16. Potatoes

Iswiftly return home just to get it over with and get reprimanded, but Ella doesn't mention my earlier outburst again. Dante takes a break from work to check on the both of us and doesn't scold me either, aside from asking me to be more careful and not send another boy to hospital. For a second I consider telling them about Rob and how he seems to be interested in me. Then I drop it, though. That's too private to share, and I can certainly handle a date myself.

Before dinner, I find myself strolling around the pack grounds again and watching some of the animals. They have a little farm here, which is kind of cute. It's there that I bump into Jun, the gamma.

"Here you are," he says.

"Have you been looking for me?"

"Ella was," he admits. "She said you didn't take your phone with you."

My heart tightens as sudden fear overcomes me. I don't know why I feel that way; it makes no sense, but I can hardly shake the anxiety off. "Did something happen? Are she and Uncle Dante okay?"

"Yes," he reassures me. "Nothing happened. She just wanted you to know that dinner is ready in an hour."

I let out a sigh of relief.

"So, who did you beat this time?" he asks. He is a quiet and introverted guy, but nice. He is not as stern as the alpha and not as serious as Dante.

"A misogynist boy in school," I say.

Jun's lips tug slightly in amusement. "I think you will make a good warrior one day if you get your temper in check."

"You mean I could learn how to fight?"

Jun eyes me thoughtfully. "Why don't you get a private trainer to help you train your wolf senses and learn how to release some steam?"

I blink at his suggestion. Learning how to defend myself sounds great actually! Some days, I just want to beat something and can barely keep my anger in check. Why didn't I think of that before!? "Where can I sign up?"

"Well," Jun looks amused. "You would need to ask the beta. He is the one organizing the training schedules."

Wait… this means I need to ask Dante? I groan inwardly. He is always super tentative that I won't get hurt, and then he is also… well… I've not been too nice to him. Or rather, I'm absolutely shit to him all the time, and now it's him I have to ask a favor from. Karma is truly a bitch.

But once I set my mind on something, I have a hard time not thinking about it. And I don't want to chicken out. Don't be a chicken, Charlie, be an owl! Not sure if owls are brave, but in my mind they are.

Jun is so kind as to show me towards Dante's office in the packhouse, an area I haven't seen so far. I've only been in the alpha's office once, when he made me a pack member, which was super cool with a silver knife and blood and all!

Jun knocks at the door and leads me inside. "Beta Dante, your niece wanted to talk to you."

Wow, the guy certainly never heard about mentally preparing yourself. Jun smiles shortly at us and then leaves, saying he is looking for his mate. His mate is a super-sweet guy called Luca. He is currently trying to learn to become an electrician.

Dante turns his attention to me, smiling warmly. "What a nice surprise to have you visit me."

"Well, I have a selfish request," I admit.

"Tell me about it," he says.

"So… Gamma Jun suggested that I should channel my anger in a more constructive way," I say. "And I thought it would be cool to learn some self-defense. The others my age here in the pack already had some basic training, but I don't know anything."

Dante looks surprised. "You want to learn how to fight?"

"Is that bad?"

"Not at all." He leans back in his chair. His eyes gloss over for a moment before he is back with me. "I briefly talked to Ella, and she also thinks it's a good idea. So, yes, you can do that." He smiles. "I will make sure to get you a good private trainer. Actually, I have someone perfect in mind."

I'm surprised by how nice he is to me and how forthcoming, despite me giving him an attitude all the time. "Why are you not shit to me? You should hate me!" I exclaim.

"I don't hate you," he says, surprised. "You are family. My lycan claimed you as his own niece. Besides, you are a part of Ella, and I love Ella."

Blerg, their unconditional love is so gross sometimes. But also cute.

I twirl around in the chair, eyeing the ceiling. "A private trainer?" I ask.

"There is a young warrior here; she has very promising skills and will soon join the elites. Her name is Livia. She is nineteen." He smiles. "I think she would be perfect for the task. Just like you, she is a pretty tough young woman, and she likes to kick obnoxious guys in their butt."

I beam at his words. This Livia sounds like my kind of person. I look at Dante for a while, swallowing down my pride and for once allowing myself to be vulnerable around him. "Thank you," I mutter. "I know I'm not easy to be around. Yet you help me so much."

Dante furrows his brows, looking confused. "Charlie, we love having you around. Everything is just new for all of us. We all just need some time to adapt and get the hang of things, don't you think so?"

"You don't think I'm terrible?"

He chuckles. "Most of the time, you are actually pretty fun, and I've seen how kind you are to your friends. Also, you just beat up a bunch of bullies."

My head perks up. "That was cool, wasn't it?"

"As your beta, I approve of you defending the other girls," he says. "As your uncle, just try not to get suspended until the school year ends."

I smile slightly. "Thank you, Uncle Dante." I pause. "So, this Livia is cool, huh? By my standards too?"

Dante looks amused. "Yeah, I guess my standards of what's considered cool are different. But I would bet my life that you will love her." He pauses. "On the weekend, Alpha Liam's twin brothers will be visiting. He wants you to meet them."

"Will I also meet Aurelia?" I ask.

"Wait, you know her?"

I snort. "It's hard not to. Every guy here has a boner for her," I say. "I'm serious; she is one of the hot topics. Dave said the warriors and guards leave a trail of drool whenever she visits."

Dante cringes. "Please, don't tell that to our alpha." He pauses. "But yes, there are plans in place for you to meet her, but she is still in Paris. However, Felix and Dario will be coming. So, reserve Sunday for meeting the alpha family and Livia."

"Can I hang out with Gisela and Austen on Saturday? Austen has a new video game."

"Yes, but tell Ella that you will miss lunch then."

"Gotcha."

There is a knock at the door, and I jump up to leave and let Dante proceed with his work. It's Dave and his mate, Raffy. I love them both; they are so funny, nice, and quirky. I wish more people would be like them, Dave in particular.

I head back home, noticing how Ella is hovering above a few pots on the stove, her face wearing an expression of highest concentration. To make sure not to disrupt anything, I decide to find a place for myself to chill a bit.

The apartment is so spacious. Sometimes, Dante and Ella discuss moving to one of the houses, but they both seem to like their flat, and so do I. It's modern with lots of space. There are many people around us, yet when we leave the packhouse, we are amidst nature. It has the best of both worlds for me.

I rummage a bit through the place and finally decide to check out the second balcony on the second floor. I have not been there yet. Somehow, I always forgot about it. I take my sketchbook and the pens Dante and Ella gifted me when I started school here.

The balcony is small and comfy as opposed to the spacious one on the first floor. It's awesome that they actually have a two-floor apartment. So fancy.

I make myself comfortable on a soft chair and start doodling in my sketchbook. I'm all into anime recently and love drawing my own anime characters. I've drawn myself already, and then go on to draw an anime version of my friends and then of Dante and Ella. Oh, this reminds me, I could make a whole little comic about the pack and my life here.

That would be fun!

With newfound motivation and finally a real project in mind, I start to work. When it gets a bit too cool to sit outside, I head back inside, deciding to take a break. I check out the other rooms on the floor until I stumble into the last one. It almost feels like an attic. It's a room with lots of sunlight, and there are lots of pictures there. I didn't know Ella and Dante are collecting paintings. One of them is of a middle-aged man throwing a little girl into the air and catching her again.

Something about it touches my heart.

"That's my dad, your grandfather." Ella's voice suddenly reaches me, making me spin around in surprise. She steps closer, her gaze on the painting. "And the girl is me. I was a baby when he died, and we never shared this moment, but in my mind, this is how it would have been if we lived a normal family life." She rummages through some other paintings and shows me one of her… and Mom. And then there is one with Mom and a little girl, which I assume is me because she is dressed in a cute dress with little owls on it. "It helps," Ella says quietly. "To imagine how it would be if they were still around us."

"I like this in particular," I say quietly, pointing at a painting with Ella, Mom, and me on it. We are all at a lake. I'm jumping into the water while Mom and Ella are dangling their feet in it.

"Why don't you take it for your room?" Ella offers. "It's yours if you like it."

"Really!?" I ask.

"Yes."

"Did you paint them?" I ask quietly.

Ella nods. "Art was my main subject at college."

"I didn't know that," I say.

"You draw too, don't you?" Ella says, gesturing towards my sketchbook.

Suddenly I feel self-conscious. "It's just doodling. Nothing compared to your talent. Mine are just comics."

"And?" Ella asks. "It's still art. And I, for one, love comics."

"It's mostly manga style," I admit. "I… I'm working on two little projects," I explain, deciding not to tell her about how I wanted to draw us and instead talk about my second project. "I'm drawing a magical girl manga. It's silly."

"What's it about?" Ella wants to know.

"A young girl that can turn into an owl at night," I explain. "She fights for children in need and is never afraid."

"It sounds beautiful," Ella says to my surprise. "If you ever feel like showing me, I'd feel honored." She pauses. "Why do you like owls so much?"

"Because they are cool," I say. "Okay, they are not as smart as other birds, but they are persistent and hard to get rid of. They are hunters; they aren't the prey. They can be active at night and turn their head 180°. And they can fly. Isn't it amazing to be able to fly? To stretch your wings and just fly into the sky."

Ella stays silent for a while before she nods. "I see why you like them." She smiles. "But now come, dinner is ready. That's why I was looking for you in the first place."

"Ella," I say before she can turn around and leave.

Ella turns around and eyes me curiously. "Yes?"

I swallow down my pride. "Sorry for always worrying you and for punching that idiot in school. I knew it was stupid. And sorry for being such a little shit sometimes."

Ella grins. "You are really something," she says. "It's okay. Let's try to do better next time."

"Got you," I say.

Ella has made a casserole for dinner. It looks slightly overcooked, judging by the burnt cheese on top. Dante and I exchange a short gaze but don't say anything. Ella hates cooking, but she said she wanted to try to make more home-cooked stuff for me. If it were up to me, we could eat with the pack anytime, but something tells me this is important for her.

I take a bite of her casserole, my eyes almost bulging by how spicy it is, and I swear the part in the middle looks uncooked.

Dante takes a massive spoonful—the poor man is so na?ve—coughing once his taste buds have caught up. Ella eyes him curiously, and he shrugs. "Just got something up my nose," he lies.

He and I exchange another gaze, and I carefully swallow another forkful of the casserole. Maybe if I don't breathe, I won't taste it?

"And how does it taste?" Ella asks hopefully while she loads her own plate.

I look at Dante expectantly. He is the adult here. "It's unique," he says. "There is so much personality in it."

I almost die inwardly at that comment because it's so funny. Unique!? That's one way to put it. He bravely takes another bite of the dish while Ella watches him.

Ella looks slightly confused before tasting her food herself. She furrows her brow first, then they grow wide as saucers. She jumps up. "Why didn't you tell me it's inedible!?" Ella runs to the bin and spits out her spoonful. "I'm trying to poison you, and you two are sitting here like helpless little potatoes!"

Dante and I look at her with puppy eyes. "You put so much effort into it," Dante says.

"It has potential," I agree.

Ella rolls her eyes and grabs the whole casserole to toss it away. "I will link the cook and have her send some leftovers from dinner."

I chew on the remainder of my food, making Ella glare at me. "Goddess, Charlie, stop eating it! You will get sick."

"It's kind of growing on me," I say. "The spiciness almost burns a hole into my stomach. I think it would be cool to take this to Ty for a dare."

Dante chuckles while Ella glares at me. "It's half raw, girl. If you want to test Ty's courage, have him bite into a pepperoni."

"Good idea!"

Ella looks at me like a deer caught in the headlights. "I didn't want to give you any more silly ideas," she groans. "It's not like you don't have enough of them on your own."

"It's obvious you two are related," Dante says in a matter-of-fact tone.

I laugh while Ella glares. "So that's how it is," she complains, but her lips tug into a smile while she does so. "You two are ganging up on me. You two better behave, or I will call Dave for backup. No one can compete with his snarkiness."

That's true. I laugh, thinking about how funny it would be if Dave would be here now. And the luna too. When the three of them are together it's always the funniest. Ella told me that there are two other friends who are part of their closer circle—one being Liam's younger brother Finn, who I haven't met yet, and one, Celine, a fucking female alpha! She is mated to Liam's other brother. And she is an alpha, a reigning alpha. This is so cool!

All of Ella's friends are. I hope when I'm an adult I will have such a tight circle of friends too.