Chapter 19: Chapter 19
The ride to Isabel’s parents’ house was silent. Not an awkward silence, but a comfortable one. Dylan occasionally stole glances at Isabel, whose eyes were glued to the road. The thought of meeting his mate’s parents without prior notice was making him tensed. Ordinarily, he wouldn’t be worried about acquainting himself with new people because he was a social butterfly, but the circumstances were different. He never imagined himself meeting the former Alpha and Luna of the Pride pack in this lifetime. What was the meeting going to be like? Would the former alpha welcome him with open arms or would he be against the union? If the latter were to happen, it wouldn’t be a difficult issue since they haven’t completed the mating rituals, except his mate does otherwise.
Dylan wiped his sweaty palms against his jeans and used his left hand to reach for Isabel’s right hand that was placed on the arm rest. As if on cue, she entwined their fingers while staring ahead. This small action gave Dylan the assurance he needed. He smiled at their entwined fingers and leaned his head back against the head rest, closing his eyes and mentally preparing himself for the visit.
They arrived their destination fifteen minutes later. It was a beautiful duplex, similar to that of his parents.
“Let’s go in.”
Isabel untangled their fingers, taking her warmth with her. He was once again exposed to the cold and unwelcomed feeling, making his nervousness return. Isabel got out of the car and he wasted no time in copying her action. They walked side by side, but not hand in hand like his brother does with his mate whenever they visited his parents, and Dylan couldn’t help but feel like her subordinate. The feeling hurts quite a lot, but in reality that is the truth. He was her inferior.
The front door was suddenly swung open just as they stepped on the front porch by the woman he saw in the painting the day he was brought to the pack.
“Forgive me if I took you both by surprise. I couldn’t wait to see the werewolf behind the strong rosewood scent.”
Paulina was wearing a warm smile as she approached Dylan, pulling him to herself for a hug. A low growl was heard from Isabel’s direction, and her mom immediately hugged her too, to pacify the alpha.
“Good morning, mom.” Isabel greeted her mom when the hug ended.
Her mom waved dismissively, returning her attention towards him.
“It’s a great honor to meet you in person, Luna. I’m Dylan at your service.” He politely introduced himself without being told, bowing his head to show his respect.
“Well. As you already know, I’m no longer the Luna, so quit with the formalities, okay?” She replied with a smile.
“Not bad, Isabel. Not bad.” Paulina teased her daughter through mind-link, earning an eye roll from the latter.
She was impressed by the tall, handsome and muscular guy the moon goddess destined her daughter to be with.
“Call me Paulina if you can.”
The statement was directed to Dylan, but Paulina looked at Isabel, seeking her approval. Her daughter looked away instead. It wasn’t up to her to make that decision. Her dad calls the shots when it involves her mom. Dylan studied the body language and the eye communication between the pair, taking a mental note to never attempt to call the former Luna by her first name.
“My bad. I’ve kept you guys out here for too long… Your father is waiting in the living room.”
Fear washed over Dylan at that piece of information. His chest tightened while his heartbeat raced as they entered the house. Isabel’s mom was easy going even though she was aware of his former pack, but he believed the outcome would be different with the former Alpha.
Sitting on the arm chair adjacent to an occasional table was the previous alpha of the Pride pack. His young daughter was comfortably settled on his lap, babbling away her version of the frozen animation theme song. Surprisingly, the former alpha was devotedly listening to his daughter. The father-daughter moment was a rare opportunity to behold for someone like Dylan, who didn’t think he’d ever be privileged to meet two generation alphas of the most feared pack in the history of werewolves. He must’ve perceived their scent because his head jerked up towards their direction, sending goosebumps all over Dylan’s body. He was literally shivering at the sight of the powerful werewolf. Isabel’s dad stood up from the chair and carefully placed his preschooler back on his seat. The imperial and authoritarian aura around the male werewolf was overpowering. He stood 6ft 5inches tall and roughly weighed 286 pounds.
“A-alpha” Dylan lowered his head to avoid Rodrigo’s intense glare.
“Look at me.” The deep voiced werewolf demanded.
Dylan slowly lifted his head, but didn’t dare to meet his eyes.
“What is your name?” He further asked.
Dylan swallowed hard and replied,
“Dylan… Dylan Dwight.”
Paulina stood beside her mate, who instinctively wrapped his arm around her small frame.
“Don’t scare the young man, else someone might get mad at you.“ She murmured to her mate, but their sharp hearing ability didn’t make her comment as private as it should be.
It was obvious that she was referring to Isabel, who had a deep frown on her face. He smiled lovingly at his mate and glowered in Dylan’s direction before picking his little girl up from the arm chair.
“I’m guessing you haven’t had breakfast as promised… I made scrambled eggs, Tamales, Molletes, Hueuos rancheros and Gordita de Harina, incase you have a sweet tooth.” Paulina’s last remark was directed at Dylan.
They all went into the dinning room where different Mexican delicacies covered the dinning table. The sweet aroma of home made food caused Dylan’s stomach to rumble. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a good meal. Paulina clapped her hands in delight and said
“Let’s dig in, shall we?”
During breakfast, Paulina threw questions at Dylan. Anyone in his shoes would feel exposed and vulnerable, but Dylan actually enjoyed the conversation, as it made him realize that he and his mate were birthday mates, and Isabel was a year older than him. He felt terrible for treating her with disrespect with the excuse of anger. He wished he could turn back the hands of time, to correct his mistakes and better still, think of ways to make up for his wrong. Isabel stayed quiet all through the conversation, likewise her dad, whose undivided attention was on his young daughter. She seemed unfazed by the recent information, and he couldn’t help but wonder for how long his mate has been stalking him. Dylan thanked Paulina for the sumptuous meal when he was done eating.
“It was my pleasure.” She heartily replied.
He stole a glance at Rodrigo, and immediately regretted his action, as the older werewolf was already staring at him. Now he knows where Isabel got her stern face. Rodrigo gestured with his head for them to go outside. Dylan, too scared to get on the former alpha’s bad side curtly stood up, stumbling behind Rodrigo. At this point, he was too embarrassed to look at his mate. She must be super disappointed in him. He wanted this visit to be over and done with. Dylan followed Rodrigo closely behind as they walked through the back door located in the kitchen. This led them to an open area of land covered in grass. There was a small lake close by and the woods far ahead. The smell of newly mowed grass and the wonderful feeling of nature put Dylan at ease. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, letting the cool air satisfy his longing to feel at one with nature.
“I don’t like you or your people.,” Rodrigo’s words broke his moment with nature, making him remember why he was out here in the first place.
“But… I believe the moon goddess has her reasons for bringing you and my daughter together, so.. welcome to the family.”
The former alpha’s behavior baffled Dylan. He was expecting to be beaten to a pulp, probably to test his strength and perseverance, or be given a stern warning by the dominant werewolf to not hurt his daughter.
“T- thank you so much, alpha.” He stuttered excitedly, as he was unable to contain his excitement.
“About that… I’m not your alpha. Isabel is… Call me Rodrigo.”
Rodrigo ruffled his hair affectionately before diverting his attention back to the woods, to enjoy nature. In all honesty, the Martinez family were nothing like the stories he has been told over the years. They were far better than the fallacies.