“I know, Nix. That’s what I’m worried about. Caspian saw the bruise and asked me about it. Luckily you saved me from answering, but maybe people will just think I’m weak?” I say hopefully.
“No way, your power is fixed into your scent. You’re definitely powerful, babe,” he says, handing me a plate of bacon and eggs.
“Where is all this power then, huh? I don’t feel very powerful at all,” I mumble to myself as I dig in.
I spend the afternoon with my mother watching movies in the theatre room while dad tends to pack business. She gives me the same speech Nixon gave me when she sees my cuts and the bruise on my forehead.
“Your father and I have been invited to stay with a pack down in Cartersville for a week. They’ve been having trouble with rogues entering their territory, so the Alpha has asked your father to come and check for any faults in their current security operations. Jacob is staying here to keep an eye on things while we are away, and we think it’s safer for you stay here too at the moment,” Alex says, putting some ointment over my cuts. When she’s done she lounges on my bed and pulls a magazine onto her lap.
“I understand.”
I don’t want them to go without me. I don’t want to be around the twins while they’re away, but I don’t let her feel my uneasiness. “I think I’ve had enough of other packs for a while.” I smile at her.
“Speaking of other packs…” She continues grinning. “…Caspian seems to have taken quite a liking to you, sweetie.”
I turn around, sitting on the bed next to her with folded legs, paging through the magazine she’s suddenly forgotten about. “He freaks me the hell out. He’s all moody and evil looking and the way he stares at me is like he…”
“Wants to eat you up?” She blurts out, giggling.
“Mom!” I gasp, and start laughing.
“It’s true though, everyone can see it. That man is drawn to you. Your Daddy used to look at me that way too,” she says, smiling as she pulls my long damp hair over my shoulder and starts braiding it.
“Dad still looks at you that way, and besides…you two were mates. It’s different.” I murmur.
“Well Cass lost both his mates and now he’s looking again, and you haven’t found your mate yet so...” she pushes and I can’t help but recoil at the mention of me not finding a mate.
“What?” she asks.
“Nothing, Mom.” I swallow the lump in my throat. Even though I want to spend as much time with her as I can before she leaves for the week, I know she will start digging and asking questions and I’m not ready for her to know the answers to them just yet. I pull my phone off the side table.
“Look at the time! It’s already eleven, I better go to bed if I wanna wake up early to join Dad in the gym.”
I move off the bed and open the covers making sure she gets the hint.
She kisses my forehead and gives me a hug before leaving my room and shutting the door behind her. I let out a deep breath thinking about how I’ll ever be able to tell them about everything I’m keeping secret. I don’t want to see their disappointment, and what if they’re so ashamed that I couldn’t even get a mate to accept me. Will they regret welcoming me to be a part of their pack? Or worse, welcoming me into their family
****
The next morning I wake up early like I promised Dad, spending two hours with him in the gym and out in the woods. My parents leave an hour after breakfast and I head off to town to meet up with Nixon for lunch. I successfully manage to parallel park my car on the side of the street without bumping the front of my car, or without pulling off my rear bumper on someone else’s. A job well done I’d say - pat on the back for me.
The smile on my face immediately drops when I enter the little bar. Across the room sits my mates laughing with “their girls” close by. Nixon calls me over, and when they hear my name their heads whip in my direction; smiles gone and faces blank. I feel them pulling me, trying to get into my head, but I won’t let them. I turn finding Nixon seated at the bar with two plates of food in front of him.
“Why’d you ask me to come here?” I grumble. I sit on the bar stool and chomp on a fry angrily.
“You can’t avoid them forever. You need to show them that you’re not going to wallow and sit waiting for them to come around. You’re going to live your life with or without them in it,” he says, taking a big sip of his beer.
“Easy for you to say, you don’t have to sit and watch your mates cuddling up to their girlfriends from across the room whilst your wolf begs you to go to them. This is too hard, you don’t understand.” I stuff my face with the cheeseburger in front of me.