It had been almost two weeks since Sophie last saw Cortez. She really didn't know when would be an appropriate time to call him. She also didn't know how to ask her grandfather if a twenty five year old man could come into their house. If he asked her any questions about him, she wouldn't be able to answer them and then her grandfather would immediately say no for that very reason.
He would have deemed it ridiculous that she would even trust the man enough to invite him into the house. Sophie figured that was a fair response, though. That's why she hadn't bothered to fight it.
But today was the first time she actually had to talk herself into asking her grandfather. Mostly because, when she came home from school, she noticed their mailbox was laid in the grass. The wood steak holding it up was dramatically cracked and splintered, as if someone had crashed into it. When she asked her grandfather what happened, he said just that.
"I could call someone to come fix it." Sophie said, holding on to the staircase railing as her grandfather grabbed his hat off the coat rack by the door.
"You should, darlin'. Call the Thompson boys and give them the beers in the fridge after they fix it. Craig left those here the last time he came over and I don't drink them." Her grandfather grumbled the last bit.
Sophie nibbled on her bottom lip as she watched her grandfather bend over to leash Daisy. She didn't know how to bring up Cortez. "I actually met someone who's willing to help with stuff like this. You know, I feel guilty always asking the Thompson boys to come over. They're kind of rowdy sometimes, anyways."
"Who is it? A male, I assume?" Henry straightened his back with a groan and turned to Sophie. He had a cocked, bushy eyebrow with an unamused expression. "A boyfriend?"
"No! No boyfriend!" Sophie instantaneously rejected that idea. "He just helped me with a couple things before and proved to be very handy."
Henry carefully examined his granddaughter and soon gave up, simply shrugging as he turned to Daisy. "It doesn't matter who you ask, as long as you trust them and they can get the job done. I won't be gone long, anyways."
"Okay." Sophie grinned wildly as her grandfather opened the front door. He stepped on to the porch and held on to the railing as he went down the short steps to the pathway that lead to the driveway. "Be safe! Don't fall!"
"Don't worry about me!" Henry grumbled back.
Henry always went on walks with Daisy. Since Sophie was always at school and he was always stuck inside, he felt bad that the dog didn't get much chance to run and explore. Also, Mabel kept pestering him to get out his chair and walk around. It wasn't healthy for him to stop using his muscles at such an old age. So more recently, he went on long walks with Daisy to get some fresh air, stretch his legs, and let Daisy see some of the world.
While he started down the dirt road, Sophie rushed into the kitchen and to the house phone on the wall. She grabbed the notepad on the counter and dialed Cortez's number. She was incredibly nervous, naturally, but she was excited to hopefully see him again. It was weird, she already knew that. He was so much older than her. Eight years, to be exact, but he was also so handsome and so gentlemanly.
Cortez was nice. Sophie was comfortable around him. Well, as comfortable as you can be around an older man with huge muscles and killer looks.
Sophie nibbled on her thumb nail as the phone rang. Until, it suddenly stopped. "Cortez?"
"You've finally decided to call." Cortez's low voice came from the other end of the phone. He listened to Sophie giggle, which made him smile. "Need me for something?"
"Uhh.. Yeah." Sophie hesitated. "Someone knocked over our mailbox and I'm not really sure how to put it back together. If you don't or if you're busy, I can call someone else, it's no problem."
"No, I'll fix it." Cortez said.
"Okay. My grandfather just went on a walk with Daisy but he should be back soon and I'll be making lunch if you're hungry."
"Okay. I'll be right over." Cortez said.
As Sophie hung up the phone, she realized just how wide she was smiling and cupped her hand over her mouth. It was just Cortez. It was just a guy she had met twice in her life. Why was she so excited?
~
"You called for me, Alpha?" The Beta asked as he stepped into the Alpha's office.
"Yeah. Do you know how to fix a mailbox?" Cortez asked as he pushed out of his seat.
The Beta cocked eyebrow and shook his head. "No... Why? Did something happen to ours?"
"No, it's... Sophie." Cortez spoke reluctantly.
Cortez hadn't mentioned that she was his mate to anyone in their pack, besides his Beta, yet. It was still an awkward situation. During the past couple days away from her, he was trying to wrap his head around everything. He had found his mate. Good. She was a human in her late teenage years. A little less good.
A smile spread across the Beta's face as he nodded. Their future Luna needed help with her broken mailbox? Or was it just a ploy to see Cortez again? It didn't really matter either way. The Beta was just happy to have his Alpha and Luna together. It was be even more exciting once she started ruling beside Cortez. They had been waiting awhile for a Luna. The pack was getting just as antsy as Cortez to finally have one.
"I can google it." The Beta shrugged.
"Yeah. Let's do that." Cortez eyebrows furrowed. He wished he already knew how so he could be on his way already.
The two sat at the Alpha's desk and googled how to fix and old and broken mailbox as quickly as possible. They, then, collected whatever tools they had at the pack house and started through the woods to get to Sophie's house. Cortez wasn't super fond of bringing his Beta, Jeremiah, with but since he didn't know how to fix a mailbox, he figured it would be best to have two brains instead of one.
Cortez would've went to Sophie's alone and got to know her more if Jeremiah wasn't coming with. He figured, with as shy, or simply modest, as she seemed to be, she wouldn't be all that open with a new person around. Maybe Cortez could shoo Jeremiah away at some point to have one on one time with Sophie. Or maybe this was good. Maybe Sophie wasn't comfortable being one on one with him just yet.
Cortez didn't like that thought.
Sophie was busy finding a cardigan to throw on when she heard a knock on the door. She was wearing a sundress today but the straps were so thin that she felt a little self conscious. Frantically shoving her arms through the cardigan, Sophie raced down the steps to open the door. Cortez caught sight of her through the window in the door just before she yanked it open.
"Hi, Cortez." Her green eyes shifted to the second person stood at her door as she wrapped an arm around her waist. "Who's this?"
"This is Jeremiah." Cortez answered. He watched as Jeremiah excitedly stepped forward and jutted his hand out to her. It was natural that a pack member was excited to meet their new Luna.
"Oh, hello." Sophie smiled as she shook the mans hand. He looked younger than Cortez. Not by much, probably, but it was noticeable.
"Nice to meet you, L-Sophie.." Jeremiah dragged out the L as he went to correct himself. Cortez shot him a warning glance, mind-linking Jeremiah to remind him to watch himself.
Sophie shrugged off his stutter and stepped on to the porch, catching Cortez by surprise. He knew she was short but with such close proximity, her small height was amplified. He found it incredibly endearing, so much that he felt like he was blushing.
"The mailbox is set on the side of the house." Sophie pointed to her right, just off the porch, as she closed the door behind her.
Cortez and Jeremiah turned to walk off the porch and let Sophie step in front of them and lead the way. She skipped through the grass with bare feet, which made Cortez smile to himself. Grabbing the mailbox that was still attached to it's broken steak, she placed it between her and the boys.
"I don't actually think I checked for the mail." Sophie muttered as she pulled it open. Indeed, a couple letters sat inside. She pulled them out and closed the box again, looking up at Cortez and Jeremiah. "Here you go."
Cortez handed the toolbox he had in hand to Jeremiah and retrieved the mailbox from Sophie.
"Can you fix it?" Sophie asked.
"We can try." Jeremiah snorted a laugh.
"We'll have it fixed in no time." Cortez reassured.
"Okay. Thank you. I'll leave it to you and start making lunch. If you guys get hungry, thirsty, hot, or just need something, I'll be in the kitchen." Sophie looked between the boys, her eyes lingering on Cortez's.
"Don't worry about us." Jeremiah nudged Cortez, which was easily ignored since Cortez was staring lovestruck at Sophie.
Sophie nodded and started towards the house again, watching her feet as she walked to make sure she didn't step on anything in the grass. "Oh!" She stopped and turned. "If an old man and a golden retriever approach you, it's just my grandfather and Daisy."
"Got it." Jeremiah held his thumb in the air and Sophie smiled. She noticed that Jeremiah seemed more carefree and charismatic than Cortez. He was a nice man as well.
Sophie skipped inside and started preparing to make lunch. She wondered if she should make more than usual for the boys or if they'd be done and gone by the time her grandfather even got back in order to eat. Just in case, Sophie prepared to make a lot. Even if they couldn't stay and eat, she could send food home with them or store it in the fridge and her grandfather could heat it up to eat while she was at school.
While they both worked on separate things, both Cortez and Sophie would steal glances at each other. When Sophie was watching Cortez, she couldn't help but admire his masculine build. He looked right at home with tools in his hand and those big muscles to do the job. She didn't want to drool over him since he was so much older than her but she really couldn't help it. He was so handsome. He looked like he should be on the cover of a cheesy romance novel.
Every time that Cortez looked into the kitchen windows, he couldn't help but admire how small she was. She stepped on a chair at one point to reach something on the top shelf of her cupboards and he noticed how slim her waist was because of how tight her dress hugged her. He liked how short her brown hair was. It showed off her neck just perfectly. He couldn't wait to mark her in that pretty spot above her collarbone.
Finally, the two caught each other's eyes and simply stared at each other for a moment, stuck in some kind of trance. Cortez wanted to be with her so badly. He wanted to march into that kitchen and kiss her. But when those thoughts entered Sophie's thoughts, she got all red and anxious. Her eyes averted as she focused on slowly her heart rate. She made sure to stay out of the way of the window for a couple minutes so she wasn't tempted to stare at him.
"It's fine, I'll do this by myself." Jeremiah sighed as he tried to balance the mailbox where it was meant to be. "You just keep staring in the window and daydreaming."
"I can't help it!" Cortez snapped as he pulled attention away from Sophie. "She's so small, I just want to hold her in my arms."
"You know, to humans, you'd be a pervert for saying that." Jeremiah said. "She's only seventeen. She's a minor."
"But she's my mate. She's mine." Cortez nearly growled at the image of someone questioning that fact.
"Yes, to werewolves, she is your mate. To us, she is our Luna. But to the majority of the world, she is just a seventeen year old high school students and you're a twenty five year old pervert crushing on a little girl." Jeremiah explained. Cortez ran his hand frustratedly through his hair as he let out a sigh. "How do you plan on breaking it to her, by the way?"
"That I'm a werewolf? That's she's basically a queen? That she's destined to be mine until we die?" Cortez rambled.
"Yeah, that."
"I have no fucking clue. Did you see her in tears and trembling when she saw us fighting all those rogues? What is she gonna do when I turn into a wolf right in front of her? She's probably traumatized already."
"So, what, you're just going to keep coming here whenever the Luna calls until she's old enough for you to date and eventually marry?" Jeremiah's own question began to fill his head with even more questions. "Do you plan on dating her like you're human? Go on dates? Bring her home at night? The whole human tradition?"
Cortez scoffed at Jeremiah's endless questions and decided to simply ignore them. "I know I must set boundaries. For her sake. Temporarily, at least. For now, I'll come when she asks and gain her trust and her love. She's barely a year off from being legal. It shouldn't be that hard."
"I promise you, you will ruin that plan before the year is up. There is no way you're going to be around the Luna all the time and not reveal who you are."
Cortez cursed under his breath, knowing Jeremiah was right. Cortez didn't have a lot of experience with humans. No werewolves really did. Every pack has a set group of members that would actually go into human territory if necessary. Cortez was not on that list in his pack. He was the Alpha. He had no reason to be around humans, only his pack.
So interacting with one, a human, would be difficult. The level of difficulty was, unfortunately, amplified by the fact that Sophie was human and his mate. He wanted to make her his everything and become her everything but he couldn't. Not yet. Human culture handled love differently. Some were hesitant in love and some jumped in. Cortez was hoping Sophie was the latter, but even if she was, she was still young so the rest of humanity would encourage her to take it slow or completely pull away from Cortez.
He didn't like that. He didn't like he had all of hers restrictions and rules because he had a human mate. He wished she was a wolf so they could start their happily ever after immediately. Cortez had been waiting too long for a mate to simply wait even longer once he actually found her. But Cortez knew he had no choice. He had to do this right or he'd lose his mate forever.
~
"I reckon you boys are the ones Sophie called for help, huh?" A sudden third part voice spoke up from the road.
Cortez and Jeremiah turned to see an old man staring down at them as they worked. The old man had a golden retriever by his side, attacked to a leash that sat in his hand. As it finally clicked in Cortez's head, he jumped up and gestured his hand confidently towards the old man.
"You're Sophie's grandfather?" Cortez gently took the old man's shaky hand and shook it.
"Yes." The old man looked Cortez up and down. He couldn't understand what a guy like this would be doing around his little granddaughter. "And who are you?"
"My name is Cortez, sir." Cortez answered.
Jeremiah also shook the old man's hand. "And my name is Jeremiah."
The old man looked both of the men over, his eyes squinted with distaste. There were taller than him and bigger than him, naturally, since he was rotting away at this point. Henry wondered where Sophie would run into boys like this. The boys from her school were at least his height and had nearly zero muscle to them. Where did these boys come from? They didn't look like they were from around here. How long had Sophie known them?
"How do you know my granddaughter?" Henry questioned coldly.
Jeremiah looked to his Alpha. Cortez was reluctant to answer but he knew, if he didn't, that would put him on the old man's bad side. He wanted Sophie's grandfather to like him so he was allowed to come back often and see Sophie. He had to eliminate any cautious instincts or red flags in this old man.
"I've helped her out before in town and finding Daisy in the woods." Cortez explained, giving the old man half to full truths. He wanted to be honest but also vague.
The old man nodded understandably. He continued to take in their large presence before speaking up again. "And how old are you?"
"Twenty five, sir." Cortez answered. He nervously gulped and studied the old man as he processed his answer.
The old man's expression didn't falter for even a second as he looked to Jeremiah. "And you?"
"Twenty two, sir." Jeremiah chimed.
"And you two are just here to fix the mailbox, correct? There are no ulterior motives here, correct? Neither of you are romantically interested in that young girl inside, correct?" The old man spoke sternly, as if a subtle warning underlined his questions.
"Correct, sir." Cortez answered without hesitation. It was a lie, a huge lie, but there was no other answer he could give. He wanted this to go as smoothly as possible.
"If I see anything fishy or Sophie tells me something I don't approve of, you're out of here, understood? I don't want to ever see or hear from you again?"
"Understood."
"Good. I have to watch out for my granddaughter, you understand? She's a young girl. She's important to me. I have to protect her. You can understand, can't you?"
"Of course." Cortez smiled softly at the old man. They had the same wishes, to protect and take care of Sophie. That's all that mattered.
The old man nodded and his expression softened from a stern and fatherly glare to a simple, content stare. His eyes fell on the mailbox and he looked at their work.
"You two working hard? Staying for lunch?" Henry asked casually.
Jeremiah looked to Cortez once more. It would be a good opportunity for him and Cortez knew it. "No. We shouldn't. We have to get back soon and we're almost done here." Cortez said.
Jeremiah frowned.
"Okay. Understood. Come inside before you leave so we can thank you." Henry said before starting up the driveway with Daisy beside him.
Cortez watched the old man slowly make his way towards the house and took the three steps up the porch even slower. Her grandfather truly was old. It must be a burden for a small girl like her to help him do so much. But yet again, that was her grandfather and only parental figure in her life so she probably cherished having him around. Still, Cortez wished she had it a little easier. He only wanted the best for her.
"Oh, you're back." Sophie chimed as she spotted her grandfather removing his shoes in the foyer. She looked down at Daisy and smiled. "Hello, girl. How was your walk with Chief, my sunshine?"
"She sounds adorable." Cortez sulkily mumbled, glancing down at Jeremiah who was working and laughing at his Alpha.
"Our walk was fine. Met the boys outside. They seem polite, well-mannered, and definitely well fed." Henry snorted a laugh at his last add-on.
Sophie grinned. "They are nice, aren't they? That's why I wanted them to start helping us."
"Start?" Henry questioned as he waddled into the kitchen to sit at the dinner table.
"Yeah." Sophie sucked some spaghetti sauce off her finger as she glanced back at her grandfather. "Cortez said he would help repair the window shutters and broken steps on the deck. I also really want the house repainted so it doesn't look so worn out. Maybe he can fix some things inside as well."
"So you trust these men?"
Sophie looked outside to see the two men testing out the steadiness if the mailbox. She couldn't help but smile at Cortez as he ran a hand through his hair. But she quickly wiped the expression off her face and returned to what she was doing.
"Yes, I trust them. Should I ask them to stay and eat with us?" Sophie asked.
"I already asked them and they said they had to return home."
"Oh." Sophie frowned. A moment passed before she spoke up again. "I made enough for them to take home. I don't want them to go home empty handed after helping us out."
"That's very sweet of you, darlin'. I'm sure they'd be very thankful to taste your cooking." Henry said.
Sophie shot her grandfather a playful glare, assuming he was being patronizing. He chuckled and relaxed in his seat. Sophie searched for some suitable Tupperware and strained the spaghetti to package away for them. She filled two small Tupperware boxes with spaghetti noodles, sauce, and meatballs before slapping a cap on them.
And right on cue, the two boys stepped inside as she pressed the caps down so they were completely sealed. Cortez met Sophie's eyes first, almost getting lost in her sparkling green eyes.
"We're done outside. Your mailbox should be as good as new." Jeremiah said once he realized his Alpha wasn't mentally present.
"Thank you, boys, truly." Henry gestured with his shaky hands before folding his arms over his chest.
"No problem, sir." Cortez nodded once.
"Oh, you don't have to call him sir. That's awfully formal." Sophie frowned.
"No. I like it." Henry corrected.
Sophie smiled at her grandfather, nearly causing Cortez to melt. He loved her smile. There was a playfulness behind it and a flash of genuine love in her eyes. He was right when he said that she cherished her grandfather. That look in her emerald eyes gave it away.
"Thank you for your help." Sophie grabbed the Tupperware and stepped towards the boys. "These are for you to take home since grandfather says you have to hurry home."
Cortez grabbed the Tupperware from Sophie and stared at it for a moment. She was giving him food that she made and he got to eat it? Why did that make him so happy?
"Thank you, Sophie." Cortez looked up from the Tupperware and at the short brunette. She flashed him a warm smile that made him fall even more in love. "Call me any time, Sophie. If you need anything."
"Okay. I will." Sophie nodded, her hands folded sweetly in front of her and eyes locked with his.
Jeremiah looked to Sophie's grandfather as his eyes narrowed into slits. He was staring directly at Cortez as Cortez stared at Sophie with hearts in his eyes. Before the situation got anymore tense and awkward, Jeremiah kicked the Alpha's leg to pull him back to earth.
"We'll be on our way then." Jeremiah called out as he started towards the door.
"Thanks again." Sophie waved at the two men as they stepped off the porch and into the bright sun. She watched them grab their tools and step onto the dirt road before she shut the door.
Sophie quietly served up her grandfather some spaghetti as she smiled to herself. She couldn't deny that she liked Cortez. He was very sweet, very caring, and very generous. There was a look in his eyes that she liked as well. It felt like he was really, really looking at her. Like he wanted to hear every syllable she spoke and study every expression she wore on her face. It flattered her as much as it made her anxious.
"Here you go, Chief." Sophie chimed as she placed a full plate in front of her grandfather.
Henry watched his granddaughter very carefully, trying his best to convince himself that what he was assuming wasn't true.
"You don't have a crush on one those men, do you, Sophie?" Henry asked simply.
"What?" Sophie's eyes widened as she looked back at her grandfather. "No way! They're so much older than me! I don't think I could date a guy that much older than me. It would be just inappropriate."
"Good. I'm glad to hear you say that. You're a smart girl." Henry proudly nodded and started to eat and enjoy his spaghetti. He didn't need to pry her for more. He trusted her. She had never lied to him before.
Sophie didn't know if she was telling the truth. She thought she was. She couldn't imagine going out on a date with a man in his mid twenties. That just seemed strange, and yes, very inappropriate. She was only in high school. Her seventeenth birthday was closer than her eighteenth birthday. She was still young and she was very aware of that. Going out with a full grown adult seemed strange.
But Cortez was also a very, very handsome man. She felt drawn to him, for some reason.