Chapter 32
The next morning I woke up with Arthur wrapped around me. I sighed in contentment, hugging his arm tighter around me. I wanted to cherish the moments like this while I had them. They would get ripped away soon enough.
“Good morning, little wolf. How are you feeling?” Arthur mumbled, nipping my ear playfully.
Ravished, Lily answered and I giggled. I told Arthur what Lily said and he gave a dark chuckle.
“As much as I would like to ravish you again, we have things to do and places to be. Get dressed quickly and we’ll be on our way.”
I quirked my eyebrow at him. “Where are we going?”
“I think it’s high time that I met your parents, don’t you?”
I stared at him in open-mouthed shock. I had never expected him to meet my parents. Not really. I guess some part of me thought that Sofia would come back before it ever came to that.
Arthur took in my expression and a small smile played on his lips. “What? You don’t want me to meet them? Or you don’t think that they’ll approve of…” he moved a hand down his chest, making a trail to the top of the blanket that was only just covering his lower areas, “...all this?”
I licked my lips, my eyes glued to the hand that was now hovering just over the top of his hard length. Despite the fact that we had gone for three rounds last night, I couldn’t deny that I already wanted him again.
Arthur let out a bark of laughter before rolling out of bed and heading toward his wardrobe. My face flushed crimson. I jumped out of bed, grabbed some clothes and hid away in the bathroom to get ready.
I paused when I caught a look at myself in the mirror. My hair was a tangled mess which Cathy would refer to as ‘sex hair.’ It fell around my flushed cheeks and still swollen lips. But what made me almost stop breathing was the mark on my neck.
A perfect set of teeth (and fang) marks indented the otherwise smooth skin. I lightly touched it and something in me shivered with pleasure. I still couldn’t believe he marked me. That was something that was only reserved for mates.
You know it’ll go away on its own if you don’t mark him as well. It isn’t permanent unless it’s returned, Lily offered and I nodded. I probably shouldn’t worry about it. I didn’t think Arthur would ever let me mark him anyway.
I guess I’ll be wearing scarves for awhile, I muttered sullenly. I hated wearing things around my neck. They made me feel like I was suffocating.
Lily chuckled at my discomfort and I growled at her. I got dressed quickly, putting on a cute sky blue sundress. I tackled my hair with a brush and tried to keep the pained gasps to a minimum.
When I was satisfied that I looked presentable enough, I rejoined Arthur in the bedroom. I headed straight for the dresser and pulled out a thin white scarf. I was just about to wrap it around my neck when Arthur wrapped an arm around my wrist.
“What do you think you’re doing, little wolf?”
I tugged uselessly at my arm, but his grip was unrelenting. “I was going to cover it. I didn’t think you’d want anyone to see it since you did it by accident.”
Arthur scoffed, prying the scarf out of my hands and tossing it back into the dresser. “On the contrary. I knew exactly what I was doing. And I will continue to do so every time that it disappears. I will say it again. You are mine.”
The last was said on a growl that raised goosebumps up and down my arms. Lily was basically panting. Arthur released me and I stumbled. I hadn’t realized I was leaning on him so much.
“If you behave, we can continue this when we get back. Now, let’s go meet your parents.”
When we pulled into my parent’s driveway, my mother was already waiting outside. From the look on her face, I knew that I was in for a tongue lashing. It didn’t help that I completely deserved it.
“Almara Rae Lewis! What were you thinking? Your father and I have been worried sick about you! The least you could have done is call, but no! We find out from some wolf we don’t know from a pack that isn’t ours! Just because he’s an alpha, doesn’t mean you can just drop off the face of the planet!”
My mother was breathing heavily by the end of her rant. Tears welled up in my eyes and spilled over. A sob tore from my chest and my mother instantly took me into her arms. I clung to her and let all the craziness from the past month out.
Arthur stood awkwardly to the side as my mother comforted me. It was probably for the best. Kaylee’s fists clenched and unclenched at her side. This wasn’t something that she could protect me from.
“I’m sorry, Mama,” I said when the worst of the crying was over. She shushed me, patting my head.
“It’s okay. You know I worry about you. Now, let’s go inside and talk about all of this,” she said, looking pointedly at Arthur. He ducked his head, giving a very good ‘aw shucks’ impression. My mother clucked her tongue, but I could see a faint blush on her cheeks.
We went inside the house where my father pulled me into a hug and I had to fight not to break down all over again. He guided me into the living room where we all sat down. A feeling of deja vu hit me. This felt exactly like when I got home from the cruise.
“So, tell us. How did this happen? Just a month ago you were on a cruise and so excited to marry Robert. Now you’re engaged to him. We’re very concerned,” my mother said, holding my father’s hand in a tight grasp.
I pressed my lips together. I didn’t know how to answer her. I fisted my hands in my lap and nearly jumped when Arthur placed his hand over mine.
“I know it must have come quite as a shock. Believe me. We are still shocked by everything that’s happened. But I can assure you that I do not take this decision lightly. I love your daughter.”
My eyes snapped to his face. His own eyes shone with the love he talked about and his face looked so sincere. My heart skipped a beat, even though I knew he was lying. Moon Goddess, he was good.
“And what about Robert? What happened to him?” my father asked, his deep voice rumbling in his chest.
Arthur squeezed my hand in support. It was my turn. “I…um, I lied…when I got home from the cruise. I’ll spare you the specifics, but I spent the whole cruise alone because something happened the first night. Robert and I have been split up since then.”
“And how did you meet Arthur so soon?” my mother chimed in and I found myself genuinely smiling.
“Arthur found me and took care of me. I was able to somewhat enjoy the rest of the cruise because of him. And then he kept on rescuing me. It was so easy to fall in love with him after that,” I answered and nearly flinched when Arthur stiffened beside me. II had completely forgotten that alphas could smell the difference between truths and lies.
I kept myself facing forward. There was no way I could look at him after that little confession.
My parents gave us a small smile, my mother’s a tad bit brighter than my father’s. “Well, we can’t say we’re completely satisfied with this outcome, but as long as you’re happy, Almara, we’re happy. You know we’ll support you no matter what.”
“We really appreciate that. And since you’ll be my in-laws soon, it would be my honor to give you a gift. If you’ll check your bank account…” Arthur said and I could practically hear the smile in his voice.
My father took out his phone and began coughing when he pulled up his bank app. My mother slapped his back until the worst of it was over. Then she took his phone and had her own coughing fit.
“This is too much,” my father said and Arthur chuckled good naturedly.
“It’s not at all. You’re practically family. And you’ll get that amount every month for the rest of your lives. It’s the least I could do. If you ever need anything else, please let me know and I’ll take care of it,” Arthur said and my parents practically beamed at him. I could almost see the worship in their eyes. Arthur had completely won them over.
