Mates of a Human

Part Six. Chapter Fourteen. Michael

I lay down upon that horrible, old mattress staring at the ceiling, my mind replaying what had happened after the disaster of a lunch ended.

My mother refused to come out of the Alpha's quarters after finding out that Nadine rejected her omega mate.  Even my old man had been shocked over that revelation.  I cornered him about it when Nadine had decided to 'freshen up' and Alpha Rider excused himself to take an important phone call.

His office was still the same, except that the pictures of me as a teenager, the ones he had once shown to his friends as he boasted about my strength had been removed and replaced with ones of Gabriel.  Obviously, he had yet to change these, seeing as Gabriel had turned out to be as much a disappointment as I.  He looked at me with a heavy frown.  "What is it, Michael?" He asked, actually sounding weary.

"I want an explanation," I told him.

"Regarding what?" He said, indicating that I should take a seat.  I remained standing, but he did not say a word.

"Why are you trying so hard to go against all the teachings and force me to marry that... that girl?" I asked.  It can't just be for money.  There are solutions to help with debts; loans, pack members helping out, even Eric and I might have been willing if he had just learned to swallow his ego and pride.

"It's for the greater good of this pack," he mumbled, but I couldn't hear any conviction behind his words.

"Bullshit!" I yelled.  "A girl who was mates with an omega clearly is not Luna material!"

"You can't just judge people based on what the moon goddess thinks may be a good match for them!" He yelled back.

"Granted," I allowed, it wasn't a point I could deny.  Mum's original mate had obviously been an arsehole and didn't deserve her.  No matter her quirks, she had been a good mum. "But Nadine is selfish, self-centred and isn't afraid of using people to get what she wants.  She even spoke of her wedding plans to my mate, asking him his opinion, while he was unaware that she planned on marrying me!  What sort of Luna is that?"

"Will you stop mentioning that boy?!" He growled.  "Same sex and mixed race pairings are wrong."

"Says who?" I demanded, feeling exasperated with the old fool.  "Alex is human, but he grew up along side a pack that have long since accepted these pairings.  The Pride are the same.  Why do you have to be so judgemental?  Give me one good reason why these pairings are so wrong?!"

"Alright," he narrowed his eyes as he voiced his bitter opinion.  "My father ran off and left his mate, my mother, to be with a human man.  She was so humiliated that she committed suicide."  I frowned; I never met my grandparents, but I felt it was impossible to leave your true mate once they had been marked.

"Was grandma grandpa's true mate?" I asked, curious.  He looked away, answering my question for me.  I inwardly sneered.  "So that human man was his true mate?  I bet great grandfather loved that!"  From what I learned as a child, that elder wolf had a stick up his arse and a face that looked as if he permanently sucked lemons.   "I can't say that he did the right thing, abandoning your mother, abandoning the pack, but the pull of a true mate is strong."

"I wouldn't know," my father said, ending the conversation and refusing to discuss the true issues.

Dinner was as strained as lunch had been, though Nadine happily informed me that I should book a trip to Hawaii for our honeymoon.   During this meal, we were joined by two elves.  Every wolf sitting at that table curled their noses in disgust at what they smelled like.  In fact I think Gabriel's original description had been too kind. 

"We are looking forward to performing the ritual on you," the female elf heckled, her eyes black like two voids sucking the light out of their surroundings.  I shuddered as I struggled to maintain eye contact.