“Danny, you’re late, we’re starving! And mom made mashed potatoes!” Ben says.
“Benjamin, stop complaining and go wash your hands! Bonnie, Micah, you too!”
Abigail sends her three youngest away and comes to hug Danny. She pinches his cheek without warning, and Levi and I have to repress a laugh watching his helpless grimace.
“What’s this? Daniel Lewis, how come you are so thin? You bookworm, do you even eat at all? Thank Moon Goddess Elena is living with you, or I would come every day to feed you myself, I swear!”
“Mom, that hurts! And yes, I eat! Lots! Ask Elena!”
But she just sighs. Abigail is the typical wolf mom that always finds her children too thin no matter what. Hence, she keeps complaining about Daniel’s lifestyle until we are seated all together for brunch.
As per usual, the table is full of homemade dishes Abigail and Bonnie made. I really missed their cooking. Most of it is meat, as one would expect from a werewolf family, but the Lewis mother also made every one of her children’s favorite dishes, even my cinnamon rolls. I grab one as everyone starts eating loudly. As usual, Rachel and Ben are leading most of the conversation, but I notice that, next to me, Daniel is unusually quiet. I give him a gentle push with my elbow, but he ignores me and just takes more coffee. He is barely eating, too! I wish we could talk already.
“Dad, did you hear about the Blood Moon brothers coming?” Levi asks suddenly.
Everyone stops talking to look at Joseph, except for Daniel, who turns to me, suspicious.
“You knew?”
“I just learned about it!”
“Yes, Xavier is quite ecstatic about it.”
“Why?” Ben asks. “It’s not like it will be any better for him.”
“I think he wants to try and introduce Iris to one of them,” sighs his mother. “Poor girl. She’s so nice but her dad is a bit...”
“Oh please, Mom, this is the twenty-first century,” says Rachel, rolling her eyes. “She can meet and date whoever the hell she wants. She’s twenty already, and smarter than that!”
Next to Rachel, Bonnie nods, looking very serious.
“Please, not the feminist speech now.”Ben mumbles.
“What? Do you think women–” Rachel starts, but her father interrupts her.
“Not now, honey, we get it. And I think your mother’s right, Xavier hopes we can form some sort of alliance with the Black brothers.”
While they keep talking, I can feel Daniel’s eyes piercing me.
“Tell me you’re not going. Tell me you’re not even thinking about it, Elena.”
“Danny, I already agreed to it.”
“Are you kidding me?!”
Everyone jumps at Daniel’s sudden yelling. That idiot, can’t he control his mind-link and actual tongue! The whole family is staring at us now! I grab his arm, trying to get him to sit down again, but instead, he grabs my hand and turns to his parents.
“Sorry, Elena and I need a minute to talk in private.”
“Alright, honey.”
And with that, Daniel pulls me all the way to his father’s study upstairs. How can he make us leave the table like that? And without a proper reason too! Moreover, why is he so angry?
He closes the door behind him, and turns around, glaring like a mom about to scold her pup.
“Are you fucking kidding me, Elena?”
“Don’t growl at me, I didn’t have a choice! Clark asked, you know I can’t refuse him! How would I have explained it?”