Chapter Eight

When breakfast was over, Kane and Nora walked hand-in-hand to his car, which was parked around the corner. Nora threw her stuff in her own car as they passed and Kane promised to pick it up that afternoon.

Kane kept watching Nora out the corner of his eyes as he drove. His fingers were tight against the steering wheel, his knuckles a ghostly shade of white. He didn't want his family to freak out. Particularly, he was worried Heath might make her uncomfortable. Nora already had anxiety about this meeting and Heath didn't exactly have a reputation of being socially acceptable.

"What are your parents' names?" Nora asked for the second time. "I think I forgot."

Kane tried to smile reassuringly at her. "My mother is Scarlett and my father is Sebastian, but everyone calls him Seb."

"Scarlett, Seb, Heath and Grace," Nora muttered to herself. She raised her voice so Kane could hear her clearly. "Scarlett's sister is Linda. Linda is the woman I met last night, who is married to the Alpha, Victor. Is that right?"

"That's right," Kane assured her. "Honestly, just be yourself. My family will be fine with you being a girl and all, don't worry too much about it."

"You're worried about it," Nora replied, sure of her words. "I can feel it, through the bond."

"Maybe your worry is rubbing off on me," Kane offered. Kane sent her a knowing smile. "Perhaps it's your own worry that you feel."

Nora shrugged but a small smile stayed on her face. "Perhaps."

They pulled up into the driveway. Kane glanced at his watch, the one his grandfather had given him just before he died. It was just before nine. He loved the watch with its leather strap and large face with long golden hands. It reminded him of his childhood and the rare times his grandfather would let him work on his watches with him. All of the older people in the pack all wore old watches fixed up by grandpa Moore. He liked that.

He wondered what his grandfather would have said about Nora. Kane glanced over at her with her light blue dress and hair pulled up in a neat bun. He imagined Nora's laugh, the pretty sound that it was. She was a serious person in most ways, but she smiled a lot too. He liked that. He reckoned his grandfather would have liked her. He hoped the same for his family.

Kane pushed his key into the front door. He linked his hand with Nora's before opening the door, hoping that it would ease her worry slightly. He heard his mother's voice the second he opened the door.

"Kane, there you are," she called out to him. Kane stepped into the foyer, Nora by his side. His mother was standing across the room, at the dining table, two empty glasses in her hand. It appeared she had been cleaning up from breakfast. Scarlett wasn't looking at them however, her eyes were on the plates she was trying to balance on her forearm. "Your brother told us there was some emergency and you had to stay at Adam's last night. What happened?"

Kane smiled at the realisation Heath had covered for him with their parents. His mother looked up.

"This is Nora," Kane said. He stepped forward and Nora followed, their hands connecting them.

Scarlett didn't seem to notice that though, her mind was on the dishes. "Oh, hello sweetheart. Are you a friend of Kane's?"

Nora stepped forward, confident and sure of what she was about to say. Her sudden change of demeanour surprised Kane. She spoke with certainty in her voice. "Not exactly. I'm his mate."

The next sound Kane heard was plates clattering to the floor. He let go of Nora's hand and rushed to pick them up. Scarlett gasped. "I didn't mean to drop those, oh, you're what?"

Kane held the plates in his hand. "She's my mate. Her name's Nora."

"Seb! Seastian!" she called out. When there was no reply for a couple of seconds she called out again. "Seb, darling!"

Kane hadn't noticed that his father was in the kitchen. He poked his head out from around the corner. "What's wrong?"

"Come here, Seb," his mother said with a strangeness to her voice. "Come meet Kane's mate."

"His what?" his father asked with urgency. He made his way quickly into the room.

Kane watched as his father looked Nora up and down with squinted eyes. "Hello," he said, dumbfounded.

"You two are mates?" someone called out from above them.

Kane followed the sound to see his siblings standing at the top of the staircase. They were making their way down the stairs. He prayed Heath would behave himself.

Scarlett seemed to have gotten a hold of herself. "Nora," she said with a bright smile, "how unexpected! Welcome to the family." She walked towards Nora, arms wide.

Kane didn't miss Nora's wide smile as Scarlett hugged her. "Thank-you." She looked around at all of the family. "It is wonderful to meet all of you."

Kane's father nodded in her direction. "Yes, well, it's a pleasure to meet you. I have to say, I am very surprised to be meeting you, but undoubtedly overjoyed." There was a heavy emphases on the word surprised.

"I hope I'm not intruding," Nora said.

"Of course not!" Scarlett said. "Come sit with us."

The family convened in the living room. Kane sat next to Nora on one of the sofa's while the rest of the family spread out around the room.

Heath was the first to speak. He sat on the coffee table, his knees almost touched Nora's. He pointedly ignored the glare he had gotten from their mother about it. "When did this happen?"

Nora still kept that quiet confidence about her, but Kane sensed her discomfort. "Last night," she looked at Kane for permission to continue with the story but he shook his head only a fraction of an inch and she turned her self-assured gaze back towards Heath. "Well, actually early this morning. I had a flat tire and suddenly, this knight in shining armour showed up and well, you can guess the rest. Then he took me to Adams for the night because Adam really needed his help with something."

"That's quite a story," Heath uttered. His eyes were focussed on Kane's. "What a coincidence, hey?"

Nora sat forwards. "It was meant to be. Wasn't it, Kane?"

Kane took her hand in his own. He watched as the whole family looked on at the move with observant eyes. "Yes, it was."

"You aren't a prince," Grace suddenly said. Her voice was loud, but not accusing. "I was expecting a prince."

Kane expected Nora to crumble at the words, but he really had underestimated her. Instead she beckoned the young girl over, who had been sitting on the corner of one of the chairs. Heath moved over to the side of the coffee table so that Grace could get closer. She came to stand in front of Nora, a small smile on her young face.

"You're Grace, aren't you?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"I know that you were expecting a prince." Nora looked around the room slowly. "I think that you all were, but you got me. Is that okay?"

Grace smiled a wide, toothy grin. "Of course. I did hope for a pretty Princess."

Nora laughed softly. "You don't mind that I'm a girl?"

Grace shook her head.

Kane followed Nora's gaze as she looked around the room. He could almost see the wires connecting in his parent's heads. His mother's eyes were kind. "Of course, we don't mind," Scarlett told her. "Now, tell us about your pack."

Kane felt like he was in a state of shock. He spent the next hour with his family and Nora in that one room. She explained about her pack and who they were. Kane didn't miss the smiles that appeared on their parents faces when they heard the pack's name. He wondered about what Kai had said the night before about the pack being broke. His parent's expressions practically confirmed his suspicions.

Kane zoned out after a while. For a reason, undenounced to him, Wyatt was stuck in his brain. Every time he blinked, all he saw was his blue eyes and imagined his feather soft fingertips. He tried to push the images from his mind, feeling almost like his family could see them inside his head, but they remained.

"Is that alright by you, Kane?" his mother asked.

Kane blinked quickly. "What?"

Scarlett tilted her head at him for a few solid seconds before sighing. "Is it alright if we leave Tuesday to meet Nora's parents?"

It was customary for the parents of newly mated couples to formally meet. Tuesday, however, seemed to be very soon. "Tuesday?"

"I have to go with Victor for meetings with some other packs next Monday. We will be gone for two weeks, so it's better for us to go now."

Kane nodded. "Okay, Tuesday it is."

"I'll ask my parents," Nora told them. There was pure happiness to her voice. She squeezed Kane's hand. "I can't wait to tell them everything."

"Why don't you call them now?" Kane suggested.

Nora nodded and walked out towards the double doors that led to the backyard. The family fell into silence for a few moments, until Grace muttered, "She's pretty. I like her."

"I like her too," Kane replied. He only then realised that he did like her. She wasn't like other people he knew and so much of her was still a mystery to him. He couldn't wait to find out more about her.

"Do you?" Scarlett asked suddenly. She covered her mouth with her hand. "I shouldn't ask you that, she's your mate."

"You have a right to be confused," Sebastian said. He placed his hand on her back. "I think we are all a little more than confused here. Son," his piercing gaze pointed at Kane and he felt like a deer in headlights, "we were under the impression that you were gay."

Kane coughed out a laugh. "I was under the same impression."

Scarlett moved to take Nora's seat next to her son. "How are you feeling? This must be very confusing for you."

Kane shrugged. He didn't want to burden his parents with his problems. More so, he didn't want to create more worry for Nora. "I feel fine. I was shocked at first, yes, but I really like her."

"You're sure that she's your mate?" Heath asked. His voice was uncharacteristically soft.

Kane nodded. He motioned towards the direction Nora was in. "I wasn't expecting to meet her, but she's my mate and we will figure it out. Don't worry, the connections there. I'm not trying to convert myself or something."

Sebastian breathed out a sigh. "Alright then, son. I honestly haven't heard of this happening before, but I guess the mate connection overrides everything else." His words alone would have inspired confidence, but instead his tone sent a shiver down his spine.

Was the mate connection somehow overriding his gayness? Was that even a thing? Another shiver attacked Kane's spine. Was Nora's presence supressing who he really was? His thoughts dances around his mind, jumping off the corners and colliding until they came up with even more absurd ideas. He had to believe that they were absurd and deceptive, otherwise he would go mad right that instant.

"I guess it must," Kane muttered. He tried to keep his voice stable but he was half sure he had failed miserably.

Heath nodded towards the kitchen. "Can we talk?"

Kane looked at his father who nodded.

Heath's eyes were wide when they entered the kitchen. "What just happened?" he asked.

Kane sighed. "I don't know. I just-" he wanted to explain it all, he wanted to have an answer for his brother but in all honesty, he didn't.

"The person you ran off to make up with, that was her wasn't it?" Heath asked.

Kane nodded. "I should have explained it to you then."

"Yeah you should have," Heath agreed. He looked hurt. "I'm your brother and you lied to me. You let me think it was some guy, but really it was your mate, the love of your life, who also happens to be of the wrong gender."

"It's not the wrong gender," Kane muttered.

"It's not the right one either," Heath almost yelled.

"Keep your voice down," Kane said with his finger pressed to his lips. "Look, I didn't tell you because I was scared. I still am. She's my mate, I know that for sure, but I don't-"

"You don't want to put your-"

"Hey!" Kane shushed him again.

"You don't have the urge to have sex with her?" Heath reworded, but not carefully.

Kane sighed. "That's one way to put it."

"Are you attracted to her?"

"I don't know. Sometimes I want to kiss her, other times I don't."

"But for sure, you don't love her?"

"Not yet," Kane admitted. "I only just met her."

"Have you ever heard someone say that about their mate?" Heath asked. "Mates fall in the love the second they see each other, that's the deal."

He made a good point, but Kane didn't want to admit that. "She's my mate, Heath. We can argue about this later, okay? Now is not the time."

Heath backed off. "I don't like this, Kane." He sighed angrily before heading back into the living room.

Kane rolled his eyes. Leave it to his brother to make everything worse again. However, a small voice in his head told Kane that Heath had been right. He was quick to quieten the voice.

What do you think of Kane & Nora's mate bond? Do you agree with Heath?

Leave a like if you enjoyed :)