The sun was already up the next day as Bella was in the kitchen making breakfast for herself and Alpha Coast when Almano walked in.
“Good morning Luna” he greeted her with a smile.
“Morning Almano” she replied politely as he took his seat.
“Is there any spare that I could eat?” He asked referring to the food she was making.
“Haven’t you had your breakfast?” She asked him. Guards were the first to have their breakfast in the pack because they had to resume duties early.
“No, I got the morning shift while the rest were eating, some of us have to work while others are resting so that the pack wouldn’t be without guards” He stated.
“Oh I see, I do have spare by the way so I can give you some” she scooped a part of it and gave it to him.
Almano stared at the food in front of him and he was eager to taste Bella’s food, he ate a spoonful and his eyes opened.
“This is good” he remarked amazed by how good the food tasted.
“Do you like it?” She asked him.
“I love it” he said eating some more.
“Where did you learn how to cook amazingly like this?” He asked making her remember her family once again.
“My mom taught me when I was young, she was a very good cook” Bella answered, this time she wasn’t sad talking about her mother, she was so done grieving and wanted to cherish the memories they had as a family.
“My apologies for intruding” he said noticing that she had used past tense for her mother signifying that she was dead.
“Don’t worry, I am okay.
There were days when I would remember her and I would feel sad but now I have decided to move on and I know she also wants that for me. I cannot be living in the past otherwise I won’t grow right” she replied being the advice Coast told her when they had a little chat the previous day.
“It is better to leave our past behind us and move forward because if we hold onto them then we would be living in that same past” he agreed with her as they chatted.
“My family was all that I had, they were the reason for my happiness and the reason why I am who I am today. I wouldn’t be strong if my father hadn’t trained me, I wouldn’t be kind if my mother hadn’t nutured me and I wouldn’t know how to take care of others if my little brother didn’t cling to me all the time. Everything that I am I owe it all to them” she echoed feeling grateful for even the little moments she had with her family which helped her up to this point.
“Well my mom is my inspiration, my dad died even before I had the chance to meet him so i don’t know anything about him” he let out to her and she felt sad for him. She was atleast given a chance to be with her father and learn from him but Almano wasn’t given such chance.
“I am so sorry about that” she stated.
“It’s okay, I don’t feel sad about it because I never knew him. I don’t even know if I look like him or not. My mom hardly talks about him because each time she remembers him, she feels so much pain” he reworded.
“I know how it feels to lose a loved one, I understand what she must be going through to lose her mate” Bella said.
“I know” he replied as there was a moment of silence between them. The atmosphere instantly became sad and Bella wasn’t cool with it.
“So tell what made you come here to work as a guard?” She asked him.
“Well it is like I said before, I looked up to Alpha Coast and really wanted to meet him” he answered calmly.
“Come on, everyone looks up to him. What is the real reason?” She asked him.
“Okay, my mom sent me here so that I could learn how to take care of responsibilities better. We do have a family business which I am supposed to run but she believes I am still immature and should learn a lot from others before I took over and that is why I am here” he confessed to her as she laughed.
Bella knew that his admiration for Coast wasn’t the main reason why he was in the castle walking as a guard.
“I knew it but I thought you were here to search for your mate if she might be in the castle. Either way mother’s knows what best for their child. But let me ask you this?
Have you learnt anything so far?” She questioned him and he mumbled in shock.
“Uhhmm, well, the thing is” he played around.
“You are just one lazy and stubborn child aren’t you?
If I were your mother I would scold you” she warned him.
“She would scold me too if she sees me. I am sometimes scared of her when she is mad” he replied recalling how furious his mother could be.
“We all get scared of our mothers when they are mad even my dad used to be scared of my mom when he pisses her off. He would lay low in my room for a while knowing she would never argue in front of us” Bella could remember the funny moments between her parents.
“Good morning Luna” the door opened and Arthur walked in on them discussing.
“Good morning Beta Arthur” she greeted him with a smile. Once Arthur cast his gaze on the guard, he became mad but he didn’t want to create a scene in front of Bella.
“It was nice having a discussion with you Almano, good bye Arthur” Bella said and left them in the kitchen as she carried a tray of food to Alpha Coast.
“Bye Bella” Arthur said.
“Bye Luna” Almano said and then got up to leave when Arthur grabbed him by the hand.
“Beta Arthur, is there a problem?” He asked like he hadn’t been caught having a conversation with the luna like he was a higher ranked member.
“Do you wish to die?” Arthur asked him furious that he even had the guts to sit with Bella alone in the kitchen. If Alpha Coast had walked in on them then he would most definitely be dead.
“No Beta” he said.
“Do you realize that having a conversation with the Luna when you are just an ordinary guard would grant you a penalty” Arthur said to him watching to see if he did that intentionally.
“I didn’t know that Beta” he said cowering his head in shame, if he knew about such rule then he would have avoided Bella.
“You came here to work as a guard and not to start a friendship with the Luna, she may be a nice person but she is not entitled to being your friend or even speaking to you. I will let this go because you never heard of such rule but if I ever see you striking a conversation with her again then you would be punished severely and stripped off your rank.
You would no longer be a guard and you would have to go back to wherever you came from. I hope you keep that in mind” Arthur strictly warned him.
“My apologies Beta, it would never happen again” he said keeping it at the back of his mind that he could be stripped of his position just by being seen with the Luna.
“I hope so because if you love your job and you know you worked had for it, you would do everything you can to keep it” Arthur advised in the most explainable way.
“I’m deeply sorry Beta”
“Leave” Arthur commanded him and he scurried out immediately. Bella may be beautiful and graceful but as a guard he was supposed to stick to his duties and stop trying to befriend her otherwise he would fall into Alpha Coast’s wrath, he just hoped he listened to a word he said the his own good.