Page 13 of All for the Beast

VHARLK

As usual, Vharlk’s parents were waiting for him to arrive. They were punctual to the point of being annoying, but Vharlk was still glad to see them. He greeted his father by pressing his forehead to Dad’s and then to Mom’s like they had taught him so long ago.

“Good to see you, son,” Dad said. “When are we going to meet this cruise director?”

Vharlk laughed and took a seat at the table where Dad had already sat. He had a drink in front of him, something dark and strong that would make him ready for an afternoon of entertaining.

“Wow, not even two minutes in. It’s good to see you too, Dad.”

Mom patted him on the cheek as she set a glass of the same drink in front of him. “We’re just excited, that’s all. No one has ever caught your eye like this … what’s her name again?”

“Katy.” The word tasted like wine on his tongue, similar to the wine he drank with Gerri not an hour earlier. One or two glasses would not affect him. Thinking of Katy, however, made him lightheaded in a way no Sidaii wine ever had.

“Katy. I haven’t met many Earth women,” Mom said. She patted a rogue tuft of Vharlk’s hair down, doting on him as she had always done. He was so used to it he did not push her hand away. “I wonder if they’re as pretty as the shifters in our pack.”

“Prettier,” Vharlk said, filling every syllable with the truth. Katy was the most beautiful woman he had ever met from Earth or Nova Aurora.

“Well, we’ll be the judge of that,” Dad said with laughter in his voice. He lifted his glass in a toast. “We’ll have to make sure she’s good enough for our son like Gerri said.”

Vharlk paused with his drink in the air. “What? Gerri?”

Mom and Dad chanced a look at each other, one that told him they had been planning something behind his back.

“Well, it’s just that you haven’t found a mate yet …” Mom began.

“We’re looking out for you, son …” Dad said, interrupting.

“… and Gerri said she knew someone …”

“A cruise director. You’ve been looking for one of those.”

“ … who’s your type. And you know she’s good at these things. She set up that young couple … you know them …”

“… the one with the hair and his wife with the shoes,” Dad said, as helpful as ever.

Vharlk groaned. This was his love life now … so bleak that he had to be set up by his parents. “Seriously? You don’t have to meddle in my love life. I can find someone on my own.”

“Well, now you don’t have to,” Mom said gleefully. She lifted her own glass and clinked it against Dad’s.

It was hard to be mad at them, but Vharlk still harbored a tiny bit of resentment that they went behind his back. “Fine. You and Gerri set me up with Katy. I can get behind that.”

Even if it wasn’t ideal, it still brought Katy into his life, and he was convinced she was his mate. Everything about her smell and the way she looked told him she was perfect for him. If he could only convince her that he was perfect, too, then all his problems would be solved. He would have his mate, his cruise ship, and his parents’ approval, and he would ascend to pack leader.

With Katy by his side, he could do it all.

“You can’t mention it to Katy.” He pointed his finger jovially at his parents. “I told her she was my mate, and it scared her. I have no idea what she’ll do if she finds out everyone she knows here planned for us to get together.”

“Why wouldn’t she want to be mated to a pack leader?” Dad said. The drink made him boastful and loud, which was always funny to see.

“Leader in training,” Vharlk corrected. “And she’s from Earth. They have weird customs there. Instead of mateship, they have things like marriage.”

“I’m sure you’ll change her mind,” Mom said. “She must be special if she’s caught your attention.”

Vharlk sighed, swirling his glass around. The heady taste made him think of his teenage years before he had the responsibility of leading a pack to look forward to.

“She’s amazing. Strong, smart, and funny. She’s so amazed by everything on Nova Aurora, like the beaches. Apparently, the ocean is blue on Earth. She was so shocked that ours are pink.” He felt his cheeks warm with a blush and hid it behind his drink, the way Gerri hid her teasing smile. “She’s the most alien creature I’ve ever met. I want to get to know her every day for the rest of my life.”

He looked up at the sappy expressions on his parents’ faces.

---