Chapter 15 Not So Unusual Guests
fifteen
Not So Unusual Guests
*BENJAMIN*
Ihad only ever seen Alpha Cassian from afar.
He is a typical alpha, just like Marcellus, with a broad build, strong shoulders, tall and oozes confidence.
He is a bit less intimidating than Marcellus, though.
Today, however, is the first time I meet him in person.
Marcellus was right; he is a very polite man, and they seem to be very good friends.
He greets me kindly and exchanges some small talk with me, updating me on my old pack and reassuring me that everyone there is well.
I didn’t know how much I needed to hear that kind of information until he provided me with it.
It fills me with relief to know that the new alpha was able to move past the damage my father had done.
Cassian’s sister, Nova, joins us while we are still talking and recognizes me instantly. “You are Benjamin, right?” she asks.
“Yes,” I smile politely. “Welcome to our pack, Nova. Is it your first time here?”
“Second,” she says. “But Cassian promised he would bring me along more often.”
“Nova finds this whole project intriguing,” Cassian explains to me. “And I wouldn’t mind the extra help.”
“My parents want me to settle down and find my mate,” Nova chuckles. “Tough luck, I guess, because there is no way I want to live a quiet life.”
“I think they were hoping you would be mated to the beta’s son,” Cassian says.
“As I said, tough luck,” Nova says.
“If you like a challenge, feel free to visit as often as you want,” Marcellus offers. “We appreciate the help.”
“I would like that,” she says. “What do you think, Cass?”
“Fine with me,” he says. “I told you; you have my full support.”
“It’s always him and me against our parents,” she says to me. “They are nice people, just a bit old-fashioned.”
“Benjamin, would you show Nova around?” Marcellus asks. “Cassian and I will be going through the list of supplies we need for the new pack members.”
“It’s good to get more accustomed to the pack, Nova,” Cassian agrees. “Especially if you want to help out more.”
“Sounds good to me,” Nova says. “I will ask Isla if she wants to join us.”
“Isla?” Marcellus asks.
“She is our beta’s daughter,” Cassian explains. “She wanted to join us today, and I had no reason to decline her request.”
Marcellus casts him a curious glance. “No reason?” he queries. “But you wanted to?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Isla is okay,” Nova tells us. “She is just a bit,” she pauses.
“Shallow?” Cassian offers.
“Oh, come on,” Nova grins. “She is just not into the more hands-on approach. Not everyone can be like that.”
“You are,” Cassian mutters.
“Yeah, but I am your sister, and for the record, many people think I am weird, so there’s that,” she says. She turns to me. “Isla has a crush on Cassian, which is why he is so prissy.”
Marcellus tosses a pitiful gaze at Cassian. “Poor you,” he says softly. “Being chased by beautiful women. Here, have a shoulder to cry on.”
“Oh, shut up,” Cassian groans.
“Come, Alpha Heartbreaker,” Marcellus says. “Let’s begin our meeting!”
“That’s your fault,” Cassian growls towards Nova. “I won’t ever hear the end of it from that prick.”
“I am sorry, Cass,” Nova says, not sounding sorry at all. She waves at the two men before linking our arms. “Now you can show me around.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say.
“Goddess, you didn’t just call me ma’am,” she groans.
“I was just trying to be polite,” I mutter. Fuck my social anxiety. I am a complete screwup at everything.
“Not necessary,” she says. “My brother is the alpha. I am just his sister, a normal pack member.”
Listening to her talk, I imagine she must be quite popular in her pack. She is the type of high-ranking pack member who doesn’t let her rank or privilege show. “Are you part of the warrior training?” I ask.
“I do train with the advanced warriors,” she explains. “But I’m just a mediocre fighter. I only do it so I know how to defend myself and lower-ranking pack members, in case of an emergency. I am more of a tinker.”
“A tinker?” I ask.
“That’s what Cass calls it,” she chuckles. “I like handiwork. Honestly, if it were up to me, I wouldn’t go to college at all. But I am already rebellious enough as it is, so I wanted to spare my parents yet another gray hair on their head.”
“What are you studying?” I ask her.
“Social studies,” she explains. “What about you?”
“Well,” I clear my throat. Here it comes. The most embarrassing part about me. “You know where I come from and who I am?”
She nods. “I assume you didn’t have any access to education.”
“I did finish high school,” I explain. “But other than that, my father didn’t want me to learn anymore.”
“And do you want to learn something?” she asks.
“I am not sure,” I say honestly. “I have not decided yet on what I am going to do. I just know I want to take up my training again.”
“That’s cool,” Nova nods. “You are an alpha’s son, you are prone to be good at fighting. I bet you could be a pretty good warrior.”
“I hope so,” I say.
Nova tilts her head. “I like your honesty, Benjamin,” she states all of a sudden. “Don’t let anyone look down at you. You are not a bad person.”
“Are you sure?” I ask her. “You know what I did, don’t you?”
“I know what happened to you,” she says. “It’s easy for people who weren’t in your shoes, and never faced the trauma you did, to judge.”
“I don’t want it to be an excuse,” I admit, wondering why it’s so easy for me to talk to her and so hard to explain it to anyone else. “I could have done things differently.”
“Maybe,” she says. “But maybe you wouldn’t have been alive then.
Maybe you would have made things worse. You were trying to survive like everyone else.
I always quarrel with my dad, but he is a doting father.
I can’t imagine being abused and bullied by him, or by anyone.
My parents and Cass gave me that self-confidence,” she pauses.
“Do you have any other family?” she asks.
“No, my father killed my mother after she gave birth to me,” I say bitterly. “I don’t think there is anyone else, or he would have killed them, too.”
“I am sorry for asking,” she says quietly. “Sometimes I am too blunt.”
I shake my head. “I prefer it that way.”
Without noticing it, we have made it through half of the pack while chatting, and I haven’t shown her much yet.
I hurry to explain the structure of the pack and coven to her, and explain how it’s run.
Nova shows interest in almost everything, asking questions and commenting on parts of our organization.
“It’s amazing how there are vampires here, too,” she says.
“They normally keep to themselves and don’t interact much with others. ”
“Silas and his coven are different,” I reassure her. “We all belong here together. See for yourself.” I lead her through a small path, towards a secluded training area where some of the vampires are currently training. A couple of wolves are watching to learn from them.
“Hey, Benji,” Lucian, the best vampire warrior after Silas, greets me. Like most vampires, he is a handsome man, tall and lean with slick, dark-brown, shoulder-length hair. “I see, we have a guest.”
“This is Nova,” I introduce her. “She is Alpha Cassian’s sister.” I turn to her. “This man here is Lucian. He is Silas’s right hand and close to what we would call a beta.”
“Oh, I heard about you from my brother. He said they nicknamed you ‘Slave Driver’.”
Lucian frowns. “Who calls me that?” He glares at me, making me recoil nervously.
“Not me,” I hurry to say.
“Hm.” Lucian crosses his arms in front of his body, a devilish smirk on his lips. “If the lazy bunch has time to gossip, I’m probably not training them hard enough.”
Nova glances at me. “Oops,” she mutters.
“Don’t worry,” I whisper. “He is always like that.”
“Did you say something?” Lucian asks.
“No, not at all.”
“Alpha Marcellus told me you are going to join the training soon,” he says.
“I will pick up my training,” I say, feeling nervous at the prospect of having to join his training one day. “But I doubt I am ready for your class yet.”
“You will be eventually,” Lucian says, with so much confidence in his voice that he almost convinces me, too. “I expect you to work hard and do your best.”
I feel equally flustered and motivated by his words. Both he and Marcellus have told me the same. Maybe I should really try to show a bit more confidence. “I will do my best,” I promise.
“See?” Nova says, when Lucian smiles at me approvingly before turning back to his warriors. “I knew it.”
“Yeah, you did,” I smile.
Nova returns my smile. “That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile genuinely. That’s nice. You have a beautiful smile.”
I feel my cheeks turning red at her comment.
I am not even sure if she intended to be flirty or was simply genuinely kind, but either way, I feel embarrassed.
I have zero experience with women. In my old pack, I pretended like I laid a new girl every week, but it was a lie.
I even tried to flirt with the only female pack member who was seen in high regard due to her gifts, but obviously failed miserably.
“Oh, Benjamin, we need to pick up Isla!” Nova points out. “I completely forgot.”
“Right,” I say, glad about some disruption. “Where is she?”
“Probably waiting at my brother’s jeep,” Nova muses.
“Are you friends?”
“Not really,” Nova admits, as we walk back towards the pack house. “She is the beta’s daughter, so obviously our paths crossed occasionally, but we never became more than acquaintances.”
“How come?”
“We just don’t share much,” she says evasively.
“Sorry,” I say. “Now it was me asking too many questions.”
“It’s okay,” she reassures me. “I don’t like speaking badly about people. Her dad is a great guy and has been like an uncle to Cass and me. Isla is Isla, let’s keep it at that.”
I nod. “I think I understand.”
We don’t talk about Isla anymore, and instead, Nova tells me about her plans for the next couple of months.
She truly seems like an active and practical person, enjoying working outdoors.
Cassian supports her fully and makes sure to involve her as much as possible.
Must be nice to have a sibling. Though if I remember correctly, Marcellus has a brother, too, but he never talks about him, and Silas’s relationship with his siblings is so-so, from what I understood.
“You really think aloud,” Nova says, amused. “Your thoughts are all over your face.”
Her words shock me. “Oh shoot, really?”
She laughs. “Yes, didn’t you know? Your whole expression mirrors your conflicting feelings. It’s cute, though, so don’t worry.”
“Cute?”
“Yes,” she chuckles, once more making me wonder if she was serious or just teasing me.
I decide to tease her back. “So, what about me is cute?”
“Your dimples,” she says. “And your brown, teddy bear eyes, plus your fluffy hair.”
“Okay,” I groan. “You win. Please stop.”
Nova elbows me playfully. “I told you, it’s difficult to get me embarrassed.”
“I see that now,” I concede.
Before I can say any more, though, the sweetest scent hits my nostrils. I don’t need to think twice to know what this means. She is here, she is here!
“Isla!” Nova calls out. “Sorry for making you wait!”