50| Mario would be coming

Grimes' POV

"Grimes should I speak?” Claudia had a quirky smile on her face, winking at me.
“What's there to hide?” Andrea asked.
Claudia had known too much about Leah, and it wasn't because I had told her. She had done her research.
“Grimes?”
My eyes had opened up, and the sleepy state that had me had gone off. I went to hold her.
“Don't try that,” I whispered into her ears.
She was showing soft resistance against me, pressing her body against me as I tried to hold her from going closer to Andrea.
“What's going on with you two?” Andrea had no clue about what I was trying to do.
It seemed like a love play to her.
“You don't have to talk.”
I couldn't imagine that I was pleading with Leah.
“You have to make me stay mute concerning Leah.”
“How?”
“Kiss me so I can tell her it's about our love affair.”
She had gone nuts, why would I do that?
“It's—“
I quickly covered her mouth with my hand.
“Kiss me!”
Okay, I had no choice at the moment, just a kiss would not hurt, would it?
We kissed right in front of Andrea, giving her a romantic view, and then I withdrew myself.
“It was too slight.” Claudia insisted.
“That's okay!”
“No it isn't.”
We had a second kiss, and she made me place my hands on her breasts.
“Wow!”
Exactly what I was avoiding.
“I never knew the both of you could be this romantic despite the small issues you are having,” Andrea said. “I never knew.”
“It's all about our love affair, but.... It's been a strain recently.”
“What about Leah?”
“I don't know much about her, but I met her today. If I find out anything he's hiding, my first priority is to let you know.”
That was fair enough as Andrea seemed satisfied with Claudia's answer. I was off the hook, at least for that moment. What would she have said if I had told her everything that had happened in the mating hall? Her interest would be completely built on Claudia.
“I should see the both of you do this right in front of me, every day before I leave.”
“Absolutely,” Claudia answered. “But that's if Grimes does not object.”
Andrea directed her gaze on me. “Would you object?”
“No... I wouldn't.”
What else could I say?
I just stayed with them, and sleep had returned to my eyes. I wanted to retire to my room, but then I realized I was hungry. I decided to forgo food.
“Grimes.” Andrea called as I was about to leave. “I read the letter.”
That... The letter. It was important I read it, but not being able to read it had caused me to forget about it.
“Can you excuse us?” I asked Claudia.
Perhaps she had not heard me, and she placed her hand around Andrea's shoulders, giving her a soft massage.
“Claudia, please excuse us,” I said a second time.
“She likes that I'm trying to free up her shoulders.”
Andrea had closed her eyes, making soft sounds from her mouth to confirm what Claudia had said.
“I want you to excuse us.”
“But.... She enjoys it.”
It had gone beyond just expressing her opinion, she was insisting against me. What had given her such guts?
“Andrea?” She called Andrea to be a backup.
“Any issue with her?” She asked me.
“I want her to leave for a while.”
“I need a good massage before sleeping tonight. Are you against me?”
It had gone beyond what I could expect. It felt like they had disregarded my status as the alpha of the pack.
I sat on the chair in frustration, wondering where I had lost it, wondering how I had brought myself low before them. I understand Andrea was my mother, and also a former luna, but that gave her no right to make me appear little before Claudia.
“I need you to tell me about the letter you have read.” I tried to maintain the volume of my voice so it wasn't high.
“See her as family.”
Was she okay? How was she a family?
“The fact that she's carrying a child for you has made it so,” she added.
“But some matters are private, don't you think so?”
“What if I told you there's nothing to hide?”
“Even at that, I want her to leave.”
The tension was increasing, and it was turning into a quarrel.
“Fine! I will leave!”
Claudia went on to kiss Andrea's jaw, and then rubbed the spot with her hand.
I waited for her to move a far distance from us before asking Andrea to speak.
“The letter was about Mario.”
“Mario?”
My brother who had decided to leave our pack after he found his mate.
“He's coming soon, so just get ready for him.”
It was something I had not thought of.
“He has a lot to tell you.”