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For a moment, Annalise is quiet, just staring at me with wide eyes. For a split second, I’m worried I said something wrong. Then, suddenly, she jumps into my arms and wraps her arms around my neck. She has tears in her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispers.

I pull her into a kiss. “And now?” I mutter.

“Let’s watch some movies,” she offers.

I chuckle. She isn’t giving up anytime soon. “All right, what do you want to watch?”

“Okay, since action wasn’t really captivating you, how about something more skin-crawling.”

I frown. “You mean literally, or is that a metaphor? I am not watching a movie about ants.”

She giggles. “Not ants! I mean… how about sharks? We could watch “In the Deep”,” she offers. “It’s about two girls getting into a cage, then they are dropped in the ocean to see sharks, but everything goes wrong, and they end up caught down there, in the cage with sharks…”

“People watch that?” I ask, surprised.

She narrows her eyes at me.

“Oh, sorry, no, sounds fascinating.”

“We could also watch Jurassic World,” she offers. “There are dinosaurs. And people die. You didn’t like that about the last movie, remember? That everyone survived.”

I tighten my grip around her hips before carrying her further into the living room. She has her arms and legs still wrapped around me.

She seems to notice my indecisiveness. “How about ‘Sharknado’,” she deadpans. “A hurricane blows a bunch of sharks to a town, and they attack everyone?”

“A hurricane blows sharks to a town.” I snort. “How about youblowme while watching that dinosaur movie.”

She bursts into laughter first before she smirks down at me. Goddess, she is going to do it.

“Deal!”

Chapter twenty-four

Chapter 24 Meeting the parents

*ANNALISE*

I’mgiddy,nervousandhappy. I can hardly stand still, and I know my heart has to be racing. Liam is going to meet my parents. Finally.

He is visiting our pack.

I just want him and my family to get along. I want them to love him as I love him. To see how wonderful he is.

As he crosses our pack borders, his presence already radiates through the air. It only strikes me now how powerful he actually is. Somehow it didn’t really matter to me before. I forgot all about it, it still doesn’t matter, but I realize it by the reactions of the others. My own Alpha seems to be slightly nervous.

“Well,” Steve grins. “A royal is in da house?”

“Annalise,” Alpha Cedric turns to look at me seriously. It’s the first time I have seen him after the pack guys harassed me. I haven’t visited home since then. “It was brought to my attention that some pack members didn’t behave appropriately when they found out who you were mated to. I hope their actions didn't embarrass you. You shouldn't feel any shame or guilt because, in fact, they embarrassed our pack and me. So, allow me to apologize on behalf of the pack. The mate bond is sacred, and no outsider should ever question it. I’m very proud to have such a strong she-wolf in my pack, and it saddens me to see you leave.”

I nod with a warm smile. I’m not hiding it anymore; his Alpha aura isn’t working on me. It’s a new fact I have come to accept now. Liam is right. It makes me stronger. No one can have any power over me, over my mind. “Thank you, Alpha Cedric. I really appreciate how you and Celine dealt with the whole incident. I…” I look away, feeling a bit overwhelmed suddenly. “I was really lucky to grow up here. I’m proud that I was a member of your pack.”

He nods contentedly at my words. When I feel Liam getting closer, I decide it’s about time to greet him and introduce him. I meet him halfway, happy how he immediately takes my hand and tugs me close to him.

The greeting between him and Alpha Cedric goes well. A bit stiff, but by now, I assume that’s standard procedure for Alphas meeting for the first time. They exchange formalities and have a drink together. All the time, Liam makes sure I’m right next to him. To my surprise, I notice how some of our officials and Elders, who I hardly met up to now, are sometimes looking at me when they talk to us instead of Liam.

You are fantastic, Annalise,Liam links me.You make me more approachable just by being next to me. Thank you, my dear.

The meeting with my parents is the one I have been stressing over the most. My fear is completely unfounded though because once we step away from the pack building and approach my parents’ house, all the tension diffuses. Liam is a lot more smiley all of a sudden.