Five months later . . .
...
"I am so sick of the snow," Theo grumbled as we walked around town holding hands. He kicked a piece of the March sludge off of the sidewalk.
"You don't know what snow is," I said. "We lived in Minnesota one time during the winter. This is nothing."
"But still."
"It's not like you don't have excess body heat to begin with," I pointed out as we passed The Groove. "Besides, you're the one who refused to wear a hat and gloves."
"Yes, mother, you're right," he mocked and avoided an icy patch on the sidewalk.
I giggled, watching where my feet stepped. For four months now, Theo and I had been an official couple. He knew I was still grieving when he asked me, so he took me out to dinner at a fancy restaurant. He'd nearly had a fit when we had to wait ten minutes for a table.
"Theo, it's fine," I said, glancing around the posh eating establishment. "It's totally okay." The lighting was dim, but expensive pieces of art decorated the walls, lit by individual lamps. The waiters and waitresses bustled by in daringly white button-ups and coal black ties.
He huffed and looked down at me, frowning.
"Haven't you ever waited before?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.
"Yes," he muttered.
I patted his shoulder reassuringly. "It's fine, Theo."
Twenty minutes later, we'd been seated for a few minutes and had ordered our food. I'd gotten this pasta that Theo had to pronounce for me and water. He'd gotten steak and some vegetables.
I sipped some of my water when he scratched the back of his neck nervously. "So, uh . . . how are you?"
I raised my eyebrows at him. "I'm okay, I guess. And yourself?"
"I'm fine. I was wondering . . ."
I raised my eyebrows at him. "Wondering what?"
He took a breath and looked me dead in the eyes. "You . . . do you want . . I was just wondering if you'd like to be girlfriend?"
My cheeks flushed in the dim lighting and I looked at my lap. This was why he'd treated me to such a fancy dinner. "I sort of thought we were already going out. Y'know . .. because of the mate thing."
He licked his lips nervously. "Well I know how you are about the consent thing, so I just wanted to ask."
My heart fluttered in my chest. He was really thoughtful, wasn't he? But then again, the last time he'd done something without my permission, it had not ended well. But he was being too sweet.
"Of course," I said and his jade eyes brightened vibrantly.
"Awesome," he said, grinning.
"Wanna go see a movie tonight?" he asked me, whisking me back to the chilly March air. He swung our hands back and forth and my heart swelled, almost too big for my chest.
"I can't; I have dinner with my family tonight," I explained and pulled out my phone. "I should probably be going anyways."
We walked back to our cars and I leaned against my red Camry, Theo towering above me, fiddling with his keys.
"I'll talk to you later, yeah?" he asked.
"Okay," I replied, smiling as his lips descended on top of mine. His kiss tasted as fiery as his smell and I don't think I'd ever get tired of his kisses. His lips were soft and every time he kissed me, I was breathless. We pulled away after a minute and I could hear his heartbeat racing, keeping time with my own. "Bye, Theo," I said softly as I opened my car door.
"Bye, babe," he said, leaning forward to peck me on the lips one last time before I started my car and pulled away.
The first time we'd kissed was after his family had dinner with my family at our new house. After dinner we'd gone down to our basement to watch a movie and then it just . . . I caught him looking at me instead of watching the movie and we just kissed and I don't think it could have been any more perfect.
But yeah, he's a good kisser.
I giggled as I pulled into the driveway of our new house. It was a one story with a basement. We had downsized because we didn't need a room for Uncle Zion or his study, and my dad never said it out loud, but I think he felt better having my sister and I closer. Only my dad was stable enough to go back into our house, so we all agreed on getting a new one. We stayed in the pack house for a month and along with Alpha Roan's help, we found the perfect new home.
We were all still struggling with what had happened. Periodically I'd wake up in the middle of the night screaming or crying after replaying his death in my dreams. Sometimes he'd be on the carpet and he'd spring to life, grabbing his silver-bulleted gun and shooting me. Sometimes Marshall would arise and turn on my family. Whatever they turned out to be, they never ceased to frighten me.
Theo would wake up, too. The first couple of times it happened he didn't know, but when I told him he advised me to keep the mind link open. Of course, he then had to explain to me how to open and shut off the link, but usually when I went to bed, I kept it open. He preferred it that way, so he could calm me down after a nightmare.
I'd wake up if I heard my sister crying, too. Then I'd go in her room and climb into bed with her, holding her close to make her feel safe again. Ever since her encounter with Marshall, she never opened her windows and slept with her bedroom door closed. She had peppery-spray next to her pillow and had taken a refreshed, vigorous interest in self-defense, determined to always be prepared.
I walked into the house and joined my mother in the kitchen. Sadness was rubbed under her eyes in blue smudges, but most of the time she was alright. "Hey, mom," I said.
"Hi, honey," she said, smiling. She and my dad had kept their jobs, but I knew my mom was looking for a job downtown. Now that we were staying in Merriweather, she wanted to form friendships and build a permanent life here.
"I saw a 'now hiring' sign at The Groove," I said hopefully. If she worked there, that meant I could get their cheesecake at a discounted price and oh man, I would get fat happily.
"Really?"
"Yep," I replied, shedding my coat.
"I'll think about it," she answered and got back to the stew she was concocting.
"I'm going to my room," I said and kicked off my shoes by the back door.
"Alright. I'll holler when I need you."
That's not necessary, I thought but I knew it was still hard for her and my dad to adjust. Cass had it easier-mostly because she thought it was 'the coolest thing to happen ever'. "Okay," I said and walked down the hall to my room.
A few weeks after Uncle Zion's death, when we were all fine to talk about werewolves and such, my family and I had a long talk of what it really meant to be a werewolf and not what Uncle Zion had influenced them to think. I was mostly the smartypants, but I had Raylor beside me to fill in my blank spaces. It's still taking them a little time to adjust to my constant need for new clothes-though I try to keep it down-and how I can hear them across the house. I reassured them that most of the time I didn't care and wasn't eavesdropping, but ever since then they've mostly discussed serious topics in hushed tones. It didn't make a difference, but I didn't tell them.
My parents weren't too keen on the mate situation. Raylor had snorted richly, having way too much fun for her own good. I did not reveal that he had marked me, and once I assured them that I would still live by their principles, they only requested to meet Theo, which is why we had the dinner in the first place.
I stepped into my new room and sighed deeply. Theo had loaned me one of his sweaters one day when I didn't have mine and I'd just forgotten to return it and now my entire room spelled like cinnamon and cayenne pepper. My walls were a pastel yellow and I constantly felt smothered by sunshine, which was a good thing.
Cass was right next door and I could consistently hear music being blasted as she practiced her karate moves. I just put in my headphones and listened to my music as I started on my homework. Not half an hour later, my mom yelled for dinner and Cass, my dad, and I flocked to the table.
We ate gaily, sadness tying our heartstrings together but good food bringing us closer. It was impossible to forget what happened five months ago; it would affect our lives for a very long time. But here, surrounded by loved ones and laughter, it almost seemed plausible that it never happened.
Cass enlightened us on how Brett was a total jerk and I laughed. She'd taken my advice and gone on a group date with him, but soon discovered he was 'totally gross and such a boy'.
Hey, Theo interrupted. Maybe later, could you help me with pre-calc homework?
I smiled to myself, slurping up more soup. Yep, no problem.
Thanks.
Yeah, things would be alright. Problems would come, but with my family and my friends, things couldn't have been better.
...
A/N: Is this the end? No no, it can't be. But it is, and I can't believe it. Sorry if it feels rushed. You would think with how long my chapters usually are, the conclusion would have been super long. Oh man. Thank you to everyone who read this! Every view, comment, and vote makes my day :)
I'll be working on my new story now, though I don't know when it will be up.
Much love and cheers!
-Shannon