Chapter 102
Charlie POV
As we pulled up upside my childhood home, on the Friday morning, the day after Thanksgiving, I was filled with nostalgia, fear and confusion. I had no idea how to begin the conversation with my mother. I knew I needed to know what I was and where my father came from, but I was terrified of opening old wounds for her by asking about him. I also had no idea how to tell my mother I was engaged to a man I hadn’t known for even a year; let alone how I was going to explain mate bonds and Lycans. Daniel turned the engine off and gave my hand a little squeeze. I found myself a little hesitant to show him our humble little house after seeing the wealth and privilege he had grown up with. He opened his door, while I sat frozen, he came around the car to open my door for me, ever the gentleman. I couldn’t help but smile as he extended his hand to me and pulled me gently from his luxury vehicle. I saw a twitch of the blind, no doubt my mother had peaked out to see who was outside her house before seven in the morning. We didn’t make it two steps up the path before the door was flung open and my mother ran down from the house to me, her arms extended for a hug, shrieking in excitement at seeing me.
“What are you doing here?” She cried as she pulled me into a bone-crushing hug.
“I came to see you and introduce you to my fiancé,” I replied, my mouth decided not to delay the inevitable. My mother turned to Daniel as if she had only just noticed he was there.
“Oh, my goodness! You’re engaged?” She screamed, almost crying.
“Yes, Mom, this is Daniel, Daniel my mother Jo.” I smiled at both of them.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Charlie has nothing but wonderful things to say about you, Ms Phillips,” Daniel said offering her his hand.
“Pfft, if you’re going to marry my daughter you get a hug, and call me Jo, everyone does!” My mother replied, she grabbed Daniel and threw her arms around him. Unable to squeeze him because of his impressive frame, but attempting to, nonetheless. “My goodness, you’re so tall and muscular!” She cried, I cringed at her lack of a filter. Thankfully Daniel laughed.
“And now I know where Charlie gets her good looks and sense of humour from!” He chuckled as he turned on the charm. I rolled my eyes at them both.
“Well, let’s not stand here giving the neighbours a free show, come inside, I just put the coffee on!” My mother exclaimed, she hooked her arm through Daniel’s and grabbed my hand then led us up to the house. She walked through the door first, picking up bits and pieces as she went, the house looked exactly the same as when I had left for college, it was always clean but there were a few newspapers and the odd article of clothing strewn about on the furniture. Proof she had been coming home too exhausted after working all day to really put things away, but she had been able to reduce her workload without loan repayments and the need to support me any longer.
“I’m sorry we didn’t call first mom, I just needed to talk to you about something important, so we just got up, got in the car and came straight here. I hope that’s okay?” I asked as I helped her pick up the last of the bits and pieces that littered the small lounge and dining area.
“Nonsense, you never have to apologise for coming to visit, or surprising me! You know I love a good surprise.” She responded, she looked at me lovingly. “So, what did you need to talk to me about? Are you pregnant?” She asked, her face lit up.
“No!” I turned to Daniel who I could feel getting excited beside me. “No. I wanted you to meet my fiancé and talk to you about some stuff I’ve found out about myself recently.” I replied and gave them both a glare as we moved further into the house. My mother sighed before she disappeared into the kitchen.
“Well, sit down then, and I’ll get the coffee, do you like sugar in yours Daniel?” She called through the doorway.
“Umm, yes, please, and a splash of milk would be lovely.” He replied giving me a quick kiss of reassurance. We sat on the old sagging couch, and I made a mental note to buy her some furniture when I broached the subject of her moving to a new house. She returned from the kitchen holding a tray, with a plate of cookies and three steaming cups, which she put down on the coffee table before she handed us our drinks.
“So, Daniel, what do you do?” My mother asked before he had even taken a sip of his coffee. I shot her a look, begging her silently not to interrogate him. A flashback of my prom date came to mind.
“I’m the CEO of Appletree Engineering and Architecture, which does mean I’m Charlie’s boss, but I can promise you that had nothing to do with her getting hired and I have nothing but the best of intentions when it comes to your daughter. She’s the most amazing woman I’ve ever met, and I truly believe her designs are going to change the world. And I want nothing but the best for her.” I clasped his hand; I had no idea he was nervous about meeting my mother. He hadn’t said anything, but I could feel his anxiety coming off him in waves through the mate bond.
“So, you met at work?” I had been dreading this question, I had no idea how to answer it honestly.
“Actually, yes and no. We met, but not in person several months before Charlie came to work at Appletree. But we met in person at work yes, it was quite a surprise to discover the person I had been falling in love with was one of my employees.” Daniel answered for me, as honestly as he could.
“Oh, so is it like an Internet thing then, you met in one of those chat rooms or something?” I cringed again.
“Mom!” I cried, sounding like a teenager even to myself. “How do you know about chat rooms, and no not exactly.”
“What was it then? Internet dating? What? You can tell me, I won’t judge!” I hid my face in my hands, completely mortified by my mother, while Daniel laughed like he found the whole thing hilarious.
“Can we talk about something else, please? Anything else?” I asked from behind my hands, blushing furiously.
“Honestly Daniel, I have no idea where she gets this shyness from. It's not like I’m oblivious to the world of the Internet or how modern romances begin. I know about slipping into the DMs” I groaned in humiliation; my face still buried in my hands. “Oh, my word! Look at that ring! Let me see it!” She squealed like a teenager. I reluctantly raised my head and extended my hand, unable to stop smiling. “Well, I must say Daniel you have excellent taste! I couldn’t have picked a better ring myself! It’s absolutely lovely.” My mother cooed as she inspected it. “But I have to ask, what’s the rush? Why get engaged so soon? Not that I’m against it, just curious. If you’re not pregnant, why not wait a little longer?”
“What’s the point in waiting when you’ve found the one?” Daniel asked, his eyes focused solely on me. I couldn’t stop smiling like an idiot, he made me ridiculously happy, and I didn’t want to hide that from my mother. I was so busy looking at Daniel I didn’t notice my mother had spotted my mate mark and her whole demeanour shifted. When I tore my eyes away from Daniel, I could tell something was wrong, she was staring at the ground and looked profoundly sad.
“Mom, what is it? What’s wrong?” I asked, concerned.
“You’re a Lycan, right?” She finally asked Daniel shocking us both equally.
“Yes ma'am, I am. I’m Alpha of the Applewood pack and your daughter is my fated mate. That’s why we didn’t feel the need to wait any longer. And she first appeared to me in my dreams, a shared dream as it turned out. Because I’m sure if you’re aware of Lycans, you know your daughter isn’t completely human, am I right?”
“No, she isn’t, and I hope you won’t take this personally, but I hoped she would never meet you. Because now she will be in terrible danger and will be dragged into a war, I prayed she would never know about.” My mother sighed sadly.
“Wait, what?” I asked completely floored.
“It’s a long story, but I will do my best to explain it all, the same way your father explained it to me when he told me why he couldn’t stay with us.” My mother sighed again as I stared at her incredulously. “He left to protect us, Charlie, if he had stayed, someone would have found out about you, someone who couldn’t know you exist until you are ready. Which is also why I lied about your age, and why I begged your father to bind your powers, until your twenty-fifth birthday, which is really in three days. When you turn twenty-five, your full powers will be unlocked, and your aunts will come to teach you how to use them. Your father wanted the strongest magic to make sure your powers couldn’t break through before you were ready, so he asked his sisters to combine their abilities. When the spell is broken, they will feel it, and come for you. We did what we had to in order to protect you, baby.” She said sadly.
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