"Liz, let's just leave this to them. I believe they handled it well without our knowledge, they can still handle it well and dispose off those rogues." Dad tried to reason with mom.
"But we're the parents, we should be responsible for them. What if anything happens to any of them?" She argued.
Mom was a very strong, opinionated wolfess, she hardly backed down nor succumbed. In our old pack, I had appreciated it, but here, in this pack, in this room, at this very moment, it was annoying.
"Liz, nothing will happen to them."
"How can you be so sure, Dave? That they are over eighteen does not stop them from being our children."
"They will always remain our children, but nothing will happen to them, honey. Remain calm and let us trust them."
"But how are you so sure they will be fine?" She kept asking.
"Were we there to parent over them when the boys snuck in? Were we there to help them fight these boys, succumb them and help them tie up these hoodlums in that room? Without us they were fine, and without us now, they would still be fine." He assured her. Dad was a very patient man and he surely knew how to get to mom.
She sighed and stared at all of us. "Alright, I agree with your father but, be careful and when it gets out of hand, the guards are always available and you will all have you phones with you. Your dad and I will keep in touch."
"Relax step mom, we're not going off of the face of the earth." Baron said.
"Don't make me change my mind." She narrowed her eyes at him.
He raised his hands in surrender and let it go. At last, we would be the ones to take care of those boys. Thank the Moon Goddess they had not revealed anything to our parents.
It still surprised me that they still did not look familiar to mom. How could she not recognize them? Especially Greg? Hm. But that was my own luck, it was better that way.
Breakfast went by well and everyone chit chatted until it was done. I offered to wash the dishes, and just as I had thought she would do the normal and chase me out, she did not.
"I would love that, honey. Come help me." She took some of the plates.
To wash dishes, I would never ask to help anymore. After cooking, that was my next worst chore. But there was nothing I could do, I could not turn away now, it was too late.
"We'll be in your room, Kathy." Zach informed me.
"Alright." They would be in my room waiting for me, to plan the next line of action. We would find a way to deal with those guys, and get the final truth. All of this had to end once and for all.
I followed mom into the family's kitchen. She took over instantly, I tried to help with the dishes since that was why I was there, she blocked my path, still focused on cleaning the kitchen.
"Seat. I did not actually call you here to help with anything. You hate kitchen work."
A bit relieved, I took a seat but nerves knotted tight. What was wrong? Mom had used dish washing to get me to be alone with her, this must be serious. Oh no! Did she recognize those boys and had been pretending not to so she could ask me when we were alone? I tried not to let my fear or nerves show. "Is anything the problem, mom?" I tried not to make my voice tremble.
She merely passed me a look and turned to continue what she was doing - scrubbing the countertop. "What are you doing with the boys?"
I frowned. "What boys? The criminals we caught?"
"I know you to be a lazy cook and cleaner, in fact, you loathe doing them but I don't know you to be stupid. You're smart, you should know what I'm talking about."
My frown deepened, I felt puzzled. What was she talking about? What did she mean? "Mom, I absolutely have no idea what you mean."
"The twins." She pointed out.
Oh. Waves of embarrassment overwhelmed me. How was it my fault they kept arguing and fighting, using me as an excuse? "Mom, it's not my fault. I have nothing to do with either of them, I promise."
"But you and Baron were kissing." She mentioned, referring to that day in my room. I knew she had seen us and since then, mom and I had not really had a chance to talk about it.
"That…was.. uhmm." I cleared my throat. "It was unplanned. It… j-just…"
"You don't have to fret Katherina, I'm not going to scold you because I saw you kissing a boy. If anything, I'm happy you're having a life outside yourself."
"Outside myself?" What did she mean by that? And why did it feel like an insult?
"You want me to spell it out to you? Because I can." She quirked a brow.
"Fine." I knew what she was talking about. I had a non-existent social life, if not for the boys, I would not even have anyone I was talking to. I usually liked my own space, I was not the social type.
"The reason I called you in here is to know. Who is your choice?"
"My choice?" My forehead creased in bewilderment.
"Yes. Aaron or Baron, which of them will it be? You do not have to lead two guys on, that's selfish, insensitive and mean. And the you I know, are none of those things."
"I'm not leading anyone on, mom. Baron was there for me when…" I should be careful.
"When what?"
"When things were rough with me?"
"And Aaron wasn't?"
"Not really. He was kind of doing his own thing and ignoring me. So Baron was there." I could not believe how perfect these boys' lying prowess had held me tight.
"And so you decided to leave Aaron for Baron