Chapter Twenty-Five

Xochil

-Three weeks later-

“L ucas, get back here! You’re not dry yet!” Aline called out before I heard the tiny giggle of my nephew getting closer to the kitchen.

I couldn’t leave my niece in the sink, where I was trying to bathe her, to check where he was going, but moments later, his naked little body ran into the kitchen, and he went into the pantry to hide. Less than a minute later, Aline ran inside with a naked Leo on her hip and a towel in her free hand.

“Where did he go?” she asked me.

“I don’t know. I wasn’t looking,” I answered, and a giggle sounded from the pantry. “Way to play it cool, Lucas.”

“You’re supposed to be on my side,” she accused before she went to the pantry and flung the door open dramatically, sending Lucas into another round of giggles.

Cory and Evie dropped off the kids a few hours ago. I asked them if they had any exciting plans for the day, and they laughed at me without answering. Half an hour later, Cory sent me a picture of them in the hotel room, settled in bed, wearing robes and sleep masks on their heads, wishing us luck.

Aline thought they were exaggerating the activity level the kids were capable of, because we were all hanging outside quietly at the start, but apparently, an hour and a half is exactly how long it took Leo and Lucas to get comfortable with us, because soon after, all hell broke loose.

Leo somehow got under the grill without us noticing, and in seconds, he was covered in soot. Then, he started chasing Lucas around, and while Aline and I ran to catch them, I made the mistake of putting the yogurt I was feeding little Annie, on the high chair. By the time I caught Lucas, she was covered from head to toe in the mixture.

So, we decided to tag team them. Aline was more comfortable with the older kids, so she was giving the boys a quick bath in the bathroom to clean them up, and I was giving Annie a bath in the kitchen sink.

“I found you!” she yelled excitedly, making Lucas and Leo giggle.

Lucas tried to get through her legs to keep running, but Aline snapped her legs closed and trapped him between them, making them giggle again.

I watched her waddle backward with Lucas between her legs, so I pulled Annie from the water and into her high seat, then grabbed him, so Aline could go back to drying Leo. Thankfully, the highchair had wheels, so I pushed it until we were all locked in the master bedroom.

“There’s no escape now,” I warned them once we’d put a new diaper and pants on them, locking the door to the bedroom dramatically. “You know what this means, right?”

Leo shook his head, looking unsure for a moment as his eyes went to his brother.

“Tickle fight!” Aline yelled, and we pounced on them both, while Annie was giggling from her highchair as the boy’s squeals filled the room.

It was a long, exhausting day, but we managed to keep the boys, and Annie, alive and in one piece by the time Cory and Evie came for them the next morning after breakfast.

“I’m impressed. We figured you would call by dinner time,” Cory confessed.

“You thought that, Studmuffin. I had no doubts they could do it,” Evie corrected.

“Is that why you suggested we nap for as long as we could the moment we got into the hotel room?” Cory teased, making Evie blush.

“I won’t lie, their clothes didn’t fare as well as they did,” Aline chuckled, handing them a garbage bag of dirty clothes and a nearly empty suitcase. “We might have gone through about three or four of the five outfits you left us.”

“We’re not surprised. What did they get into?” Cory asked.

“Soot, yogurt, batter and, somehow, the eggs,” I chuckled.

“Oh, do you want breakfast? We can go eat somewhere?” Evie asked.

“No. The eggs happened last night. We already replaced them, and they’ve had breakfast already,” I assured them.

“Are you sure we can’t do anything to thank you?” Cory asked.

“Yeah, wait a couple of months before you ask again. We need time to recover,” Aline giggled.

“Ooooh, that’s better than Zi’s request to wait a year,” Evie joked.

At least, I thought she was joking until Cory nodded his head in agreement.

They left, and Aline quickly changed to head into the restaurant. She wasn’t opening today, so she wasn’t in a big rush, though I had suggested she take the day off after running around with the kids for almost twenty-four hours.

The first thing she did when we returned was to promote Cassidy to the front-of-the-house manager and Rosie and Guillermo to full-time chefs, so she had more time to just relax. It was also allowing her to look closely at her books. She’d already found a few local distributors who were saving her money on costs and were more than happy to work around her delivery schedule needs.

During the last three weeks, I still headed to Guardian Moon once or twice a week to help Dad with some responsibilities. I was also still performing my work for the security company, though that could mostly be done remotely, so we’d discussed that I could keep it for the foreseeable future. We might even discuss with Damian to see if he wanted to take over the running of the branch, or focus on his role as alpha while I ran the company side of the business.

On the days I didn’t drive out to the pack, I always headed to the restaurant at around three in the afternoon to eat lunch with Aline, and spent a few hours there, working from her office, just so I could be closer to her.

We’d been getting to know each other well, and I was enjoying every bit of it. I was still adjusting to not being the next alpha, and I hated that I had to wait to tell everyone. I felt like I was lying, not correcting them when they called me alpha, but I had no regrets in choosing my mate. Aline completed me in ways I didn’t know I needed. I was happier with her. I was whole. Mostly. I was sure the longing for the pack and my family would dissipate over time. I was close enough to still be able to attend the big events, and Aline was worth every sacrifice.

“I’ll see you at lunch,” I told her when she came over to kiss me goodbye.

“Can’t wait,” she assured me.

I worked on some emails for the rest of the morning, and went for a run sometime around one. It was October now, so the sun, at least, wasn’t scorching me at this hour. I took a shower and then headed out to buy a printer for the work setup. I was slowly making my own space in the spare bedroom. Aline kept insisting we should wait to buy permanent items until we found a new home, though. She didn’t want me to waste money if we were going to move in the next few months. Next month, we were going to start actively looking at listings, and I was excited to have a place we could make our own as a couple.

At two-thirty, I got into my vehicle and drove over to the restaurant. I waved at Cassidy and the hostess as I walked inside. I stopped at the bar to pick up my cantarito, and talked to Alex about his date the night before.

“I was wondering what was holding you up. Alex, go find your own boyfriend. Leave my girlfriend alone so I can have some lunch,” Aline chastised her bartender as she came out of the kitchen.

“Don’t be greedy, chef. I’m only borrowing her to exchange some tea.”

I got up after he topped up my cantarito and joined Aline at the chef’s table. Stopping to say hello to Rosie and Guillermo. In the last month, we were becoming good friends.

“Did you pick up our Halloween costumes?” Aline asked as we ate.

“No. Miguel called and said he had us covered.”

“Oh lord, what’s he making us go as?” she asked. We were planning on going to Luna Salsera for the Halloween Party on October thirtieth, and then Guardian Moon for the Halloween celebration on the thirty-first.

“I don’t know. He said it was appropriate.”

“That could mean so many things,” she reminded me, and I nodded. I wasn’t worried. Whatever Miguel had chosen, he was excited about it.

‘Are we still headed to Guardian Moon tomorrow?’ I switched our conversation to mind-link.

‘Yeah. Your dad is going to start giving me some lessons, so I can access my magic a little easier. Ogum is not the best teacher. He just facepalms all the time,’ she answered, rolling her eyes.

Ogum had been a delight to get to know. He was sarcastic and funny, but sometimes he annoyed the crap out of Aline, who was still trying to get used to him being able to talk to her.

“H ow is this appropriate?” Aline asked for the third time, as we changed in my old apartment two and a half weeks later.

“Because you’re a witch and she’s a wolf,” Miguel answered once again.

Yesterday, we’d gone to Luna Salsera as a sexy security guard and a chef, as Miguel insisted that was the “costume” we showed the humans. Today, he’d shown up with a shifter and a witch’s costume because they were “our true selves.”

“Yeah, but aren’t there going to be kids at this party? How is showing this much leg appropriate?” Aline argued, stepping out of the bathroom, where she had been changing, and making my jaw drop.

I was wearing a tail, ears, a short gray skirt to match and knee-high black boots as my outfit, but Aline’s costume was much more…

Nope. We’re going to kill a lot of wolves tonight if our mate goes out in that outfit, Erinda snarled, beginning to pace back and forth in the back of my head.

Aline was wearing tight black leather short shorts and a corseted top that enhanced and pushed up her girls. She had a cinched cloak over everything that hid nothing, and a witches’ hat on her head. In her hand, were a pair of chunky black boots.

“I don’t see anything bad showing,” Miguel insisted, and I was torn between wanting to show off my drool-worthy mate to everyone I knew and wanting to prevent anyone else from seeing her in that outfit.

‘I hate you,’ I mind-linked Miguel.

‘You love me. I’ll give you two a moment, and then we can head down together,’ he said, standing up and addressing Aline. “I’m going to go change. See you guys in a few.”

“Is there really nothing bad showing?” Aline asked, turning around and giving me a three hundred and sixty-degree view.

“There’s nothing bad about you to show,” I answered automatically.

“That’s not what I meant,” she said, a little exasperation coming through.

“You’re beautiful, Aline. That’s all people are going to see when they see you.”

“It’s my first big event with your pack as your mate, and I don’t want them to think I’m a slut or that I shouldn’t be with you,” she answered, letting me know her doubts ran much deeper than just a slightly risqué outfit.

“Baby, they are going to love you because I love you. This is a good pack. They will be happy to meet you,” I replied as I walked to her and pulled her closer.

She sighed and melted against me.

“I just want to make a good impression with them.”

“You will. All you have to do is be your wonderful self, and they will love you,” I assured her.

“I hope that’s enough,” she whispered.

“It will be more than enough,” I said and placed my lips on hers, letting my love speak for itself.

A few moments later, there was a knock on the apartment door, and I knew that had to be Miguel.

“Let’s do this,” she said, taking a deep cleansing breath and pulling me to the door.

Both of us burst out laughing when we opened the door and saw Miguel’s Speedy Gonzalez costume.

“Uncle Lalo is going to kill you,” I chuckled.

“Nah. He’ll kill Adrien for telling me about it,” he countered.

Uncle Lalo had the gift of speed. Adrien told us when he discovered his gift, Uncle Sebastian and Uncle Theo had called him Speedy Gonzalo because he was Mexican and fast.

We walked down together and met Adrien at the dining room entrance. When he realized what Miguel was, he paled.

“Fuck! You promised!” he accused.

“I didn’t promise anything. I’m simply embracing my roots,” Miguel tried to say with a straight face.

“Dad’s going to kill me. He specifically forbade me from mentioning it when you guys were born. Forgive me, Aline. I need to go find my mate and say my goodbyes.” Adrien bowed deeply to my mate, shot Miguel a glare, and used his vampire speed to leave the pack house.

It was a good hour into the party when Dad, Mom, Uncle Lalo and Aunt Kassie finally showed up to the party. It took Uncle Lalo a few minutes to notice Miguel’s outfit, then seeing Aunt Kassie giggling to realize what it was.

“Goddess dammit, Adrien. I’m going to get you back for this one. And you three, not one word about what his costume means to the girls,” he warned before using his gift of speed to go look for his oldest son.

“Is he really mad?” Aline asked.

“Oh, no. He’s more embarrassed over the story than anything else,” Aunt Kassie assured Aline. “Have Theo and Sebastian seen you?” she asked her son.

“Nope. I think they’re volunteering at Aunt Celeste’s Haunted House until ten,” Miguel answered.

“Theo’s going to piss his pants,” Aunt Kassie continued laughing.

“Are we going to the haunted house?” Aline asked me.

“We can,” I replied. “Though it’s mostly aimed at the little kids, so it may feel a little boring.”

“Alright, I’m going to address the pack before everyone gets too buzzed to pay attention,” Dad told us, then nodded to Aline before grabbing Mom, and calling the attention of the pack.

“Thank you for coming to our little gathering. I hope you remember that our Crescent Moon friends are hosting another celebration, and if you have little ones, be sure to take them through the Haunted House my sister, Celeste, created for them,” he began. “As you know, this Halloween and later this fall, we’ll have the pleasure of having a few new faces around here. Most of you have heard, but if you haven’t, my daughter Xochil has met her mate. Aline is an amazing human being, a witch and a demigoddess in her own right. Later this fall, her grandmother will be joining us for a few months to help her get in touch with her craft. For now, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Aline, our future luna.”

My eyes rounded as he finished speaking and held out his hand to point our way.

“What the hell are you doing, Dad?” I wondered under my breath.

This wasn’t what we discussed. I tried to mind-link him to ask, but he had it blocked. Aline squeezed my hand nervously as everyone’s attention turned to us. I turned to look at her to apologize, but I stopped at the look on her face.