54. Emily
“ I can’t believe the first time I’m talking to my parents in three weeks is when you’re asking permission to be my mate. They’re not even gonna get it. It’s not like you’re proposing to me.”
“I know, but it feels right to do,” Caleb said.
“I mean, I wanted them to be included in the pack,” I said. “I just don’t know if dumping everything on them right now is the way to go.”
“Well, I trust you to tell them exactly how much you want to, and we’ll go from there.”
I grinned as Caleb’s new truck bounced along, taking me back home, or rather back to my old home. In the short time I’d been at Maplewood, I’d come to see that place as my new home. I did want to go back to college and live in a dorm for convenience’s sake, but I also knew where my heart belonged.
It’d only been four days since the night Gray tried to take over, but I was more attached to the pack than ever. Everyone was back home, and all my own circle was present and safe. I’d been running around like a chicken with my head cut off, helping the lone doctor until Daphne arrived, then the two of us worked side by side on any lingering issues. Shifters sure healed fast.
But after a month with my new wolf family, I realized it was time to get my phone and update my parents on what was going on, like my leave of absence. I knew I was skating by, as I tended to disappear when my schooling got hectic, but this was pushing it. The last thing I wanted was my parents worrying that some terrible college-related danger had befallen me, especially given the last time we spent time together.
So, when Caleb and I finally had a free day, I asked him to drive me home. I thought I’d have to convince him, given the trouble we got in the last time we left, but to my great surprise, he was eager to acquiesce.
Confused, I asked him why. He said wanted to introduce himself as my mate.
I wasn’t planning on revealing everything to my parents at this point. I’d try to explain that Caleb was my boyfriend, and it was serious. They’d have their concerns since it was so soon after my breakup, but I also didn’t want to explain everything we’d gone through. It turned out a little war brought people together, and I knew that when things were at their worst, I could always count on Caleb beside me.
Still, though I was the one who’d requested the meeting, I felt so nervous once we pulled up to my parents’ home. It was like time travel, like I was somewhere I shouldn’t be. The last time I’d visited my parents, I’d been a different woman. Hell, I’d been a different species.
“We don’t have to do anything if you’re not ready,” Caleb said, and I loved just how supportive he was. I knew if I asked him, he’d turn his truck right around and drive me anywhere I wanted.
Granted, he was also in love with his new truck. I wasn’t sure how much money Lincoln Hills had, but Zach said Caleb shouldn’t have to rely on Keller always loaning him his old junker. So, he gifted both Caleb and Keller brand-new trucks. A road trip was in our future.
“No, I need to show my parents I’m alive, at least. And I do miss them. For a long time, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever come back to them.”
“I know, baby, and you’re so brave. You know, most new wolves wouldn’t be let out of Maplewood no matter what, but you’ve proven yourself. You’re the most incredible woman I know.”
I flushed deeply, especially since I knew Caleb believed what he’d said. He wasn’t ever the type to blow smoke up someone’s ass.
“I’m pretty sure most new wolves also don’t have human parents,” I pointed out.
“Very true.”
“You know me… always having to be special.”
When Caleb smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkled, and it always made my stomach swoop. God, he had such a dashing smile. I didn’t think I’d ever get over it, but then it was perfectly healthy to swoon over my boyfriend.
My mate.
“Let’s go in,” I said as I opened the truck door.
Naturally, Caleb popped out of the truck and came around to my side before my feet so much as hit the ground. Giggling, I took the hand he offered and let him close the door for me. I was still getting used to such treatment, but Caleb was intent on being a total gentleman for the rest of our lives together.
Oh no, such a horrible fate… whatever would I do?
As I walked up the path, I wasn’t entirely surprised when my parents opened the door before we reached it, my mother rushing out with open arms.
“Sweetheart! We haven’t heard from you in forever! We were getting worried."
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” I began. “But I did lose my phone, so we’ll order another one.”
“Did something happen?” she asked. “Are you okay?”
If that wasn’t a question and a half.
“I’m fine,” I said. “I think I just left it behind when I was pulling a late study session with some friends. I locked it digitally and nuked it, but haven’t had time to go through the hassle of getting a new one. I figured we could all do it together since Dad’s the account holder.”
“Of course, honey,” my dad said, though his gaze was resting on Caleb. “Say, we haven’t seen you since her birthday! I never did get to thank you for saving our daughter’s life.”
“No problem,” Caleb said with a grin. “I was happy to help.”
If they knew how often he’d saved my life since then, they’d be permanently indebted to him. Or would try to commit us both for claiming we could turn into wolves at any given moment.
“What are we standing outside for?” my mother asked. “Let’s all head inside. I’ll make tea!”
It felt so surreal to sit down in my living room when it belonged to a completely different era of my life. There’d always be a time before my first shift and a time after. I just hoped my parents wanted to be equally involved in whatever life brought me.
“So, how’s school been, honey?” my dad asked.
I didn’t want to lie to my family, but I also didn’t want to tell them I’d dropped out. That would invite its own host of questions. However, I didn’t know how long I could keep that a secret, as my graduation got postponed a semester. They’d certainly notice eventually. Besides, announcing I’d taken a leave of absence while simultaneously introducing my boyfriend was a recipe for trouble.
But I was determined to include them in my life, even if it’d become complicated, so I did my best to dodge the question.
“Oh, you know, the program is going into the home stretch for this semester. There’s a lot on my plate.”
“I bet,” my dad replied. “But I hope you know your mother and I are so incredibly proud of you. It’s amazing what you’ve accomplished.”
I flushed, as I always did when my dad poured on the praise. “Thank you,” I mumbled, knowing my cheeks were bright red.
My mother entered the room, a tray of tea in her hands. Once all of us settled in, I took that as an opportunity to broach the matter at hand.
“I know we have a lot to catch up on, but there was something I wanted to talk about,” I said.
“What’s that, dear?” my mom asked.
“Ever since the party, Caleb and I stayed in touch, and we found we had a lot in common. He really helped me get over Gavin, and there’s something he’d like to ask you.”
“Not quite ask,” Caleb said with a rueful smile. “More like formally make known. Your daughter highly values both of your opinions, so I wanted to introduce myself directly as her partner. Please, feel free to ask any questions you might have—I’m an open book. I just want you to know I recognize what a special woman your daughter is, and I fully intend to treat her right.”
“I know this is fast,” I added as honestly as I could. “But I promise I’m going into this purposefully. No one makes me feel as supported as Caleb, or that I can do anything.”
It was my mother who spoke first, albeit cautiously. “If you’re sure, dear, then I support you. I’m happy that you’re happy.”
“I am,” I said with a smile.
My father, however, took longer to answer. I felt my stomach flip as the seconds ticked on, but I did my best to be patient. Goodness knew he’d done the same for me.
When he spoke, it was with the same caution as my mother, and I couldn’t blame him, but it made me so nervous.
“You did save Emily’s life, but I’m not keen on my daughter randomly dating a stranger,” he said.
While he’d every right to feel that way, I’d hoped he was open to accepting Caleb as my boyfriend.
“So why don’t we all go to dinner and get to know each other a little better?” he added.
Just like that, my mood flipped like a switch. “That sounds perfect,” I said with the biggest, cheesiest grin. “Where were you thinking?”
“An entire cow leg? You’re kidding!”
I didn’t even try to hide the dopey expression on my face as we moseyed into my parents’ house, bellies full and cheeks hurting from laughing. Dinner was a smashing success, and one that’d gone on for three whole hours. There was nothing like food to bring people together.
Meanwhile, Caleb, my lovely, handsome mate, poured on the charm all meal long. I swore, the moment my parents found out all of his family had already passed, they’d have adopted him if we weren’t dating. I’d worried they’d judge him for the more unsavory parts of his past or because he was rather poor, compared to even our middle-class status, but they took everything in stride. We hadn’t told them everything , like Caleb’s past drug issues, as well as the werewolf situation. They just knew he came from harder circumstances than any of us.
We also didn’t tell them about my biological family. It just didn’t feel like the right time. I knew one day, I wanted them to be up to speed, but not today.
The night was a testament to the success of our outing, and it didn’t need to be anything more than that. I was ready to have another round of tea, talk for another hour or two while we ordered my phone, then go back home to my “dorm.” My parents didn’t need to know I was staying at Camp Maplewood—not yet at least. It was all about baby steps.
But as my father was brewing his favorite evening tea, I heard gravel crunch in our driveway. I had no idea who’d be visiting my parents at such a late hour, so I went to the hallway to catch a glimpse of the unexpected arrival.
“Were you guys expecting company?” I called out.
That brought my mother over, and she headed straight for the door. “No, I don’t think so. Who could that be? Dear, did you have any colleagues coming by?”
“No!” my dad called back.
Then it was my father’s turn to join us, and finally Caleb. I saw the car door open, and none other than Gavin stepped out.
Seeing him again was so strange. Once, I was so afraid of him. He’d been a larger-than-life monster, someone who had put me in an impossible position. I’d had nightmares about him. Wondered if I’d brought on his violence with my stupid pheromones.
But now, after everything I’d faced, everything I’d gone through… he just looked like a little brat. I wasn’t the same Emily he’d once pushed around and bullied. Hell, I’d killed a man. I’d stared a murderer right in the face and insulted him without so much as blinking.
“Don’t let him in,” my father said quickly as he stormed to the door.
“No, let him,” I said. “I wanna hear what he has to say.”
My mom didn’t look so certain. “Are you sure?”
“I am,” I said with a nod. “I think this will be cathartic for both of us.”
“So, my cousin was right!” Gavin shouted as he walked toward the door, glaring at me. “I thought he was crazy when he said he saw you gallivanting around with that criminal after disappearing for God knows how long. Yet, here you are!”
“Hello, Gavin,” I said calmly, which just made him turn redder. “For what it’s worth, yes. Caleb and I just finished a lovely dinner with my parents.”
His gaze swept across my mother and father in bewilderment. “Are you two aware what kind of scumbag your daughter’s with?”
“No,” I cut in before they said anything. “They weren’t aware you tried to pin me down and have sex with me against my will, either. But oops!”
I’d never seen my father get so angry so quickly. In less than a second, he’d gone from looking displeased and confused to downright murderous.
“Excuse me,” he growled. “ What did he do?”
As for my mother, all the color had drained from her face, and she was staring at me with an open mouth. It wasn’t the most considerate way to inform my father of the trauma I’d gone through, but I was tired of protecting people like Gavin. I wanted everyone to know what he was, for him to leave campus and never come back because all people would talk about behind his back, even to his face, was how he’d tried to force his own girlfriend to sleep with him.
“She’s twisting it!” Gavin spat. “She planned for us to have sex!”
“I did,” I said, holding my chin up. “I thought I was ready to take that step with you, but the reality was that you’d been pressuring me for months. When we went out on a normal, romantic date, you held me down on the hotel floor and tried to force me. I fought you to get away and locked myself in the bathroom until Caleb arrived and beat the shit out of you. And that’s why you don’t like him—because you’re a pathetic little bully who uses his money and family influence because you’re so ineffectual yourself. You’re a daddy’s boy with no backbone and an ego far bigger than you deserve. I can’t believe I wasted my time with you.”
It was harsh, but all of it was one hundred percent true. And it felt so incredibly good to say.
“You think this criminal is better than me?” Gavin demanded. “I still have the case against him! I’ll still have his ass in jail, then you’ll be all alone, wishing you realized what a catch I am!”
“You’re only catching in the same way an STD does,” I said before my father stepped forward.
“I don’t know who you think you are, son, but you need to leave.”
“ Me, leave? How can you say that when your daughter is standing there with a drug trafficker?!”
I snarled. It was one thing to yell at me, it was another to try and poison my parents against Caleb. My mate had such an unfair life handed to him and had done his best to become a better person. Not that Gavin understood self-reflection or improvement.
No. My inner wolf hissed, already rising to the surface, and for once, I let her. I didn’t fight it. At least not right away.
When I stepped forward, I knew my eyes were blazing yellow and my mouth held far too many teeth. I could feel the fur growing along my body, and my creaking bones told me I was at least a couple inches taller.
“I think you should go,” I said around my fangs, my speech more of a rumble than actual words.
“What the fuck?!” Gavin tripped as he backpedaled, his shoulder slamming into the doorway in a hasty retreat. My mother caught him on instinct, but he tore himself away from her, all while staring at me.
“I said go!” I practically roared, putting the punch into my voice I’d only gotten since becoming a shifter.
I thought I smelled urine as he dashed from the house and practically dove into his car. Engine roaring to life, he peeled out so fast, his tires left tracks on the driveway. I smiled in satisfaction and let my features settle back to normal.
That’s when I realized both my parents were staring at me with their jaws slightly hanging open. The scent of their shock filled the air, so thick I could taste it.
Whoops.
“Emily?” my mother’s voice trembled. “What’s going on?”
Well, that particular cat was out of the bag much earlier than expected. That was on me. But thankfully, Caleb walked up, smelling like pride and happiness.
“Mr. and Mrs. Renard, there are some other things we’d like to tell you.”
It’d be much longer than an hour before Caleb and I headed home, but it was alright. I cleared my throat and took my mother’s hand.
“You’ve heard of werewolves, right?”