Chapter 22

**ARIA**

How do you dress to meet the family of your... your... unofficial hybrid mate? I don’t know. I called Riley to the rescue before I had a panic attack. They live in a castle... a fucking castle, I can’t come in jeans.
Thanks to my best friend and her advice, we found the perfect outfit. High waisted soft blue pants, a white blouse and a pair of white heeled sandals. I styled my hair in a low bun with some strands coming out and a light makeup. I am a bombshell, classy and distinguished.

At 7 o’clock sharp, I get out of my room and go down to meet Adam. He is waiting for me downstairs, wearing black jeans and a white shirt. He’s a real looker.
When I get to his level, he pulls me by the waist and kisses me. He breaks the kiss and whispers against my lips. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you. You’re very handsome too.”

When we are in the car, Adam asks me how my day went.

“I was pleasantly surprised. I was a little scared but it went really well. They were all cool, I have a crush on a little girl Clara. She is so cute, she stayed with me all day. Riley and Austin told me it was the first time they had seen her laugh since...the attack.” I look out the window. “She’s an orphan, the poor little thing is barely five years old. I lost my mother when I was nine and I still had my father and brother, whereas she’s, she’s all alone. She has no family. She’s living with a family in the pack until we can find another solution.” I pause and feel Adam’s hand on mine. “I wish I had this information before I spent the day with her. Maybe I could have done things differently.”

“She obviously had a good time with you so what you did was already great. And there’s nothing stopping you from seeing her again. I don’t think the family she’s staying with will mind if you decide to spend time with her.”

“Yeah you’re right, I’ll talk to them about it.” I reply, shaking his hand with a small smile. He always knows what to say, no matter the circumstances. He calms me down, he’s the kind of person who makes the most complicated situations simple.

“I wish I had known you before, you would have helped me. You always know what to say to calm me down and make things clearer. I wish I could put you in my pocket and take you everywhere.”

“I like the idea.” He says to me before bringing my hand to his lips and kissing the back of my hand.

“Do you think your family will like me?”

“I don’t see what they couldn’t love about you. I should warn you that Sasha tends to speak without a filter so if something bothers you, you can just tell him but there’s a good chance one of us will tell him again.”

Even though I am dreading this meeting, I am looking forward to meeting them, getting to know them and seeing if Adam is the same with them as he is with me. Once parked, he goes around the car to open my door like a true gentleman. When we enter the restaurant, I understand that he has privatized it. The waiter leads us to a table at the back and I see people, one of whom I have seen before. Sasha, Adam’s brother is the first to notice us, he stands up and greets me with a hug, as if we were old friends. Raya, his mother, greets me in turn but with more restraint. As for Leila, the famous blond girl who was watching me during my lunch with Gavin only gives me a curt nod. From what Adam had told me about his sister, I am not surprised. She must see me as the poor human girl who keeps her brother waiting. I don’t even blame her for thinking that because neither of us deserves the situation we are in.

We order dinner and talk normally, well mostly about me. Raya doesn’t eat, since I know her nature she didn’t see the point in pretending, which I understand. After the main course, I excuse myself to go to the bathroom. While washing my hands, I see the reflection of Leila in the mirror.

“You have to choose. And fast.”

I turn to face her.

“I know, but it’s not that simple.”

“I’m not pretending it is. It’s not fair to make him wait here, away from us. He doesn’t belong in this pack.”

“I know...”

“You know nothing.” She cuts me off with a threatening tone. “I won’t let anyone hurt him or come between us.” She pauses. “Choose him or don’t choose him but make your choice, this charade has gone on long enough.”

She walks out of the bathroom, as if nothing happened.

“Is everything okay?” Adam asks me as I sit down next to him.

I nod but he looks at me skeptically.

“You should come visit us sometime. I mean, ideally you should move in with us, but in the meantime you can come over any time you want.” Sasha tells me as he takes a big bite of chocolate fudge. And it is with this seemingly innocent little sentence that the lightness of this dinner flies away. “What? Did I say something wrong?” He asks sheepishly.

I clear my throat. “No, you didn’t. I’d love to see where you live.” I answer him sincerely.

“Adam told us you were going to Boston in a few days, to see your father and brother. It will give them a chance to get to know him.”

Before I can even respond, Sasha opens her mouth again. “Let them know who will be responsible for keeping their daughter and sisterr away.”

Adam noisily drops his fork into the plate. “Enough!”

The table falls silent. We finish in cathedral silence. On the way home, Adam doesn’t say a word to me. Still, I think the evening went pretty well.