The Alpha's Mate

Chapter 23

Charlie's POV

"Thank you so much for your kindness and wisdom." I smiled, hugging Brantley. He chuckled, patting my back.

"Next time I see you, I hope you're doing better now." He pulled away, a bright smile on his face. He turned his head toward my mate, raising his brows. "You hear that, Presley?"

"Of course, Brant," Presley opened his arms for the submissive wolf. "Thank you both for being so organized with your audit. I haven't had such a smooth one in so long." Presley let go of Brantly and returned to my side.

"Oh, Aasira can't keep herself organized for anything; if it weren't for me, you'd be digging through an unorganized pile of crap." Brantley chuckled.

"I have no doubt. Thank you guys again." Presley bowed his head.

"Of course," The submissive responded, a smile on his face.

"You two have safe travels. I can't wait to see you guys at the Alpha Summit," Aasira responded, reaching out to pat us both on the shoulder.

A voice came over the loudspeaker, "Flight 248 to Venice, Italy is now boarding. Please make sure you have your boarding passes ready to go. We're boarding aisles 1-5."

"That's our flight," Presley announced, grabbing my bag from me.

I looked to my mate, confusion crossing my face. "What?" I asked. "They said Italy?"

"They did," Presley grinned at me, shrugging my bag on his shoulder. "C'mon, angel, we gotta get going. I'll answer your questions on the plane." I blinked a few times, shaking my head a couple of times to make sure I was actually hearing right and was actually awake. "Bye, Aasira and Brantley. We'll see you at the summit."

"Bye, you two." They said in unison. Aasira wrapped her arm around her mate, and the two of them waved at us.

We boarded the plane; Presley put our bags in the overhead bins and let me get into my seat while he did so. I sat down, crossed my legs, and placed my hands on my lap. I waited for Presley to sit down next to me before I bombarded him with questions.

My mate looked over at me with a dopey grin, he reached over to grab my hand into his, and he laced his fingers with mine. "Suprise!" He exclaimed lightly, not bothering the other passengers on the plane. "I know you've been missing home, and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to take you home to see your family."

My heart fluttered as if a million butterflies were flying around in my chest. "Thank you, Presley." I smiled, leaning over to kiss him. "Thank you so much."

"Any time, angel." He kissed me again. "I hope this time they're a little calmer this time around." Presley laughed nervously, reaching his free hand behind his neck, rubbing it nervously.

"I don't know papa and Karsen will always hate you, possibly little Emilio too." I chuckled, my heart squeezing at the thought of my family. I was around a day away from seeing my family again, and it made me so happy. Phone calls can only go so far. Hugs from my mama couldn't be duplicated.

Video chatting with them and having them there in person was completely different things. I couldn't believe that he had planned for us to go to visit my family without letting me know. It was a welcomed surprise, and I was thankful for him.

I leaned my head on his shoulder, and he pressed a kiss on the top of my head. "I love you," He muttered into my hair.

I wanted to repeat the words back to him so much, but I couldn't muster up the courage to repeat those words after the intrusive thoughts I let myself have not too long ago. So how could I tell Presley I loved him when I thought of another person? "Thank you," I responded.