The Wrong Mate (BoyxBoy)

Chapter Eight

When breakfast was over, Kane and Nora walked hand-in-hand to his car, which was parked around the corner. Nora threw her stuff in her own car as they passed and Kane promised to pick it up that afternoon.

Kane kept watching Nora out the corner of his eyes as he drove. His fingers were tight against the steering wheel, his knuckles a ghostly shade of white. He didn't want his family to freak out. Particularly, he was worried Heath might make her uncomfortable. Nora already had anxiety about this meeting and Heath didn't exactly have a reputation of being socially acceptable.

"What are your parents' names?" Nora asked for the second time. "I think I forgot."

Kane tried to smile reassuringly at her. "My mother is Scarlett and my father is Sebastian, but everyone calls him Seb."

"Scarlett, Seb, Heath and Grace," Nora muttered to herself. She raised her voice so Kane could hear her clearly. "Scarlett's sister is Linda. Linda is the woman I met last night, who is married to the Alpha, Victor. Is that right?"

"That's right," Kane assured her. "Honestly, just be yourself. My family will be fine with you being a girl and all, don't worry too much about it."

"You're worried about it," Nora replied, sure of her words. "I can feel it, through the bond."

"Maybe your worry is rubbing off on me," Kane offered. Kane sent her a knowing smile. "Perhaps it's your own worry that you feel."

Nora shrugged but a small smile stayed on her face. "Perhaps."

They pulled up into the driveway. Kane glanced at his watch, the one his grandfather had given him just before he died. It was just before nine. He loved the watch with its leather strap and large face with long golden hands. It reminded him of his childhood and the rare times his grandfather would let him work on his watches with him. All of the older people in the pack all wore old watches fixed up by grandpa Moore. He liked that.

He wondered what his grandfather would have said about Nora. Kane glanced over at her with her light blue dress and hair pulled up in a neat bun. He imagined Nora's laugh, the pretty sound that it was. She was a serious person in most ways, but she smiled a lot too. He liked that. He reckoned his grandfather would have liked her. He hoped the same for his family.

Kane pushed his key into the front door. He linked his hand with Nora's before opening the door, hoping that it would ease her worry slightly. He heard his mother's voice the second he opened the door.

"Kane, there you are," she called out to him. Kane stepped into the foyer, Nora by his side. His mother was standing across the room, at the dining table, two empty glasses in her hand. It appeared she had been cleaning up from breakfast. Scarlett wasn't looking at them however, her eyes were on the plates she was trying to balance on her forearm. "Your brother told us there was some emergency and you had to stay at Adam's last night. What happened?"

Kane smiled at the realisation Heath had covered for him with their parents. His mother looked up.

"This is Nora," Kane said. He stepped forward and Nora followed, their hands connecting them.

Scarlett didn't seem to notice that though, her mind was on the dishes. "Oh, hello sweetheart. Are you a friend of Kane's?"

Nora stepped forward, confident and sure of what she was about to say. Her sudden change of demeanour surprised Kane. She spoke with certainty in her voice. "Not exactly. I'm his mate."

The next sound Kane heard was plates clattering to the floor. He let go of Nora's hand and rushed to pick them up. Scarlett gasped. "I didn't mean to drop those, oh, you're what?"