Chapter 3

ROXIE

For the last few hours, my room was starting to take shape. I bagged everything that I didn’t want anymore. 

It felt good to get rid of the old items, especially my clothes, but one thing is for sure, I need new clothes. 

My father kept checking on me, but in all fairness, I think he was making sure I was still in my room. 

I sighed as I placed the black sack in the corner of the room. I looked around, I knew I needed to redecorate with a splash of paint, but I could do that another time. But my room was slowly coming together.

I move my bag from the floor and place it on the bed. I unpacked everything I had brought with me. I didn’t have much, and I always traveled lightly, as I never knew if I wanted to stay in one place or not. My uncle’s pack was the place I called home for the last six years, but I traveled around with members of the pack to help with situations and even visited some gorgeous locations.

Bex stirs in my bed and looks through my eyes, “You okay?” she asks.

I sigh. “Yeah, I guess,” I say as I grab a dress to wear for dinner my father has planned for this evening.

“You know we could go for a run,” she says with a grin.

I laughed slightly. “I would love to, but we are having a family meal with Dad and Jason,” I said. “Besides, we get to meet Sofia.”

Bex nods. 

“I hope she's nice,” she says. “I wouldn’t want to rip someone’s throat out.”

I stared back at her, “Seriously.”

Bex smirks, “You should wear the navy dress,” she says.

I groaned. “We talked about this,” I said as I walked into the bathroom.

“I know, but I think you should look hot,” she says. “You never know; she might outdo you.”

I stopped in my tracks and pulled a face.

“Seriously, she’s my brother’s mate,” I say as I switch on the shower.

Bex laughs. “You are so easy to wind up,” she says, shaking her head.

I groan and climb into the shower. I quickly get showered and wash my hair.

Once I was finished, I climbed out and wrapped a towel around me. I walked back into my room and dried myself off. I dress in a navy dress, which makes Bex smirk. I ignore her. I sit in front of my mirror and dry my hair. I won't do much as it’s only family. I applied some makeup, and I was ready.

I got up from my chair and placed my flats on. I glanced up and noticed a figure in the doorway. 

“Well, don’t you look nice,” says Jason, leaning on my doorframe. 

I jumped up and smiled at him, “JASON,” I screamed and ran into his open arms as he pushed off the doorframe. He picks me up and swings me around, “MINI,” he says as he places his head into my neck. I wrapped my arms around his neck.

I pull back and frown. “I wish you would stop calling me that,” I say to him as he puts me down. 

Jason smirks, “It’s not my fault you’re short,” he says.

My father and brother are over six feet tall, but I seemed to have been given the short gene of five feet four. My mum was tall too, so God knows who I got my height from.

“Well, I might be short but I will hurt you,” I smirked.

Jason laughs. “I like to see you try mini,” he says.

I stared at him with a smirk; if only he knew what I could do. 

Bex smirks.

Jason looks at me. “Well, I want you to meet Sofia,” he says with a soppy grin.

I have never seen my brother look this happy in his life, except when he thought we got him tickets for his favorite football team, Chelsea. 

I smirked. “Is it fair to say that my big brother is in love,” I said to him.

Jason looked at me, and his cheeks flushed slightly. Please tell me I made my brother get embarrassed.

I didn’t say anything.

I wrapped my arms around him and we walked out of my room, straight down the stairs. 

Jason went down the stairs first, and I followed him.

I couldn’t help but glance around until my eyes landed on a slender girl standing next to my father. 

She looks up at me and smiles. “You must be Roxie,” she says as I walk over to them. I smile. Sofia held her hand out to me, and I was happy to take it. “I am, and you must be the one who has made an honest man out of my brother,” I said to her.

Sofia smiles, but I can tell she has a slight blush on her cheeks.

I glanced at my brother, who seemed to be staring at his mate like a love-sick puppy. He wraps his arms around her waist.

I smile.

Bex stares through my eyes and looks at Sofia. “He did good,” she says. She sits on her back paws.

“So, how do you feel about being back home?” asks Sofia, who pulls me away from my wolf.

I smile. “It’s okay but weird,” I say as I move toward the couch. Sofia moves away from Jason and follows me. She sits down next to me, and she smiles. “Nothing’s changed since I left.”

Sofia smiles, but I glance at my father and Jason, who are huddled in the corner. Jason looks up at me, “Dad and I will make sure the food is ready,” he says as they both walk into the kitchen.

Not weird at all; they are planning something.

“Never mind them,” says Sofia.

I glanced back at her and smiled.

“So, how did you meet my brother?” I asked her. Jason told me in an email, but I would like to hear about it from her point of view, as sometimes men would exaggerate things, especially when it comes to women.

Sofia smiled. “I came here to visit the pack, as I wanted to find my mate. My alpha allowed some women to go to different packs to find their mates as most were getting older. So I was picked to go. I remember coming here, and they held a BBQ party for us. I saw him standing by the BBQ getting some food,” she says. “He looked up, and we were hooked.”

Not exactly what he said, but I guessed he would have been by the food since he loves eating so much.

Sofia and I talked for a bit longer. I have to admit; I like her. She is good for Jason.

“Food’s ready,” called Jason as he came into the lounge.

I look up at him and he smiles. “Dad went all out on food, made all your favorites,” he says.

“Well, I’m starving,” says Sofia as she gets up from the couch. I smiled to myself and moved off the couch. 

I watch as Sofia places her hand into Jason’s hand.

I couldn't help but smile.

I follow them into the kitchen, where my father stands behind the cooker, dishing out what looks like soup into bowls. He looks at me and smiles, “Take a seat, Rox,” he says, nodding towards the dining table.

I nod and walk over to the table to take my usual space. I pulled out the chair and sat down. But I glance around at the table and realize that there are another two places set. 

I look at my father, but he avoids my gaze. 

Jason sits a seat down from me, making the space in front of me free. There were two seats at either end of the table, which was for my father, but no clue who the other one was for. Sofia was sitting next to me. 

I was about to say something, but the doorbell rang out.

“I get it,” says my father and walks out of the kitchen.

I glanced at Jason. “Who’s that?” I asked him.

Jason looks at me but smirks, but doesn’t say anything.

Moments later, my father walks back in with Alpha Frank following right behind him.

I should have known, but before I could say anything, a scent hit my senses like a tidal wave and nearly knocked me off my chair.

Bex starts to get restless in my head and stirs. 

Whoever it is, has my wolf going crazy.

“MATE,” yells Bex in my head suddenly. “HE’S HERE.”

She stares out of my eyes.

Alpha Frank stands there and looks at me, but someone stands behind him, and his eyes land on me.

My stomach does summersaults. I know those eyes anywhere.

It had to be him.

It had to be that arsehole.

I keep my expression blank as I stare at him. 

A smirk appears on his mouth as his eyes never leave mine, “Welcome home, mate,” he says.

Bex stares back, and her mouth has drool slipping out of the sides of her mouth as she looks at him. But she looks at me but c***s her head to the side and stares at him. 

“That’s…” she says but stops.

I stare at her. But she didn’t say anything to me.

I'm waiting for her to register who he is.

I look back at the man who hurt my feelings six years ago. He might look like a s*x god on legs, but this woman is not going to fall for him.

I must have been silent for too long as someone cleared their throat. 

I saw Alexander smirking and everyone was looking between both of us, trying not to ruin a moment or something. 

“Well, hello Alexander, It’s been a while!” I said in a calm voice.