Chapter 7 - Hector

That was too weird.

Faye couldn't do much with her magic. I remembered her telling me some of the things she had experienced whenever I went to stay with her brother one summer. Her hair was down to her ass that year, and her cheeks were like a chipmunk hiding nuts inside them. Those round eyes were sensitive and avoidant, with the rest of her chubby limbs curling into herself like she could shrink by sheer will.

I tried to lose weight, she told me. I just ended up puking all night .

The memory made me ache. There were so many hints that she was suffering from her parents, but I never paid them any mind. I just thought her parents were being normal at the time by trying to get their daughter at a manageable and healthy weight.

But now, looking back, I could see how it tortured her. Every spell she tried to cast to lose weight failed. I thought it was because she was an uneducated witch trying to deny her wolf heritage. Now, I saw that it was less a failure and more a lack of natural skill. Potions weren't her thing—it was her relationship with her environment. After setting her down, I guided her to the kitchen and sat her at the table, resting my hand on her shoulder as I stood next to her. "You'll learn there's nothing to fear anymore."

She frowned at me. "You don't know that for sure."

"I know a lot of things."

"I know you chased your own tail trying to find me."

I squeezed her shoulder while Cliff stifled a chuckle. He was at the counter heating up the electric kettle to make some tea. I tightened my lips together, trying not to come off as incompetent—because she was right. After several minutes of checking the cameras, I couldn't make snout or tail of where she'd gone. All I saw were squirrels running around the house.

Realization hit me like a freight train. She has a relationship with her environment…

I arched my right brow. "The squirrels--was that you?"

Slowly, a smile spread over her lips, one that was too enticing to ignore. Gone were the chubby chipmunk cheeks, replaced by an oval face with dimples that dabbed her wide grin and eyes that lit up with triumph. "I don't know what you mean."

"You can cloak yourself."

"Wow, he can observe things. What a relief. I thought you wouldn't be able to tell that I absolutely hate being here."

I scooted my hand to the back of her neck, watching her brows bow toward each other as her mouth opened to reveal her plush tongue. The triumph was gone. In its place was a darling set of lips ready to be devoured. My pressure on the back of her neck remained firm and steady, authoritative. Her expression quivered from firm resolve to confused curiosity.

"That's irrelevant," I hissed, "because soon, you'll love being here. I'll show you."

Before she could say anything, I released her and rounded the table to take a seat across from her. Cliff served our tea, a medley blend of mint, and set the milk, sugar, and lemon wedges in the center of the table. He sat next to his sister, blocking her potential exit through the rear door.

Everything was quiet for a moment. I checked my phone, mentally noting the text reply that I had been anticipating all morning: We'll be there soon.

I shoved the phone back into my pocket and slid a mug toward Faye. She stared into it with her nose wrinkled up.

Cliff snickered anxiously. "She's never been a fan of tea."

"She's going to need it," I warned, "or else she'll have to face the day without anything else."

Her fierce glare landed on me. "Are you serious? You're going to restrict my diet?"

"Your alpha told you to drink your tea."

"And if I don't like tea?"

I tapped the lip of the mug. "You'll like this one. Trust me."

Her eyes widened, revealing hazel-brown pools that seemed to relax. Without breaking eye contact, she reached for the mug, lifted it, and took a small sip. Her eyes closed then, and she hummed, nostrils flaring as she took a deep, calming breath. When her eyes opened, they glittered with flecks of evergreen. It was like the mint enhanced her eyes.

I lifted my mug, added sugar, and dunked a lemon wedge into it. "Told you."

"You didn't tell me anything. You made a command."

"And you obeyed it."

She scoffed while turning to her brother, who was red in the face from controlling another outburst of laughter. It should have been an irritating situation, especially since this woman was supposed to submit to my authority, but I found myself entertained more than anything. It was too easy to tease Faye. Didn't she know that?

Just as Faye started to speak, the doorbell rang. Cliff jumped from his chair and darted into the living room, ever obedient to please his alpha and answer the door. Though, I felt like it would be more appropriate for Cliff to answer, considering that our guests were an important part of Faye's acceptance party.

The energy in the house shifted as soon as the door opened. Faye sat up straight, eyes wide and ears alert. Her pupils dilated as though she sensed danger, and her nostrils flared as she sniffed the air.

"My boy!" rang a voice from across the living room. "You look dashing as always."

Faye swallowed so hard that her throat made a popping sound. "You didn't."

I reached across the table for her hand. "Faye, you can't run forever."

"You didn't ."

Her entire body flushed with cherry red and tensed like she was stuck in the headlights of a honking truck. Goosebumps prickled her forearms, making the blonde hairs stand on end. Was she really that scared of her parents? She yanked her hands from the table and shoved them into her lap while bowing her head.

She huffed with disbelief. "I guess I should have known this would eventually happen…"

The front door creaked as Cliff allowed his parents into my home. I listened to their idle chatter, mostly small talk, as they casually approached the kitchen. When they were within a foot of me, I stood up and greeted them, blocking their view of Faye for the moment. I wanted to give her a chance to size her parents up, to really see them as the normal shifters that they were.

"Sara and Simon," I announced with a friendly tone, "I'm so glad you made it."

Sara was a spitting image of her daughter, but her body was sleek and slender, tall and poised like she was ready to meet the president of a company at any moment. Her stylish marigold-orange pantsuit matched the season, and her long blonde hair was pinned into a professional bun. Beside her, Simon appeared professionally aloof, with age lines near his eyes and mouth and brown hair that was graying at the sides. His stature was that of a linebacker, and his handshake spoke of his firm resolve. He wore a pale-yellow Polo shirt with khakis, a brown belt, and loafers.

They were the opposite of their daughter. Though I hadn't checked on Faye over the years, my research told me she was a waitress at some dingy diner down in Beaufort Creek. Well, she wasn't a waitress anymore. After today, she would be a proud member of this pack. And I would do everything in my power to ensure that.

I smiled at Faye's parents, the Spears. "As I explained earlier, your daughter is here."

Sara and Simon matched expressions, their sunny disposition reducing to civil friendliness. Cliff skipped up beside them and wrapped his arm around his mother. "Isn't that nice? Our alpha convinced her to come back."

Simon smiled tightly while peeking over my shoulder. "That is nice."

"I see the lights are still on and nothing is destroyed," Sara commented. "That must mean she doesn't use those freakish powers as much."

A hot flash came over me for a second, enough anger to throw my fist into someone's face. But I brought it down easily and stepped aside. "She's grown into a fine young woman, Sara. See for yourself."

Silence thickened the air like smog as Faye and her parents stared at each other. For a moment, I wasn't sure what Faye was feeling. Her pupils had remained fully dilated and her posture was rail straight with her palms flat on the table. I noticed she had quietly scooted her chair back a couple of inches like she was about to stand up.

Sara cleared her throat and opened her arms nonchalantly as if asking for a hug. "Darling, how nice to see you."

"Very nice," Simon echoed.

"That shirt is so…" Sara smiled rigidly, hummed, and then clasped her hands together in front of her. "Well, it's just so you , isn't it?"

Another flash of heat rocked my core. I stepped around the table and rested my hand on Faye's shoulder. "I think it looks cute on her."

"So cute," Simon chimed.

Cliff wore a wavering smile with sweat on his brow. He was already starting to panic, and we hadn't yet announced why Faye was back. As he smoothed his hands over his shirt, he chuckled forcefully. "She just woke up. They had a long trip back."

"A long trip?" Sara repeated. "From where? A dive bar?"

Simon and Sara shared a hearty laugh while trading a glance that spoke of their disapproval. I kicked myself mentally for not having Faye change into something more appropriate than what I had nabbed her in. But there wasn't any time for formalities like that.

I squeezed Faye's shoulder. "She was working at a respectable diner owned by a well-renowned dragon shifter family in Beaufort Creek."

Simon raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Was she running day-to-day? Managing?"

I gave Faye another squeeze, signaling silently for her to respond this time. If I was the only one speaking, then they wouldn't accept her speaking for herself.

I had to remember that.

Faye cleared her throat lightly and rested her hand over mine. "I was a waitress. It made me happy just to serve customers. I made a lot of friends, too."

Sara's eyes sharpened as she stepped toward the table and nosily examined her daughter's body. "Did any of those friends tell you to eat well?"

"I ate just fine," Faye snapped.

Simon chortled. "Well, we can definitely see that , my dear. You look fit, but you still look chunky. Unlike your mother."

Sara grinned victoriously as she returned to her husband's side. "I've lost weight and tapered my waist." She propped her hands on her hips. "Which I see you've gained. Were you thinking of me a lot? Maybe my weight transferred to you."

The Spears shared another well-timed snicker that made my grip on Faye's shoulder firmer than I intended. Faye dug her nails into my knuckles, prompting me to glance down at her. Just the thought of her suffering again at the hands of her parents made me sick to my stomach. I saw the grief in her eyes, the irritation in the way her jaw clenched as she tried to hold back what I imagined would be some creative insults.

Cliff laughed anxiously. "Actually, Faye has been exercising a lot. She does cross-country, swimming, competitive volleyball—"

Sara snorted. "Are you sure? Your sister was always good at lying. She used those weird powers to make you believe anything."

Simon snuffed. "With those hips, I don't think she did any exercising."

Faye turned to her parents with an icy glare. "You can't even see my hips."

The three Spears stopped chuckling and turned to Faye.

"And besides," Faye said while standing up, keeping my hand grasped in hers, "you shouldn't be checking out my body. What a freaky thing to do to your daughter."

Simon stumbled over a few syllables.

Sara crossed her arms over her chest as her expression flattened. "How dare you speak to your father like that after all these years. You made us look foolish by running off after Hector proposed."

"It was a fake proposal," Sara retorted through clenched teeth. "Did you forget about that?"

Cliff waved his hands. "Hey, the past is buried, right? We should focus on—"

Sara held up her hand to her son, silencing him without breaking eye contact with Faye. "You set it up yourself by pining after him and following him around like a lost puppy."

Faye puffed up. "He literally bullied me in front of you. Are you serious right now?"

Now I could see the true definition of her muscles, the sleek outline of her biceps and the striking texture of her abs. She was thick in many ways, but she was strong, too. Her thick thighs tensed up, appearing like she was about to pop a watermelon between them. I grabbed at the collar of my shirt and loosened it a bit as I got flushed again with another heat wave that didn't at all feel like anger but something far better.

Something I wanted to get to before her parents chased her off again.

"It's true," I stepped in, "I did bully her."

All eyes landed on me. Sara looked surprised, and Simon just looked bored. Cliff was like a deer stuck on a train track with the five o'clock speeding toward him. I clasped Faye's hand at my side like it was the most natural thing in the world—because it was.

"I set up a prank with her brother," I said while nodding to Cliff, "and we pulled it off in front of the entire pack. She was mortified."

"She threw a tantrum over a silly joke," Sara said with a polite smile. When she looked at Faye, the politeness dissolved. "You could have just taken the joke maturely. You didn't have to ruin our house with that stupid tornado."

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Sara pointed at her daughter like she was part of an accused group of Salem witches. "That—that— thing there got so upset about your harmless joke that she brought a tornado down from the sky and ruined our home!"

I glanced at Faye and thought about the thunderstorms, the rain, the hurricane winds this pack had suffered… and put it all together. "Oh."

" Oh is right," Sara announced proudly. "It was probably best that she ran off before she could do more damage."

Cliff was turning red in the face as he squeezed his fists at his sides. "She couldn't control her powers, Mom. If you had just—"

"Don't you talk back to me." Sara shot him a harsh look that shut him up quickly.

I growled. "Don't you dare speak to one of my pack members like that."

Sara gulped while focusing on me. "What? I just… He's my son. I don't—"

"I don't care who he is to you, Sara. And I certainly don't care for the way you've been treating my mate since you walked in here."

Her gaze fell to Faye, filling with regret. When she focused on me again, her eyes were glossy, like she was about to cry. "I'm sorry, Alpha. I didn't know. I just thought—"

"That Faye was here to take another round of word lashings from you?" I jabbed. "You make me sick with how you've disrespected your daughter—both back then and now."

Sara frowned. "But you were the one who—"

"I'm the one who's going to make things right," I boomed, "and that starts with this—" I turned to Faye and held her hands between us with one hand while reaching for her face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ever done that to you."

Faye looked up at me with those round wolf eyes, all that hazel-brown turning into a glorious gold and swirling with drops of lavender again. The air around us seemed to spark, electrified by what I'd said, charged with an attraction I couldn't deny.

"I'm sorry," I repeated in a lower voice. "I'll make sure to always respect you from now on."

Her throat clenched with another gulp. She stared up at me with this unreadable expression that I knew was reflective of her inner world being thrown into chaos. All that misery and distrust, all the time we'd spent in the car with her tied up in the backseat—it was gone. What was left was her and me, nobody else.

As her lips parted, she shivered. I held her hands tighter as she stood on her toes and whispered, "I forgive you."