Imake sure to give off nice, teddy bear vibes when I introduce myself to our new pack members, and am glad to see that Eugene made sure they were safe and healthy in his pack.
“I will be coming with you if that’s okay,” Flo offers. “I can help them settle in. If that’s okay with you, Alpha Eugene?”
“Of course,” Eugene says.
“Also, I need to know all the juicy details about your hot vampire mate,” she whispers to me.
“What happened to you?” I grin. “The Flo from five years ago was always trying to be so cool.”
“The Flo from todayiscool, while her teenage self just tried to be edgy,” she explains. “Oh, and I have been catching up on some romance novels.”
“You are still reading?” I ask.
“Of course. Never lost the passion for it, and you?”
“Don’t let him get started,” Silas sighs. “He was in an emo-dystopian phase a couple of months ago.”
“I read a lot of dystopian Sci-Fi,” I explain. “Before that, I tried to catch up on some European classics.”
“Aside from romance, I am into the more philosophical genre at the moment,” Flo says. “Boy, we need to exchange our literature lists and reopen our book club.” She turns to Silas. “Is that okay with you, Lord Silas? I don’t want it to look like I am hitting on your mate.”
“Oh, child,” Silas smirks. “I am not that insecure. Besides, we have marked each other.”
“And he himself is currently working together with his ex,” I tell Flo with a grin. “You don’t need to walk on eggshells around him.”
“It’s not like I am overly happy about working with that backstabber,” Silas points out. “Besides, Julianus found his werewolf mate. Creator have mercy if he messes that one up, because I might just kill him personally if he does.”
“So, we are getting the old literature club running again?” Flo asks.
“I am all in for that,” I agree. “What about you, Elliot?”
“I’ll have to, won’t I?” he sighs dramatically. “I originally only joined because I wanted to meet cute girls. Didn’t know I would end up with you in the same club and maybe three other members.”
“We’ll let you pick a book,” Flo offers.
“Any book?” he asks.
“Sure,” she says.
Elliot grins. “Alrighty.”
“Are you sure?” I mutter towards her.
“Yeah, he will probably choose something erotic,” Flo whispers back. “And then we’ll discuss it in detail, and he will get embarrassed. Will be great!”
I chuckle, suddenly feeling transported back in time. It’s like back in the days when we would pick awkward book choices to annoy each other.
While we are catching up, I notice that Benjamin and the warriors have finished loading the jeep with the belongings of our new pack members. We agreed on taking everyone along immediately, as we are already prepared for them. Two of Eugene’s warriors will accompany us, with a second car. I think deep down, Eugene wants to come, too, but he obviously can’t just leave the pack.
Meanwhile, Mom has a bigger issue with letting me go again. “How about you visit us?” I offer. “So that you know that I won’t go anywhere again. And to see my pack and my work.”
She stares at me. “Really? You wouldn’t mind?”
“You are my mother. I’d love to host you in my pack.”
“You are welcome anytime,” Silas assures her, without extending his invitation to the remainder of my family.
Mom still looks anxious, but then she nods. “I would love to. After all, now I have such a lovely son-in-law, too.”