Victoria's pov
"Ask me what?" I asked as soon as he closed his bedroom door.
He told me that he would talk when we got back, since we were surrounded by people and music everywhere back at the pack house. I agreed to wait, but I was pissed. He told me that there were no more secrets.
So, I spent the entire night avoiding him, but I still had fun with my girls and Caleb since he wouldn't leave Ashley's side. We travelled separately, so I waited at the door for him to come. That's when he led me here.
"Victoria don't be mad. I didn't hide anything from you" He sighed, looking tired.
"So what was Ty talking about?" I asked and he remained silent, looking as if he was contemplating telling me or not. I honestly thought we passed this stage, yet here we were once again.
"See this is what I can't take with you! You keep everything from me then expect me to-"
"I want you to move in. Like permanently with us here" He blurted out in the middle of my rambling. This had me completely speechless as I gaped at him.
I knew what I was getting into when I involved myself with him, but I never thought about moving in with him.
"That's what he meant. He was asking me if I asked you to move in with us yet" He added, while I stayed quiet. He took that as a sign to continue. "I know its a bit much, but I'm going to need you by my side, and that includes living with me"
"But isn't that a little too fast?" I asked unsurely. He chuckled.
"Victoria your stay here will last a couple more months since your house isn't finished. Don't you think by then you'd be ready?"
I mean, he had a point but that house...
"It's the only thing I have left with them," I said out loud, not intending for him to hear.
"What do you mean?"
"That house. It was my parent's house. Then my aunt. As much as I hated my parents my whole life, it was all I had that made me feel like I sorta had them" I whispered, barely audible.
Luka sighed, holding me by the waist gently as he rested his chin on my head. "It's okay Angel. I wasn't asking you to abandon the house. If you want, we can keep it and go there whenever we want time to ourselves. You know, just you and me"
"And Twinkle," I added.
"And Twinkle," he repeated with a chuckle.
It warmed my heart that he was thinking about us long term. I didn't miss how he said 'we' instead of 'you'. I know that he saw me as a life long partner, and I wanted to give him back that same energy. But it's all in time.
"Thank you" I mumbled against his chest. He kissed my forehead, letting his lips linger a while longer.
"You're mine now Angel, I'll do everything in my power to let it remain that way."
And I believed him. I believed him with all my heart.
***
"How do you think it looks?" I asked excitedly as we drove to my house to see the progress.
It has been little over a month so I knew it hasn't been much, but I was pumped to see how different it might've looked.
Our talk last night got me thinking about visiting, and since I didn't have work, I decided to go there. I also decided to go visit Velma, killing two birds with one stone. Luka offered to take me, to which I happily complied.
"I don't know. Maybe just minor changes" He replied, turning on the familiar road that led to my house.
I still didn't give him an answer about moving in, even though I knew it was inevitable. I guess I had to adapt to their way of living, but we'll take things one step at a time.
We pulled into the driveway and it felt as if it had been ages. I opened the newly fixed door and peered around the room. I could see that the fixers were really working on it. Everything looked different, my furniture was wrapped and I could see that they were replacing the walls.
I suddenly felt excited about how it will look when they're done. Luka hired some designers to decorate the whole place differently, and I couldn't wait to see it.
"It's gonna be beautiful when it's done" I said as Luka joined me.
"It will. But not as beautiful as it's owner." He added as he kissed my bare shoulder. I blushed at his compliment, loving this side of him.
"You know.... I can still pay for all of this if you want" He suggested innocently and I rolled my eyes. He didn't want me to pay for my own house.
"I said its fine. I can manage" I responded. He didn't seem satisfied, but let it go anyways.
I'm an independent woman.
"Ready to go?" He asked and I nodded.
I called Velma, letting her know I'd be stopping by and I also told her to save my number. I gave Luka the address as we backed out of my driveway in deep conversation.
"I have some things back home to do, including my daily workout, so I won't stay with you at Velma's. But I can come back for you later, or I can just run back and leave the car with you" He suggested.
"No, I don't want you to run back all that way. You can come back for me around four, or send Lincoln. That's too much driving for you in one day" I told him.
"It's okay. I'll come get you myself" He answered, and I simply shrugged. I guess I'm the only one who doesn't like to drive.
We talked about random things as usual, where he told me about his childhood. He had some really funny stories that had me bellowing like Emma on a comedy movie night. Who would've thought that Caleb and Luka hated each other? Wild.
After about an hour of driving, we pulled into a gated community that I assumed Velma was living in. She lived really far.
I thought about the three hour drive that Luka would have to endure to go back home, then sit through again when he comes to pick me up.
I tried to convince him again to ask Lincoln or Caleb to come get me, but he wasn't having it. He can be so stubborn sometimes.
We finally pulled into the house number that Velma gave me. Seconds after, she emerged from the house, beaming at us as we got out of the car.
"Victoria my dear!" She rushed to me with as much speed as she could muster, then wrapped me in a warm grandmotherly hug. She did the same with Luka, then gestured for us to come in.
"I'm sorry Velma but I won't be staying with you guys. I'll be back later to pick up Victoria, but next time for sure" Luka apologized sweetly, at which she shot him the cutest old person pout I've ever seen.
"Just let me go get you some cookies for the road" She offered before quickly heading inside.
As soon as she touched the door, the one and only Jonah made himself known, smiling at me. From the corner of my eye I saw Luka stiffen, as he gently pulled me back against him. Jonah frowned at the gesture, and he had the audacity to sneer at Luka.
"I think I might actually stay," he said firmly. I spun in his arms so that I was facing him to give him my best glare.
"No you're not. You are not going to put your day on hold because of some jealousy. Don't worry I can handle myself" I hopped on my toes to give him a kiss, knowing it was the only way I could convince him. He simply nodded as he hugged my tightly, sniffing my neck a couple times too.
"Here you go" Velma handed him the cookies. "Freshly baked".
"Thank you." He beamed as he kissed her cheek before kissing mine. "I'll be back at four to get you" I waved at him before following Velma inside.
"So you're dating him now" Jonah bit out a little too harshly for my liking.
"Well nice to see you too Jonah" I retorted sarcastically. "And that's none of your business" How can a woman so sweet have a grandson so annoying?
"In here dear!" Velma shouted from what I assumed was the kitchen. I shrugged my coat off, hanging it on the coat rack then followed where her voice came from.
The scent of homemade food and pastries filled my senses immediately, and I suddenly felt hungry. Jonah had left to do whatever dweebs do, thank goodness.
"Mmmmh couldn't you warn me that you were a cooker" I joked as I sat at the island.
For an old lady, her house was quite modern and stylish, yet it had that warmness that a home should have. Velvet looking thin curtains draped over the windows, allowing just enough sunlight through. Her tiles were also lovely, giving the kitchen that homey look.
"I would've had much more for you if I had known that you were coming earlier" She said as she gave me some hot tea which I gladly accepted.
"I'm sorry for the short notice, I was just in town so I decided to stop by"
"That's okay love. I'm just happy to see you" She beamed. "So how's life with the werewolves?" She asked casually as if she just asked me about the weather, while I had a coughing fit. My eyes widened as I stared at her, but she didn't look the least surprised or fazed.
"Ho-how did you know about that?" I stuttered, still processing.
"I've been alive a long time dear" She laughed. "I've had my share of werewolf drama. That's in the past though" She sighed.
"Tell me about it" I was suddenly interested. When we were at the hospital, she told me about some life experiences but never this.
"I was the mate of a werewolf" She sighed putting her cup down. I gaped at her, even more shocked.
"Are you human?" I asked softly. She must be. If she was a wolf, Luka would've known.
"Oh heavens yes." She laughed. " I was one of those rare human mates. Just like you" She said with a smile.
"I'm not his mate" I told her. "Well I wasn't his first mate I guess. He imprinted on me" Her eyes widened a fraction at my statement.
"In my few years with wolves, I've only ever heard of imprinting. You two are very special, you know that?"
"I guess" I mumbled with a blush. "But not as special as you. I heard that human mates are almost impossible" I was genuinely awed.
"Well my dear, you can't help what life chooses for you. You seem to adapt better than me honestly. I took a whole three months before I accepted my mate"
"What happened?" I asked, getting ready for story time.
"I was only eighteen when my mate found me. I didn't always live here, I lived in the north, near the border. Apparently there's a huge werewolf territory there" She started.
"One day I wandered off in the woods for some reason, and I saw the largest animal ever. He spotted me and started running towards me, so my first instinct was to run for my life. Then suddenly, he shifted and called out to me. I saw what happened and I fainted" She laughed at the memory before continuing.
"He brought me to his home and when I woke up, he started telling me all these things I didn't understand, and he asked that I stay with him. Of course, I didn't obliged. It took months for me to come around, and when I finally did, it was the best thing ever" I saw her eyes brighten at the memory, it was beautiful.
"We spent everyday together. It was hard keeping up with both lives but I survived and I was happy. But one day, his pack was attacked by rogues, and he died in the battle" She ended with a sigh. I held her hand reassuringly, as I could see it was still painful for her.
"After his death, I was a mess. I had no reason to stay with the pack anymore, so I left after pledging to the Alpha that I wont speak about their existence. Eventually after a couple years of healing, I moved here when I met the second love of my life, and had Jonah's mom."
I was happy to hear that she got a second chance at love.
"I lived here not knowing it was another territory, until I saw Luka's dad. He was walking with his mate, and she had the mark on her neck. He was just a pup, around 18, but he was smart. He noticed that I recognized what his claim was and questioned me. I had no real reason to hide my experience from him, so I promised I wouldn't speak of their existence" She looked at me with a mischievous smile.
"When I was at the hospital and you talked about this mysterious man to me, I suspected something. But it wasn't confirmed until I saw Luka's face that day in my hospital room. He looked just like his father at that age, and so I put two and two together"
So she knew all along.
"I thought you were his first mate though. I didn't know he lost a mate" She sighed.
"His mate, Ella, died little over a year ago. He's been a mess about it"
"Until you showed up I assume" She smiled as I looked away, hiding my blush.
"It must've been really hard for him. I know the pain of a broken mate bond, and it must've been ten times multiplied for him since he's a wolf AND Alpha blood. Don't take his pain lightly Victoria. You're helping him through it, but it will always be there until he completes the mating process with you" she said and I nodded.
"When do I know the mating process is completed?" I asked. She checked my neck too but saw nothing.
"Just three things. I'm sure you've done the first step already which is accepting him. But I'll leave you to explore the rest with him yourself, I won't spoil it for you" She smirked mischievously, which only made me become alert.
"Will I become a wolf too?" I blurted out, causing her to laugh hardly at me, shaking her head from side to side.
"You won't become a wolf." She panted while her laughter died down. "But changes will happen, just minor things though" She added with a wink.
"Tell meeeeeee," I pleaded while she laughed again, saying no.
"I won't rob you of your experiences. When they do actually happen, I'll be here to talk," she offered, to which I reluctantly agreed.
I guess that's fair. At least I knew I wasn't alone. Even though I had Ashley and Emma, they were wolves so they'll see things differently.
"I'm actually really relieved that you know about them. I can talk to you now without hiding things" I clapped excitedly as she chuckled again. She has such a beautiful laugh.
We spent the remaining hours talking and eating. As suspected, her food was delicious. Jonah joined us shortly after dinner, but he barely interrupted or joined our conversation.
I noticed I was getting undesirably tired, so I went to the couch to catch a nap until Luka came to pick me up.