Thea's Return (Book 2 in the Original SOCIETY Series) ✔

☙21❧

ღ~✹~ღ 

We were going to end up having the dinner at the main house.

Due to the mud catastrophe in my current home, Aunt Penny suggested that the gathering should take place elsewhere. She'd thrown me a look while saying this and I grinned weakly while raising my shoulders. 

I felt like I was seventeen again. Getting caught with my Werewolf boyfriend after giving him my virginity. 

I still remember that day... And how awkward it was to look my aunt in the eye.

Auric suggested his own home for the dinner to take place. 

He'd pushed himself to his feet, scowling down at his person covered not only in mud, but it was drenched from me using the hose on him. Auric flicked his gaze at me, slightly growling as he offered his hand to me. I knew why he was growling, but I still grinned because it was fun while it lasted. 

It was a side to Auric that he was deprived of growing up. I only knew this because he was always so uptight about everything, and when I would act silly he'd make faces at me and question why I was being---as he so loved to say---"stupid". 

My hand reached out and rested into Auric's whose fingers were warm when closing over my much tinier hand. I felt my face heat up when we had a minuscule moment of just staring at one another before he pulled me to my feet. I cleared my throat, tucking my ear behind my ear and took a step backwards from the close distance I ended up with him. 

When I glanced at my aunt, she raised a brow at me and pursed her lips. She sniffed, "Well then..." and purposely let her eyes look me up and down. I looked down at myself too just as she continued, "Why don't we all head over to the main house and get everything set up for the dinner tonight?"

She started to turn away and then gave me a teasing look, "I'm sure that you can manage to clean yourself up before coming over? I don't think it would be best to introduce your son to the Six while," her brown eyes eyed me again. "---Muddy." 

 I winced, feeling the heat in my face again while the others were turning away to head out of the house. Carefully I might add. Mr. Dennison was tiptoeing around the muddy puddles as my son whined why he had to be clean when his mommy and daddy were not. Eli's grandpa was muttering softly to him a response and all I could hear Eli say was, "Oh..." as if he didn't really understand.

Sighing, I watched the others pile out of the house. Maddox was the last to do so, and he looked over his shoulder at me. There was a glint of amusement in his eyes as he grinned, "See you in a few..." then shifted his gaze to the alpha beside me. When he looked at me again, Maddox raised a brow.

"Or so." 

Frowning, I stared at the closed door a bit longer as I thought on Maddox's words.

What the hell did that mean?

I looked down, biting my lip before deciding that I'd gently chew on it. I was a bit uncomfortable now with Auric standing beside me. Only moments ago I was feeling so lighthearted and childish. Now... well, now I was standing in my temporary hallway with the man who was now closed off to the world again. 

I only know this because Auric grunted under his breath that he needed to go before his suit was permanently ruined by the mud. He glanced at me, that smokey eye color making me swallow hard as I nervously nodded, "O-Okay. I'm..." 

Hesitating, I forced out, "I'm sorry, Auric... Really. I didn't mean---"

"It's fine," he interrupted, looking down at his suit with his scowl. He used a finger to flick away a dried piece of mud off the left part of his chest. "I should be used to you doing shit like this."