After helping set up for breakfast, I followed McKenna's lead, getting my food and sitting down beside her.
I had laid awake most of the night, thinking about her. My body ached for her touch, but I knew that she wasn't ready. She had to process what just happened. She was mated to a monster and I fully expected her to reject me.
Perhaps that's why I had reacted so strongly the night before. When I'd caught her sweet, vanilla scent, nothing else had mattered. I'd followed it through her pack's land, finally stopping near the packhouse. I'd heard her dressing and had lingered back, not wanting to scare her, but when I'd stepped on a twig and heard her heart start pounding, I'd known that I had to act quickly. I'd made my way silently around her, stopped right behind and waited for her to notice me. The smell of her fear had been strong and had morphed into terror when she'd turned around and heard me call her my mate. When she'd ran, I'd chased her without a second thought. Part of me had wanted to mark her before she had the chance to say no, no matter the consequences.
The rational part of me, though, was relieved when her pack showed up. I didn't want her to hate me. I know that being rejected would drive me to insanity, but I'd much rather be insane than brokenhearted, which is exactly what her hatred would do to me.
We'd had a nice time in the kitchen, though, and I was beginning to hope that she could grow like me. I mean, she had promised to consider leaving her family for me. That alone was big.
I liked her friends too. Enzo chuckled and I knew that he was remembering what Finn had said. My face grew warm again when I remembered how McKenna had smiled at me, clearly trying to communicate that she didn't mind my fangs.
I was about to take a bite of my breakfast, when my entire body went rigid. Through the delicious smells of bacon and eggs, wafted a scent that I'd hoped to never come across again. Anger and fear bubbled up inside me as I attempted to calm myself. Of course he would be here. I chided myself for not thinking of it earlier. His second son would have just shifted and it was unlikely that he'd found a mate already. The spiteful man was probably hoping to secure an alliance with McKenna's pack. It was obviously a large pack and therefore powerful. My anger grew at the thought of him being anywhere near my mate. I saw McKenna pause eating and look at me in concern. I forced a smile, but she saw right through it.
'Of course she would, you idiot. She's our mate.' Enzo was always much calmer than I was in these situations.
McKenna placed her hand on my forearm and I immediately felt myself relax. The tension was still there, though, threatening to break through at any moment.
"What is it?" my mate whispered, worried.
I opened my mouth to respond, but a shout cut me off.
"Domenic!"
I turned to see my younger brother walking toward me. I took a quick glance around before concluding that he was alone. The familiar scent must have been him, not my father, as I had thought. I rose from my chair, my muscles tensing in anticipation. I would try my best to avoid a fight, for McKenna's sake, but knew that it was inevitable. My brain didn't register that he was smiling until he stopped, at arm's length, in front of me. I just stared at him, unsure of what was happening.
"I can't believe it's you!" Giovanni seemed genuinely glad to see me, so I smiled in return.
"Hello, little brother," I greeted.
His joyous laughter filled the hall. "Not so little anymore, Dom."
It was true. He was almost as tall as I was, though slimmer in stature.
"You'll always be smaller than me, Gio," I teased.
He laughed again. "This is true!" He paused, seeming to think of something. "But why are you here?"
I grinned and turned to McKenna.
"Gio, I'd like for you to meet my mate."
His eyes got wide, looking back and forth between the two of us. Then, his shoulders slumped in resignation.
"Of course she is," he pouted. Then he perked up.
'As impulsive as always,' I chuckled to Enzo.
'It must run in the family.'
I glared at him, mentally, but I knew that he wasn't wrong.
"Oh! Mom is going to be so happy to see you! Wait right here!"
He was gone before I could even open my mouth to stop him. I was not looking forward to that reunion, because that meant that my father would be down soon as well. I sighed and sat back down next to McKenna. Her eyes were wide and her jaw was slack. I could tell that she had a lot of questions for me, but I hoped that she waited until we were alone to ask. I didn't necessarily want the entire pack to be there when I opened up that wound. Luckily, she seemed to sense my desires and turned back to her food.
A couple of minutes later, Gio bounded back into the room and took the seat next to me.
"She said she'd be right down," he said, excitedly.
I swallowed. "And Alpha Vincenzio?"
I couldn't bring myself to call him "Dad," especially when I didn't know how he still hated me or not. Gio seemed to have overcome his fear of me, and my mother had made it clear that I would always hold a place in her heart, but my father had hated me. He'd disowned me and banished me from the pack. All due to something that I couldn't control. All because that disgusting vampire had bitten me and turned me into a monster.
"I'm not sure." Gio frowned. "I didn't talk to him, but Mom will probably make him come."
I gripped my fork tighter and McKenna shifted, obviously uncomfortable. I swore to myself to be as democratic as possible, for I sake. I didnt want to do anything to scare her. Not again.
Soon, I smelled my mom's sweet lilac scent and turned to see her approaching. I stood, ignoring the man behind her as she wrapped me in an embrace.
"Oh, Domenic." Her voice was as comforting as it ever was. "I'm so glad to see you."
I returned her hug, inhaling her familiar scent. Goddess, I missed her. She pushed back to hold me at arm's length, looking me over. Her eyes stopped at my bare feet. Meeting my eyes, she raised her eyebrows in reprimand.
I heard McKenna snicker behind me and Mom's eyes widened. She peeked around me at my mate, then looked back at me. Her lips spread into a hopeful smile, which I returned with one of my own. She gasped, clearly delighted.