Escape

2

It's been awhile since I have been home, but it looks exactly like I remembered. As we approached the porch, I couldn't help the memories that resurfaced.

I was about to tell Gio about a memory when I noticed that the door was unlocked. It is a little unusual for my parents, who were usually very cautious. I looked over to Gio who, it seems read my mind and walked into the house before me.

"Mom! Dad," I called out to my parents. Gio turned his head, looking back at me, as if I was the person who would get us killed in the scary movies.

Before I could say anything else, my parents rounded the corner.

"Hi, Honey!" my mom said as she came over to hug me. Meanwhile, my dad stopped in his tracks, looking at Gio. Here we go.

"The infamous Gio!" my mom says as she walks over to greet my love. "You look familiar."

"Alpha Gio," my father cut in.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Alpha." my mother said as she tucked her head, glancing over at my father. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

The look that she gives Dad is slightly alarming, but I don't want to make Gio feel unwelcome.

My mom hugs Gio anyways. That's what she does, she has always been a hugger. But Dad is not his usual self. He is usually just as happy as mom. But tonight he seems standoff-ish. Uninterested.

"It's a pleasure to meet you to Mrs. Davies."

After everyone has given eachother proper greetings, I pulled Gio into the living room. He leaned into me, whispering.

"We need to talk," he said looking around. "Privately."

"Later." I looked at him trying to figure out why he was so tense all of a sudden. "I want to make a good impression on my parents."

We turn as my parents walk in carrying drinks.

"So... Alpha." my father started. They way he said 'Alpha' made my skin crawl, it was as if he was mocking his position. Does it bother him that much that he is the future Alpha?

"Do you really think that you are my daughters mate?" He asked, but didn't give Gio a chance to reply. "Or are you just enjoying sleeping with her for the time being?"

"Dad!" my jaw dropped to the floor. I looked over at mom begging for help but she didn't even look up.

Gio rests his hand on my knee trying to let me know that everything is okay and that he can handle it.

"I could only hope that I would get so lucky." Gio retorts.

"I'm hearing a no." my dad says as he looks over my direction, probably for the first time all night. " But you are sleeping with my daughter, right? Taking away her innocence."

"Dad! Stop."

"I love your daughter." Gio said, confidently. He was not going to back down to my father’s sudden rudeness. " I love her more than I love myself. Her presence affects me in a way that nobody else ever has, which tells me she must be my mate, or this must be the purest form of love." He pauses for a minute. "Do I want her to be my mate? Yes, absolutely. Will I be heartbroken if she is not? Absolutely. I don't think I could handle it if the love of my life was destined to be with another man."

My dad watches Gio for a long moment before his face relaxes and he walks back into the kitchen, surely to refill his drink.

My mom grabs my hand, "Honey, I am so happy you have him. I am glad that you have someone who loves you so much."

"What are you two going to do if you aren't mates?" my mom asked in a whispered voice.

"We would separate in order to give me time to find my mate." I said in response, knowing that I didn’t want anyone other than Gio.

Gio looked away, visibly tense. I know he doesn't like the idea of me being fated to someone else. We have discussed the changes and come to an agreement on the situation, but we never spent much time thinking about it being a possibility.

I leaned on his shoulder hoping to calm him down, but the closer the time got to midnight, the less calm he was.

"I'll be right back." Gio said as he stepped outside, making a phone call.

"Where did the boy go?" my dad asked as he entered the room again.

"Dad." I said with a deep sigh. "Why are you acting like that? Be nice to him."

"Am I not?" he asked me, but glared at my mother, as if she had done something wrong. "I just don't want you to have any regrets when he isn't your mate."

"If." I said, standing firm on my belief that he was my mate.

"I hope the Goddess wouldn't be so cruel."

"Dad! You just met him! Why don't you like him?"

Dad sighed peeking out the window to where Gio was on the phone. "Let's face it. Nobody would ever be good enough for you, sugar plum."

Sugar plum? That's a new nickname. My Dad has called me almost every nickname under the sun, but never sugar plum. "Please, Dad," I said in a hushed tone. "I love him. Honestly, I wouldn't even care about him not being my fated mate. I would still choose him, over and over again."

My dad pulls me into a hug, that quickly gets interrupted by mom.

"Let's eat before your shift." Mom said a little shakily. She seems more nervous than me.

After bringing Gio back into the house, I made his plate and then mine. Gio watched me more carefully than he ever had. But his eyes were not filled with the usual love and lust I see. He looks more stoic and dominant, like he is in Alpha mode.

I placed his plate in front of him and he took a big whiff. I looked at him questioning his actions, but he just shrugged.

"This looks amazing, Mrs. Davies."

"Thank you, Alpha."

My dad passed Gio a glass of whiskey, but he quickly rejected and said he will get himself a glass of water. Gio never turns down whiskey. Now I know for sure that something is wrong.

Everyone eats dinner and makes small talk. Before I know it, it's a couple of minutes before midnight.

"I should head outside," I said. I can't wait to meet my wolf. I can't wait to see if Gio is my mate. I can't wait.

"I should run with you." Gio chimed in.

"No, I have to do this myself."

"I will have clothes sitting on the bench for you when you get back." My mom said, giving me a tight squeeze before scurrying off to my room.

"Ready?" My dad came up to me next.

"I am so ready!" I couldn't help but squeal.

My dad walks out of the room, leaving me with Gio.

"Let me go with you."

"Stop worrying, my dad won't harass you while I'm gone." I rubbed his arms, reassuring him.

"Vin." He said, looking at where my parents had left. "Something doesn't feel right. Listen to me please."

"It will be fine. I will be back soon." I gave him a quick kiss. "But I have to go now."

Gio grabbed my wrists as I started to walk away. "Vinny." Gio never uses my first name. "Please."

He looks at me with panic. He knows something that I don't. But I must go, or I will shift in the house.

"Baby, we will talk when I get back." I said, removing his hands from my wrists. "I will be quick." I ran out the door.

"I love you, Vin!" He yelled after me.