Chapter 25 Chapter 25

Chapter 25 Chapter 25
“Noel, I have to go,” I declare, letting out a sigh of frustration when he doesn’t seem to want to hang up.

“I haven’t talked to you in weeks. Is it wrong to want to hear my sister’s voice?”

I frown. “Considering the fact that I’ve been on the phone with you for over an hour and I have somewhere important to be, then yes, yes it is wrong.”

He grumbles under his breath as I enter the kitchen to see Alpha Casper whipping up mac and cheese.

I stop in my tracks, and he stops stirring when he sees me. We look at each other for a few seconds, with Noel yelling into the phone. He clears his throat, and we break eye contact. Ever since I found out that Alpha Casper’s wolf is a potential threat to me, I’ve been avoiding him. It’s been a few days since we last spoke.

“Odetta?”

I shake my head and go to the fridge, ignoring Alpha Casper’s gaze. “I’m still here, Noel.”

“Have you told our grandparents we’ll be coming for Christmas? It’s September. What are you going to do about your apartment?”

“Yes, I have, and I don’t know. I might be here till next year. We’ll see. I’ll call the landlord later.”

“Okay then. Love you. Bye.”

I hang up and tuck my phone into the back pocket of my jeans.

I take my yogurt out of the fridge and shut it before turning around and smacking into someone. I stare at the tight T-shirt-clad chest in front of me and trail my gaze upwards. My eyes meet the face of a very disapproving Alpha Casper.

“I don’t know if you noticed, but you’re in my way,” I say and move to the left, but he follows my movement. I move to the right, and he follows suit. This goes on for a while, and I change the pattern and move right instead of left, which makes him move to the left, and I use that chance to escape. He grabs my arm and swings me back to cage me between him and the fridge. He slams his hands against the fridge on either side of my head. I lean into the fridge as he leans closer, just praying that the fridge would swallow me up.

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

I look everywhere but at him. “I am not. We’ve just not been in the same place at the same time.”

“Is that so? Do I make you uncomfortable? Scared?”

I scoff. “Of course not.”

He grabs my jaw and forces me to look at him. “I preferred it when you used to defy me. I don’t like how things are.”

“I don’t care about what you prefer,” I snap, looking at him, and his lips curve into a smirk. I look away, hoping that I’m not blushing.

He has a predatory look in his eyes as he looks at me, and I swallow. “That’s my girl. There you are,” he says softly, and my knees almost buckle. My wolf and I really appreciate the way his voice seems to caress me.

“I love when you do that. Don’t ever stop.”

And then his lips come crashing down on mine. I hardly have a moment to react before he presses his tongue to the seam of my lips. I grant him access, and he uses this chance to press it against mine. I moan.

The hand gripping my jaw moves to my hair while his other hand rests on the small of my back. Fuck, I can’t remember the last time I kissed Mason or anyone at all, but this was good. I feel tingles, and my wolf appreciates this feeling. She growls in contentment. I wrap my arms around his neck and stand on my tiptoes to deepen the kiss. This was amazing. I had dreamt about this for a while now, but it is nothing compared to this. I run my hands through his hair—his soft, beautiful golden goodness. I could do this forever. This felt—

My eyes widen in realization, and I push him back. He stumbles backwards and looks at me, lust and confusion clouding his eyes. I press my fingers to my lips and still feel the tingles.

“Don’t you ever pull a stunt like that again,” I say, slightly out of breath.

He doesn’t say anything. He has the gall to even look unapologetic. He just looks at me like he’s ready to do that again.

I push past him and leave the kitchen. I slam my door and lock it before rushing to the mirror. I look like I’ve been kissed. Thoroughly. My stars. My hair looks slightly disheveled, eyes darkened with lust. My lips are swollen, and my face is the color of an overripe tomato.

Oh, my Moon Goddess.

I wash my face and quickly run a comb through my hair. I dab my lips with lip gloss before slapping my cheeks a few times to reduce the color. I have to leave with Sebastian in a few. I can’t let him know what happened.

“Are you ready?” Sebastian asks, as if on cue, knocking on my door.

“Coming,” I shout and give myself a final stern look in the mirror. “That was incredible, but don’t be a little bitch,” I murmur and spritz perfume on myself, especially my pulse points, to cover his scent.

I leave my room and give Sebastian a smile. “How do I look?”

He scans me and shrugs. “Good, I guess,” he says. “Or is there something I should notice?”

“No, no, no, no,” I say a little too fast, which he responds to with a raised brow. I clear my throat and compose myself. “I mean, I was checking to see if I had anything wrong. Just want to look good for my grandparents.”

“Sure,” he drags out uncertainly.

We go upstairs to check on Javier.

“Javier?” I ask as I knock on his door.

I open it slightly to see him struggling to put on his sneakers. Is he never not struggling to put on his shoes? I think with a smile. I walk forward to help him, but he’s already done it.

“Done,” he says and gives me a toothy grin. I mimic him with a grin of my own.

“Let’s go then,” I say and put my hands out. He takes my hand and intertwines our fingers before we leave his room.

“Does Daddy know that we’re going out?”

My eyes widen at his question, and I abruptly nod my head.

I couldn’t bear to face Casper again—at least not today. Who knows how far we’d go if left alone again.

The journey to my grandparents’ house is smooth, and soon enough, we pass through the familiar gates of my grandparents’ household.

Luna and Grandma are already waiting for us on the doorstep of Luna and Don’s house. Sebastian steps out first, which has Luna running down the steps.

“My Seb,” she exclaims as she runs into his waiting arms. She’s taken a quick liking to Sebastian since we’ve been coming here a lot. She squeezes his cheeks. “I made cookies. I know how much you enjoy them.”

He entered a food coma once.

He smiles. “Really?”

She nods and winks at him. I walk towards them with Javier, and both Luna and Grandma coo at the sight of Javier.

“This is Javier. Javier, these are my grandmothers.”

His eyes are wide, and I didn’t think they could get any wider until Grandpa and Don walk through the front door.

“So it is true!” he exclaims. “Four grandparents.”

“I considered you’d be into younger men one day, but I didn’t think it’d be with a three-year-old,” Luna snickers as I give her a deadpan look.

“Five, actually,” Sebastian chips in.

She gives a scandalized gasp. “Five? Odetta, my word.”

She and Sebastian are quick to laughter.

Grandma frowns at her as she picks up Javier in her arms. Javier whispers something to her, which she laughs at, and soon Luna joins them. Grandpa and Don hug me and then move on to Javier. It doesn’t take long for Javier to sink his claws into them. They coo and ahh at his every word. I laugh. He has them wrapped around his finger.

“I feel oddly jealous. I used to be the ‘it’ guy, and now I’ve been one-upped by a child,” Sebastian chuckles beside me.

“It’s the cycle of life. I was one-upped by you, and now Javier has taken your place,” I giggle. “Wait till you bring Anna to them as your mate—they will completely forget that we exist.”

I think it’s safe to say that Javier really enjoyed staying with my grandparents, and they loved his company. I was so scared that he was going to be overfed with cookies and ice cream. Then we had dinner, which Sebastian and Javier wolfed down and made Grandma and Luna pleased.

“Okay, Javier, it’s time to go,” I say when I see him trying to stay awake on Don’s shoulder.

I check the time, and it’s almost nine p.m.

“Can I just stay the night?”

“No,” I say sternly.

“Pretty, pretty please with a banana split on top,” he drawls.

“No can do. Your dad will have my head.”

“Oh, come on. Let him just stay for a while,” Don begs, and I sigh in defeat. I’ll let him fall asleep here and then take him back.

I check the sitting room to see Don, Seb, and Grandpa discussing, so I go to the kitchen where I’m sure I’ll see Grandma.

“Hey, Grandma?”

I see her washing the dishes, humming an old song.

She quickly stops washing the dishes and looks at me.

“Can we talk?”

“Sure,” she says and wipes her hands on her apron before sitting beside me on a stool.

I play with my fingers. “So…” I start, “this is for a friend.”

“Go on.”

“My friend got rejected, let’s say, a few years ago, and she has been kind of miserable since then. The mate that rejected her already moved on. Now she sort of has feelings for another man who lost his mate. But she’s scared. What if this relationship fails again? She doesn’t want to let herself fall for him and get hurt again.”

“I think she should let herself enter this relationship. She can’t spend the rest of her life scared just because the first one didn’t work out.”

“But it hurt. She doesn’t want to go through that again. She just wants to protect herself.”

“I know, but what’s life without a little hurt?” She smiles at me. “I know whoever this man is will take care of her and make her very happy.”

I feel tears fill my eyes, threatening to fall, and I blink them back. Grandma touches my shoulder.

“Why didn’t you tell us that you were rejected?”

I didn’t feel that numbing ache in my chest anymore, but it still hurt. “Because I didn’t want you all to be worried.”

“Since when?”

I sniff. “It’s been a while. A few years.”

“My baby girl,” she murmurs and pulls me in for a big hug. I inhale her relaxing cinnamon scent and smile.

“I have a feeling. I know who this young man is. Odetta, look at me. You can’t spend the rest of your life in fear just because you got rejected. The Moon Goddess saw your pain and sent another person to you.”

“She has great plans for you. She sent you a great Alpha because she knows you’ll be a wonderful Luna meant for great things.”

We stay in that hug, and when we pull away, I check my wristwatch for the time.

“Shit, he’s going to kill me,” I say as I stand up and rush out of the kitchen before coming back and giving Grandma a kiss on her cheek.

“Goodnight, everyone,” I say, giving all of them kisses on their cheeks. “We have to go.”

I take a sleeping Javier from Don, and we leave.

Sebastian opens the door to the house for me, and we step into the entryway. The lights are still switched on, and I can hear the TV running. I stop by the sitting room to see Isabella and Victor cuddling with a movie playing.

I quietly pass by them and climb up the stairs. I tuck Javier into bed and kiss him goodnight after removing his shoes and socks. He murmurs something that sounds like goodnight as I leave his room.

I glance at the door that leads to Alpha Casper’s suite, and I walk quietly towards it. I raise my hand to knock, but I hesitate midway and settle for pressing my ear to the door. I only hear the steady breathing of Alpha Casper, and I back away.

Fuck. I can’t do this.

I rush to my room and shower, then change into sweatpants and a T-shirt before Alpha Casper’s wolf gets any funny ideas. I almost settle on a turtleneck sweater.

“This is it. No turning back now, Odetta,” I whisper to myself as I stand in front of the door that separates me from Alpha Casper.

I knock three times before taking a step back and hearing shuffling. The door opens to reveal Alpha Casper.

“I heard you earlier. You didn’t come in.”

“I was—am nervous.”

“There’s no need to be.”

I glare at him. “You don’t know that.”

I puff out my cheeks in awkwardness before letting the air out. “I’m surprised that you didn’t hunt me down for Javier,” I laugh nervously.

“I trust you,” he simply says.

I take a deep breath. “So, I’ve decided that I want this.” I move my hand between us. “To happen. We’re not gonna force anything, and we have to go at my pace. Whatever happens, happens.”

He looks shocked. “That’s fine by me, but are you sure about this? Is this what you really wan—”

I don’t let him finish before I kiss him.

He doesn’t move his lips against mine or react. I pull back, embarrassed, and swallow nervously. “This was a bad idea. I should go.”

I turn to leave.

“Don’t do that. You just caught me by surprise,” he murmurs so low that I feel my body tingle. “Come here.”

He wraps his arms around my waist and gently pulls me to him. His eyes darken, and he leans forward.

“This is happening. We can’t go back,” he whispers against my lips, our breaths mingling. I shudder, and he presses his lips against mine.