Chapter 6

"So, everything is alright with your mate?" Alpha Blaze asked Max, who was chilling in the living room at the castle.

Max was here because the King wanted to get to know him since he was going to be the next king.

Usually, the next king would be the king's son, but Mathis declined his position and went on with his life as an alpha. He just wanted to be a simple alpha of his pack, the Blood Stone.

"You are lucky since your mate is a werewolf." Max sighed and looked at the fish in the big aquarium. The queen loved fish.

"Please, Mia was such a lazy mate. I had to support her," he smirked.

Max snickered. "Right, you and your caveman antics."

"Hey, Daddy, and the next king." Mathis skipped into the living room, joining them. Max groaned out of annoyance.

"I told you not to call me daddy!" Blaze growled.

"Well, Mom calls Grandpa Daddy, so why can't I?" he said, taking a seat in front of them.

"Because your mom was a kid back then."

"Queen Mia was only 18 when she met you," Max stated, and Mathis growled.

"Why are we talking about this?" Blaze frowned.

"Because I wanted to talk about Mom and you. Max, remember when my mom told us about Dad getting jealous of a bed?" he said, fueling his dad's anger.

"Oh, my fucking god! I remember. Blaze, you must have been such a hormonal teenager back then." He laughed.

"Shut up! You will also experience this when you find your mate," he said, pointing at his son.

"Getting jealous of her bed is too extreme," Max stated.

"Both of you, fuck off! You guys are childish." Blaze shook his head.

"That's normal. We're still high school students." Max shrugged, and Mathis nodded.

"Honey, Max and your son are right. You were definitely jealous of my bed," a voice said behind Blaze, who turned to glare at her.

"Mia, I hate you," he said, looking at his mate, who was wearing a lab coat.

"I love you too. Hey, Max and Mathis!" she said, waving at them. She hugged both of them, even though Max hated her hugs.

"Of course, you still hate my hugs." She pouted and glared playfully at Max. "I heard that Mr. Black found his mate," she yelled happily.

"Mathis and his loud mouth," Max muttered.

"My son is just like me," Blaze said, ruffling his hair.

"She's fine and doing okay," he muttered.

"Alright, and she is beautiful too."

"You've never met her," he said.

"Gio sent me a picture of her," she said, pulling out her phone.

"That little piece of shit!" Max cursed under his breath. Mathis and Max looked at her phone.

"She's such a cute, innocent princess," Mathis gushed.

"Holy shit! I can't wait for her to be our queen." Blaze grinned.

"I'm going. Mom needs me," Max grumbled and walked out of the hall.

"Say hi to Aphelia for me!" Mia yelled, and Max replied with a wave.

***

"I hate school," she sighed.

"I know." Darby sighed as well.

Jayla and Darby were lying on the floor after hours of studying. They looked at the ceiling, trying to count how many times the ceiling fans circled.

"165," Darby said, and Jayla continued.

"Stupid weirdos," their dad muttered as he slapped their foreheads with his newspaper.

"Get up, lazy kids. We are going to a restaurant," he said, making them stand up.

"We are not lazy."

"We are simply tired," Darby said, finishing his sister's sentence.

"You guys shouldn't be tired! Look at your mother and me!" he scolded them.

"Whatever. You said we were going somewhere?" Jayla said, changing the subject.

"Yeah, your mother and I thought that it would be great to take you out, like a family." Their father smiled as he watched his kids' eyes light up.

"Alright then, let's go!" Darby said, grabbing his wallet and keys to put them in his back pocket.

"I'm in the stars tonight, ooh," Darby sang during the whole ride.

"Darby, shut up before I shove a banana down your throat!" Jayla threatened, plugging her ears.

"Oh, getting kinky, Jayla." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"You know, last night Sabrina was in a wild mood. She was a damn cat in—"

"You piece of shit! Stop making your sister miserable!" her father said, leaning back to slap Darby's head when they stopped at a red light.

"I wonder how I made such a horny boy?" her mother said with a sigh, smiling at them.

"Mom, you made a perfect son that every woman finds attractive," Darby smirked, flipping his nonexistent hair behind him.

"Dude, you are the horniest guy I've ever met. Except for Giovanni," she said, shuddering at the memory of him checking out the women's lingerie mannequins when they were going to the ice cream shop.

"I get goosebumps every time," Darby interrupted her thoughts by imitating Travis Scott's voice miserably. Jayla rolled her eyes and prayed for the ride to be short.

"That pussy—"

He immediately stopped singing when he saw the deathly glare that his mother shot him. He smiled sheepishly and looked out the window beside him silently.

"We are here!" Mr. Jacobs said as he turned off the ignition. Darby and Jayla got out of the car and breathed in the fresh air.

"Why are you guys sniffing? This smells like a parking lot—bad," Mrs. Jacobs said, staring at her kids weirdly.

"Mom, the scent of the parking lot is my favorite scent," Jayla retorted.

"Mine is gasoline," Darby added.

"Gosh, I can't believe how weird my kids are." Mrs. Jacobs sighed. She looked at her husband just to find him doing the same thing as her kids.

"Great, I can't believe I'm married to this man."

***

"Reservation for Jacobs," Mr. Jacobs said to the man at the door.

"Oh yes, but there is something wrong with your table," the man said.

"What is it?"

"We had to make another reservation in a hurry because they are our superiors. I hope that you won't feel uncomfortable beside them."

"Oh, well, it's alright. We don't mind," Mrs. Jacobs said with a smile.

"Alright, then let me show you where you are going to sit," he said, gesturing forward. They followed him, and he showed them where to sit.

"A waiter will be here in a minute," he said and left them alone.

"The decor is beautiful. Let me post this on my Instagram story," Mrs. Jacobs said as she took out her phone in a rush.

"Hello, I'm sorry to disturb you, but we were the ones that made our reservation in a hurry, and I'm sincerely sorry," a voice said. It was a beautiful woman with long brown hair and gorgeous eyes.

"Wow, look how perfect her skin is," Mrs. Jacobs whispered to Jayla, who was in awe and stared at the woman with fascination.

"It's alright, we go—Mrs. Black?" Darby asked, confused.

"Darby? Is this your family?" she said happily.

"Yeah. Mom, Dad, and Jayla. This is Mrs. Black, my friend's mother," he said, introducing her. Mrs. Jacobs grinned and waved at her like a kid. Mrs. Black smiled in response.

"Stop, you are acting like a kid," Mr. Jacobs said with a chuckle to his wife.

"I'm Aphelia, and you?" the gorgeous woman said.

"I'm Karen, and this is my husband, Ryan. You can sit beside me." Her mother grinned as she looked at the woman.

"I know your son, but your daughter?" she said, looking at Jayla.

"This is my daughter, Jayla," she said as she wrapped an arm around Jayla's shoulder. Jayla smiled and put her hand out for a handshake.

"Hello," Jayla said, and Mrs. Black shook her hand, sending a shock through Jayla's body. She shivered with pleasure.

"What is wrong with me?" she thought.

"Well, I think that you and my son would get along." She winked at Jayla, who smiled shyly. Jayla knew she was Gio and Max's mother but didn't know which son she was talking about.

"Do you have a son?" Mrs. Jacobs asked her.

"Actually, two sons. Max is older and friends with Darby, and I have another son, Giovanni. I heard from him that you were very kind and helpful," she answered, glancing at Jayla with motherly eyes.

"Sorry, Aama, for being late!" a voice said in a hurry. He breathed heavily and hugged his mother.

"Giovanni and Max!" she yelled and hugged them tightly. Max snapped his head toward Jayla, who blushed and pushed her hair behind her shoulders, fanning herself.

"Where is your father?" she asked her sons.

"He's coming later. Apparently, he has business." Giovanni rolled his eyes and waved at Jayla, who smiled back.

"Well, Karen, these are my sons, Max and Giovanni." Mrs. Black introduced her sons while Max high-fived Darby and then sat next to him. He was across from Jayla, and Giovanni sat next to their mother.

"I have no words, literally," Jayla's mom said. She was shocked by their beauty, especially Max's. She sighed and held her husband's hand tightly. She felt like she knew him and had this feeling to treat him, well, like a king.

"Well, most of my friends try to match their girls to my sons, but they aren't interested." Aphelia chuckled as she smiled at her sons.

"You must be very popular," Karen chuckled.

"Can we please stop talking about us as if we aren't here?" Giovanni groaned beside his mother.

"Of course, honey. Anyway, I would like to know what kind of work you both do?" Aphelia asked Jayla and Darby's parents.

"I didn't know that you guys were going to be here!" Darby shouted as he playfully shoved Giovanni.

"Well, we didn't know either!" Giovanni laughed and moved his body to the song playing quietly in the restaurant.

"Guys, let's have some alcohol here!" Darby said, pulling out two small bottles. Jayla's eyes widened as she saw him opening a bottle.

"Amazing," Max smirked as he took the bottle.

"I can't drink!" Jayla said, shaking her head. She was afraid of her parents finding out. She didn't want to let them down. Only Darby knew about her high tolerance for drinking.

"Don't worry. Nobody will know. Besides, the parents are outside talking about old things, and your brother is here." Giovanni winked as he took a swig of whisky.

"Yeah, sis, I'm here," Darby said as Giovanni handed her a bottle of vodka. Jayla gulped and took the bottle.

Max watched her as she had a sip. She sighed, cringing. She preferred beer over vodka. Max chuckled and took a sip as he stared at her.

"Man, that feels good," Giovanni said. After taking another swig, he wiped his mouth.

They were ready to get wasted.