Dragon’s Fire- Fake it till we fall

Stiff drinks

I quirk an eyebrow at him. A**hole.

"That's a new one. ", the boyfriend suddenly looks intrigued.

"What? That someone calls you out on your bullsh**? "


"Na, people try that quite frequently, even though they don't have leverage most of the time. I don't do a lot of ‚bullsh**ting.", he shrugs.

"Growing up with my parents always speaking it to me, I subconsciously slip into Portuguese. I didn't mean to offend you, kid."

"Well, thanks for saying that. ", I retort dryly. As if I believe him. Although something in the back of my head is a little taken aback by his no-nonsense comeback. But I won't lose the upper hand here.

"Oh, and since my sister and I are the same age, I'm obviously not a child. So, I would appreciate it if you stopped calling me that. ", I drawl.

I glare at the tree-like man. He is easily 6ft 7, arms as thick as logs and the ripped muscles of his chest and abdomen straining against his black long-sleeve, his biceps bulging as he holds his jacket. The tan of his skin with a hint of olive seems to be natural. And his wavy brown hair cut shorter on the sides longer on top completes the look of every teenage heartthrob. In addition, he has an astonishingly square jaw, lines so sharp I'm sure you could cut yourself on them. The only thing bordering on ‚imperfect ', are his slightly protruding ears.

‚I wonder if they make paint that shade of green… ', I c**k my head, inspecting the color of his eyes under the thick, long lashes.

"Ah, another one of the triplets. Alright, I will remember that. You are just so freaking short. Sorry for assuming. But could you stop staring? It's a little intense. I don't know if I should feel flattered, that you seem to like what you are seeing, or not. ", the pretentious a** smiles at me.

I scoff.

"Please, don't get ahead of yourself. I was trying to figure out the shade of green of your eyes. It's pretty. The rest… yeah, I will gladly leave that (!) to my sister. ", I give him a slow once-over waving my hand in front of me, before the second half of that last sentence, my face blank.

Whoever would want to get it on with someone so freakishly tall and muscled and so very full of himself is beyond me. I will ask Elodie what she sees in him if I get the chance. Because so far, he is not impressive. Except for maybe his height. But most wolves are tall, so…

Now I dread him meeting my parents even more. Especially dad is never excited about any of Elodie's boyfriends. So how exactly did I get sucked into this situation?

Oh yeah, by being a little too spineless to say ‚no 'to my sister or parents when they planned out tonight. Goddess, what the f**k is wrong with me when it comes to my family? Why do I give in to them when I am perfectly capable of holding myself around others. For example, the douchebag that didn't stop smirking yet.

"Says the one that jingles when she moves her head. ", he snorts. "How many are there?" He points at my pierced septum for reference.

"Five in my face and for the ears…. I stopped counting when I hit ten total, so I don't know.", I supply. "And yes, I get to say that to someone so tall, flowers die due to lack of sunlight with the shadow he casts. "

The giant lets out a laugh.

"Wow, I think tonight just got more exciting thanks to you, loirinha.", he winks at me.

"Vai p’ó caralho."(Go f**k yourself.)

The guy just laughs again. And that is when I hear footsteps behind me and turn to see my sister gliding down the stairs hastily.

"Hey.", she chirps, passing me and kissing the mountain of a man on the cheek. And even she has to get on her tiptoes for once.

"So, you already met my sister Maeve?", Elodie beams up at him, and he nods his head, smirking.

"Yup, already established that she is a bit of a grump, apparently speaks Portuguese and is f**king terrible at ‚hide and seek '." He puts an arm around my sister and looks at me as if to challenge me.

"Oh.".

Yeah, Elli, I also don't have words for that. And that is a new one for me too. At least not ones a nice girl like you wants to hear said about her significant other.

„Well, Maeve this is Nael Araújo, my—

"Boyfriend. Got it.", I say curtly.

"Okay.", Elodie breathes."Now. Mom and dad are upstairs in the sitting room. Why don't you come, and I introduce you guys, and you can have a drink?"

"Sounds great, babe. Jordan is still outside, though. Let's wait for him for a sec so he can come with us.", Nael (doesn't suit him btw.) says before pointing towards the door.

As if on cue, it opens, and another freakishly tall man enters. Though not the whooping 6ft7 his companion reaches, he is well over 6 ft. And looks a little like a more jacked and handsome version of ‚Lord Farquaad ', from that ancient animated movie Ryan made me watch. Shrek, I think.

"Ahh, speak of the devil.", Nael quips, letting go of my sister and patting his friend on the shoulder.

"Jordan Morais, my Beta, and royal advisor. Jordan, this is Elodie's sister Maeve. ", he introduces us.

The guy gives me a once-over and then nods at me.

"What is he so ‚royaly 'advising you with?", I scoff.

"Maeve, let's go upstairs first. I will explain everything. I don't want to keep mom and dad waiting. "

Not wanting anyone to feel uneasy or maybe because her empathic abilities tell her that our parent's moods are about to change, Elodie cuts in and ushers the three of us up the stairs.

„Então, é o duende gótico também vindo connosco?“( So, is the goth fairy coming with us too?), Jordan mumbles, glancing at Nael on our way up the stairs.

„Sim, ela é. E ela vai enfiar o seu maior saco de pó de pixie no seu rabo, se você não começar a chamá-la pelo nome dela. Maeve. Não é tão difícil assim.“ (Yes, she is. And she will shove her biggest bag of pixie dust up your a** if you don't start calling her by her name. Maeve. It's not that hard.), I hiss, my jaw clenched.

His head snaps up towards me. And I see Nael grin.

"Cuidado, ela morde."(Careful, she bites.), he snorts.

I glower at him but don't get to retort because we reached the top of the stairs.

When all of us have stepped onto the lading, Elodie turns to the men and points to the right.

"Second door on the left. You can't miss it.", she smiles at the two that slowly walk over while we hang back a little.

"So, what do you think?", my sister turns to me giddily.

"He is…tall.", I say slowly. However much I dislike him, and even if Elodie and I aren't close, I'm not going to tell her what I think of her boyfriend. I'm sure my dad will do plenty of that. No one is good enough for his little girl.

Elodie scoffs. "That's all?"

"You don't need my approval.", I shrug my shoulders.

"Yeah, but I want your opinion."

"Well, I don't have one.", I have to work hard not to sound defensive. For years no one in this family really cared for my opinion. Even when everything should have been about me, it was really about what other people thought I needed. Never did anyone simply ask and then let me talk, actually listened to what I said.

So why is my sister so eager to hear it now? No, I don't like him. But I also don't have to. If I rely on how things usually go with Elodie and her boyfriends after meeting our parents, I will never see him again.

"Ok.", Elodie shrugs helplessly and gives me a slight smile. I don't like it when she tries her empathic abilities on me. Since I lost my wolf, they don't work any longer for whatever reason, and I know it bothers her. My sister takes comfort in helping people, and having a little inside into how they are feeling is more than helpful. That I'm the only person she can't just ‚fix 'must drive her nuts. Sorry, sis.

"Ready?", she whispers after we step up next to the two of them, and I see the guys nod before she pushes the door to the sitting room open.

We enter, and I see dad sitting in a chair, nursing a good four fingers worth of whiskey. Mom is standing behind him, her hands on his shoulders. Both look up as we come in.

Mom's face is a little pale as she takes in Nael and Jordan, and I see Dad's hands clench around his drink.

„Mom, Dad, this is Nael Araújo. We have been going out for about a year. Nael, these are my parents, Alpha Elliot and Luna Olivia.", Elodie tries her best to make her voice sound cheerful during introductions. My parent's facial expression changed from shock to slight disdain, now to recognition.

"It's nice to meet you both.", Nael takes a big step forward, smiling and extending his hand to them. Mom shakes it hesitantly, her eyes still fixed on his face. Dad flat-out refuses.

"You are the crown princesses' kid.", he simply states. That’s when things finally make sense to me. And my head snaps back to the giant man, staring at my father in slight confusion.

He is related to the man that stalked and tortured our mom relentlessly and killed her family, mate, and kids almost 25 years ago. But I guess that is not something one forgets so easily. I get it now.

"Yes, sir. Have you… met my parents?", there is something small, in his voice, like a hum of pain. And the way his face hardened, I'm certain this is not a topic he likes to discuss. Let alone with or in front of strangers.

"Yep. After we got the chance to meet your f**king nutter of an uncle."

"Elliot!", Mom hisses.

"We met up with them at the palace and talked through your uncle's involvement in my situation. And we even went back a few times after that. I'm sure you don't remember, but we ran into each other before.", she gives Nael a little encouraging smile.

"Well, I sadly have to confirm… I don't remember. But I met so many people back then.", he seems to ease up a little, his shoulders slumping and the muscles in his back no longer taunt.

"They were nice. Sorry about what happened.", Dad grumbles. Guess he actually is. This is Elliot Hartgrave when he is remorseful.

"Thank you.", Nael replies stiffly. This tells me that his parents probably won't be coming over for family fun nights and the monthly ‚Taco Tuesday '.

"Want one?", Dad holds up his glass to both Jordan and Nael. They nod.

"I will get it. ", I interject. Everyone's eyes turn to me.

"What? "

"Nothing, honey. Thank you.", Mom hurries out while the rest of them is still staring at my back while I pour the stiff drinks. Oh, and the biggest one is for me.

"So, tell us a little about yourself. You were really into making crystals the last time we met, but I guess that was a long time ago. How did you guys meet?", Mom ushers our guests and my sister over to the massive grey sofa, and I put their drinks in front of them as they sit down. Pulling my knees up, I sit down in one of the chairs and take a huge gulp of the brown liquid. The slight burn it leaves in my throat is a welcome stimulation. Most of the time, I don't feel anything.

"Uhm, we ran into each other at the hospital, actually. My driver had gotten into a small accident before picking me up in town, and I wanted him to get checked out. And your daughter is a very skilled Doctor. She made him feel comfortable, and we were in and out of there quickly. So I wanted to show my gratitude and got the nurses to relay my number and have her call me if she needed a favor. Sure enough, her car broke down a few days later, and we went by to collect her. The rest is history. ", Nael smiles down at my sister, whose cheeks are slightly flushed. I have to stifle a gag. Please. Elodie might look like an angel, but I bet you half of that story wasn't as coincidental as he thinks it was.

"Oh, how sweet. ", Mom chirps. Glancing at me, she tilts her head slightly. She doesn't have the same abilities as Elodie, but I swear she is a way better mind reader. I give her a small smile and sit up a little straighter, trying to look more interested in the conversation.

"Heard you are going to take my daughters out… where are you going again, Elli?", Dad gulps down the last bit of his drink and noisily places his glass on the coffee table.

"A bar called ‚The Claw', Dad. It's in Stillwater, so not that far away. And it is not just the four of us. I asked Ryan and his mate to accompany us too. Charlotte won't be able to make it, sadly.", Elodie shrugs.

She and our soon-to-be Beta (and the first female one in 60 years, might I add) are as close as I am with Ryan. Also, you would probably expect it the other way around. Charlotte is relatively quiet, reserved, and very serious. And while my sister is serious about pack business and her carrier, she knows how to have fun, let loose. She is personable and warm. Charlotte is not cold per se, just a little uptight, and seems a lot older than her 27 years.

"Wow, that's still there? Mmmh, it shouldn't surprise me. Guess every generation is different but has the same two requirements nonetheless: cheap booze and an easy way to find hookups.", Dad rubs his chin, catching a deadly glare from his mate.

"Sorry, love. Long before I met you.", he winks at her.

This is not the first time we hear about dad's womanizing ways. They bicker about it a little, and then they move on. It never turns into a full-on argument. They know better. My eyes glide over to the picture on the mantel. It is a blown-up version of a candid shot taken by me during the Harvest Festival three years ago. Dad has his arms tightly around Mom's waist while she is holding onto his neck. They had been slow dancing; the other couples blurred out around them. Mom is smiling, her eyes closed. Leaning into Dad kissing her forehead.

I have seen them like this all my life. Sure, they fight like hell sometimes. But most of the time, I saw them like this. And even now, I have to push the wish to have what they have down inside me.