Lycan's unexpected mate

Family Chef, part 1

Carson

I look at the clock and notice that it's already 11:30. David has behaved strangely these past two days and I have no idea why. But he has an order for a closed company starting today at 12, so it may be someone important and he wants to present this restaurant in the best light.

You see, this place is owned by a member of our group. She has left her original coven because she wanted to prove that she was more than just a nice face in the garden. And look at her now: she's strong, independent and she can sustain herself in the human world. And she's a great cook.

Anyway, she has a doctor's appointment today because she's been unwell for a while now. Personally, I would say that it's because of the sweet tooth she has developed lately, but I hope it's nothing serious. But her absence means that I have to be the substitute manager of the restaurant.

I am honoured by the trust she has in me, but it's a great responsibility. I sigh and walk to the kitchen where I notice David spraying something in the air. I recognise the smell immediately because this spray is used to cover a werewolf's scent. As soon as he sees me, he sprays some on me, too.

I cough and ask: "What the heck?"

"Well, they don't need to know that we're both rogues and werewolves, right? If something were to happen, they wouldn't do a thing with a human around," David explains hastily and seemingly in fear. Then he quickly pats his pockets and fishes a vial out of one.

"Here, it's Daniel's cover potion," he tells me.

I take it reluctantly and sigh. "Why me? Why can't you play the human?" I look at the vial and back at him. "Who are the guests, David? What do you know that I don't?"

He scratches the back of his head. "I can't tell just yet," he admits, and I frown at him. However, I'm not an Alpha to use my voice and get the answer out of him.

He can sense my emotions pretty well, so he adds: "But they should be arriving shortly. Please, listen to me and I'm sure you won't regret it."

He looks at me pleadingly and I roll my eyes at him. Uncapping the vial, I can't help but wonder what he has got us into. As he is spraying the whole area, it means that a werewolf is coming. And it might be a tracker if their sense of smell is so good that he sprayed me as well. I swallow the content and make a face. Disgusting as always. David moves to the front and sprays the area quickly.

I really want to know what's going on and why this is happening right when Amanda is absent. Her spells could protect us if things were to worsen. We're like sitting ducks with no means of protection.

My thoughts are interrupted as I hear the doorbell. I send a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess that the potion has taken action and I walk to the counter where I can see David pretending to use the scent-covering spray to polish the wood of the counter. I hide my smirk and project my best smile which falters slightly at the sight in front of me.

Standing in the doorway and looking around is a beautiful woman. But to me, the most gorgeous one is Tali. Despite that, for others, this woman could compete with her. She has long legs that could easily make her a model, her waist is wide enough to rock her low-waist jeans and the green blouse matches well with her eyes. I look at her face some more - it's framed with straight dark brown hair which hides ears with big circular earrings. I swallow nervously because I realise that she's a werewolf. Damned potion! It takes me too long to assess the situation.

She grins at me knowingly and I believe she is well aware of her body and the impact she has on men. David next to me is almost drooling over her. I elbow him in the ribs, and he stammers: "He-hello, y-young l-lady." He takes a breath while rubbing his chest, and adds: "What can we get you? I'm sorry but it can't be anything big because we're expecting someone at noon and the restaurant won't be open to the public."

"Oh, are you?" she says with pursed lips and it makes me wary.

She takes an almost well-hidden sniff of the area and then she walks closer to me. "The portrait did do you justice. I just wonder how she was able to remember all the details." She frowns at me and says matter-of-factly: "You really carry no scent. But your friend here is a werewolf rogue. Interesting."

I open my mouth to ask her a question myself - mainly how she knows about me because we have never met. But then her eyes cloud over and I know she's mindlinking someone. When her eyes clear up, she grins at me. "You didn't think that she would be coming on her own, did you?"

"Excuse me?" I ask just as the doorbell rings again and there she is. My divine Mate. Zeus runs in circles around our mind and I have a hard time believing this. But then I put two and two together - David's behaviour, the cut newspapers, Amanda's appointment, the cover spray, the potion. Suddenly, it all makes sense, just as David promised.

Meanwhile, Tali has entered the restaurant confidently and currently she's striding toward our trio. Her long hair is pulled into a high ponytail and she's wearing a short woollen dress with stockings underneath. I gulp nervously, hoping that she can't sense how I feel about her. My pulse rises and I know my breathing is uneven. She's so graceful when she places her right arm on the counter and gives me a small polite smile.

"Nice to see you again, Zeus," she says and I blink slowly, unsure of how to respond. She smirks. "Cat got your tongue?"

I shake my head in embarrassment and clear my throat. "Nice to see you, too, Tali," I respond with a barely audible squeak that I can't recognise as mine.

David interrupts me as he adds in a slightly louder voice: "We were worried you wouldn't come. But we couldn't afford to let you track us down."

"But why?" she asks looking at me with a frown. "I've been looking for you for so long and all the leads ended with a dead end," she complains and I don't know if I'm imagining it or not, but I can hear worry and unhappiness in her voice.

'Mate cares for us, even when she doesn't know about the bond,' Zeus purrs elatedly in our mind.

I project a small smile and motion to one of the tables. "Why don't we sit down and discuss everything? And we can introduce our friends," I offer in my somewhat normal tone.

Both women nod and sit down next to each other by the table closest to the counter. I walk to the main door and put the sign "CLOSED" there. I can sense that Tali is watching my every move, so I try to project as much confidence into my actions as I can. I walk slowly to the table and sit down on the other side with David on my right.

"So . . ." I begin and realise that I don't know what to say.

"So?" Tali asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, maybe . . ." I start diffidently, "the introduction is in place."

The unknown woman snickers and looks at Tali. "Are you sure you saw this man in the woods? He doesn't sound like someone who would trespass on another werewolf territory without blinking an eye."

"Tyche, don't," Tali warns her slightly. Is she defending me? "Let him be nervous around us. He can feel that we are ranked werewolves." Then she looks me in the eyes and prompts: "Right?"

I swallow uneasily and nod quickly. There is nothing I can deny to those eyes. If only she knew that she was my . . .

"See? It's different when you meet a person on their own without the protocol and when you learn that they may pose a threat to you," Tali says with a shrug, and both David and I take a shocked breath.

She pats my hand across the table. "Don't worry, we aren't the bad guys. We don't hunt rogues," she attempts to ease our worry.

"So, who are you two then?" David asks warily. He is pretending quite well that he has no knowledge whatsoever about Tali.

"My name is Atalanta Summons, I'm the Alpha's daughter from Silent Heights pack," Tali introduces herself. Well, sh*t. I'm mated to the future Luna of the Royal Guardian pack, the pack that protects the Royal Pack.

'And you're going to be their Alpha. Her Alpha,' Zeus points out helpfully, and then he starts barking in laughter. 'You should see your face just now.'

Suddenly, I hear fingers snapping in front of my face. I blink around and notice a worried-looking Tali, or to call her right Atalanta, with her hand close to my nose.

"No-one has ever been this shocked before," she points out to the woman, who shrugs.

"Maybe he didn't expect us to be from this specific pack. He may have bad memories," she says and I shake my head no.

"Sorry, it's just that you're the closest people to our Royal Pack and this must be too shabby for you," I blurt out the first thing that comes to my mind. "And oh my, I haven't even offered you anything. I'm such a bad host," I add while getting up and rushing to the counter. "What can I get you? Coffee? Tea? Beer? Something stronger?"

"We're driving so no alcohol for us," Atalanta says with a smile. "And don't stress out, this place is very cosy. Maybe I'll stop by when I'm driving through the town. Is this place yours?"

She seems genuine and eager. Maybe she really likes it here. I will have to ask David once they leave because my reactions are slowed down due to the potion.

"Actually," I admit, while pouring water into the pot, "I'm just a substitute here because the owner had an appointment. She's a friend of mine and I help her here sometimes."

"A werewolf?" Atalanta asks calmly, but the fire in her eyes proves otherwise.

"No," I answer and the fire is extinguished quickly. Is she jealous? "She's a . . . " I wonder if I can tell the truth and buy myself some time by starting the pot. In the end, I decide to give the truth a shot. "She's a witch."

Both women look at me in surprise and then they shrug and accept it without other questions. Atalanta coughs to draw my attention and says: "I will have a tea, please."

"And I'll have a strong coffee, thank you," says the woman.

I nod and look at David. "Your usual?"

"I will probably need a stronger version today," he answers with a bit of hesitancy and I chuckle.

"Coming right up," I tell everyone and check the water temperature. I know exactly what everyone wants, so it's easy to prepare two mugs and two glasses for our drinks.

Atalanta takes a breath and says in a slightly raised voice so that I can hear her over the pot: "As I was about to say earlier, this is my friend Tyche Momao, she's our Gamma's daughter-in-law."

In a reply, David lowers his head. "Nice to meet you personally, ladies."

I work around the counter, preparing the selection of teas and the strongest brew of coffee that we offer. David's rum is below the counter where I can easily reach the bottle. I look back at the women. "I am happy to meet you, too," I say calmly. Then I put my palm over my heart and add: "I'm Carson Gillion."

Atalanta frowns at me, so I explain: "The name you associate with me is my wolf's name. His name is Zeus. And, in the woods, he took over and introduced himself."

Atalanta laughs shortly. "You have so little control over him?"

"Nah, we have a mutual democracy," I explain just as the pot signals that the water is boiling. I pour water into the glass with coffee and into the mug for tea. I bring those together with the wooden box of teas to the table and set them in front of Atalanta and Tyche. I open the box right after and offer it to Atalanta, who picks a yellow tea with ginger flavour.

"Thanks," she says and I grant her a smile.

Then I return to the counter, crush a few mint leaves and put them into my mug with a lot of sugar. The last step is adding hot water. For David's drink, I mix four centimetres of rum with hot water, put a cinnamon roll inside and top it with a slice of lemon.

I bring these two drinks to the table and sit down. Atalanta takes a deep breath and smiles as if she has solved the biggest mystery in the world. "So that's why I could smell mint on you!"

Tyche moves her head to the left and opposes: "I can't smell anything now."

"No, not now, but in the woods. He smelled like mint and finally I know why." She looks at me apologetically and explains: "I like mint a lot and, well . . ." She doesn't have to finish for me to understand. I smell like mint to her in general, just like her smell is strawberries.

"Sure, I understand," I offer. "And the last person here is David Flinagan, my best friend and the one person who knows me better than myself."

David blushes faintly and covers his face with his drink. I know I didn't need to add the last part, but David means a lot to me.

"Now that we know each other's names," Tyche suggests, "how about learning some more about each other? Personally, I have quite a few questions to ask you, Carson."

She says my name pointedly and I don't like it at all. But I need to get on her good side if I want to be accepted by their pack. I have always despised those political plays and I hoped I would never need to become a part of them. The Moon Goddess, however, has had it all planned out and I can only make the most out of it, even if Atalanta decides to reject me once she finds out about us.

"Oh," I say slowly, stirring my tea. "Then feel free to ask. But I have a few questions myself and I don't want to speak about me and David all the time." I look into Atalanta's eyes and realise that they are going to be my weakest spot. Her eyes can easily drown me in their blue depths and everything else around fades to nothingness.

At least Zeus is paying attention, so he pushes me back to reality and I can hear Atalanta suggest a game. "How about," she's just saying, "playing twenty questions? Everybody gets to ask five questions of their choice and the other party has to answer them truthfully. And if the question is too personal, you can decide to ask for a pass once. They won't need to answer and the question can't be asked again today. What do you say?"

I nod enthusiastically and David smiles. This is a clever and creative solution to our problem. This way, everyone can learn something and the "pass" allows us to keep a secret or a tiny sense of security.

Atalanta looks at both me and David. "Let me ask my first question, then, will you?"

I motion for her to continue and sip on my tea.

"Well, how about this: Where are you both from?"

I blink at her, then look at David who shrugs and answers nonchalantly: "I'm from Minnesota and Carson here was born in Dakota. I can't remember if it was in North or South Dakota, but I don't think that's the point here."

Tyche makes a face and mutters something similar to "clever rascals". I have to admit that David's response was a wise one. There's no need to speak about our former packs and even point out that we're rogues.

"So, you're from around here," Atalanta says with a pout that I find way too cute. Damn mate bond. "So, I guess it's your turn now, Carson."

I glimpse at Tyche but keep my eyes mainly on Atalanta, who's tugging at her collar, presumably to give herself some cool air. I feel a small sense of relief that I'm not the only one affected by the bond, although it isn't so strong in her case.

"Hmm, how about . . ." I start, still unsure what to ask so that I didn't sound foolish. "Should we be afraid of your Mate, Atalanta? I mean, since you're meeting with us? You've mentioned that Tyche has found hers but you . . ." I trail off and wait for her answer. Tyche grants me an investigative stare while Atalanta takes a deep breath and lifts her eyebrow.

"We have agreed not to lie, right?" she repeats her rule and shrugs. "I haven't had the luck so far, so no, there is no man who would come looking for me."

I can't help but pip up: "Not even a boyfriend?"

My question shocks her but it can only be seen in her eyes because her face remains stoic. "I won't answer and I won't take that as your second question," she responds calmly and takes a sip of her tea. "There are some boundaries and I'm sure you have yours, too."

I hang my head in shame because this really wasn't a question you should ask when meeting someone for the first time, and then I whisper: "My apologies, Alpha Summons, I didn't mean to pry."

I keep my head down and feel as if someone was trying to get into my head to mindlink with me. I lower my head even more and I don't dare look up until I feel a hand touch mine and sparks erupt in the back of my hand. I look at my hand and then trail upwards to Atalanta's face.

"I didn't mean to use my voice on you, Carson," she apologises to me. I blink at her in surprise and she continues: "Despite that, I need to know something that I'm sure you know about, too." She lifts the corner of her mouth. "There is something indescribable that is linking us and I feel protective over you."

I stare at her. Can she feel the mate bond? But how? This is getting more and more tangled.

Tyche touches her shoulder. "You don't need to tell him all that."

"But I want to," she replies to her. Then she turns back at me seriously: "This feeling, the bond I feel for you, isn't very common in our history but I have asked around and there have been reports about two people, werewolves, being connected by an "amia" bond. This bond is always created in a stressful situation when two souls need someone to lean on and neither has found their true Mate yet."

She studies my reactions but I'm baffled by all this. I'm her true Mate for Moon's sake! But I can't tell her that because I've hidden my scent the first time and I'm a rogue and now she believes that we have a different bond that I have never heard of.

I open my mouth but no words come out. Then I inhale deeply and ask: "This ami . . . ama . . ."

"Amia," she supplies.

"Right," I nod quickly in thanks. "So, this amia bond, does it also mean that I want to be near you, that I want to become a part of your life despite my commitments elsewhere?"

I cross my mental fingers and hope that I haven't said anything over the line. She purses her lips, probably trying to remember, before she focuses back on me, bobbing her head slightly. "But you don't feel any s****l desire for me, do you?"

David next to me chokes on his drink and my mouth hangs open. I recover from my stupor, pull my hand from hers and pat David on the back forcefully. He coughs and I hope he didn't breathe in a lot considering his lungs. Somewhere in the background, I can hear Atalanta's voice saying: "I take this as a no." But I focus on David and making sure he's okay.

"What do we know?" comes Tyche's reply. "He may be into men and David here is his boyfriend."

The soft growl doesn't come from me or David, but I'm one hundred per cent sure I heard it. I look around but there are only the four of us. Tyche is looking down at her lap and Atalanta's eyes are unfocused, which means that she's speaking to her wolf. Surprisingly, they have gained a brownish glint to their blue colour. I don't comment on it and then turn back to David who's gasping slightly but is otherwise alright. I sigh. This meeting is really not going smoothly.