Chapter 15 - Killian

Getting a visit from one’s in-laws is a nerve-wracking experience on the best of days. When they show up with no warning, it is even more so. Still, they were my mate’s parents—her only family. I wanted to do my best to show them they had done the right thing in entrusting her to my care.

“Of course, Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” I said. “Please, come in.”

I ushered them into the living room, where Leah stood with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

“Darling!” Mrs. Smith exclaimed, rushing to hug her daughter. “How are you? Is the pack treating their new luna well?”

“Mom, what are you doing here?” Leah asked, returning her hug awkwardly.

“Visiting you, silly,” her mother giggled.

“Aren’t you happy to see us?” her dad asked. “We wanted to surprise you.”

“Well, you certainly did,” Leah replied.

It was the most awkward family reunion I had ever witnessed, but I wanted to put my best foot forward to welcome them. I knew Leah hadn’t always had the best relationship with her parents, but perhaps now that she was mated to an alpha, they would finally be satisfied. After all, they had gotten what they always wanted.

“Come in and sit down,” I said. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“Ice water, please,” Mrs. Smith said, sitting on the couch next to her husband.

“Nothing for me, thank you,” Mr. Smith said.

I went to fetch the drink for Leah’s mother and tried to put together why the visit seemed so tense. Nothing they had said so far was rude or out of place. In fact, they were very kind and respectful. I thought back to our wedding, remembering how they had been almost overly nice to me. Perhaps it was just my title that forced them to show respect.

“Here you are,” I said. I handed the glass to Mrs. Smith, who smiled graciously.

“You’re so kind,” she said. Now that I was paying attention, I realized that her voice was dripping with a sweetness that made my skin crawl.

It’s just a glass of water, Rocky said sarcastically. She’s acting like you gave her the shirt off your back.

“What have you two lovebirds been up to these past few weeks?” Mr. Smith asked.

“You haven’t returned any of my calls, dear,” Mrs. Smith said to Leah, her face screwed up in a fake pout.

“We’ve been busy, Mom,” Leah said.

“Oh, I’m sure you have,” her mom responded, wagging her eyebrows up and down suggestively.

I blushed at her impropriety but couldn’t think of anything to say in response.

“Don’t suppose there’s any news of a grandbaby being on the way soon?” Mrs. Smith continued.

“Mom!” Leah exclaimed.

“No reason to get upset with me,” her mom replied haughtily. “It’s a natural question after a mating ceremony. Particularly when the groom is such a handsome man. Say, how tall are you, Alpha Killian? Six-three? Six-four?”

“Six foot one,” I replied.

“Such an intimidating presence,” she continued, not listening to my reply. “I bet the entire pack thinks the same thing. You can always tell a good leader right off the bat, and I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you that you were the alpha our family needed.”

I cleared my throat uncomfortably, unsure of how to respond to her awkward praise.

“Has our Leah been a good wife to you, Killian?” her father asked. “We did our best to raise her right and to know her place, but she’s had a stubborn streak in her. Is she doing her duties to you?”

From his tone, I could tell Mr. Smith was the kind of man who preferred his women to stay in the kitchen or the bedroom. What he didn’t know was that I preferred Leah exactly as she was.

“Um, yes,” I responded. “She has done everything I asked of her, which is mainly taking care of herself and getting to know the pack. It’s important for a luna to feel her best and be supported by her alpha, don’t you think?”

My reply seemed to take him aback, and I knew I had guessed his character correctly.

“As long as she’s taking care of you , too,” her mother pointed out.

“Killian is capable of taking care of himself,” Leah countered.

I saw her mother glare at her, and Leah gave her a hard look in return. I didn’t want Leah to feel like she had to defend herself to her parents, so I thought it was best to shift the conversation away from our relationship and back to what their plans were for their visit. After all, we’d had no warning that they were coming.

“How long are you going to be in town?” I asked.

“A week,” Mr. Smith said. “We want to hear everything about our daughter’s new home and meet her new pack.”

“I’m sure we’ll find plenty of opportunities to visit with each other while you’re here,” I said diplomatically.

They gave each other a confused look, and I wondered what I had said wrong.

“What do you mean, opportunities to visit?” Mrs. Smith asked with a frown.

“Just that we both have jobs and pack business to attend to, but whenever we’re able to get away, we can pick you up from your hotel and spend some time together,” I explained.

“Don’t be silly,” Mrs. Smith said. “We’ll stay here with you two!”

The thought hadn’t crossed my mind that they intended to stay at our home, and I could tell from Leah’s panicked expression that it was the last thing she wanted to happen.

“I’m so sorry, but we don’t have a guest room at the moment,” I explained.

If I thought Leah wanted her parents to stay, I could actually arrange something rather easily, but that clearly wasn’t the case. Something had happened between her and her family, and I knew it had to be deeper than their insistence that she marry an alpha. In fact, she seemed more upset by their visit than about our marriage. Once they left, I needed to get some more information about what was going on with her family.

“We don’t mind. There’s plenty of room on the couch,” Mr. Smith said, gesturing to the sectional.

“You don’t want to sleep on the couch,” Leah said tersely.

There was another glare between the two women.

“My mate is right, we can’t let you sleep on the couch. It’s very uncomfortable,” I said. I didn’t want Mr. and Mrs. Smith to sense that they were unwelcome, no matter how true it was. “I’ll make a reservation at the local inn,” I offered. “It’s very nice and owned by one of our own. They’ll take good care of you.”

They didn’t look appeased, and I braced myself for another argument, but thankfully, my firm tone seemed to mark the end of the conversation.

“That would be nice, thank you,” Mr. Smith answered, putting a hand on his wife’s arm.

After a few more awkward moments, I excused myself to make a phone call to the inn.

“Of course we have a room for them,” the innkeeper said. “Send them on down, and I’ll make sure they have everything they need.”

“I appreciate it, Ben,” I replied, careful to keep my voice quiet. “We weren’t expecting them, and it’s been a little strange even having them in the house. The luna doesn’t seem too fond of them.”

“High-maintenance, I take it?”

“You can say that again,” I sighed.

“No worries, I’ll handle it,” Ben replied.

I thanked him again and went back to let them know they could head over to check in.

“Already? But we just got here,” Mrs. Smith protested.

“We’ll call your room after you get settled in and plan something for this evening,” I said. “Dinner, perhaps?”

Grudgingly, they agreed, bid us goodbye, and left for the inn.

“Thank goodness,” Leah sighed as they pulled out of the driveway.

“What was all that about?” I asked.

“My parents?” she asked. “That’s just… how they are.”

“Overly attentive and attached to their only daughter?”

“Is that what you think just happened here?” she scoffed.

I didn’t know how to get her to open up if I didn’t know what the issue was between them. At this point, I felt like I needed to be more upfront.

“Leah, I want to be supportive of what you need,” I began. “I want to tell you that I’m here for you, whatever you need.”

“I appreciate that,” she said hesitantly.

“I can tell that something is off between you and your parents, but I don’t know what it is. Can you tell me what’s going on?” I asked.

“There’s nothing to tell,” she said flippantly.

Her inability to open up to me was starting to become frustrating, but I was determined to be there for her. My own relationship with my parents was nonexistent.

“Look, Leah,” I said calmly. “I never got the chance to meet my dad, and my mom was a pretty poor parent. But I can say with certainty that if I had the chance to make things right, or even do something to understand them a little bit better, I’d take it in a heartbeat.”

“I can’t do this right now,” Leah said, sounding distraught.

“That’s fine,” I quickly assured her. “Just know that I’m here. Whenever you’re ready.”