David

"What did you think he said?"

"I don't know. You're the one who met him, he's your mate."

"Where do you think we're going from here?"

"I don't know. Has the bond been accepted by you two?"

"Yes, Kathy. I told you we talked for long. Why else would we talk if we didn't."

"I don't know. I've not had experience with a mate before."

"And do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Ever think of having a mate?"

"Yes, I do. I mean, I do want a mate, but I think it's risky."

"Why? What's risky about having a mate?"

"What mate would want me?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

"Hey, mate bond is beyond any physical thing. It runs deep. I mean, very very deep. No one even knows the depth that thing runs."

"I don't know mom. Let's see."

"Don't give up on yourself, darling. Someone who will love our will come. Your mate will come."

"And what then?"

"And nothing. You'll both live happily and have beautiful and handsome pups when the Moon Goddess approves it."

I shrugged. "If you say so."

"Sometimes I feel like throttling you."

I chuckled. "But you can't."

"But I can't. You're my daughter, how can I kill my own daughter?"

"Right?"

We continued with gathering and packing. We discarded whatever that was not going to go with us.

"Do you know where he lives? And before you ask who again, I'm talking about your mate."

"Nope. I don't know his house. We only met today."

"He must be a nice mate."

"Yes, he is. Why do you suddenly say so?"

"He accepts you and your daughter. Knows about your banishment and does not ask questions about it. Not even curious about what had prompted it. He just accepts us both like that."

"Well, like I said, the mate bond is a very strong force no werewolf can deny. Trying to deny it is like killing your other half. Your mate is like a part of your soul that you never get back once you reject the mate bond."

"But why is it so?"

She shrugged. She carefully folded a pair of black denim into her bag.

"Who knows? No one really knows or understand the mystery behind mate bond. But when I was younger, my friends and I used to make joke that whenever a mate bond is rejected, the Moon Goddess gets angry and punishes both party for not following her orders through."

"That's ridiculous."

"Yes, it was. But like I said, we were young and clueless."

I smiled at that and threw in the last few products left on the vanity table and zipped it close.

"I'm done, mom."

"You did a good job. Thank you, darling." She said after scrutinizing the bag carefully. "I'm done here too. I just need to close it."

And within minutes we were done. The things in the kitchen, we knew we could not go with them now that we were going to a new home. Surely, the man ate, so he's have kitchen utensils in his cooking area.

"We still have three hours left."

My mother announced, looking at the clock. It was nine on the dot.

"So I'm guessing we are taking that same route you took today, right?"

"Yes."

"How long did it take you to get there and bypass the boundary and onto his pack's?"

"One hour. One hour fifteen minutes tops."

"I think we need to get a head start mom. These pack members can be funny. I want to be gone before they get here."

"I'm coming."

She went to her room, then the kitchen, my room and the little parlor. I was going to miss here too. Doing what she did was to cause me more pain so I dragged our boxes and bags as she looked at the house one last time. I waited for her by the door till when she was done.

By the time we left, it was nine thirty. We pulled out bags behind us, it was struggle but we had to do with and quickly before they came out to humiliate us more.

"Remind me why you wanted us to leave at night again?"

My mother huffed and puffed. Hers was heavier than mine. We were out of our house totally and had just began our journey taking the route.

"So no one would see us. It would lessen the humiliation."

She said nothing more at that. I had suggested that we left the pack at night. I could not deal with more of their insults and humiliation.

"Okay, let's keep going."

We continued and we had to keep pulling our bags behind us, adjust and readjust the ones we carried on our bodies.

"This path is rough and hilly. It's making the journey harder. It's night, we could have taken the normal route, no one would see us."

"The normal route might not be this rough but it would take forever to reach the boundary. Moreover, this path is better and once you're out of it, it leads you right into the next pack which is where he is."

"Alright."

We kept going. Resting at intervals. I did not know how we did it but we finally arrived at the boundary. I did not know it was the boundary until my mother announced it. I collapsed on the ground to get back my bearing before going to find my mother's mate.

"Let's go, darling. We're almost there."

"Mother, we are out of the pack. They won't come here. Let's rest a little, please. This is so hard."

I was still a bit out of breath.

"Okay. But it's late, we should not be found here by this time. Lots of dangerous animals."

At the mention of dangerous animals, I quickly sat up from the ground.

"Alright, let's go."

"Don't worry, you'll have lots of rest when we get to his place."

"I hope so."

All my bones cried in protest as I made to lift my bags again. Even my legs begged to be allowed to rest a while before taking me to my direction. But we had to keep moving. My mother had said this was an unsafe place that possibly harbored dangerous animals.

"Let me help you."

Mom and I were startled at the sound of the voice. It was a male. But mom had already regained composure and went to the figure that had spoken.

"You scared me and my daughter, David."