Page 72 of Alpha Awakening
“Don’t say that! You’re supposed to be fearless! How am I supposed to ever feel safe driving down there on my own with you being such a scaredy cat?”
“More like a scaredy pup,” Blake chuckled, making Niev laugh as well.
She took his hand in hers and grinned like a little child who had heard a silly joke. For the moment, her worries seemed to have faded away and her heart appeared much lighter than before.
They stopped in Clemont for lunch at her favorite burger place and continued the drive with a happily humming Niev. While eating her fries, Blake tried to hide how nervous he was. He wasn’t sure what to expect–he’d never done anything like this. Knowing her parents were very religious, he was also afraid they would be upset with him for never asking for her hand. During his research for their mating ceremony, he’d read that it was a human tradition.
Knowing she was likely just as anxious as he was, he tried to keep his mind quiet, but it seemed as if she was far too occupied with her own thoughts to even sense his.
As they drove closer to Brighthill with the midday sun slowly streaming through the clouds, Niev stiffened in her seat. The town was surrounded by farmland, with large acres of corn and wheat fields all around. The town was quite picturesque, the church being the center of it with a farmers’ market held before it.
“I forgot it’s Wednesday,” she said, her eyes fixed on the market.
“Did you go to school here too?”
“Yes.” She pointed to a street ahead of them. “Right over there. I used to take my bike to school after starting high school. A lot of the kids here lived out on the farms, but I didn’t live too far.”
The GPS guided him into a small street with manicured gardens and one-story homes.
“It’s the house over there with all the roses, but do you mind parking further down the road?”
“Not at all.”
Guilt flooded her mind and slight fear too.
“What is it, beautiful?”
“Can you wait here? I don’t want to… well…” Her voice broke.
“You don’t want to overrun them with everything all at once.”
He parked the truck a few houses down, but not so far that he wouldn’t be able to see her. He gently took her hand in his and ran his thumb calmingly over her knuckles. Her heart was pumping fast, her mind swirling with emotions.
“Whatever happens, I’m right here. If you feel like they’re not ready for you to tell them about me or the girls, that is alright too.”
She took in a deep breath before nodding slowly, her eyes fixed on her childhood home. “Okay.”
He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “You got this.”
Still fixed on her parents’ home, she opened the door and climbed out. He watched as she walked toward the house, her shoulders stiff and her hands fidgeting with her long dress. He lowered his window, hoping he would be able to hear what was being said. She paused at the door, visibly hesitating as she fought the war inside her. She wanted this. She missed them deeply but at the same time, she was terrified of their reaction.
Finally, she raised a shaky hand and knocked on the door. A moment later, a short woman with blonde hair appeared in the doorway. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then froze as realization flooded her face.
A deep voice echoed through the air and freed the woman of her shock. “Who is it?”
Her mother’s face turned anxious. “You need to leave.”
“I just want to talk,” Niev pleaded, her voice shaking.
A man appeared next to the woman, his ice-cold eyes on Niev. “You’re not welcome here.”
“I just want to talk, Dad.”
“I’m not your father.” He pushed Niev’s mother behind him, stepping between them as if Niev were a threat.
Blake’s wolf growled in the back of his mind as pain radiated through the bond so deep that it seemed to pierce his heart.
“Please,” Niev whispered.