Monster of the Night (Book 1 of Monster Series) (AU)

Chapter 18

I stayed by my uncle's side while we talked with the other packs.

He talked; Xavier and I stayed quiet. His whole body was relaxed, but I could sense this warning that came from him while he joked and laughed and had a grand old time. His grip on my arm was tight, but it wasn't enough to hurt me because all he wanted to do was make sure that I stayed by his side, and I made sure that Xavier stayed near mine because I didn't let go of his hand.

"Xavier!" someone exclaimed, and both Xavier and I looked that way. A male with brown eyes and blonde hair ran towards us. Worry filled his eyes, and I had a feeling that he had been looking for his Alpha everywhere. "There you are! Where did you go? I have been looking for y-" He stopped when he saw me, and a wide grin appeared on his face when he looked at him again. "So, I see th-" He stopped talking when Xavier grew tense and set his jaw.

I looked between the two men while they mind linked each other, confused. Unlike Xavier, I could read the Beta like an open book.

He was shocked and unimpressed by what his Alpha was doing or not doing. He didn't like that his Alpha was hiding... something, something that had to deal with... me.

Could Xavier have been my mystery man this whole time? I wondered while I looked between them. If so, why didn't he tell me?

I bit my lip and looked at them before I looked at my uncle to see that he was watching everything. I made sure to keep my face blank when he looked at me, making sure that he couldn't read me like an open book.

Uncle Brody raised an eyebrow and gestured with his eyes between the two of them. He wondered if I knew what they were talking about, and I grimaced in response, indicating that I only knew a bit.

Slowly, my uncle nodded and cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the Alpha and Beta. "I suggest that if you want to keep your conversations private, then I suggest you find some other place to do it," he warned with a scowl, and his whole face grew dark.

Xavier grew tense and set his jaw. He did not say a word, but I could tell that he was nervous.

My uncle grinned, and the darkness left his face. "I love to watch people and see what their body language is saying instead of vocally," he explained. "You two are having a deep conversation that I might add by saying... it is "hush, hush?"" He raised an eyebrow while he studied Xavier.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, and my uncle turned his gaze to me. "Behave yourself, Uncle," I said. "You don't need to scare people."

"I am not scaring people, Little Cassie," Uncle Brody said in that tone that said I was having a "history lesson," as he liked to call them. "I am merely learning the truth, seeking the truth in fact, which is something that you should be doing." He patted my shoulder, and I rolled my eyes and scowled.

The Beta cleared his throat to cover a snort, and my uncle and I looked at him. "Ummm..." He cleared his throat again, and a blush appeared on his face. "My name is Parker, by the way," he said, directing his gaze to me. "I know I stopped you before without saying my name, so I want to apologize about that."

I brushed off his apology. "It's ok," I said, even though I was slightly peeved that I had missed my mystery man.

But what if I had met him, and I am holding his hand? a part of me wondered.

I mean, I knew that the Beta of the pack that my mystery man was from was the one that had stopped me. I knew that he was trying to protect his Alpha, his friend, and make sure that his friend didn't get hurt.

But why wasn't Xavier telling me?

Did I actually scare him that bad that he wouldn't? If I did, then why was he still holding my hand?

"Are you sure?" Parker asked. He moved a hand through his hair and cleared his throat. "I had watched you leave the party, and you looked pissed."

I set my jaw. "I am not pissed at you," I replied coldly. I let my gaze wander through the crowd until I met the male I was pissed at. "I was pissed at someone, but I was not at you." I looked at him after I had met my uncle's hard gaze.

Parked glanced between my uncle and me. Realization dawned in his eyes, and he said, "oh," while he turned his gaze to me. "Ok."

"Does that mean I can get involved?" my uncle asked and looked between him and me.

"C'est ce dont je veux vous parler en privé. (It's what I want to talk about to you in private,)" I said, switching to French.

My uncle nodded and looked at him before he looked at me. His eyes were filled with annoyance, and I had a small feeling that he knew what was happening between him and me. "À propos de votre oncle? (About your uncle?)" he asked.

"Oui. (Yes.)"

My uncle nodded. "Qu'a-t-il fait cette fois? (What did he do this time?)" he asked and looked at me.

"En privé, s'il vous plaît. (Privately, please.)" I looked at Parker to see that he was watching us, and I had a small feeling that he knew what we were saying. "Parlez-vous français? (Do you speak French?)" I asked and raised an eyebrow.

'Busted,' May sang when Parker looked away from me and shifted on his feet. 'He just got busted.'

'Shut up,' I sang, earning a snicker from my group.

Parker cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. "Oui, (yes,)" he said. "Je parle français. (I speak French.)"

"Hmph," my uncle said and patted my shoulder roughly. "We'll make you a truthseeker out of you yet," he said, and I rolled my eyes and scowled.

"Very funny, Uncle," I said, and his grin grew wider. I looked to where the king was at, listening to someone say something with him looking around the room. "I'm wondering when we can go and eat," I said randomly when he stopped his gaze on me. "I am hungry."

"You're always hungry," my uncle responded.

"Well, I am always growing," I replied. I pouted when my uncle shook his head, indicating that it wasn't time to eat yet.

"Fatter?" my uncle asked, and I looked at him and scowled. He was grinning from ear to ear, and I rolled my eyes and scowled. "Well, you do eat a lot, and I think you are stumped at this height." He ran a hand through my hair, and I scowled and swatted his hands away from my head.

"Stop," I complained. "Why do you always want to mess up my hair?"

"Parce que c'est doux, (Because it is soft,)" he replied. "Et j'aime les choses douces. (And I like soft things.)" He tried to do it again, but I dodged him and hid behind Xavier instead.

I grabbed Xavier's shirt with half a mind to lift his shirt and cover my head, but I didn't because I could feel Xavier tensing underneath my touch and had a feeling that he wouldn't be comfortable with it. "Espèce d'imbécile, (Idiot,)" I grumbled, making sure that my uncle wouldn't be able to touch my head.

"Tout à fait, (Very much so,)" he replied, and I could tell that he was grinning. "Tout à fait. (Very much so.)"