Fated

Chapter Nine: Meet the Parents

Sophia's P.O.V.

I sit on the edge of the bed, an old shirt of Isaac's now covering my otherwise naked body, hanging loosely on my small frame. I've always been small, but strong. 

I push my hand through my now tangled brown hair, smiling a dark smile as I think back on my time with Isaac.

A wave of pride and superiority wash over me; I waited so long for him. All that time I spent, smelling my mate on her, feeling pain every time they fuc... - and now, he's mine. I never have to feel that way again. I smirk.

A very small part of me feels guilty when I think of Claire. I shake the emotion off quickly.

This is the will of the Goddess. This is how it's supposed to be.

She has no right to feel otherwise.

I am completely prepared for her to find out about us. I want to tell her. I want her to know that he is mine.  Regardless of their baby.

I wince, remembering she is pregnant with Isaac's child, the pain in my chest mounting like a heavy mass.

That should be me carrying his cub! She has no right!

"Isaac," I turn towards him as he re-dresses himself, the room around him now in disarray, "Let's tell Claire."

Isaac freezes.

"You need to tell everyone that I'm your mate anyway, right?" I continue, sitting up to face him now.

He hesitates, "I... I don't know."

I give him a questioning look, "What do you mean, you don't know?"

Isaac takes a breath before moving back over to the bed to sit beside me, pulling me into his lap.

"Sweetheart... I know..." He looks up at me before letting out a breath, continuing, "I know you suffered a lot... But, let's be smart about this."

"What do you mean?" I urge him to continue, frustrated.

"Sophia, my mate, my love... I love you, and only you. I never want to be with anyone else." He glances up at me quickly, before looking down, "But I need to protect my cub as well."

Tears form in my eyes, anger rising within me. Alisa growls in my mind.

How dare she carry the cub of our mate!

"Sophia, Sophia - don't get me wrong. I don't want anything to do with her anymore. But I can't hurt her right now. I need to keep my cub safe." Isaac interrupts, his words twisting the deep, dark pain in my heart.

I go to argue against him in my pain, but Alisa stops me.

Sophia. Sophia stop. Do not argue this.

Alisa's words stun me. 

Why? Why not?! Why should we allow this to continue?! He is our mate! We should be carrying his cubs!

Sophia! The bond between all wolf fathers and their unborn cubs is one of the strongest of our kind. Especially of the Alpha.

Our mate will not back down. Even if he wants to, his wolf will not allow him to. You have no choice.

So what are we supposed to do, Alisa? Just sit by and watch? Watch him have a cub with another wolf??

Yes. Yes, we must endure this - for now. 

For now? Alisa, what do you mean?

We can take our revenge, we can mend this scenario - after the cub is born.

But until that time, we must play along, we must be dutiful and accept the wish of our mate. This is the only way to remedy this situation.

Alisa's words sting deep into my soul, everything about this situation feels so wrong.

This could have been so perfect if they just hadn't dated...

Isaac stares at me, a questioning look on his face.

"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking..." I mumble.

Isaac gives me a moment.

"Okay, Isaac. We won't tell Claire yet." I sigh out, tears spilling from my eyes, the pain in my chest moving to the pit of my stomach.

I feel Isaac's body relax underneath me, "Thank you for understanding, my love." Isaac's finger absentmindedly trails my neck.

"Of course. This is your cub - naturally, you would feel this way." I try to inflect more confidence in my tone. I need to sell that I am on board with this.

"Although, Isaac... When will we tell her?" I ask, my voice full of hope.

"Hmm..." Isaac's face morphs as he considers, "I need my cub to be safe, so until after they have been born?"

My heart drops... That's like, eight or nine months from now... Can I wait that long?

Something clicks in my head.

"Isaac, won't she find out before them?" His blue eyes look up at me in confusion. "Well, she will turn 19 before then. She could find her mate. Then she would know. What are we supposed to do then?"

Realisation washes over his expression.

"You're right..." 

"What will she do if that's how she finds out? Will your cub still be safe then?" I press.

Concern abundant all over him, I continue, "Maybe..." He looks back up at me, "Maybe we should talk to your parents?"

He freezes.

"I don't think they'll take it well. I don't want them to know."

I need them to know, I need their help, their support. Surely they won't support this pregnancy when they find out about us.

I clear my throat, "Well, they are in the best position to help us. They will have to understand - they supported your relationship with Claire, after all. They knew you were having se- sleeping... together..." 

I look back at him, "They will help us figure this out. They will know what to do."

Isaac hesitates before nodding his head, accepting my idea. "You're right. As the Alpha, whatever happens, my father will be able to control this. I'll call them. We need to talk with them before the announcement ceremony."

I agree, giving him a small smile in acceptance, "Let's figure this out."

We met with Isaac's parents in the pack meeting room within their home, far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the party, soundproofed and a lock on the door for privacy to deal with official business.

So far, the conversation hasn't gone... perfectly.

I haven't spoken much, in fear of retaliation.

I have been accepted by both his mother and father, but the past ten minutes have been a constant argument over what to do next.

'How could you get her pregnant?' 'How could you be so careless?' Are thrown about repeatedly. It's satisfying to hear, cathartic, almost.

Another minute or two of this pass by before Luna Jennifer interjects. "Enough!" Her voice booms.

"You were incredibly stupid, Isaac. I hope you know what an awful situation your stupidity and recklessness have put this pack in." She glares at him, "We must keep this pregnancy a secret. No one can find out."

She waits for a response from Isaac, her eyes boring into him, almost attacking him.

"Well, Isaac? Can you do that?" Her tone is full of patronising aggression.

"I - Yes, mother. But..." He hesitates, "How?"

She takes a deep breath, moving to sit down now, putting her face in her hands. "Of course, you wouldn't know how to do that - you didn't even know how to put on a condom." 

Isaac doesn't respond. His father sits, furious, opposite him at the table.

"Hide her - convince her to hide the pregnancy somehow. You can figure that much out, no?"

"Yes, mother."

"You must also hide the fact that you have found your mate." She looks at me with an expression I can only describe as a combination of apologetic and disappointment. 

"Yes, mother..." Isaac hesitates, embarrassment clouding his tone, "Umm... How - How should I do that?"

Even I feel embarrassed for him now. 

His mother simply glares up at him through her dark brown hair, falling on her face in disarray.

His father, Alpha Jason interjects now, seemingly worried about how his mate may respond. "Tell them you have met your mate." His wife turns to him in shock, "Tell them you have met your mate, but you are not ready to reveal her yet. Tell them you want time to become stronger, before revealing her."

"Yes, father. Thank you."

A moment of silence passes.

His mother sniffs, before turning to look at me.

"You two have already mated?" She gives a questioning look, disapproval abundant on her face.

Isaac looks down, embarrassed, and scratches his neck, "Yes, mother."

"And you have marked her?"

"Yes, mother."

She lets out a dramatic, exasperated sigh. "You are your father's son, after all."

Alpha Jason gives a slight, tilted smile, "He is of Alpha blood; of course he is!" He appears proud of his son.

Luna Jennifer turns to glare at him, "That is not a good thing right now, Jason."

His expression is only confused in response.

"I will spell this out slowly, for the two of you." She glances between them, "Sophia is marked. Yes?"

They nod.

"So, anyone who is near her will be able to smell that she is Isaac's mate and the future Luna. Rumours will spread and Claire will find out."

Suddenly it clicks for both of them, their expression's matching one another in panicked realisation.

"Shit." Isaac breathes out.

No one says anything for a moment.

"Sophia," Jennifer looks to me, "Can you keep yourself hidden until it is time for you to be revealed?"

I glance at Isaac, and his father, taking a moment to think.

I so desperately want everyone to know I am Isaac's mate and the future Luna of Curadh...

Sophia. You must play along. Alisa reminds me.

I take a deep breath. "Yes, I can stay hidden."

"Perfect. I will sort out everything with your school and your parents. We can find a place for you to stay. Isaac, you must stay with her too."

He nods in agreement.

"Now," Luna Jennifer starts again, her expression twisting "About the cub..."