Before we start this chapter...
OMG! Your cast suggestions! You guys are amazing! Some are so spot on that I couldn't have cast them better myself!
But I had to pick one winner of The Casting Game and that's asiraphenomena. Congrats!
Here's the best/most spot on cast:
- Gal Gadot as Keri (suggested by asiraphenomena and trina246; yes, by two people!)
- Paul Craddock or Lucky Blue Smith as Alec (both suggested by crazyfangurl); Paul Craddock actually reminds me more of another (gay) character of mine - Misha, who is from a more adult series I haven't posted anywhere since it's only in the "Notes" stage
- Tom Holland as Horace (suggested by asiraphenomena)
"How did you know?"
My voice came out surprisingly calm.
Maybe because there already were a few people - Kelly, Steve and Alec - who'd found out my secret or maybe it was because of my decision to give Callum a chance, but I didn't panic once Rhys had popped up the 'is he your mate' question.
The guy in questioned beamed at me before replying:
"Riley figured it out."
I turned towards my best friend's mate; he looked pretty proud with himself, his brown eyes sparkling.
"And how did you know?" I asked.
"During one of my shifts at the Milk & Cream," the boy began, "I was watching these two kids who kept arguing and throwing peanuts at each other when their parents weren't looking. It was obvious they both wanted to grab and keep the other's attention, but they didn't want the other to know why, which was because they were crushing on each other. And then I kind of realized - peanut throwing aside - that they acted like you and Callum. Then Kelly organized that dinner with just the four of you, so I thought 'Hey, there may be something there' and told Rhys about it." He explained as he squeezed his mate's hand. "I only thought you were crushing on him though; it wasn't until Rhys said Kelly wouldn't play matchmaker unless you were mates that I realized it might be that."
I sighed.
Great! I have the same cope-with-feeling technique as peanut-throwing kids do!
"And since we suspected, but weren't sure," Rhys went on from where Riley had left off, "we decided it was best to just come over and ask you."
"Congratulations, mystery solved." I took a sip of the tart cherry juice they'd brought and which I'd opened for us since they were Rhys and Riley and tart cherry was kind of their thing. They'd barely touched their glasses, but mine was almost empty. Maybe I was a little nervous after all and used drinking as means to buy myself some time to think before speaking.
We'd already been through the awkward 'is Callum your mate', then their giddiness when I'd said yes, then the whole 'why didn't you tell us' so I wasn't sure what to expect now.
"What happens next?" Riley asked.
Ah, that! Of course.
"No idea," I admitted and poured myself more juice from the large plastic bottle.
"But you are going to give the two of you a chance?" He kept questioning. Before I managed to reply, Rhys exclaimed:
"Of course she is!"
"Well, she was against it before, so I think it's a sensible question to ask," Riley noted and Rhys gave him a sheepish smile.
"I'm sorry." My Beta pecked his mate on the cheek. "You are right: it is a sensible question."
And then they both turned to me, the same look of expectation on their faces and I realized that I had yet to answer them.
"Yes, I am."
Riley squealed - an actual squeal - and clapped his hands while his mate smiled at me in approval.
"Might not work out thought," I commented.
"So you said before," Riley pointed out. "But don't think that way. Don't get stuck on the bad things that might happen. Life can be tough, but amazing things do happen. Just look at us."
He leaned his head over Rhys' shoulder, the older man kissing his forehead and I couldn't help but smile at the perfect picture of genuine affection the two guests on my couch painted.
Even though they'd been through a lot - both of them had scars marring their skin and reminding them of difficult moments in their past; for years Rhys being desperate to find his mate and then going crazy over the possibility of rejection - they were together now and happy. Living in a house they'd turned into a home, engaged...
"Fair point," I conceded and took another sip of my juice.
"So, are you going to ask him out?" Riley asked with a grin.
I choked and spilled some of the juice back into the glass.
"Woah, woah, woah... Let's not get ahead of ourselves, okay?" I managed in between coughs.
"But..." The boy kept turning his face from me to Rhys then back again, confused. "How... How are you going to show him you are interested if you are not going to ask him out?"
"Well, I can't do it out of the blue!" I protested.
"You've known who he is for a few years; it's not exactly out of the blue," Rhys pointed out, taking a sip of his tart cherry juice and I glared at him.
"You were the one who kept insisting you should take things slow with Riley once you found him," I reminded.
"Yes, but that was because he didn't know we existed. Callum knows about us."
I crossed my arms over my chest, huffing.
He had a point, I knew that. Callum knew what I was. Not only that, but he knew about us as a society. He was learning about our customs and was beginning to accept them. Sure, he probably thought some of them were strange, but he wasn't with the 'burn them at the stake' mentality.
"Maybe you could invite him to hang out at the pub sometime," Riley suggested. "It would be more casual that way with us around; not like a date."
"And give the whole pack a chance to figure it out the way you did?" I contradicted with a question.
"You'll have to tell them at some point," Rhys stated.
"I'm not ready yet. I need more time to see how things will go between Callum and me."
"They will be supportive..." Rhys began, but stopped when Riley hummed. We both looked at the human.
"Oh, I was just thinking that we all keep calling him 'Callum'. He's your mate and Kelly works with him and they are even friends, I'd say, but no one calls him by his first name."
"Calvin." I tested it. I was so used to his last name that the first sounded weird.
"Or just Cal," Riley suggested. "It's a short version for either of his names."
"Well, whatever the name, I want to see where things are headed between us before I tell the rest of the pack."
"So far just Kelly, Steve and the two of us know, right?" Rhys asked.
I ran the tip of my index finger over the rim of my glass.
"From the pack," I replied before taking a sip.
He was not going to like where this was going.
"You told someone?" The barest hint of hurt edged his voice.
I should get used to that. I'd hear it - not so subtle - from my brother once he found out I'd hid the truth about Callum from him.
"Alec," I said and as expected, my Beta frowned.
"Alec? You told him?"
He realized and voiced the answer before I could give it to him:
"No, he figured it out for himself."
"Yes." I nodded. "He observed Callum and I together and..."
The two of them were done with their juice and I was pouring them refills by the time I explained Alec having seen us outside the jewelry shop and the phone calls that had followed.
"I still expect him to show up, you know," Riley announced. "To see Ollie, I mean."
"I'm not sure I want that," Rhys admitted.
"I doubt he'd hurt a baby, Rhys." Riley rolled his eyes and I nodded my agreement to his words.
"I think he'll just show up, shoot out a few snide remarks to piss Everett off and leave. Like he usually does," I added.
"I'm sure I don't want that," Rhys huffed.
"Maybe having Ollie around will soften Alec up a bit," Riley suggested, but his mate snorted. The boy sighed and changed the topic from one unpleasant to Rhys to one I'd hoped we'd concluded:
"So, Keri, you don't want the pack to know yet, but does that include Anthony too? I mean, he'd want to know."
"Yeah, I... I realize that." I gnawed at my lip. "And I will tell him. Before I tell the rest of the pack."
"But not now?" Rhys asked.
"Let's take it one mate at a time, shall we?"
They both lifted their eyebrows in question.
"Horace's birthday is coming up," I pointed out. "Let's see if he recognizes his mate, have the pack be excited about that for a while and then... Then I'll tell Anthony and eventually the rest. I don't want to steal the boy's thunder."
"And you also want to buy yourself some time," Rhys noted.
"That too," I had to admit the obvious. "He's spending a lot of time with Kennedy lately, isn't he? Horace, I mean."
Rhys smiled.
"Yes, the two of them have become quite good friends. He's even started playing soccer with Kennedy and Billy after school."
"I'm surprised Jasper lets his son hang out with a non-shifter," I admitted at the mention of Kennedy's best human friend. "Pleasantly surprised."
"I guess you finally managed to rein him in," Rhys commented.
"Too bad I had to do I with a threat," I muttered and he covered my knee with his hand.
"Maybe he'll see why that was needed," Riley attempted to comfort me as well. "And he'll really change, and he'll come to accept you as a leader."
He tried to sound confident and so I smiled at him, appreciating the gesture.
"And then Horace will be 'more Horace and less Jasper' as Kennedy put it." Rhys was smiling as well. "I think he's always wanted to befriend Kennedy, but was scared of his father's reaction. And you can see Horace enjoys spending time with my baby brother and Billy."
"I think Horace would've even invited Billy to his birthday party, if the latter knew what you were," Riley added. "And maybe some other human kids from the school. Unlike his father, Horace doesn't seem to feel superior to us because he's a shifter."
"I think he'll grow up into a good man," Rhys said. "And I wish him to find a good mate and fast."
"To Horace," I said lifting my glass. The boys did the same and we all drank in honor of our packmate.
Do you think Keri should invite Callum on a date?
Do you think he should make the first move himself and would he?
As you've probably guessed it, this chapter hints at things to come: a visit from Alec and Horace's birthday; which one are you more excited about?
I hope you liked the chapter; please give it a VOTE if you did!
PS: How many of you are using Tap?
I might have a project for that platform, but since it's Dogs, Bats & Monkeys-related, I'm only going to start it if you guys are interested.
Psst! My idea involves two boys from the younger generation of shifters; any guesses who they might be? ;)