Chapter 5

"Jasmine?" I heard the familiar voice call, and I froze. It is what I have been trying to avoid. Now it has become inevitable. I glanced at my mom, begging her with my eyes not to sell me out, while I was trying to hatch an escape plan. If I walked fast enough, I could run away through the back door before he got inside.

"Don’t even think of it, Jaz. I know that you are in there and that you are already plotting an escape plan." The voice boomed from outside; it was getting closer, and if I wanted to escape, I needed to do it now.

"Dad," I called out as I saw him. "Fancy seeing you here." I was inching back little by little so I could escape.

"I should be telling that to you. This is my house, and I have every right to be here. Now, you young lady, what are you doing here? And where are you going all dressed up like this?" He said, eyeing my outfit from head to toe.

"I just want to go out and relax; you know that leading a pack isn’t as easy as it seems. I have always wondered how you managed to make it seem so effortless. Indeed, I still have a lot to learn from you." I praise him, trying to boost his ego and eventually make him forget what he just saw. But it was easier said than done, he saw through my deceit.

"I know what you are trying to do, Jaz, and it is not working. I know you very well; you wouldn’t just dress up on a Sunday evening if you didn’t have somewhere important to be." He shared a look with my mom, and he smiled knowingly. "So, you have met your mate, eh?" he teased, giving me a sly look.

"Mom!" I groaned, looking at her.

"I didn’t say anything." She replied, raising her hands in surrender. But I didn’t look convinced. "I promise, I didn’t say anything."

"Your mother is right; she didn't say anything." My dad interrupted, coming to his mate's rescue. He strolled to where she was and came to stand beside her, giving her a kiss on her forehead, and I swooned. When I was younger, their open display of affection usually bugged me, but now I was unfazed. Besides, werewolves are known to be very touchy.

My mom looked at him like he was the center of her whole world. No words were spoken, but a lot was going on between them. It was times like this that I always felt like I was interrupting something. I cleared my throat to remind them of my presence, and my dad looked at me smiling.

"Your mother didn’t say a word. I mean, it is pretty obvious; you would make such an effort if you weren’t trying to impress someone, and who more can you impress than your partner?"

"Alright, you caught me. Bye, parents," I said, and I attempted to run past them.

"Hold on right there, young lady. Where are you rushing to?" I groaned internally, a low rumble rising in my chest. I mean, it's pretty obvious.

"Out. I have a date, remember? And I am already five minutes late." I said, glancing at the wrist watch I had snagged from my mom. I made a move again, but his voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Hold on. Why the hurry? Let him come over here and pick you up. We will love to get to know him, right?" He said, looking at his mate for backup, and she nodded, supporting him.

"Yes, invite him here; let us get to see him at least before we set a date so we can all get to know him better." My mom added, and this time a groan came out of me. It was exactly what I was trying to avoid. It is just a matter of time before the whole pack finds out.

I brought out my phone and placed a call to him, suddenly grateful that he had insisted on inputting his number into mine. He picked up on the first ring, and his hypnotic voice immediately grabbed me. "Jasmine," he called out, slightly out of breath, and I swooned, closing my eyes to feel his voice.

But the eyes piercing through my skin wouldn’t allow me to enjoy the moment, so I shook my head, clearing off the images. "Hey Vincent, there is a slight change of plan." My ears picked up the sound of tires rolling on the dirt, and it stopped.

"Why, what happened? Does that mean you wouldn’t be able to make it again? He asked in a panicked voice.

"Calm down. I will still be able to make it, but you will have to come pick me up from my dad’s place. I believe you know the place, yeah?" There was a slight pause and then a little "yes." I didn’t need anyone to tell me that his heart was beating like crazy. "Just relax; it is nothing serious. They found out we were mates, and they just want to get to know you."

"Alright, I am on my way." And the line became static as he cut the call. 

I turned to the parents and asked, "Satisfied." And they both nodded, smiling very weirdly.

"Dad, please don’t scare him away. He is just a warrior." I plead, trying to avoid any drama.

He gasped dramatically, "What do you take me for? I wouldn’t do anything to him." But I couldn’t take him seriously while he was smiling so much that his dimples were showing. I looked at him pointedly "I promise, I wouldn’t do anything you don’t like to him." He reassured me, and I decided to leave it be.

Satisfied with his promise, I went to join them on the sofa, occasionally glancing at the wall clock. And true to his words, in two minutes I heard the doorbell ring, and I was jumping out of the chair to answer the door.

I opened the door, and there the man of my dream stood, holding a box of what I perceived to be chocolate. "I didn’t take you to be a flower kind of girl, so I brought you chocolate. I mean, you can never go wrong with chocolate, right?" he asked with a charming smile, and I swooned.

He was wrong; I was actually a flower kind of girl, but of course, I also love chocolate, so he was actually right. You can’t go wrong with chocolate. I accepted the box of chocolate with a smile. "Come in, please." I said as I ushered him inside the house.

"Good day, Alpha, Luna." He greeted me as soon as he saw my parents. They were still grinning, and I had to send a reminder on the mind link that they promised to behave.

I ushered him to go closer to where they were sitting,

"Dad, mom, meet Vincent. My mate." I said, gesturing to the man beside me. "Vincent, meet my parents; you must already be familiar with them."

"It is an honor to be in your home." He said he was shaking my dad’s hand. My mom, ever the hugger, enveloped him in a warm hug. 

"It is nice to meet you, Vincent; welcome to our humble home." My mom said.

My dad cleared his throat and my mom released him. "I am aware that you are taking her out on a date, so I can’t keep you here for a long time. We will set a later date where we can all meet and get to know one another. You may go."

"Thank you, sir." Vincent replied.

"And bring her back on time." My dad called out, and Vincent nodded as we hurried out. I sent a grateful message to my dad; he really behaved well and didn’t hold us up for too long.

"Where is the car?" I had to ask when I looked around and saw that there were no traces of the four-wheel drive. 

"This is the car." He was gesturing to a place, and I followed the direction of his hand until it landed on a bicycle. Disappointment washed over me like cold water. Is this a joke?

"I rode the bicycle here; the place isn’t far from the pack, and unfortunately, I don’t own a car yet. So, this bicycle should take us. Don't worry, it is strong and sturdy and can carry us comfortably." He said, tapping the seats of the bicycle. 

I watched as he talked, the smile evident in his eyes, and I didn’t want to wipe that away, so I decided to get on it. I took the helmet, carefully putting it on so as not to ruin my mother’s work, and got on the bicycle, holding him tight as he cycled away from the pack. I was beginning to loosen up as we progressed in the journey, and I was now enjoying it. The breeze was hitting us from all directions and making a mess of my hair, but thankfully, the helmet was able to control that for a bit.

"Are you okay there?" he shouted against the wind.

"Yes," I hollered back. "I am enjoying the ride!"