The Alpha and the Fox

Chapter Twenty-Four

     The car stopped in front of a huge house with lots of windows and a big, white front door. Damion came out of the house with a huge smile on his face. He quickly came over to the car and opened my door.

"Hi Baby, I've been waiting for you. Are you ready to meet my family?" He asked.

Not wanting to disappoint him I slowly slid out of the car. I nervously played with my fingers and kept my eyes downcast. He slid two fingers under my chin and lifted my head.

"What's wrong, Love?" he murmured. I whimpered softly back at him. He scooped me up into his arms and placed me on his hip. "Are you little, Hun?" he asked quietly. I quickly shook my head no, but tucked my face into his neck.

"He's nervous your family won't like him." Henry explained for me. "He was overly stressed about what to wear to the BBQ because he was worried your family wouldn't approve. I told him that if they didn't approve of him just the way that he is they aren't worth his time."

"Aww, Baby they will love you and I think the outfit you chose is absolutely adorable. You have nothing to worry about, I promise. If you do end up slipping into little space that is okay too, just make sure you let one of us know so we can help you." He kissed the tip of my nose and carried me inside, Maria and Henry close behind us.

As soon as we were in the door a woman who, without a doubt, had to be Damion's mom came up to us. "Is this the adorable Ryan we've heard all about?" she asked. I nodded shyly unsure of what else I was supposed to do. She cooed softly at me for a moment, which wasn't helping me stay in my big headspace, before she was shooed to the side by a very tall man that had to be Damion's dad.

"Hello Ryan, it's nice to meet you." he greeted, "Why don't you all follow me to the backyard, everyone is out there already."

I couldn't stop the surge of panic that went through me, and I clutched Damion's shirt tighter. "What's wrong, Baby?" He whispered quietly near my ear. I turned my face to whisper back, "Who's everyone?"

"Since we're a pack there are quite a lot of people who will be here. Many will come and go, others will hang out with us for the day. There's nothing to worry about. Nobody's going to hurt you and they all know not to touch you without your permission. Otherwise I'm positive my mom would have hugged you and my dad would be asking to carry you." He answered.

Keeping my voice a soft whisper I asked, "Why would he want to carry me?" Damion chuckled quietly in response. "Because you are adorable and tiny." I hid my face against his shoulder as a blush covered my cheeks.

When we made it to the backyard Henry took me from Damion's arms and held me protectively against his chest. Apparently he was unnerved at how many people were in the backyard too. No doubt all of them are wolves and, therefore, a lot stronger than we are.

Damion began to introduce me to everyone as they made their way up to us one, or two, at a time. They were all very friendly and after the first few people Henry began to relax, which helped me to relax as well. Maria, the social butterfly that she is, had already made friends with Damion's mom who was fluttering her around the backyard introducing her to, mainly, other moms. She seemed like she was having a blast.

Henry sat us at an empty table and Damion brought two plates of food over, one for me and the other for himself. He took me off Henry's lap and placed me on his own telling Henry he should go make a plate before everything's gone. I learned very quickly that werewolves eat a lot. Maria made her way to the table shortly after Henry walked away with a plate of her own. Damion's mom and dad came to sit with us as well, filling the table.

It was much easier to relax around all of them than I thought it would be. Especially Damion's, very large, dad. There was only one person who didn't seem to be happy that I was here. Many were congratulating Damion and I for finding each other except for one man that hovered near the forest edge glaring daggers at everyone.

After we finished eating they started up a bunch of yard games including something called 'cornhole' where they throw bean bags into holes on wooden boards, as well as something called 'horse shoes' where they throw U shaped metal at poles in the ground. I didn't exactly understand the game, I could tell Henry wanted to play but didn't want to leave me.

I climbed onto his lap and softly whispered to him, "I'll be okay. Go have some fun too." He stared at me wide eyed for a moment before responding, "Are you sure?" I nodded and climbed back into Damion's lap. Henry stood up, kissed the top of my head, and went to throw beanbags.

Damion's dad, whose name I learned is Maverick, politely asked if he could hold me. I took a deep breath and nodded. The smile that lit up not only his face but Damion's as well was worth it. He gently cradled me in his arms as if I weighed nothing, I suppose with his strength I probably did feel like nothing.

At that moment the man lingering near the forest line became furious and marched his way towards us. I hid my face against the expanse of Maverick's chest trying to hide from the approaching man. Maverick cooed gently to me before stiffening and changing his hold to a protective one.

"What do you want Jasper?" He growled out lowly.

"What, I'm not allowed to meet the Alpha's mate?" he asked, trying to sound innocent but I could hear the malice in his tone.

He grabbed my arm and tried to yank me out of Maverick's hold. A deafening growl rumbled in his chest and he batted Jason away from me with such ease, it was as if Jason was an annoying fly rather than a fully grown human being.

Jason let out a growl of his own and launched himself at us. I heard Damion's loud growl across the yard, he shifted in a split second, let out an ear splitting howl, and that's when all hell broke loose.