Dinner for Seven #2
“I think he’d like you going out, M,” Dad said, giving her a small smirk. He glanced over at Mom and I saw the love in his eyes, yet there was also the fear of losing her, or her losing him.
“I want manicaw too,” Azura added staring at her hand.
Speaking off the little pumpkin, I had got a proper fucking telling off from mum about her having coke. Like it was my fault. When I had asked, she had said that she was allowed to have it. Mom and dad had looked at me like I was fucking stupid. Guess I was, for listening to a little monster.
“My baby can come too,” Mom said, kissing her head as she placed a pastry on her plate.
“I heard you moved to the packhouse, Raven. How is it so far?” Dad asked her.
I glanced at her. She was so fucking tiny that I really fucking wondered how she had been paired to Damon and me. Like, how did that shit even work? I think one man was more than enough for her…
“It’s good. My room was painted today, and I ordered some curtains and stuff, so it’s going to feel like home super soon,” she said brightly, crossing her legs.
My gaze dipped to her thighs and, really, was it so fucking wrong to admit that I wanted to run my hand up those sexy thighs?
She may be tiny, but she had meat in the right places…
“Sorry to change the topic, but with everything that’s going on, what’s your take on it, Uncle?” Damon asked, glancing at Azura, who was eating a potato croquette like there was nothing more fascinating in life then food. Dad sighed.
“I don’t actually know, it’s rather baffling. The notes, the way it’s done, no scent… I mean, if we think it’s internal, as Liam suggested, we could go down that path, but it might rile the pack,” he said clearly reluctant about my proposal.
Damon glanced at me. Okay, so I hadn’t told my fucking Beta my idea. Who cares?
What idea? Damon asked through the link.
To fucking put everyone under Alpha command and question them.
“What do you think of his idea anyway?” Dad asked.
“What is the idea?” Raven asked.
“To question everyone under Alpha command,” Mom said, frowning with concern. Raven’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at me.
“Liam would have to be the one to do that… if you put your pack through that… it would be…”
“Damaging,” Damon said quietly. “Putting everyone to trial would really hurt them, not to mention they would feel betrayed and that they are being accused.” I clenched my jaw.
“And you just recently took that position,” Dad added.
“Exactly…” Damon murmured.
“Yeah, well then how about we let them carry on and let another few get killed?” I glared at him.
“Liam,” Mom said warningly, looking between me and Damon.
The tension in the room was fucking thick, and Dad glanced between the two of us as well.
“What is wrong with you two?” He asked frowning deeply.
“Nothing,” we both replied in unison. Mom cocked a brow and Aunty Monica looked at me suddenly.
“Damon will be a good beta. He is a good beta just like his father,” she whispered before looking away. Guilt rushed through me. Fuck, I don’t want to hurt her… Mom reached over, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
“He is a good Beta,” Dad said firmly, now turning to me. “And I would expect you to work alongside him. I don’t know what happened between you two, but I want it fucking fixed.” The table fell silent and Azura gasped.
“Daddy said a bad word! Daddy needs a spanking, Mama! Just the way he said he’s going to spank you the other day!”
Kill me fucking now. I did not need to know that shit.
Damon
The tension that had built vanished the moment Azura spoke, replaced by shock. Everyone had frozen, Aunty Red’s cheeks burned, a rare sight actually, but Uncle El simply smirked. A small giggle from Raven made me glance at her. Although her cheeks were flushed, she was finding this amusing.
“Yeah, it doesn’t work like that,” Uncle El said pointedly to a very confused Azura.
“And you two need to be careful, there’s a kid in the damn house,” Liam muttered.
“I’ll remind you of that when your time comes,” Aunty Red shot back. That made Liam tense and Raven’s heart skip a beat.
I mean it. I want you both to sort your shit out. This pack needs their leadership united, his voice came through the link. I knew we both could hear him.
Understood, I said, making sure Liam could hear too. I wanted to sort this shit out, I really fucking did.
I glanced at Raven. She looked hot. There was something about her. Although she was twenty-one, she was a tiny thing. I wouldn’t lie, there were definitely things that I wanted to do to her, but I knew I had no fucking right to even think that right now.
“When I grow up, I’m going to be were-koala!” Azura stated.
“You can be anything you want, baby girl,” Aunty Red said, smiling down at her.
“Oo, I want to be a were-panda!” Raven added excitedly. Azura’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Really?” She said with awe.
“Yeah, you just need to gain about 150 pounds or so…” Liam remarked, smirking slightly as he looked at Raven.
I felt envious at that, wishing that we could have that old bond again with Raven.
Every time I felt like speaking to her, the fear that Liam was going to lash out only grew.
But we did need to get our shit together, if not for each other, then for the pack at least.
Dinner finished, and Raven offered to clean up.
Aunty Scarlett agreed and took Mom to the living room with Azura.
I had offered to help and even Liam stayed behind.
The tension that settled the moment the adults left was fucking palpable.
Raven quickly began gathering the dishes, leaning over to reach the plates from across the table, leaning on one leg with her other one raised, only making her perky ass a little too tempting.
If you are done fucking perving at her, Liam’s cold voice came in my head.
She’s my mate too.
Funny you remember her now, he shot back.
I didn’t reply, not wanting to cause even more fucking drama.
We headed back to the kitchen, and Raven began emptying the dishes into the bin.
“Who’s washing?” She asked.
“Didn’t you offer?” Liam asked, cocking a brow. She frowned.
“Yeah, and so did you two. So, Liam, you wash, Damon, you dry, and then when we’re done... let’s talk,” she said.
Damn. The dreaded words: Let’s talk. That shit ain’t good.
“Not that there’s much to talk about,” Liam muttered.
Raven shot him a glare, and I hid my smirk. She was a tough one. Like Grandma Amy used to say- she was a ‘tough cookie’. She really was; small and sweet but a tough one.
“You heard the woman, get washing,” I said lightly, smiling ever so slightly.
“Shut it, or I’ll fucking shove your face in the sink.”
“Want to try it?” I shot back. He was seriously being a dick now.
“Can you two not do this?” Raven said suddenly.
We both looked at her, and the hurt was clear in her eyes as she held the dishcloth and spray to clean the table.
“You keep acting this way, but it just makes me feel like shit, knowing I’m the reason for you two being at each other’s throats.
Fix up, boys, because I swear, I’m so close to being done.
” She shook her head and stormed out of the room, leaving us both feeling fucking guilty.
“She isn’t wrong. We do need to sort this out. Now that we’re all back, we need to come to an agreement.”
“So, what? Tell me, how will we decide what’s going to happen? I want her, for myself. I don’t share,” he said coldly, his eyes flashing with anger.
“I know, but what about what she wants?” I asked quietly. It fucking hurt knowing I was the inferior one…
“She can choose. The bond will hurt for a short while, but she’ll get over it,” he said quietly. My stomach twisted, and I looked at him as he began washing up.
“So, you are okay with her experiencing pain? Liam… do you fucking hate me that much?” He paused, clenching his jaw, before continuing to scrub the dishes.
“No. I don’t hate you; I hate this fucking situation.
She is the one girl I always fucking wanted, Damon.
You got your shit on with Kia, then Robyn, and Goddess knows who the fuck else, but I want just her.
I am an alpha. Sharing isn’t in my fucking nature.
It’s almost as if Selene’s fucking making a mockery out of me.
Yeah, share your fucking Luna with your Beta; that’s some messed up shit.
The mate bond is meant to be between two souls.
There’s no space for a third.” His voice was cold, and if I already felt like the third wheel, then I felt even worse now.
Yes, there had been a connection between Raven and me, but what Liam felt for her had probably been fucking more. However, now that the bond was there...
I couldn’t even reply. I felt like shit. I suddenly didn’t even feel worthy of anything. I kept my gaze down, drying the dishes silently and thinking of all the crap that was going on.
I heard footsteps. Raven was back, glaring at us both. She went to the fridge and took the milk bottle out.
“Do either of you want a drink?” She asked coldly, or what was her best version of a cold tone.
“I’ll have a latte,” Liam replied.
“No, thanks,” I added quietly.
“Can you even make hot drinks?” Liam asked. She shot him a frosty glare.
“Yes, I can.”
“Okay… good luck.” Liam definitely did not sound reassured.
She got about to making the drinks. The kitchen had just been cleaned, and I wondered if we were actually going to talk. She was about to carry the tray of hot drinks to the lounge when the doorbell rang.
“Who could that be?” Raven asked.
“I’ll go check,” Liam muttered, leaving the room.
Raven placed the tray down, walking over to the door. I followed. Her scent and the way her bare back looked… I turned away, feeling that hole inside only grow.
The front door opened to reveal none other than Alejandro carrying two car seats. Behind him was Kiara holding Dante’s hand. The King smirked coldly as he looked at us.
“Well, well, well, looks like we have a fucking house full.”
“Surprise!” Kiara said, her eyes on Raven, who had gasped.
Just when I thought we were going to actually get to talk. Damn.