After Wyatt's mother finally released me from her relentless hug, I took a deep breath and looked up at both of his parents with my best smile. "It's so nice to meet the both of you," I told them sweetly, unsure of what else to say in this moment. It was hard enough getting used to my mate, much less the rest of these new people.
Seeming pleased with my greeting his parents both took their seats. "My name is Veronica darling, and this is my grump of a mate, Henry," Wyatt's mother explained to me with a giggle. I nodded to her with the same beaming smile.
"We're so excited to have you as part of the family dear! We've been waiting much too long for Wyatt to find his mate. We were beginning to think we would never have grand-pups!" Veronica explained rather enthusiastically. I blushed hard at her mention of pups. I could already tell she was one of those ladies who was sweet as could be, but lacked any sort of filter. I couldn't help but wonder how Wyatt's father had dealt with her back in their Alpha and Luna days. Although Henry seemed like a warm, jolly old man now, I was sure that when he was Alpha he had been just as serious as Wyatt. However, seeing Henry's obvious love for Veronica every time he looked at her or chuckled at her words gave me hope that Wyatt wasn't so stern and intense deep down inside.
"It's so nice to meet you both," I told them sincerely. Before I could add anything more, Mary Ann and Joshua hurried in the room with platter after platter of delicious smelling food.
"Ugh, finally! I'm starving!" Olivia nearly shouted, nudging Michael roughly in his side. He grunted, seeming annoyed, but immediately shot her a mischievous grin.
There was so much love between the mates in this room. I couldn't help but feel a bit jealous...jealous, but hopeful. It wasn't like Wyatt didn't care for me. I could tell already that I meant the world to him, and he did to me as well. Things were just still awkward, and his "I-mean-business" personality wasn't exactly helping matters.
We all began to scoop piles of food onto our plates. Everyone was obviously hungry, myself included, and the food looked amazing. This didn't surprise me though. I had seen myself how good of a cook Mary Ann was this morning.
"So, Son, how'd that incident with the rogues this morning turn out?" Henry asked Wyatt as he chomped down on a thick piece of steak. My eyes instantly widened.
Rogues? Was that why Wyatt had stormed off this morning so angrily?
I looked over at Wyatt, my eyes still wide and my lips parted slightly in shock. His eyes were dark and he was glaring back at his father.
"Now is not the time or place for that conversation, father," Wyatt replied with a growl at the back of his throat. He obviously hadn't wanted me hearing this.
"Rogues?!" I blurted out with horror, still staring at Wyatt for answers.
"Drop it Hana. Please. Let's just enjoy our dinner," he said lowly, his jaw clenched hard.
"Oh dear Henry! Look what you've started now!" Veronica said accusingly as she slapped Henry lightly on the wrist. Olivia and Michael stared down at their food and continued eating. They obviously didn't want to get involved.
"Tell us Hana, where are you from? Wyatt hasn't told us a bit about you yet!" Veronica spoke up quickly, obviously eager to change the subject.
"The Gold Wind pack," I replied softly. My stomach was clenched in fear now. I could only take tiny bites of my food at a time, and even that was forced.
"Gold Wind? Geez Wyatt, what on earth were you doing there? Goddess, that's so far away!" Olivia spoke up with a laugh. She was obviously determined to ease the mood as well. Little did she know, she was doing the opposite. Wyatt didn't respond to her question, and it remained quiet for what seemed like forever.
"He was there to discuss security with my Alpha and pay respects at a ceremony for a deceased pack member," I answered quietly, still staring down at my food.
Olivia and Veronica were looking between me and Wyatt with quizzical expressions. Henry and Michael obviously already knew of the situation, as they made sure not to make eye contact with any of us.
"My mother was killed by a rogue," I added quietly. It was almost a whisper, but I knew they heard me. Werewolves could hear just about anything. I closed my eyes and a single tear rolled down my cheek as I heard Wyatt growl. I couldn't tell if he was growling because of what I had just told everyone, or because he didn't like to see me cry.
"Oh dear," Veronica said softly as she reached over to squeeze my shoulder. She then shot Wyatt an angry look, either for not comforting me himself, or for not telling everyone this beforehand so I wouldn't have had to go through the pain of this conversation.
Dinner was pretty much over at that point. Everyone had lost their appetites and the conversation was spoiled. Veronica and Olivia gave me tight hugs and whispered words of encouragement before grabbing their mate's hands and exiting the Alpha's quarters. Wyatt and I walked silently back to the bedroom as Mary Ann and Joshua began cleaning up the kitchen and dining room. When we finally entered the bedroom, Wyatt quietly shut the door behind us and moved over to the large lounging chair near the bookcase. I hesitantly sat on the edge of the bed with my eyes closed, trying to calm my breathing.
"That didn't go as planned," Wyatt grumbled.
My eyes shot open and I looked over at him. "Why didn't you tell me about the rogues earlier?" I asked quietly as tears streamed down my cheeks.
"I was trying to protect you! Damnit Hana!" Wyatt shouted as he stood up suddenly. I flinched at his sudden outburst and stared down at my fingers in my lap, picking at the skin around my fingernails.
"I'm sorry!" I sobbed out as the tears and emotions flooded my body, although I wasn't sure what I was apologizing for. It was just in my nature to be kind and somewhat submissive.
Wyatt cursed under his breath and walked over to sit down on the edge of the bed next to me. He grabbed one of my hands, forcing me to stop my picking. "Please don't cry," he mumbled softly.
I looked over at him and his eyes were wide and full of emotions that I couldn't single out. He then released my hand and wrapped both of his arms around me instead, pulling my face into his chest as he stroked my hair lovingly.
"I'm trying Hana, I promise I'm trying," he murmured into my hair as he kissed the top of my head. Goddess, he was so confusing, yet I felt my heart swelling at his words. Mate loves us, my wolf purred in my head.
Before I could even try to object, Wyatt picked me up, threw the covers back from the bed, and sat me back down. He then walked towards the closet and I stared at him through my tears, even more confused now. He quickly returned with a long white t-shirt and made his way over to me. He quickly unbuttoned the shirt I was wearing and I gasped, but he had already taken it off before I could fully react. I wrapped my arms around myself and my face turned bright red. My wolf simply laughed at me. She thought I was stupid for feeling self-conscious in front of our mate.
Wyatt then pulled the white t-shirt over my head and laid me down before quickly unbuttoning my black pants, pulling them off, and then bringing the blankets over my body and up under my chin. He tossed the used clothing into a hamper in the closet and then moved to his closet to remove his own clothing. I gasped once again at the sight of his beautiful body and blushed as I pulled the blankets up a bit more. I could've swore I heard him chuckle a bit.
He had changed into a pair of plaid pajama pants with no shirt, which I didn't mind, and then flipped off the light switch before moving over to the other side of the bed. He slowly slid under the blankets and I could feel his body heat invading my senses. My wolf wanted nothing more than to be underneath him.
I heard him sigh lightly, before he reached out and pulled me against his chest. Our bodies fit perfectly together, as mates always did. His warmth on my back side was so comforting, it shocked me a bit.
"Tomorrow is a new day, my Luna. I promise it'll be better," Wyatt whispered in my ear before kissing my cheek and resuming his position in the bed. Chills ran up and down my spine as I held onto his words. He was so intoxicating. My mind went fuzzy and I fell asleep faster than I ever had before. I was safe, I was cared for, I had my mate.
I don't know how many hours I slept before I was jolted from my deep sleep by the most intense burning sensation I'd ever felt in my life. My Goddess, it was consuming my entire body! I hissed in pain before involuntarily letting out a loud yelp. There was a painful fire burning deep within me. Wyatt had stirred a bit when I yelped, but he hadn't yet awoken from his deep slumber. I sat up quickly and moved to the side of the bed, doubling over in pain. I immediately regretted pulling myself from his grasp.
I had only thought the pain was consuming my entire body, but no, as soon as I pulled away from Wyatt, the fires ignited in every part of my body that he had previously been touching: my back, the middle of my waist, the back of my thighs.
I started sobbing again as I cried out loudly in pain. What was happening to me?
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