MATE AND HIS LOVER 9

#29 Guess who's back?

The guys at the table by the window all stop talking and stare at the tall girl in a purple dress who had just entered the diner.

As she walks she gracefully flips the hair covered over one of her sculpted shoulders to the back.

Her dark brown eyes glisten beneath her shimmery eyelids. Her plump lips are as pink and smooth as the rose buds.

The feathery dress she's wearing kisses her curves tastefully. And the dainty necklaces around her neck and the loosely hanging bracelets on her slender arms make her look no less than a goddess.

She stops at the reception to order.

"Damn, who is that?" one of the guys ask. The rest of them could only shake their heads.

They are all new to the town, so they don't know her.

Soon, in comes through the diner door a preoccupied Frank. He's typing on his phone to his beloved Lily regarding a shopping date she wants to go and he wants to avoid.

Frank stops at the reception, still looking at his phone and smiling at the replies from his mate, and loudly utters his regular order.

The girl sees Frank. "That better be your Barbie who's making you smile like that."

Surprised, Frank looks up. The girl continues, "Or maybe that's Nate?"

Frank laughs before saying, "You're back?"

"I am."

"How was Jorborn Plains?"

"Welcoming. Interesting. But as you might know, no place like home."

Frank nods. "Glad you're back."

"So, how is everyone?"

"You really want to know about everyone, or just about one guy?"

The girl giggles. "Nothing can get past the future Beta, I see."

"He's good. You know what? There's a party at the beach tomorrow night. Why don't you come, he'll be there."

"Looking forward to."

The already prepared order of Frank arrives.

He picks it up, says bye to the girl, walks out of the diner, then climbs into his car, smiles evilly knowing the kind of trouble his best friend is going to be in soon, takes out his phone, dials his other best friend, and says, "Hey Drey, Guess who's back in town?"

THE NEXT DAY morning, Veronica walks into the Cuzie nail salon where her friends are waiting for her while getting their nails done.

Veronica takes a spot between Macey and Greta. The nail artist starts squeezing out dollops of gel onto her nails.

"So, what did I miss?" Veronica says.

"Oh, you would've missed a lot if it weren't for your luck," Macey says. "Kiera tried her luck with Nate."

Unobserved by the others, Veronica's jaws clench.

"He ran away though," Greta says, chuckling.

"He must still be not over his ex," Macey says, making her friend smile.

A long while ago Veronica Kaspar went to stay with her pregnant sister at Jorborn Plains to help her sister through the pregnancy and delivery. 

Now that the baby has born and her sister's mate's parents had moved closer to them, Veronica is back at her parents' place.

During her stay away, she had realized that, even in the slightest, she has not moved on from Nate.

Throughout her time in her sister's home, Veronica missed Nate, and worried what if he finds his mate while she was away.

She no longer wants to give up without a fight. She wants to be Nate's girlfriend again. Even though it didn't work out in the past.

When the nail artist finishes her work, Veronica stretches her fingers and admires her new bedazzled nails. She wants to look perfect when she meets him at the beach.

LATER, AT NIGHT, Raktrope's familiar party ground, aka the beach, is peppered with rowdy teenagers. The party is thrown by the high ranked trainees to the newbies who had passed their first level of training.

Frank drapes his arm around Nate and pulls him close. "I've a surprise for you tonight, brother."

Nate gulps down his drink and asks, "What?"

Drey leans into Nate from the other side. "Wouldn't be a surprise if we told you."

Nate takes another sip from his beer and says, "It better not be a puppy."

"Hmmm... No," Frank says, "It's more like a bitch."

Folds form on Nate's forehead. "What do you mean?"

Frank has spotted Veronica from his side. "There it is."

As soon as Nate turns he freezes for a second at the unexpected guest. "Veronica, oh, hey, you are... back."

She laughs. "You sound disappointed."

"What?! No! I'm just surprised."

"Surprised?" Veronica says and looks at Frank who shrugs in response.

Nate says, "They wanted it to be a surprise."

"I hope it was a happy one," she says.

"Yeah, of course. I'm really happy to see you again."

"Me, too. You look great. Not that you were any less hot before."

While Nate nervously laughs, Franks and Drey hold back in theirs. "You look great, too," Nate says, "How is your sister? And the baby?"

"They are doing great. The baby is an absolute angel."

"Didn't take after your sister then?" Drey jokes. Veronica punches his arm.

"Anyway," she says, "you guys should one day visit them. Aslan and Vanessa would be thrilled to see you guys."

"I don't think we can do that anytime soon," Nate says.

"Yeah, I heard you guys have been busy. I regret not being here to see Patrick's face after you caught all the rogues."

"Don't worry, there'll be plenty of opportunities for you to see his losing face."

"And I'm looking forward to each of them. But I still don't get why they are making you two compete. It's clear to anyone who sees you're going to be our Alpha."

"Patrick maybe a sleazebag," Frank says, "but you can't underestimate the lows he would go to get what he wants."

"He can pull all the tricks in the book, Nate will still win," Veronica confidently says before asking about something else she was curious about, "By the way I heard from the girls before that you have a cousin visiting?"

Nate slightly chokes on the sip of beer he just took. Frank says, "Yeah she's living with me for a while. She's here actually, let me jus..." Frank looks around at the crowd trying to spot Daisy. And he does. She's talking to Lily and Lily's brother Tim.

Hiding yet another mischievous smile Frank calls out to the them. 

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