The Alphas' Daughter (Alpha Eyes: Book 2)

Chapter 10

I shuffled into the kitchen and leaned against the counter, drinking in the beautiful sight before me. Lucas stood at the stove cooking something delicious. As he was shirtless, I could see every muscle twitch or ripple as he moved. He was engrossed in his task that he didn't seem to notice me. The food sizzled enough to drown out my footsteps, and the heavenly smells might have overridden mine.

After a couple minutes, his head lifted a little and his nose twitched. It took only a second before he turned to look towards me. His eyes lit up as his gaze swept over me, and an appreciative smile tugged at his lips.

"That shirt looks far better on you than it ever did on me," he murmured with a grin.

I looked down at the plain white T-shirt that hung down to my thighs over my sleep shorts. "It was conveniently lying on the floor next to the bed. And it's very comfortable."

He pointed the tongs in his hand at me. "Cheekiness will land you back in that bed with no breakfast. Aside from the shame of missing such a delicious, sustaining breakfast, we have places to be today."

I slid onto one of the stools at the counter and cocked my head. "We do?"

"Indeed." He lifted a couple strips of bacon from the pan onto the toweled plate beside the stove. "My parents have asked us over for lunch and beyond. Since I haven't seen them since the ball, I figured it was time to visit anyway."

I swallowed and fingered the edge of the place mat before me. "Will your parents...accept me?"

"Of course! The only reason they have not come over to formally meet you is because I asked them to wait until I was ready to share you." He lifted a couple more pieces of bacon onto the towel.

"But..." For the first time since understanding that we were mates, I felt reality creeping in. Of course, this secluded bubble of happiness couldn't last forever, but a meeting with my in-laws didn't instill me with confidence.

"Darling."

When I looked up, he stood next to me. He offered a smile and cupped my chin in his hand.

"I accept you with all of my heart, and that is more than enough for my parents. They know your parents, and they will love you." He planted a kiss on my lips before returning to the stove. He finished stocking two plates and carried them back to where I sat. In the process of setting them down, he glanced up at my face.

I knew what I must have looked like, so I blinked several times and stared at the plate of food.

"You have no reason to be nervous," he said, sitting on the stool next to me. "My parents will welcome you with open arms, and you have nothing to prove to them. You are a magnificent young lady, and it is no happenstance that we were paired together."

I forced myself to meet his gaze, soaking in every ounce of confidence I found there. He knew his parents well, and it was my own torture for not trusting him. If he thought that everything would be fine, then that was the end of it.

"I'm sure I'm just being silly," I finally mumbled. "Lunch with your parents will be the first step in feeling like I'm part of this pack."

"Excellent. We'll leave in a couple hours, and make one or two stops on the way." He pecked my cheek and slid my plate closer. "For now, dig in. You'll need all the energy you can get."

#

I stared through the windshield of Lucas's car at the mega mansion. Sure, I'd been here with my parents a few days ago...but the circumstances were entirely different and what the hosts thought of me didn't matter as much. Now I felt like I was entering the wolf den.