One Night Stand With My Father-in-law

Different worlds

He finally stopped in front of me, his striking blue eyes piercing into my soul.

My God, he was beautiful.

I could hear the soft music playing in the background, the clinking of glasses, and the low chatter of people around us, but it all seemed distant.

His eyes remained on mine.

Was he disappointed?

As the thought immediately crossed my mind, my heart sank.

Maybe I wasn’t what he had imagined when he realized I was his mate.

Maybe he had expected someone beautiful and elegant, someone who belonged in his world. Someone with a good family name and an impressive education.

Not me.

I suddenly felt very conscious of my dress, my worn-out shoes, and even the small stain I had noticed on my hand earlier. It suddenly seemed impossible to ignore.

I wanted to hide my hands behind my back, but that would only make me look more nervous, so I forced myself to remain still, despite the fact that I had no idea what I was supposed to say to the man standing in front of me.

For a few seconds, neither of us said anything.

His gaze moved over my face again.

I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

That made it worse.

I had heard stories about mates rejecting each other, especially when they came from completely different worlds. I had always thought those stories were cruel, but standing here now, I suddenly understood why people feared it.

What if he rejected me?

What if he looked at me and decided I wasn’t good enough?

My wolf whimpered at the thought, and I felt a painful squeeze in my chest.

Then his gaze softened.

“You’re my mate.”

It wasn’t a question.

My heart fluttered.

I nodded slowly. “Yes.”

For some reason, hearing him say it made everything feel real.

He was my mate.

The person I had spent twenty-three years waiting for was standing right in front of me.

And maybe… just maybe, I had been worrying for nothing.

He was my mate.

And he wasn’t walking away.

He wasn’t laughing.

He wasn’t looking at me with disgust.

He was simply standing there, staring at me as though he was trying to understand what was happening too.

“How did you know?” I asked, trying to make conversation.

He frowned slightly.

“Know what?”

“That I was your mate.”

“Oh.”

Then I realized how stupid I sounded. I facepalmed myself.

Great! Now he thinks I’m stupid too.

“My wolf almost dragged me across the room,” he replied.

The fact that he was humoring me made me blush.

His lips twitched.

It was barely there, but I saw it.

He almost smiled.

And somehow, that tiny reaction made my entire chest feel warm.

Maybe he wasn’t disappointed after all.

Maybe being his mate didn’t mean I had to be afraid of losing him before I even had the chance to know him.

For the first time since he walked toward me, I allowed myself to breathe.

Then I suddenly became aware of my surroundings again.

The music was still playing, but the ballroom no longer felt as quiet as it had moments ago.

People were staring.

Some whispered behind their hands. Others didn’t even bother hiding their curiosity.

I caught pieces of their conversations as they passed.

“Is that really his mate?”

“A waitress?”

“I thought he would reject her.”

“Maybe he’s embarrassed.”

A few people glanced at my dress before looking at each other with amused expressions.

My cheeks burned.

I lowered my eyes, wishing the floor would open and swallow me.

They didn’t know me.

To them, I was just a poor girl who had somehow ended up standing beside the heir to the Ashbourne fortune.

I could feel their judgment pressing down on me.

Then Kirain moved.

He held out his hand toward me.

I stared at it for a second.

He didn’t look at the people whispering around us.

He didn’t seem to care about their opinions.

His eyes remained on me.

“Come with me.”

My heart raced.

Slowly, I placed my hand in his.

The moment our skin touched, warmth rushed through my entire body.

My wolf practically purred.

And somehow, with his hand holding mine, the whispers didn’t seem quite as loud anymore.

Kirain changed my life the moment he came into it. He made things easier for me. He gave me his card and told me to use it whenever I needed anything, and I did.

I used it to pay for my mother’s hospital bills, but he didn’t know that.

I never told him.

Not because I was ashamed of needing his help, but because I didn’t want him to think I was taking advantage of him. At the same time, I wasn’t going to be foolish enough to reject money when I genuinely needed it just to prove I wasn’t a gold digger.

Still, I kept working at the dental clinic and taking small jobs whenever I could.

I glanced at the clock again.

11:47 p.m.

Kirain was supposed to be here four hours ago.

I looked at the table, and the excitement I had felt earlier slowly faded.

The food had gone cold.

The candles were mostly dead. Even the rose petals I had carefully arranged earlier no longer looked as beautiful as they had in my head.

I picked up my phone and checked his messages again.

Nothing.

He had promised me he would be available tonight. He knew how important today was to me.

I tried to convince myself that maybe something had come up. Maybe he was caught up with work. Maybe there was traffic.

But the longer I waited, the more disappointed I became.

I finally picked up my phone and called him.

It rang several times before someone answered.

“Hello?”

I froze.

That wasn’t Kirain’s voice.

“Who is this?”

“It’s me, Ariana.”

His childhood best friend.

My stomach sank slightly.

“Where’s Kirain?”

There was a short pause.

“He’s in the shower. Do you want me to get him when he’s done?”

My heart sank.