like him. I met new people in the store every day, so my best chance of making that happen was to keep doing what I was doing.

***

下Blake POV

The letter I’d received from the council was weighing heavily on my mind. I was infuriated by the implication that Nora wasn’t good enough to serve the pack, but more importantly, my guilt over Nora’s situation had been rekindled by it.

I had promised her that we would get her wolf back. I had made her promise me that she wouldn’t give her up for my sake. Despite all of that, I was happy to put off the

ritual the moment the slightest problem presented itself.

It wasn’t fair to Nora. She was sacrificing so much for the pack, and no one but me even knew it. If the council thought they could use her misfortune against her like this, they were sadly mistaken.

I had to go into town to address an issue at the local pub. A drunken fi st fight in the middle of the afternoon was not the kind of thing that I normally had to deal with myself. It was a minor altercation, but the people involved had been causing trouble for a long time, so it was necessary for me to deliver a warning to them in person. If they didn’t clean up their act, they were at serious risk of being exiled.

My dark mood helped to drive home the severity of my warning. I hoped that it would be the last time I would have to see either of them under circumstances like this.

By the time I was heading home, it

was nearly time for Nora’s shift to end. I had to pass Dave’s General Store to get back to the castle, so I decided to pick her up so we could walk together.

Stealing a little time with her today might be the only thing that could improve my mood.

The small bell above the door jingled as I entered the store. The place was a little colder than the outside air, but it was still comfortable. I heard Nora’s voice call out a greeting as the door swung shut behind me.

I didn’t respond. It sounded like she was talking to someone at the count er and I didn’t want to interrupt.

I walked to the end of the shelf and turned towards the counter. Nora was focused on the customer she was waiting on and didn’t see me. I leaned against the shelf and watched her.

The smile on her face was

genuinely happy and it was an expression that was far too rare these days. I recognized the woman she was talking to as one of the teachers from the primary school. It looked like she was buying art supplies.

“That sounds like so much fun,”Nora said.“Maybe a creative hobby is what I need.”

“Oh, it’s very helpful for managingstress,”the woman replied earnestly.“Even if what you make isn’t very good at first, the process itself is worth the time. I could teach you if you like.”

“That would be great,”Noraanswered excitedly.“Maybe over the summer? I know you’re super busy during the school year.”

“That would be easier on myschedule,” she laughed gratefully.

“We’ll talk about it later,”Noraoffered.“Just promise to show me what you make with all of this,” she added. She handed the woman her

bags.

“I will,”she promised. She took thebags and smiled brightly at Nora. “Thank you again. Have a goodnight, Luna.”

“You too, Amber,”Nora replied.

I felt a swell of pride as I watched the way she interacted with the pack. She was truly becoming a Luna. She knew the names and occupations of the pack members, but more than that, she clearly cared about them.

It would have been easy for her to leverage her position over this woman and demand lessons immediately, but she took her needs into account and took pains not to inconvenience her. It was a small thing, but it showed that her heart was in the right place.

The woman was startled when she turned toward the door and saw me watching them. I smiled and inclined my head toward her in greeting.

“Good afternoon, King Blake,”shesaid softly.

“Good afternoon, Amber.”

She smiled nervously and hurried toward the door. I sighed. My reputation hadn’t improved too much if people were still so skittish around me. I turned my attention to Nora.

“What are you doing out here?”sheasked curiously.

“I came to walk you home.”

Her eyes lit up and a brilliant smile spread over her face.“It’s that sweet of you,” she teased.“I’ll just tell Christian to take over and I’ll be ready to go.”

“Alright,”I answered.“No rush.”

I watched her walk toward the office and smiled. Despite all of my fears about what was coming, Nora was continuing to work hard at becoming an effective Luna. She made me proud