Ch. 5: Dinner

ALEKSANDR

The thing I couldn’t understand was why her scent was so faint.  It was almost as if she has passed by hours ago instead of minutes.  The pull of the mate bond usually makes your mate’s scent overpowering, and being much stronger than any other scent adds to the allure.

Dustin still didn’t know why we were following this human or why I was asking for more information about her, but I could tell he wanted to give me a hard time.  We cut our drive through the town short, and he kept glancing at me with curiosity in his eyes as we head back to the pack house.  He loves making jokes and getting me riled up, but he also knows not to joke about something serious, and since he doesn’t know the situation yet, he's obviously waiting until I tell him what’s going on.

He’s my beta and my closest friend, so I know I can trust him, but there is too much happening here that doesn’t make sense.  I need to wait until I have more answers before I tell him about my mate.  At the very least I need to know if she is single.  While I fully believe in true mates and the mate bond, I would hate to pull a family apart, especially for my second chance mate.  I was lucky enough to have one already, and I can’t bring myself to be selfish.

It’s actually extremely rare for a werewolf to have a human mate, and almost unheard of for an alpha to be mated to a human.  Despite her scent being so faint, there is no mistaking what my wolf and I detected.  She is without a doubt fated to us, but this is the most unique situation I’ve ever heard of or experienced.

I can’t do anything else now, so I tell Dustin I need to get back to the pack house to get some work done.  I have dinner with my parents tonight, and I fully expect my mother will have some answers for me.

By the time we reached the pack house my mind was completely consumed with the woman from the park.  Of course, my wolf was excitedly strutting around encouraging me to go back to her, but I told him that we need to be patient.  He didn’t like that and growled at me before curling up in the back of my mind to pout.  I just hope I get some answers quickly.  I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to hold him back.

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It’s ten minutes until 6 pm and I’m standing on the porch of my parents’ ultra modern house ready for dinner.  Dressed in dark jeans and a black button up shirt, holding flowers for mom, I ring the doorbell and wait patiently for someone to answer.

Dad opens the door while he’s still talking to mom.  He nods to me, mid-sentences, inviting me in as I hear the end of what he’s saying.  “…it doesn’t matter when, all that matters is that it happens, Vasilisa.”

From the other room I can hear mom’s reply, “Nikolai, Timing is everything!  You can do exactly the right thing, but if it’s at the wrong time it can ruin all your efforts.”

I’m not one to ask questions or jump into someone else conversation.  As alpha I already know more than I want to about most people’s lives.  I am not interested in any extra information that is not necessary for me to know, so I don’t ask about their conversation.  Like I said before, if I need to know something my mom will tell me.

We walk into the kitchen where mom is pulling a roast duck out of the oven.  I can smell the steamed veggies on the stovetop with a hint of butter, but the aroma of fresh baked bread is filling the house.  It all smells amazing!

I hand my mom the bouquet of Asters and Transvaal daisies that I brought with me.  She loves them because she calls them “happy flowers.”  She pulls an empty vase from under the sink and fills it with water for her flowers.  After arranging the flowers in the vase, she sets it prominently in the center of the table so we can all enjoy them while we eat.

The conversation shifts as we all sit down at the table.  “Alek, how was the alpha meeting?  Are we going to be moving forward with the investment expansion?”  Dad puts a bite of roast duck in his mouth while he waits for my response.

My parents have been aware of my idea for a while, but I wanted to work out all the details before I presented it to the other alphas.  It’s a good idea for us to know what each pack is doing, and to make similar moves. “Yes,” I answer.  “Three other alphas have committed to doing something similar in their territory, while the rest are taking it back to their own councils to discuss the plan.  We are going to start looking at properties around here within the next week or two, but we need to find a real estate agent to help us.”

It has been years since we purchased any property.  Usually, we just build what we need on our existing land, but because we want to create more of a buffer between us and the nearby human town, we will need to make some purchases.  “Emmett, my gamma, is looking for a local agent to work with and we hope to get started viewing properties soon.” I continue.

I notice mom giving dad a slight smirk, but because she doesn’t comment I let it slide.  Dad continues, “So, what types of properties are you considering?”

“At this point we’re fairly open,” I muse.  “We don’t want to get stuck on one idea and then not be able to find it.  We are going to see what properties are currently available and how they could benefit the pack or the nearby humans before we make any decisions.”

Mom chimes in, “I think that’s very wise, Alek.  I’m so proud of the man you’ve become and the way you care for others, even the humans outside our pack.”  Her eyes twinkle with admiration, and I know she truly means it.

I feel so grateful to have parents who not only encourage me and praise me for a job well done, but who will also call me out on my shit when I’m wrong and challenge my decisions.  They have been known to do that a time or two.

I may not always come to them for advice with every decision, but I definitely appreciate their input with the big decisions.  Sometimes it’s just nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of, even if they are just listening while I verbally process my thoughts.  That is one of the big things I miss about having a mate.

With that thought, the woman from the park was back in the forefront of my mind again.  It must have been obvious that my mind wandered somewhere else because I heard my dad clear is throat to get my attention.  I look over to see my mother smiling knowingly at me.  Does she know about my mate?  Maybe she has some of the answers I’m looking for about my mate’s scent, and the odd circumstance this woman appears to be in.

After another moment of my brain reeling over these questions, my mother speaks up.  She’s sporting a grin that’s growing bigger by the second. “Is there something you’d like to discuss, Alek?”