Belong (BWWM)

Chapter 7

By the time we sat down to eat, Alpha Lyons and Zack had returned to the house as well.

"So, Rita, tell us about yourself," Anya prompted, smiling brightly at me as forks and knives clinked against porcelain plates all around the table. I wiped my mouth with a cloth napkin. Fancy. 

"Um, I'm 20 years old," I started, and she cut in with a gasp. "I knew you looked young, but wow! No matter, I was only 22 when I met Theo and I was with child by the next year!"

My eyes widened and I looked around the table uncomfortably. Talen did not seem at all freaked out by what she just said. "Mom you're scaring her," Emma spoke up. Zack, seated next to me, was snickering at my expression. 

Anya smiled, not at all sorry. "Sorry dear, tell me something else."

"I'm an only child. I was going to school to become a neurologist back at home. I've always wanted to go to John Hopkins University and I actually had plans of applying there for med school," I said,

"Really?" Emma questioned excitedly. "Your parents were going to allow that?"

I was confused. "Well why wouldn't-" I started, but Talen cleared his throat, cutting me off. "Her parents are just a bit unconventional."

I glared at him, annoyed by his statement. "Emma had it in her head a while back that she was going to Harvard, but we definitely weren't going to allow her to leave. I mean could you imagine? She comes from an Alpha family," Anya explained seriously. I noticed that she had started to stab her broccoli. "That was a big part of it, but we look down on members in general that decide to leave the pack."

She looked up at me suddenly, her eyes inquisitive. "What made you want to leave?"

The table had become exceptionally quiet in the wake of her question. Ryan, James, and Sebastian had ceased conversing amongst themselves and Alpha Lyons had looked up from his meal. I felt Talen's stare piercing into me.

I shrugged, "It was just a dream, I doubt that it really would have happened," I lied, trying to dismiss the subject. As if it was never a real, tangible, goal of mine. I sank down even further into unease. What will my life really be like around here? 

"Son, before you guys head out I need to talk to you," Alpha Lyons announced abruptly. He stood up from the table and walked out of the room, Talen following shortly after.

I finished my food and put my napkin down. "That was really good. And this is a lovely...table," I commented politely. And stupidly. A comment like that doesn't hide that I'm unaccustomed to the pomp of tables set with fresh oranges and flower bouquets for lunch. "Thank you dear," Anya responded kindly. "Where's your restroom?" I asked, not really needing to go but wanting to pass the time. 

"Jan, please show her to the bathroom," she replied immediately, gesturing to the maid from earlier. The girl nodded, not meeting her eyes. She ran a hand through her curly black hair before gesturing for me to follow her. 

As we walked up the stairs, I wondered out loud "Is your name really Jan?" She looked me in the eyes I was struck by how pretty she was.

She snorted. "No, my names Janella," she clarified, rolling her eyes.

"Nice to meet you," I smiled at her warmly. "Really."

"Yeah," she smiled back, her brown eyes understanding.

"I don't really have to go to the bathroom, I just needed a break. Can we just walk around for a second?"

"Yeah, sure," she agreed. We strolled down a long hallway in silence.

Eventually I cleared my throat to ask a question. " So do you like working for them? Do you think they're good people?"

She waited a minute before responding. "My opinion of the Alpha and Luna is a bit marred, considering that I work for them and therefore see everything. Also I naturally resent them a little bit because I am, ignoring all glossy labels, their bitch." I wanted to ask her more about that, but it is probably best not to try to glean her entire life story in our first conversation.

"But they're nice, I guess. Talen and Zack are cool, Alpha is scary asf but I've only ever had real problems with the other members that live here. You'll meet them later I assume."

I nodded but another question was on the tip of my tongue. "What about the cousins? You seemed to not be a big fan of Sebastian earlier."

She turned to me sharply, her mouth parted in shock. "You noticed that? Um-" she was avoiding my eyes. "He's not bad...It's a bit more- er...complicated than that," She was looking down at the ground. Despite her caramel skin tone, I could see that a blush rose in her cheeks.

I laughed. "Aww, you have a crush..."

"Yeah, yeah, haha. It sucks doesn't it?" she was smiling and looking at me again but she still spoke too nervously.

I frowned, furrowing my brows.

"We should head back downstairs!" she walked quickly ahead.

"Is he your mate?" I whispered this question, not really sure how it was possible but still wanting to know.

She didn't respond. That was enough of an answer for me.

"Oh my gosh! But how? Does he know? How do you know?" I questioned excitedly. She turned back towards me, appearing a bit annoyed. " Shh about it, okay? He won't know until I'm 18. It's not like I know for sure. But I feel it, my wolf definitely feels it. And it's a problem. An urgent one at that," she replied uncomfortably. I have a feeling I'm the first person she has told.

" We really need to go back downstairs, come on," she urged me forward.

There were still a thousand questions whirring around in my head. When we reached the bottom of the stairs, I turned to her and asked her to promise me that we would talk later. She nodded in compliance.

"Rita." Talen stood by the front door, obviously ready to go.

"I'm so glad I got to meet my beautiful new daughter!" Anya exclaimed, embracing me quickly.

I smiled distractedly, waving goodbye to everyone. "I was so hoping to hit it off with my beautiful new cousin, but she seems to have hit it off with...the maid," Sebastian commented cheekily.

I rolled my eyes."What a shame."

"See you later!" I shouted before Talen closed the door behind us.

Back in the car, Talen lost a little bit of the serious air he had put on with his family.

He immediately pulled me into his lap and placed a kiss in the crux of my neck and shoulder, sighing contently. I couldn't really protest as all of my senses were buzzing. While my mind is not impressed by him, my body and my wolf definitely are.

He turned me to straddle him and sort of just began to stare at my face pensively. He stroked my cheek with a faint smile on his lips.

He looks happy. I felt my heart flutter a bit.

But all good things come to an end.

" I know that you're mom must have been joking if she thinks we're mating next week."