His Warrior Alpha

A Nice Family Dinner

Reed’s POV

As I got closer to the meeting spot, I searched for her scent but was met with nothing. Worry started to fill my chest as I wondered if she changed her mind, or worse, she had been caught by patrol. “She will be here, just have a little more faith.” Benne seemingly had the ultimate faith in our mate. I wouldn’t blame her if she had changed her mind and decided to reject me after having time to think though. There were plenty of things that were off about this pack, starting with the mysterious broken treaties and dead pack members that were found. “-I’m trying.-” I finally responded. The uneasiness in my stomach grew as I got closer to the knotted pine. Where was she?

My eyes first met the red-head, who was confidently leading the way towards me. Was this Quinn or Celia? Behind her stood Melody and my breath hitched in my throat as I laid eyes on her. Goddess help me, she was stunning. The blue of her dress matched her blue-gray hazel eyes. It was a modest dress in the sense that it covered her. However, the way it hugged her figure made me want to find out what was beneath it. I had never expected this and I was completely speechless.

“Well, hello lover-boy.” The red-head said with a smirk. “ I will be your chaperon for tonight.” She gave me a wink and, knowing my brother, I knew this had to be the famous Quinn.

“Quinn, I presume?” I returned her smirk with one of my own, knowing that this would make dinner even more interesting. I honestly couldn’t wait to see his reaction. “You are more than welcome to join us.”

“Aw. He even knows my name! This is going to be a fun night!” Quinn couldn’t hide the excitement on her face.

I turned to Melody, who had a slight blush on her face from embarrassment, telling me that Quinn was the orchestrator of this plan. I grabbed her hand, feeling the tingles of our bond, and gave it a quick kiss. “Alright, we have to go now, patrol will be in this area in about 15 minutes.” They both nodded, following my lead. We walked in silence for a few minutes. I had a million questions but didn’t know where to start. I settled on small talk for the time being. “Did you have a nice lunch?”

Melody nodded. “We went to our secret spot and spent a few hours relaxing.”

She fidgeted with the necklace around her neck and I could tell she was just as nervous as I was. I squeezed her hand in reassurance and we walked quietly for a few more minutes before the house came into view. Ryan must have cleaned up his destroyed clothes as they no longer laid in tatters on the lawn. As we approached, my mother came out of the door with a warm smile on her face. She immediately pulled Melody into a hug and I saw her relax as she hugged mom back. I swear my mom had a superpower for putting people at ease. As they pulled away, she looked over at Quinn and did the same.

“I am Mary but you can call me mom if you’d like.” She told the girls. “Melody, and are you Quinn?” She had assumed Melody, seeing us holding hands and assumed this was Quinn based on the conversation earlier. “I wish Ryan would have told me you were coming, but not to worry, there is plenty of food! Come in, come in, I’ve prepared a nice family dinner in honor of Reed meeting his mate.”

Quinn’s face dropped, she had clearly hoped for a different reaction. I’m not sure if she expected shock, rejection, or just for my mother to not know. I wondered if she had hoped she didn’t know who she was so she could make my brother uncomfortable as he kept the secret. The thought made me laugh and, clearly, I wasn’t the only one who was amused as Melody stifled a giggle. This only caused Quinn to stare daggers back at her, which, thankfully, my mom hadn’t seen as she turned to lead us in.

As we made our way to the table, my father stood up from his seat. “I’m Martin.” He introduced himself, extending his hand to them.

“I am Melody, and this is Quinn.” Melody spoke up.

“It is so nice to see you both all grown up.” Instantly causing confusion for us all, had he met them in the past? We stood stunned for a moment before my dad responded. “I knew both Alpha Frederick and Beta Daniel. We met when we were about your age at the castle for training. While Alpha Jacob only kept in contact for…. Diplomatic…. reasons.” He paused.”We had become friends. I hadn’t seen them in a few years before everything happened, but I was briefly introduced to these two when they were 5 or 6, when I came to visit River Mist with a proposal from Alpha Jacobs.”

Why had I never known this? Did their pack really violate our alliance when they were so close? What business did he have in the River Mist that day? By the looks on the girls' faces, they had just as many questions, but before any of us could ask, we heard Ryan as he walked towards the kitchen.

“Is dinner ready?” He asked, turning into the dining room. He instantly went white seeing Quinn there. “Q-Quinn?” Ryan takes in what he was wearing and begins to turn red as he blushes.

Quinn clearly enjoyed taking him by surprise. She got the brightest smile on her face as she ran towards him clearly intending to play up the dramatics. “Oh my love! How wonderful to see you. I had NO IDEA that my lovely Alpha’s mate was your older brother. I have to say your parents are absolutely lovely!” She threw her arms around his shoulders. However, he was too shocked to hug her back. “Your brother is too. He immediately accepted Melody here and on the same day took her home to meet your parents. You could really learn something from him. You haven’t even invited me here and we’ve been dating for 8 months now.” She gave a fake sad face, pouting her lip out. “I guess I’m just not as important.”

Melody was barely containing her laughter while my brother stood with his mouth open. My dad chuckled. “Oh, I like her son. She’s a real spit-fire.”

Ryan was turning more red by the moment and was still too shocked to say anything, or was he angry at the stunt she pulled? Quinn turned around and gave a curtsy as if she was finishing an act from a play. Everyone, except Ryan, broke out in laughter at this, no longer able to hold it in. This broke Ryan from the trance he was in.

“So…. umm… everyone. This is Quinn.” He finally said, pulling her against him as he buried his red face into her shoulder.

“Is everyone ready for dinner? I prepared roast, braised carrots, and mashed potatoes for dinner. I hope everyone enjoys it. “ My mom turned towards the kitchen before adding, “Oh and Melody dear, Happy Birthday. I’m so glad my son finally met you. I have a surprise for after dinner.”

My father gestured towards the seats and both Ryan and I pulled out seats for the girls as we sat on opposite sides of the table. My mother brought out the roast, setting it on the table. I headed to the kitchen to help bring out dishes and grabbed the carrots and rolls. My mother had returned and was about to grab the mashed potatoes.

“Reed?” She asked before I left the kitchen and I turned to look at her. “Thank you, for letting us be part of this. I’m really glad to have them both here.” Her eyes were a bit teary as she said this. Mom always got this way with big things like that. It made her happy and sad to see us growing up.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, mom.” I turned back to her and set the dishes back down so I could hug her. She squeezed me tightly. After she let go, she quickly wiped her eyes before picking up the potatoes and heading out to the dining room before me.

“Alright! Let’s eat!’ She happily as we both set down our dishes. She nodded for the girls to make their plates first. I hoped the rest of the dinner was a bit quieter as we began to eat in a comfortable silence.