She smiled at me from the couch the two of them were sitting on. "We're considering venturing out and grabbing some dinner. You wanna go?"
The fact that I hadn't been seen in the city had been brought up by both of the alphas during our call just moments ago. They felt like I wasn't trying to be part of the community. "Sure. Does Italian sound good?"
"Is that even a serious question?" Her jaw dropped, and she arched an eyebrow. "Italian is always good."
I couldn't hold back the chuckle. "Okay, I'll get us a reservation at Bella Lupo." That was the restaurant one of the alphas owned.
"Are you okay?" Louis's all too observant eyes scanned my face. "You've been out of sorts since we got back here."
"Uh ... how would you know?" Ella rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "You don't even know her. If anyone would note that, it’d be me. I’ve known her the longest." She lifted her head in the air, and her gaze landed on me. She cleared her throat. “So, are you okay? You’re acting weird.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to not laugh at her antics. "I'm fine. Thank you for your concern." I had hoped to catch Ella alone. We hadn't talked about what happened the other day. Granted, her dad was still her direct alpha, but now we had a link as well.
"Let me go get the reservation made." I turned to head into the kitchen. I needed a cup of coffee pronto. "Does six sound good for you two?"
"Yup." Ella nodded. "I can eat anytime and anywhere."
She wasn't exaggerating. Hey, are you okay with going out for dinner tonight?
Sure, just please tell me I don't have to dress up. Mason's voice filled with dread and made me smile.
Not too much. I was going to wear some slacks and a blouse. I couldn't stand dresses. Maybe khakis and a polo.
Fine. He didn't sound happy. You better be glad I love you.
Damn straight, you do. He and his sister were so alike some times. I grabbed a mug out of the cabinet and dropped a pod in the Keurig. As the magical liquid brewed, I dialed Matteo, who was the alpha over the Manhattan, Bronx, and Queens boroughs.
"Queen Elena. Two calls in one day." His deep voice held a trace of humor. "What may I assist you with now?"
"I figured I should take you up on your offer." Here it goes. There was no turning back now. "Is there any way I can get a reservation for a party of six tonight?" Kassie and Mona would demand to come along, seeing as we'd be out in public.
"Certainly." I heard some typing on his side. "Is there a certain time you'd like?"
"Six?" That was only a few hours away. "If that doesn't work, we can do it later."
"Six works fine, My Queen." He cleared his throat. "Are we still on for our meeting tomorrow?"
He'd assume I was doing this to get out of having to speak to him directly without others around to hear. "Of course. I just took note of your point and could see how I came off distant. I figured it was time for the Royal Mate and me to make our rounds."
"I'm glad." He paused for a moment. "Your father was an amazing king, and I have no doubt you will follow in his footsteps."
The lump in my throat appeared once more. "Thank you. I look forward to seeing you tonight. Goodbye." I hung up the phone and took a steady breath as I cupped the mug with my hands. The warmth felt good as it fought back some of the cold inside.
Over the years, Mona and Kassie had promised the pain would fade with time. I was still waiting for that day to come. Every time I thought about my parents, it caused gut-wrenching agony. It appeared to be building up even more now that I was taking my place in the supernatural world.
Hey. Mason's comforting presence linked with me. I just heard from Alec. He's upset we didn't see him while we were in town. Do you mind if he comes up for a visit this weekend?
I didn't know Mason's best friend all that well, which was a damn shame. They’d been such a constant in each other’s lives. There was so much going on with my whole wolf situation when we’d met that we never had time to hang out like normal college kids. The last few weeks after Mason and I bonded, they hadn't been able to hang out at all. Of course. It's been long overdue. You can even send the plane to fetch him.
Thank you. His words were warm.
He and I would be traveling soon, so now would be the best time for Alec to visit anyway. Conversations like this made it feel like there was some distance between Mason and me. It felt as though he didn’t consider this his home or that he wanted to be a royal. I wasn’t sure what to do about it. This is your home. And we’ll always make time for our family and close friends. That was something so important to me, growing up with hardly any. Have I made you feel that you need my permission before making important plans like those?
No, you haven't at all. There was a moment of silence. It's just that this place is so different from the house back in South Carolina. It's taking me a bit longer to acclimate.
Even though his words were meant to comfort me, it did the exact opposite. Not wanting to delay the conversation any longer, I headed straight to the library.
As I passed the den where Ella and Louis were, I smiled at them. "Dinner is set. Let's be ready to leave around five-thirty. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes. It'll take less time to walk there."
"Ooh, we'll get to people watch." Ella grinned. "That's golden. But no peeing in the street. That’s not acceptable here."
“It isn’t in Europe either.” Louis chuckled and sighed. “It’s not like I’m from the jungle.”
Dear Lord. I left the conversation on that note. I hoped she didn't say anything inappropriate on the way there. Wait ... Who was I kidding? She definitely would.
Even though I didn’t want to have this conversation with Mason, it was inevitable, and the longer I waited, the more difficult it would be. He’d been by my side and stepped in when needed, but I needed him to be a partner, not just a protector. My people were looking for him to lead alongside me. I continued on toward the library, which was at the very end of the hallway.
Upon reaching it, I took a deep breath and then opened the double doors, walking in.
I'd forgotten how huge this room was. It was at least twice the size of our master bedroom, and it housed thousands of books. Bookcases lined the walls from the floor to the ceiling. Mason sat at the large, dark, mahogany table with at least twenty books surrounding him.
He flipped the pages of the current book he was scanning, and I took a second to just admire him. He wore a thin shirt, which molded to his body, emphasizing his muscles, and his wolf paw print tattoo peeked through the sleeve. "Are you enjoying the view?" His emerald eyes flickered to mine.
"Yeah, is that a problem?" He still made my stomach do funny flips every time I glanced at him. I hoped that never changed.
"Nope … in fact, I encourage it." He leaned back in his chair and held his arms out for me. "Come join me?"
"Sure." I strode over to him and sat in his lap. "You got a second?" I wrapped my arms around his neck.
"For you? Of course." He leaned forward, kissing my lips, and pulled back to look me in the eyes. I had his full attention.