Page 31 of Rejected By the Alpha

I went to fetch the drink for Leah’s mother and tried to put together why the visit seemed so tense. Nothing they had said so far was rude or out of place. In fact, they were very kind and respectful. I thought back to our wedding, remembering how they had been almost overly nice to me. Perhaps it was just my title that forced them to show respect.

“Here you are,” I said. I handed the glass to Mrs. Smith, who smiled graciously.

“You’re so kind,” she said. Now that I was paying attention, I realized that her voice was dripping with a sweetness that made my skin crawl.

It’s just a glass of water,Rocky said sarcastically.She’s acting like you gave her the shirt off your back.

“What have you two lovebirds been up to these past few weeks?” Mr. Smith asked.

“You haven’t returned any of my calls, dear,” Mrs. Smith said to Leah, her face screwed up in a fake pout.

“We’ve been busy, Mom,” Leah said.

“Oh, I’m sure you have,” her mom responded, wagging her eyebrows up and down suggestively.

I blushed at her impropriety but couldn’t think of anything to say in response.

“Don’t suppose there’s any news of a grandbaby being on the way soon?” Mrs. Smith continued.

“Mom!” Leah exclaimed.

“No reason to get upset with me,” her mom replied haughtily. “It’s a natural question after a mating ceremony.Particularly when the groom is such a handsome man. Say, how tall are you, Alpha Killian? Six-three? Six-four?”

“Six foot one,” I replied.

“Such an intimidating presence,” she continued, not listening to my reply. “I bet the entire pack thinks the same thing. You can always tell a good leader right off the bat, and I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you that you were the alpha our family needed.”

I cleared my throat uncomfortably, unsure of how to respond to her awkward praise.

“Has our Leah been a good wife to you, Killian?” her father asked. “We did our best to raise her right and to know her place, but she’s had a stubborn streak in her. Is she doing her duties to you?”

From his tone, I could tell Mr. Smith was the kind of man who preferred his women to stay in the kitchen or the bedroom. What he didn’t know was that I preferred Leah exactly as she was.

“Um, yes,” I responded. “She has done everything I asked of her, which is mainly taking care of herself and getting to know the pack. It’s important for a luna to feel her best and be supported by her alpha, don’t you think?”

My reply seemed to take him aback, and I knew I had guessed his character correctly.

“As long as she’s taking care ofyou, too,” her mother pointed out.

“Killian is capable of taking care of himself,” Leah countered.

I saw her mother glare at her, and Leah gave her a hard look in return. I didn’t want Leah to feel like she had to defendherself to her parents, so I thought it was best to shift the conversation away from our relationship and back to what their plans were for their visit. After all, we’d had no warning that they were coming.

“How long are you going to be in town?” I asked.

“A week,” Mr. Smith said. “We want to hear everything about our daughter’s new home and meet her new pack.”

“I’m sure we’ll find plenty of opportunities to visit with each other while you’re here,” I said diplomatically.

They gave each other a confused look, and I wondered what I had said wrong.

“What do you mean, opportunities to visit?” Mrs. Smith asked with a frown.

“Just that we both have jobs and pack business to attend to, but whenever we’re able to get away, we can pick you up from your hotel and spend some time together,” I explained.

“Don’t be silly,” Mrs. Smith said. “We’ll stay here with you two!”

The thought hadn’t crossed my mind that they intended to stay at our home, and I could tell from Leah’s panicked expression that it was the last thing she wanted to happen.

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