Chapter 12: Be Practical

~Hunter’s Point of View~

Hearing Ellie say she wanted to be alone with me made my wolf howl with delight. Our little mate wanted to see us, just us.

It broke my heart to tell her she couldn’t stay here, but I knew I didn’t have a choice. If I didn’t arrange for her to go with my parents, Godfrey would likely send her to the other side of the world and not let her come back until she shifted. There was NO way I would allow that.

At least I would know where she was, I could visit, I could guard the house and make sure she was safe.

It would have to do for now, but I still worried about us having a rut, or how we could handle the full moon. If a wolf finds their mate and doesn’t mark them by the full moon, their wolf will go mad, and do anything to find them. It’s just nature, you can’t go against it.

I cringed at the thought of having to sit in the dungeon to keep my wolf away from her, but it may be the only option. The full moon was in two days as well, which was why Godfrey was in a hurry to get Ellie away from us.

I had to be practical, but damn it was so hard. Everything in me was drawn to her, every fiber of my being wanted to be near her, wanted her to know she was mine.

I volunteered to go lead some drills and I forced Skyler to go with me, although I had to drag him. We needed a distraction and we needed to put some distance between us and the packhouse for a bit. Pat was planning a farewell dinner for Ellie and my family would be coming to get her.

I had called my mom before Ellie woke up to let her know what was going on, and I did of course, let it slip that she was our mate. I made it clear that my sisters could not know, they didn’t know how to keep a secret at all.

Mom was thrilled of course, and more than happy to help. She did have her concerns about how our wolves would react being apart from Ellie, but she agreed there was no better alternative.

By the time dinner rolled around, my brothers and I had all showered and fixed our hair. We all dressed in nice clothes. It seemed stupid, knowing we were not supposed to try and impress our mate, but we always wanted to look our best for her and there was no way around it.

“Look at my babies, so handsome,” my mom cooed, pinching Skyler’s cheek.

“Mom, knock it off with the baby talk, we’re warriors for goddess sake,” Skyler said, annoyed.

We were all momma's boys deep down and liked our mom’s compliments.

“Babies, brats, all the same, you’re still both,” my sister Sunny said, laughing.

Within seconds Skyler had her in a headlock and was messing up her hair. Out of nowhere my youngest sister, Meadow jumped on his back, and messed up his hair.

I loved my family, but a little bit of time with all of them at once went a long way. Sunny just got her wolf last year, but hadn’t found her mate yet so she still lived at home. Meadow would have her shift next year, and I wasn’t ready to accept that my little sis was going to be a she-wolf.

I quickly realized that Ellie could very well be about the same age as Meadow, but she seemed older somehow, it was all bizarre to me. Knowing your birthday was vital to a wolf, preparing for your first shift and having that expectation was everything You spent your whole life waiting for that magical moment.

I smelled Ellie’s scent getting a bit stronger, she was close! I turned as she descended the stairs, dressed in jeans, a sweater and sneakers. But I knew what she was hiding.

Only Godfrey had known that it was me who undressed her fully and gave her a sponge bath that first night, and I didn’t dare share that with my brothers.

Her body was absolutely everything I could ever want … her chest was very full and it took every ounce of restraint not to touch her inappropriately. Her legs were unshaven, I guessed that was something she likely had never done before. My sisters would certainly educate her about that. I could certainly tell she was not wearing a bra as she got to the bottom of the stairs and I wondered if she’d ever worn one.

I shot a quick look at River and he was moving toward Ellie, I instantly moved and put my hand on his shoulder. Skyler still had Meadow on his back.

“Ellie, this is my mom Daisy and my sisters Meadow and Sunny. My father’s name is Ash, but he’s away on business for a few days,” I said.

“Ellie, it is so nice to meet you,” my mom said, stepping forward to shake her hand.

Ellie smiled at her, “wow, you’re all so very pretty, what a beautiful family.”

If you wanted my mom to like you, all it took was a compliment, and I wondered if Pat had said something to warn Ellie of that, as they were old friends.

My mom beamed and smiled at her, I could tell she wanted to hug her.

Godfrey appeared and invited everyone to sit. Obviously he didn’t eat dinner but he often joined us for meals just to enjoy the social aspect of it. Godfrey liked my father and valued his input, so in his absence he would likely talk my mom’s ear off about business.

~Skyler’s Point of View~

This was the longest damn dinner of my whole life! I stared at Ellie the entire time, I didn’t care at all who noticed. I was going to need a long cold shower when this was over. Ellie had the sweetest little giggle, and everytime she did it my cock twitched in my pants. Everytime she brought her fork to her mouth, my eyes followed, imagining what her lips felt like. What they would feel like wrapped around my--

“I think she’ll fit in just fine! Although we’re not quite the same size, no offense, shorty, you’ll need a whole new wardrobe,” Meadow laughed.

Ellie grinned, “yeah I’ve always been the shortest one. Clothes never fit me right, whoever had them before me was always taller.”

My mom cleared her throat and gave that look … like she was trying to lighten the mood.

“Well if it’s anything my girls love, it’s shopping, any excuse to go hit the mall,” mom sighed.

“Shopping? Mall?”

Ellie looked around, confused. Oh my sweet little mate, she was sheltered indeed.

“Haven’t you ever been to a mall,” Meadow asked, putting her eyebrows together in confusion.

Ellie looked puzzled and embarrassed and I made a mental note to scold my sisters later.

“A lot of people don’t make their own clothes hun, they get them from a place called a store, and a mall is a place with lots of stores in it, and lots of things to choose from. When you go to these places, it’s called shopping,” Pat chimed in.

Sunny’s mouth dropped open and I could tell she was mind-linking with mom.

Ellie looked down at her hands, “wow I guess I … I have a lot to learn.”

“Don’t worry Ellie, we’ll get there,” mom said, reaching for her hand.

I wanted to be the one to show Ellie everything, she needed me, she needed her mates, not my parents! We would never make her feel stupid, she would be loved and I would worship her.

Godfrey quickly changed the subject and began mumbling on about what meetings my dad was having in his travels. My dad used to be a Warrior, well he still is, but he works on the diplomacy end of things instead of actively being involved in assignments.

“Ellie, Hunter tells me you’re a wonderful cook, what’s your favorite thing to make,” River said.

Ohh I couldn’t wait for my pretty little Ellie to cook for us! I could sneak up behind her in the kitchen and have my way with her!

Ellie smiled and looked relieved to have something to say that she actually knew about and felt confident in.

“Well I only know how to make five different dishes, but making layered meat with sauce and long noodles is my favorite,” she said.

I could tell Sunny wanted to correct her, and I kicked her under the table.

“Sounds amazing, you’ll love it at mom’s, she has a huge kitchen and a garden with lots of fresh veggies and fruits,” Hunter said.

Ellie finally looked relaxed after seeming upset for a while. She needed me to hold her, she needed me to kiss her and tell her it would all be okay. My wolf was dancing around, telling me to comfort her.

“Godfrey, can you please tell the cook that dinner was amazing, I’ve never had this before, but I’d love the recipe,” Ellie said.

This time Meadow looked surprised, as all we had was chicken alfredo with broccoli and some bread. Pat wasn’t sure what Ellie liked but she thought simple food would be best. Also, naturally there was never any garlic in the meals made in a house where vampires had to live.

“I’ll certainly pass that along, my child. I’m so glad you enjoyed it,” Godfrey said.

Is she even going to know what a car is, Sunny mind-linked my brothers and I with a giggle.

River shot her a mean look and I did as well. Then I wondered if she did in fact, know what a car was, or if that would be another conversation we needed to have.

Angel got up and walked over to Ellie, giving her a hug.

“I’ll miss you sugar, but don’t worry I’ll visit! Go ahead and say your good-byes and I’ll teleport you guys. We thought it best they didn’t drive here, it’s a long drive.”

Duh, of course they didn’t drive. I wondered why Sunny asked about the car then, and I decided she probably was just being snarky. Little brat.

My brothers took turns hugging Ellie and saying good-bye. When it was my turn I couldn’t let her go, I held her tight and sniffed her soft hair, desperate to take down her ponytail and see it draped around her naked--

“Skyler,” Pat said, touching my shoulder.

I suppressed a growl and pulled back. Ellie gave me a warm smile and I knew I was completely in love with her already. I knew she felt exactly what I did, even if she didn’t understand it yet.

“Thank you everyone so much for helping me, for being patient with me. I’m so very grateful,” Ellie said.

“Our pleasure little one,” Godfrey said.

Mom and Sunny took Ellie’s hands and in the blink of an eye they were gone.

My feet moved on their own, and ran to Ellie’s room. I threw myself on her bed and rolled around. I grabbed her pillows and held them tight. Inhaling all of it, all of her. I took my shirt off and tossed it on the floor. I rubbed myself all over her sheets. Anyone who had a problem with it, could fuck off. I was sleeping right here tonight.