Page 174 of A Female Alpha for the Lycan Prince
She just looks at me, regarding me like she is searching my eyes for something. I’m not sure what she finds, but eventually, she smiles and nods. “Nice to meet you, Marius.” She turns to Celine. “Will you both join me for some tea?”
“I’m sorry, we need to get back to Marius’ pack,” Celine apologizes. “I just wanted to give you this,” she says, handing Jade a box. “It’s the family photos you wanted. You can keep them. I made copies.”
Jade smiles warmly. “Thank you, my dear.”
“Are you coming for lunch on Sunday?” Celine asks. “Dad and Grandpa are expecting you, and Dad wants us to meet his girlfriend.”
“Oh,” Jade beams. “I don’t want to miss that. He deserves some happiness. Is she a nice woman?”
“Absolutely. Super sweet,” Celine tells her. “I’ve already met her. She’s lost her mate too, and they’ve bonded over it. I guess if everything goes well on Sunday, they will probably want to mark each other as chosen mates.” She pauses. “She makes him happy,” she says with a warm smile.
“All of you deserve some happiness,” Jade tells her. “I will make sure everything goes well on Sunday.”
“Thank you,” Celine returns her smile. “Marius and I need to leave now. See you, Jade.”
“Bye sweetheart, and I hope to see you again, Marius.”
I smile. “You will,” I promise with conviction, making Jade grin and Celine flush slightly.
We manage to drop everything for the baby shower at my apartment in Red Claw without Annie noticing. Dante and Ella have been doing their best to distract Annie and keep her occupied.
“So, what are your plans for this weekend?” I ask Celine.
“Well, aside from pack business and work, nothing much,” she chuckles. “But I wanted to go to dinner with Harmony and Garret on Friday. I’d like to strengthen our bond a bit.”
I nod thoughtfully. They are her second and third in command, and it’s good that she wants to make sure they all connect well. Not that I have any doubts. Harmony loves Celine as a friend and respects her as her alpha, and Garret is a gem.
“And I want to meet up for coffee with Dave and Ella,” she explains. “Nothing else, though.”
“And the family lunch on Sunday,” I point out with a grin.
“Yes,” she chuckles. “Poor Mona.”
“Mona?”
“She’s my father’s girlfriend,” she explains. “She hasn’t met Grandpa yet, or Jade. She is so nervous.”
“And you like her?” I ask her carefully. “For real, I mean.”
She smiles knowingly. “I know what you’re thinking… everyone feels like I should feel weird about my father dating another woman. But honestly, I am just so happy for him. Dad loved my mom, and nothing will ever tarnish that love. He’s just found another person to love as well. And that’s wonderful. Mona is a bit older than he is, and she is so loving and sweet.”
I smile genuinely at her. “I am happy things are looking brighter for your family,” I say. “So… if you have some time to spare…” my voice trails off, as always, I feel so fucking nervous.
“Yes,” she says.
Good thing she is our mate,Cyrus grumbles.We certainly wouldn’t be able to woo any other woman like this. Not everyone speaks Marius-ish.
I ignore him skillfully. “Really?” I take a deep breath. “Can I… I mean, is it okay if I ask you on a date? I mean, officially? Is it ok if I call it a date?”
She contemplates for a moment, seemingly lost in her thoughts. Then, with a nod, she says, “Yes. And yes, you can call it a date.”
I am honestly about to pump my fist into the air like a movie character, but fortunately, I stop myself at the last second before I embarrass myself further. “Can I pick you up?”
“Sure, what’s the plan?”
“I would like to invite you to dinner,” I say. “And afterward, there’s an electronic art exhibition on. You said you like art, and it’s modern art, which you also said you like, and Finn told me that it’s really good.”
She smiles. “I really want to see that.”
