Heart of Stone (Part III)

III. Chapter 24 | Part 2 - Stone

Aubree's mother tried to be civil during dinner, but she couldn't help grilling Stone. She asked about his career in the military and the police force, his family and upbringing, his plans for the future, and more despite the glares Aubree sent across the table.

Most of what Stone told them were lies, which made Aubree squirm in her seat. He knew she didn't like him lying to her parents, but she'd have to get to used to the web of lies that would follow them now the more they interacted with humans.

It couldn't be helped.

He told them that he was born and raised on a farm a few miles south of the Twin Cities with his younger twin siblings, Gwen and Gavin. He came back home when his parents died and sold the family farm. He moved to the Twin Cities with his siblings and joined the police force. He explained that Gwen and Gavin were a number of years younger than him and at the time, couldn't manage on their own. He couldn't leave them and he wouldn't have wanted to, anyway.

He emphasized the importance of family. As parents with only one child, how could they argue with those sentiments?

As dinner drew to a close, he suggested they wash the dishes, but Aubree's mother waved him off.

"No guest in my house will lift a finger."

It was a dismissal. Not even a 'thank you' for offering.

Aubree was a little hurt, he could tell, but he touched her hand under the table and assured her through the mind-link that it was okay.

[She'll come around when she's ready to.]

She nodded despite being upset still. [She was never like this with Dan.]

[Dan didn't steal you away from a previous boyfriend that she liked, correct?]

Grudges take time.

She gave a little sigh but told him he was right.

He kissed her forehead while her mother's back was turned to them, rinsing dishes off in the sink and setting them in the dishwasher.

"Dinner was wonderful, but now I'm ready for a walk," Stone said to try and take Aubree's mind off her mother's attitude while offering a compliment in hopes of appeasing Sandra at the same time.

"That sounds like a good idea," Steve chimed in. "Whiskey only gets short walks around the block, but I'm sure he'd love it if you took him to the park and played fetch for a while."

Steve scraped the leftovers into storage containers to put in the fridge and, unlike his wife, offered Stone a smile.

Aubree relaxed a little at the suggestion, but Stone could tell that she was still hesitant. He caught whispers of her thoughts, worrying about how Whiskey would react.

[We won't know until we try,] Stone assured her. [You go ahead. Let him get reacquainted with you and when he's calm, I'll come out.]

[Okay.]

She got up from the breakfast table in the kitchen and he followed her to the front door where they grabbed their shoes and carried them through the house before putting them on.

He watched her from behind the sliding glass door in the kitchen as she went out to reconnect with Whiskey.

She would be different to him. He knew the dog would be able to sense it. Stone could sense it too. There was a subtle shift in her scent, one that marked her as a lycan. A predator. A beast at the top of the food chain.

An other-worldly scent blessed by the Goddess.

Whiskey had been lying on his stomach, his head between his paws, before Aubree stepped out of the house. His head rose as she opened the door and he got to his feet, ears and nose pointed forward, as she slipped out and closed the door behind her. His tail was down, not tucked underneath, and not in an aggressive or relaxed position either.