Chapter 151 2-23 - VALEN IN TROUBLE
\-SIANNA'S POV-
"I'm sorry, Mom." Valen expressed his regret as he entered the foyer of our home with Vance. He did not let me lash out at him for his recklessness.
Automatically, I placed my hand over my heart. My entire body slumped in relief as I exhaled heavily. Still, he was going to get the hot seat.
I sat in the living room on the long U- shape black leather couch with my head turned in his direction. "Valen, I can't accept that apology until you explain to me what the hell was going through your head."
Vance stood by the Faux Marble White console table with a gold base, allowing me to handle our son's latest escapade. He would also feel the scourge of my tongue later.
It was a little before sunset that Vance and the team went back to the aircraft carrier ship. The journey to Dark Wolverson was long from Oscianever Loch of the Pacific Ocean and so it was the next day in the afternoon when they arrived home. I fretted the entire sleepless night, watching the hours and praying that they were fine.
Valen walked into the living room and slumped in a single black leather sofa chair as he spilled his heart out, "My last dream was very vivid and I believe that it hinted at where I could find the mermaid. So, Devin and I went to sea and I was able to meet her." My hand crossed my chest as I became stern.
"No-no," Vance interjected. "You should say that you dragged Devin along on a dangerous encounter." Vance walked over and stood between both sofas, looking from me to Valen with emphasis. "Considering that he is not as adept as you at battling in an underwater situation, you risked his life by tagging him along. He could have been siphoned and taken by a mermaid and drowned." Vance put both hands in his jeans pockets and paced the floor behind me.
"Mom, I promise that I would not have
allowed anything to happen to Devin." Valen defended, trying to calm his erratic heartbeat. "W-we were careful."
Removing my house slippers, I turned to horizontally stretch my left leg on the couch with the right leg bent to the floor. "The fact is that you did not consult your father and me before ditching school and going off on your own." I chastised, pointing my forefinger at him. "I specifically told you not to pursue this woman and you willfully disobeyed me."
"I know, but we weren't going to be there long and it wasn't even that far from shore," Valen muttered.
Vance shoved his hands into his pockets, furrowing his brows and holding his son's eye contact as though he wanted to say something, but stopped himself. He sighed, shook his head, and began pacing again.
I snorted in frustration. "Valen, you went twenty-three miles away from the coast." "Mom, we made it back, didn't we?" Valen thought that this was excusable. "Devin was in the boat the entire time." "I see. So you think because you went to confront the enemy by yourself and managed to survive after being picked up by your Dad, then it's alright?" I asked, coyly with my eyes narrowed.
"There you go." Vance interrupted sarcastically. His pace halted and he frowned at his eldest child. "Yeah," Valen said, looking innocently, shaking his head adamantly, holding up his hands. "We didn't make trouble with anyone." "Uh-huh." I listened attentively, giving him his chance to justify his waywardness. Vance and I exchanged astonished looks. There were so many faults in Valen's story. "Something good came out of it, Mom.
She told me about the war that was
coming to us." Valen nodded, his brows tilted up in a pathetic appeal. " Her people were ready to retaliate
against us for their loved ones."
I sent him an instantaneous, razor- sharp, terrifying glare that caused his words to briefly halt in his throat for a little period of silence.
Valen inhaled deeply and lowered his head. "I knew Devin was a bit freaked out. I-I mean it was our first time dealing with merfolks and we haven't covered that training as yet..........." He lifted his head, returning his gaze to me with amassed conviction. "....... but we handled the situation well. I told her I'd talk to Dad and we'll meet at another point." My brows raised high. "You scheduled a meeting with the enemy before
talking to us?"
Vance threw his hands up in the air
and began pacing again. It seemed that part of the story surprised him. He bit
his lower lip to bridle his temper.
A long pause passed between us. Nervously, Valen gulped. Looking down, he rubbed his palms together. Then he smoothed his uncombed hair back and continued in a low voice, "I thought it was an opportunity to speak with the mer-king and resolve this matter quickly."
"I think that I've heard enough. Your father and I need to talk about this," I asserted with a controlled tone. He wasn't getting off the hook, not by a long shot. "Regardless of what you say, you are aware of your wrongs and this is not to be repeated." I placed both feet on the floor and slipped them into my house slippers. "We will discuss your punishment and then we'll talk with you." "Yes, Mom," he supplied.
With an exasperated sigh, I got up from the couch and disappeared into the kitchen. With heavy steps, Vance followed me.
"Hey, Dad." Valen rose to his feet, stopping his father. "How angry is Mom? Am I in that much trouble?" Vance turned to face his son, looking
shocked at the question he had asked. " Listen to me, you could go and take my chopper to Wolkrane Fortress and drop bombs on the island and you'd be in the same amount of trouble that you are in now."
Valen's mouth formed into a muted 'O.' With that, Vance appeared in the kitchen and took a seat at the breakfast nook. Valen sulked and went upstairs to his room, knowing that it was best to stay home until his punishment was served.
"Parenthood doesn't get easier, does it?" Vance inquired, reflectively resting his chin in his palm. "Oh," I released, taking the jug of iced
tea from the fridge. "I guess not. This is the angriest I've felt with any of our children."
"You would have been more upset if you had been there when Marlena teleported them." Vance went on to say, "Would you believe that the mermaid wanted a promise from Valen to be mated with him as a sign of our intended peace treaty?" Appalled, I shook my head and got two
highball glasses from the cupboard. "Valen was the obedient one." Memories of all the tricks and mischiefs that the twins had done in
the past, resurfaced. "But I guess once puberty hits, it's like they go coo-coo and give their parents hell." Vance articulated with one hand. "I was never like that, you know." "Something's gotten into him lately.” I placed the glass under the ice dispenser from the fridge to collect solid cubes.
"Maybe he needs a girlfriend," mumbled Vance while in his own thoughts.
"Those nightmares must be affecting him more than just the paralysis when he sleeps." I pointed out, frowning. I moved back to the counter and poured the iced tea into the glasses. "Did you know that he's turned down
all the girls that have asked him out?" Vance strayed from what I highlighted, putting down his hand to rest on the tabletop.
"I'm disturbed by how much this mermaid might be influencing his behavior." I walked to the table and placed both glasses down, then sat across from my gorgeous husband. "Isn't it odd that he hasn't shown an interest in the opposite sex?" Vance asked, pulling his glass closer to him. Most Alphas were wild in their youth. It often took their fated or chosen mate to settle them down.
"Baby, Valen had been begging Marlena to reinstate his teleportation powers." I gazed at my mate's face and took a sip from my glass. "He must have found a way to undo the magical seal. And when I asked him about it, he lied. When did he start lying to us?" Vance drank several gulps of the iced tea and stared aimlessly into the backyard.
"Then I confronted him about it and
he totally zoned out," I complained, unhappily.
"Perhaps I should invite a few alpha females to attend our high school and it might spark his interest." Vance picked up a small square napkin from the center of the table and placed his glass on it. "Vance!" I slapped the table. My pitch raised a bit as I tried to get his attention.
"Hmm," he answered, his brilliant emeralds finally found my icy-blue. "Have you been listening to me?" I asked with the glass in my hand. "Yes, I'm listening." He declared, hesitantly nodding his head. "So you know about the situation with Valen and Marlena?" I tested because I knew otherwise and drank the iced tea.
"What about it? Does he have a kink for older women?" Vance softly probed with amusement beneath his tone, showing in his orbs.
Putting down the half-empty glass, I pursed my lips in annoyance and darted daggers at him. "You are not listening to me. Why would you say
you were listening to me when you weren't?"
"Well, I was thinking about Valen." He admitted and drained his glass. "Yeah, but I was talking about him." I hit back, folding my arms.
"I thought that you were talking about Marlena." He responded, quizzically. My expression hardened with every word pronounced. "I was telling you what he's been doing behind our backs and if you were paying attention to me you would have known how Marlena
fit into the picture." "But you weren't listening to me either." He accused, challenging me with his eyes.
"Of course, I was. I always listen to you." I defended, primly, and glanced through the window to see a piping
Zuzu perching in the apple tree in the backyard. "Okay, well, what did I say?" Vance shot back at me, with skepticism. "Vance, you know what you said. Why must I repeat it?" Turning to him, I brought the glass to my lips and felt the guilt pinch my gut. "You were obviously not listening to
me either." Vance narrowed his eyes at me. "I was thinking that our son should start dating. If he had an interest in girls, then maybe he wouldn't give us so much trouble." Valen wants to teleport to places outside of our territory, without Baby, our permission, and you are telling me
that girls are more important than finding out what Valen is really up to." I paused to catch my breath. "To think that he could go to another realm and encounter warlocks and gremlins by himself in a lightning storm, where he's outnumbered by wraiths and comes home battered and scared." "What?" His face contorted with confusion. "When did all that happen?"
I drew my head back to give him another whipping glance. "I was hypothesizing to make a point." "Firecat." He reached his hand across the table, gently placing a palm on top of mine, and said with a crooked grin, "Your case is fabricated. Mine is factual."
Rolling my eyes, I scoffed. "So you think that setting up your sixteen-year -old son on girls makes a valid point?"
I flashed him off with a hand. " Please." I shook my head. He did not understand my concerns at all. "He can be just as troublesome whether he
has a girlfriend or not." Playfully, he touched the tip of my moved nose with his fingers, then his hand Knowing that the sparks would deflate
down to caress my cheek. my anger towards him, I brushed his hand aside. He grimaced. Rising from the table with my glass in my hand, I went to the refrigerator for a refill and exited the kitchen. I strode into the living room and sat again on the long couch. Vance rose lazily, stretched, and followed my trail to sit at the far end, leaving a wide space between us. He understood that I was somewhat mad at him also for taking
the boys onto the battleground. "Baby there's no reason to be upset with me." Vance slid closer to me, wanting to hold me.
Surely, I wanted his arms around me too, but he would get me aroused. Whereas, I needed time to vent and to come up with the best disciplinary action. Perhaps Keisha and I will serve the boys the same punishment, but keep them apart while they endure it.
"You can't know that when you weren't paying attention to your wife's concerns. Or else you would see that I have all right to be upset with you." He silently chuckled and I continued. " And you can be upset with me too if you want because I can defend my case.
Can you?" "Honey, I'll be upset with you at the right moment." He voiced, crossing his legs and leaning back. He stretched his right arm on the top of the backrest of the couch and his fingers played in my black wavy hair. "It could be that I'm expressing it differently because I'm upset right now." Just then Valen came downstairs, Mom, Dad."
"What is it?" I slightly turned my head to the left side to get a minimal view of him.