Her Dad continued with his explanation.
"However, there are a few rules that will have to be abided by on your trip. One is that you are to check-in daily with your mom and me. Two is that you always return to our family estates for the night, so that means no staying at hotels, inns or hospices. If you get stuck out, you're to contact a family member from where you'll be staying at, and they will see about picking you up. Three is that you'll be gone no longer than the month we have allotted for this trip. Chloe and Allison need time to prepare for college, and you… Well, you'll do what you can to prepare yourself for a job until you can find one that you can support yourself with."
Her dad didn't say it, but he sounded as if she was going to be cut off if she didn't find a job after her graduation. That meant that if she didn't find a job, she would have to live until she was 21 without her comforts and luxuries. That was absolutely not going to happen. She would find a job, even if it meant that she started out as a burger flipper, like Erik. That didn't sound so bad. It seemed like an easy enough job to do, but what about later? What kind of career would support her lifestyle if she didn't go to college?
"Daddy? If I don't work after graduation, and not go to college, will I lose my allowance?"
Her dad seemed a bit grim as he answered her, "Liona, your allowance is there for the work you do around the house, for your studies and grades, as well as things like errands and looking after your siblings. Once you no longer are a student, there is no reason for us to continue to support that. Now given that you haven't applied, nor been accepted into any colleges, then we will insist that you supplement the remainder of your allowance with your own hard work. We may be well off, but we are by no means people that don't value the hard work it is to learn to support oneself. It is why we don't look down on others for their hard work. All jobs are important to society and keep the gears of our life turning. Without a single cog, we would not be living as well as we do now. Never underestimate the importance of hard work. Our family fortune is not just inherited, it is earned."
"Does that mean that you worked when you graduated high school too, Dad?"
"Yes, I did. Even before I graduated high school, I was doing odd jobs to earn a little money to supplement my allowance. Plus, there was a special someone that I wanted to impress and show that I was responsible and ready to be her forever partner." Her dad smiled with a faraway look in his eye.
"Dad? Since you and Mom grew up together, did you always know mom was your one? How did you know she was the person that you wanted to spend your life with? What was it about her that made you think, 'This is my mate?' " She was curious.
"I always felt drawn to your mother. Despite our age gap, and her being older than I, I was always looking out for her, and I wanted to grow up quickly so that I could protect her. I felt inadequate at first, but soon I gained confidence as I realized my feelings for her were more than just as my family. I channeled that into doing all that I could to show her that I was enough for her. However, your mother was stubborn and didn't realize our mutual pull until I asked her to really see me as a man and look me in the eye. That was when our connection really sparked."
"Sparked?" Liona asked, thinking of Erik and the static electricity that ran between their hands when they touched.
"An electric spark, a feeling of static in the air when you're close, a simple touch that sends a shiver down your spine. These were all signs that your mother was my fated mate."
"Daddy? What if your fated mate hasn't presented yet? What do you do?" Liona was really curious about this.
"If you mean if your mother hadn't presented yet, then our fated meeting would have kicked off her presentation. You know my mother hadn't presented his secondary gender until he met my father, Liona. The same was true of your Aunt Jeanie and her mate. She presented in the presence of her fated mate, your Uncle Chad, although there were some extenuating circumstances surrounding that presentation, but it was just one example of their fated nature."
"So, if I meet my fated mate and he hasn't presented yet, I might cause him to present? What do you do to make that happen?"
"It's different for every fated couple, Princess. It depends on your fated mate's age and if he or she is capable of presenting their secondary gender yet. Some fated couples have a very large age gap and may not be old enough to present so they may or may not present in the presence of their mate yet. However, if they are old enough, then usually just looking into their eyes, and having them look back at you is enough, but physical contact too, can cause that presentation." Her dad explained.
"How did all this information about fated mates start daddy? Wasn't it considered a myth in my grandpa's era?"
"That is what your history books are for, and if you paid attention in class then you would also know this. I know this is part of your curriculum, so you should have learned this already." Her dad said with a frown.
"I know what my books say, Dad, but I want the real reason, not the watered-down version my books say it is."
"Then ask your grandpas when you see them for your birthday. If you can get them to tell you, I bet it will go a long way to making up for some of those missing credits next semester." Her dad said, bringing around the conversation to her grades again.
Liona sighed as she hugged her pillow. She had a lot of thoughts swirling in her head, and only a little bit of her anxiety was relieved from talking to her dad.
"Princess, was there something else bothering you? Perhaps that bastard alpha from your Aunt Hannah's burger place actually dared to put his hands on you?!"
It sounded like her dad was gearing up for a beat down of nasty alphas, so she laughed, "No, daddy, he didn't touch me, he just really insulted my new friend. He actually body checked him to get him away from the register I was trying to order at. He pushed Erik out of the way just so he could be the one to try and take my order after I had already started to order from Erik."
"Well, that's good. So, who is this new friend of yours, Erik? Is he a new student at your school?"
"No, he goes to uncle's school. I met him at the park a couple weeks ago and then kept bumping into him at places Chloe and Alli and I like to eat and hang out at. He just moved to this city with his family so he's pretty new around here. He works so many jobs though, Daddy! How can he work 3 jobs and go to school at the same time? I don't understand."
"How old is your new friend? Is he an alpha or an omega? He could be being taken advantage of by these workplaces." Her dad asked, concerned.
"He's 17 and says he's an alpha, but he's really too scrawny, Daddy. How can an alpha be so thin? I thought all alphas looked like you and my grandpas. Even Noah and Nolan are bulking up and are more filled out than he is. Oh! And he also seems to be hungry every time I see him. I'm a little worried about him. I was thinking of making extra lunch and sharing it with him, so he has something to eat, 'cause I don't think he ever eats lunch. He always says he has to look after his sisters too, and he has a lot of them! His family is bigger than ours, since he has 7 siblings and he's the oldest of them all." Liona explained her worry to her dad.
"What's his full name? I'll ask your uncle to do a wellness check on him and his family once school starts again. It could be that his family is struggling to put food on the table with that many mouths to feed. As much as it is unfortunate, sometimes people are not well off financially. It could be that he works these jobs in an effort to help his parents feed everyone. If that's the case then it's admirable, if not concerning."
"His name is Erik Norman, and I wanted to invite him to my birthday party, Daddy. Is that alright?" She practically pleaded.
"Whomever you invite to your party is fine, this is your party, not ours to tell you who you can or cannot invite. I will just need to know the final headcount so that I can plan on enough officers being here to help chaperone."