I thought she'd forgive me as soon as I told her why I did what I did, but now that I was thinking about it, I understood. I deserved it. She was no longer mad, she said, but it would take a bit of time for her to forgive me. To be honest, I didn't know if I could forgive myself.
"I really, really like this house, Leonidas," she said with a smile, and I tried—and failed— to keep one off of my own. My hard work was worth more than I could have imagined when I first started to build it.
Is this what being happy feels like?
"Thank you," I muttered, a little embarrassed. I felt like a child thanking someone for giving them food or washing them. "I worked hard on it."
"I can tell. It's beautiful."
I didn't know what to do now. I was glad she'd liked the house, as it had become my pride and joy, but I had no clue what we were supposed to do after this.
Silence ensued, neither of us seeming to know how to act towards each other.
"Leonidas..."
"Leo, please. I've started to let Jackson and Ana call me Leo, you should to," I said softly. She smiled, and my wolf sent his feelings of joy through our bond.
"I just," She cleared her throat, "to be honest, I don't know how to act right now, or what to do. None of us had parents that were normal mates."
It was true, and I hadn't thought of it that way. We stood in silence for a few more moments before an idea came to my mind.
"We could ask someone else?" I voiced in a small tone. I didn't know what she did and didn't want to do, so I was nervous she would just leave. I couldn't let her leave, not again.
"That's a great idea!" I winced as her normal, quiet voice turned into a shriek. She gave me a regretful smile. "We can ask Jackson and Ana!"
"I don't know if they'd be the best example, maybe we could find someone else in the pack." While I did want to ask someone for help with Eleanor, I didn't want to talk to Councilman Harry. I couldn't figure out why. What was I scared of?
"Don't be silly, Leonidas. We are very close to them, it would be easier to ask them that hard questions." She had me there, but I still wasn't happy about it.
"Fine. Lead the way." I muttered, motioning to the front door. She was far, far more confident than the girl I had met weeks ago... she'd gotten so much better after her father.
I hadn't paid much attention to her physical form when she was here a month ago. She'd gotten fuller... thicker... and I definitely wasn't going to be one to complain. My wolf began to pant in the back of my mind, and I knew I had to stop this train of thought before I ended up somewhere I wouldn't be able to return from.
"What are you thinking about?" Eleanor asked, "You're so deep in thought." After her sentence came a giggle, and I actually had to stop walking.
This?
These feelings were what I had been missing out on?
I sighed, and continued to follow her. Wolf form would have been faster, but I was too nervous to ask if she had learned to shift with the Council.
"Leonidas?"
Right. She had asked me a question.
"I never apologized for what happened with your father," I said, looking ahead instead of at her as I spoke.
She shot me a questioning glance, and walked in silence for a few minutes.
"Why would you apologize for what that monster did?" She murmured, her eyes also staying ahead and not looking at me. I tried not to stare.
"Because, in a way, I hurt you too. After ripping you from his grasp, I treated you horribly, and for that I apologize."
Her eyes rolled and she stopped walking, myself stopping shortly after.
"You need not apologize for him, but I will accept the other apology." Her eyes held an amused glint, and she started to walk faster than she had been before. I caught up quickly.
It was silent for a few more moments, then she spoke again.
"Stop beating yourself up about it Leonidas, it's over. It's done." I furrowed my eyebrows at her statement. What did she mean?
"I don't understand, Eleanor." The pack house was coming into view now, but I felt like it would only lead to more confusion.
"I mean that you should stop beating yourself up about your father. It's done. He's gone. You're different." She said quietly.
"That's not how it works," I said, giving her a sadistic chuckle, "but thank you for your words." I was afraid if I sounded even the tiniest bit rude or mean, she would walk away for good. At this point, I was really surprised she hadn't.
We reached the entrance of the house, but it was pushed open as Eleanor reached to ring the doorbell.
"Eleanor! You're back!" Ana squealed, gripping her in a tight hug. Eleanor's eyes widened as the hug turned so she faced me, and I could tell she wanted help. I gave her the biggest smile I could muster and gave a small shake of my head. She rolled her eyes, but didn't fight the hug.
"It's good to see you too, Ana," Eleanor whispered. She was released from the hug, then smacked on her arm. Jackson and I both stepped up with a growl, ready to interfere, but Ana waved us away. I continued to growl.
Eleanor rubbed her arm, and I growled louder. This caused Jackson to start up again, and Ana rolled her eyes.
"That was for coming to see Jackson and not me earlier," Ana said, "and both of you need to keep your damn mouths shut. We can take care of each other."
"I don't like anyone, including you, hurting my mate. I'm sure she would feel the same about me." I muttered crossly. Ana rolled her eyes again and turned to Eleanor, crossing her arms, Eleanor nodded.
"I can't win!" Ana shrieked, storming back into the house. Jackson sighed with a sarcastic smile.
"Please, do come in." His tone was sarcastic too, and I knew I was right in assuming this was a bad idea. They must have been in a bad mood when we got here.
Eleanor was wringing her hands nervously as she looked around the pack house, and I'm sure memories were filling her mind. Bad memories, most likely of me.
"Hey," I murmured, trying to get her eyes on me. It worked, and I almost crumpled at the sight of fear in her eyes.
"Yeah?" She asked, swallowing. Her hands were twitching now, and I surprised both myself and her when I grabbed them.
"Don't think about it," I suggested with a pitiful smile. She nodded, but I couldn't tell if she was going to follow my advice. It probably wasn't good advice anyway.
"Hello? Earth to the happy couple letting the cool air in? It isn't cheap to heat this entire house, you know?" Goddess, Jackson sounded like a mother hen. I slammed the door shut, then winced as I turned to Eleanor who was still wringing her hands.
"I'm sorry," I murmured, hoping Jackson wouldn't catch the apology, and either both heard me and ignored me or they didn't hear me at all. As Jackson walked towards the entrance of the kitchen, I turned to Eleanor.
"I'm sorry for that," I said, this time a little louder.
"I know," she said. I nodded, and she followed Jackson into the kitchen. I took one more moment, then followed suit.
Ana was in there, a steaming cup of tea in her hands and Jackson rubbing her back as she sat at the dining table.
"Not that I'm unhappy to see you guys, but what brings you here?" Jackson asked. "I would have thought you would spend the night talking things out."
I waited until Eleanor had sat before sitting behind her, my hand itching to pull hers apart. The skin was beginning to get irritated, but I didn't know if she would be comfortable with me touching her. I decided to not get involved.
"We talked most things over, but Eleanor wanted to come back and speak to you both." At the sound of her name she seemed to sort of snap out of whatever trance she was in, blinking rapidly.
"We wanted to know how we should act," Eleanor said confidently. The new and improved Eleanor was blunt, that was for sure, and it wasn't clear on whether it was a good or bad thing.
Both Ana and Jackson's eyes widened, and I could tell they were mind linking.
"That certainly caught us by surprise," Ana mumbled, stirring her tea. Eleanor blushed.
"It's just—neither of us have been around what is considered a normal couple besides you guys, so neither of us know how to act towards each other."
"Well," Ana started, "at least you know some things not to do, but I don't know how to explain what to do." Her face held pity as she took a drink of her tea and turned to Jackson for help.
"You could go the classic route," Jackson mentioned, "taking her on dates, surprising her with flowers and presents, etc.. Or, you could just really focus on getting to know each other better just by sitting and talking."
I was confused. Dates?
Jackson began to laugh, holding his stomach as he almost fell out of his chair. One smack on the arm and he was quiet again.
"You don't know what a date is, do you brother?" Jackson asked in a mocking tone. Ana smacked him again and he frowned, staring at her with a sad face.
"Stop making fun of him, Jackson. Need I remind you about a few nights ago?" Ana taunted, and I was shocked to see my brother and look down with a slight shake of his head.
"Can either of you just tell me what a date is?" I asked, exasperated. It was a bad idea to come here, but I avoided telling Eleanor that I'd told her so.
"Going out to dinner, maybe going to see a movie? I don't know," Ana said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Those are human things," I said in disgust. Who would want to do human things? Those pathetic creatures could barely survive on their own, and I really didn't want to be around someone I could snap like a twig.
"We don't have to, Leonidas. We can think of something else," I didn't miss the disappointed tone of Eleanor's voice, "but I would really like to try going on a date if that's okay with you."
"We can figure something out later," I murmured, and she gave me a small nod and a smile before turning back to the happy couple before us. Their mouths were open in surprise, and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.
"What?" I asked, trying to avoid scowling at them. Why could no one simply speak their minds around here?
"You're supposed to make a big deal, or even just ask politely rather than just agreeing about talking about this later." Jackson didn't even try to hide his scowl as he spoke.
"He's just angry that it took him three tries to get me to agree to a date. He was an asshole back then," Ana said with a laugh.
"He's still an asshole," I muttered under my breath. Eleanor smacked my arm, then her eyes went wide in fear. I grabbed the hand that had smacked me and rubbed it softly. Her breathing picked up, and her eyes continued to widen more and more.
"Breathe," I murmured. It wasn't working. I looked to Jackson and Ana for help, and Ana scurried across the room. When her hand touched Eleanor's skin she flinched, so Ana ripped her arm back.
"Pick her up," Ana said.
"Why?" I asked incredulously, looking back to my mate that seemed to be choking. My wolf howled in despair.
"Just do it!" Ana yelled, and my wolf took over to follow her orders. My hands, not under my control, placed themselves under Eleanor's armpits and lifted her onto my lap. My arms then wrapped around her, and slowly but surely her breathing calmed down.
When my wolf gave me back control and Ana was sitting back down with Jackson, I looked down and noticed Eleanor was asleep.
"Thanks. Now I'm going to have to carry her back, Ana." I muttered, trying not to wake her but also get my point across.
"You shouldn't be unhappy about that Leonidas," Ana snapped. I growled, but stopped immediately when Eleanor began to shift in my arms.
"You're holding your mate," Jackson spoke up, "you should never be upset about that." I found myself cursing under my breath as him and Ana made love eyes at each other.
'I'm leaving. You two have fun."
"Don't forget about the date!"