Chapter 16: Chapter 15

Alex was a good guy, if you looked past the ferocious werewolf player. With a promising future ahead of him as a professor or surgeon. Or both.

The only problem?

He is not my mate.

In our world, it did not matter if you loved or shared a special connection with someone else.

Working behind the scene, Mr Fate and Mrs Moon Goddess will always get in our way and impose a certain someone on our existence. Meeting your mate was like a spiked drink with irreversible effects and an arranged marriage braided into one.

Something about that was vaguely humorous.

But back to present time...

“Um,” I gasped and pondered the answer for a second too long to be considered polite. As my eyes wandered around, they met those of a brown wolf. Tiziano.

Had the animal just winked at me?

“I’m not sure if it is appropriate, Alex.” I bit my lips, trying to reject an interesting guy meant for someone else, “You’re my tutor after all.” The old good excuse.

His disappointment was quickly replaced by stubbornness. “Technically you can go out with a tutor,” Alex insisted, with a sweet smile decorating his manly features, “Besides, it’s nothing formal. There’s this new place downtown that I wanted to try out. It’s a book cafe"

It got my attention right away. A steamy cappuccino, books surrounding me, and a relaxing atmosphere.

Maybe he did not mean it as a real date. Am I misunderstanding things here? Considering my experience with the opposite sex, it seem very likely.

“Sure, I’d like to,” I agreed, ignoring the annoyed shadow looming over me.

“Yvaine” Lachlan called, pursing his lips while Alex beamed at me.

“Great game, captain,” He congratulated my twin, his dimples making an appearance.

“I will pick you up tomorrow afternoon at...5.30? Is that ok? Or should you-”

“Sounds good,” I accepted, ignoring my brother and his silly growls.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After my brother and friends cleaned up, including Amaia and Makena, as they had also participated in the “war”, we all went to a local diner. Together with my father, his Gamma and other pack members.

That was a tradition, a gathering after the game. Or better, a successful game.

“You were great, baby!” Tiziano had not stopped hugging or complimenting his best friend. Pride and joy dripped from his eyes.

“You have to keep your head forward when you shoot, Highlander." My father, as usual, gave his constructive criticism. “And when you kick someone in the stomach, make sure you aim a little higher.”

Then his gaze focused on me. I was sitting between him and Amaia, while Lachlan and Tiziano sat opposite us.

“Yvaine. Pay attention. This might come in handy, in case that boy isn’t behaving well.”

After Alex had asked me out, and my personal guard dog of a twin had yelled at him all sorts of threats, I had taken care of him. I had checked, disinfected, and sealed his wounds, obviously in a secluded place, as Lachlan did not want his pack and rival team to know his sister nursed him.

As usual, whatever happened to me, all my family and friends came to know and had to have their say. My father was not happy, Tiziano and Makena were excited, and Amaia recommend that I checked his family genes.

We were currently in the middle of our feast when a familiar scent hit my nostrils and the table fell silent, all eyes darted to the door.

“Hello my sweets!”

My mother was back, next to her stood a smirking Uncle Andrew. Covered in biker clothing, all in black leather and studs, with a helmet under her arm, she winked at me.

Typical of her, appearing like that, without warning.

“Husband.” Then she nodded to my father.

“Wife.” His jaw clenched and nostrils flared wildly. “Andrew.” He then acknowledged my uncle without sparing him a glance.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back tonight? I could have picked you up.”

Without averting his piercing eyes off Mum, he stood up, knocking the chair to the floor with a loud thud.

“Well, because I didn’t come back tonight.” She said nonchalantly with her hands on Lachlan’s shoulders. If I were a daddy girl, Lach was surely a mommy’s boy.

“I landed this morning”

Gasps escaped, eyes flew between my mother and my father.

“I certainly couldn’t miss a game of my pup,” she cooed, kissing Lachlan several times on the cheeks. “By the way, dear,” She said, cupping his blushing face in her hands. “You have to aim higher next time you kick.”

I grinned, realizing that she had repeated the same advice of Dad.

Mama had been a ferocious wereball player in Scotland when she was my age. She knew what she was talking about.

My father marched towards his mate with a firm step and tense shoulders. “So you were at the game.” He glowed, towering over her.

She, not at all frightened, placed her hands on the hips, herchin rose another notch. “I did. Do you have a problem with that?”

“Hell yes”

As he said this, he caged her in his arms, lifted her as she weighed nothing and headed for the exit. “If you will excuse us, my wife and I need to discuss her behaviour.”

He shot her a dirty look, but Mum only laughed, not impressed at all as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Place the bill on Andrew’s tab” My Father told the waitress as Uncle Andrew rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

“I have missed you too, brother-in-law!” He shouted, sarcastically, before my dad disappeared with mother, to do what I did not want to think or imagine.

Uncle Andrew and my father used to not get along at all at the beginning, when he used to chase mother across the Highlands to convince her to move to the USA as his Luna.

“I wish I could be like that after twenty years of marriage.” Tiziano said dreamily.

“First you have to find your mate, babe,” Lachlan teased, patting him on the head.

The latter scoffed. “Please! As if I want a mate that follows me everywhere. I just think it’s cute that your parents are still so passionate.”

“They are too much, believe me.” My twin winced, and before I could comment on that. I felt suffocated. “Hello favorite niece!” My uncle’s bear hug was notorious.

I smiled and hugged him back. “Hi uncle! I missed you too!”

Then he turned to Lachlan, for a hug with equal love and strength.

Soon after, we all began to chat again, eating and joking around. Uncle Andrew complimented Lachlan, often commenting on how much he had improved with his powerful ‘catapult’ launches.

Both Mum and Uncle hid their scents at the game, otherwise Dad would never leave Mum alone. From time to time, the two still joined forces to annoy him, like when they were in their twenties.

“So, I hear you have a date,” Uncle Andrew said at one point, making Lachlan grumble and me rolled my eyes.

Here we are again.

Privacy was an alien concept in the family.

“Who is the wolf?” He asked between a steak and a pork leg. “Do I know him? What does he do? Does he play wereball?” And so on, with the interrogation. Apparently, a wolf who did not play wereball was not virile enough, at least according to Uncle Andrew’s canons.

Dodging questions as my brother had done with his opponents today at the game, I declared, “I don’t even think it’s a real date.”

“Are you sure?” Tiziano asked, arching a brow.

“She likes that boy Lucien from Dark Diamond more,” Amaia said casually. Everyone groaned at this.

“We’re just friends, plus I don’t even think he is on their wereball main team, since none of you know him,” I quickly defended myself, “So there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Does he know that you are my sister?” Lachlan asked suspiciously.

“No. He has never mentioned your name.”

True to our agreement, the combo Lucien/Rudolph and I have continued to stay in touch, chatting about anything. Nothing too personal.

“He smells fishy. Why on earth should he talk to a girl he has never seen? Either he’s the Dark Diamond’s greatest virgin nerd, or he’s plotting something.”

“We’re kind of like online pen pals.” I joked. Nobody laughed.

“Who is the boy? What does he do if he isn’t playing wereball? Don’t tell me he plays that sport for pussies! You know? The one where they make you chase a ball across a field!”

I chuckled at Uncle Andrew’s metaphor about soccer, considered a sport not manly enough.

“Does your father know about this not-a-real-date thing?”

I explained that there was nothing to worry, until attention was directed to another victim. “And you Amaia? Have you found a nice doctor or surgeon yet?” Uncle Andrew grinned at my serious friend.

“No one’s smart enough for our girl here” Lachlan’s lips curved into a forced smile as he wrapped a hefty arm around her shoulders.

Is she blushing?

I blinked, glancing at my twin. Is he blushing?

“Naah, I do not have time.” She looked away, focusing on the food. Which she had finished.

As conversations, wine and beer flowed freely in the overcrowdeddiner, doubt poundedthrough me about my imminent date.

No.

I straightened, resolved hardened in my heart.

After all, what harm could an innocent date do?

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AN/ You can read up to chapter 88 of this series on my Patreon’s page, together with my other stories! ;)