A Twisted Anthology: A Twisted Design Book

Love is Blind Part 11

I knew Rock was a thinker, but I had no idea. He had so many plans for any possible thing, that I could barely keep track of it. He told me a good plan was better than any weapon.

Once we had everything figured out, we put on our shoes and headed out. Forrest had a modified passenger van that would fit all four of us comfortably. Rock helped me into the front seat. He was driving, since he’d been to the pack lands before.

As we drove, Forrest and Elbio told embarrassing stories from when they’d been growing up with Rock. A lot of them were things they did to him that embarrassed him. I knew my brother’s friends were the same. They would prank each other and goof around, but they loved each other like brothers.

We were stopped briefly by the border guards. They directed Rock to drive up to the pack house instead of my house. That was kind of a relief. It didn’t take very long to get there.

I waited for Rock to come get my door. First, he helped me out of the van, then I heard him open the back doors. I could hear quite a few people and I wondered just how many people had come to watch me get my things.

There was a collective gasp as I heard the creaking of the van while Elbio and Forrest got out. Neither of them had been wearing glamour, and the plan was for them to be natural for this. Rock was back by my side in only moments, wrapping my arm around his.

“There are a lot of people here. I see your brother, sister-in-law, and parents standing with the Alpha, Luna, and two other men. One is blond and tanned and the other has dark hair and a bored expression. There are some older people with your parents, they look about my age. There are a bunch of other people standing a good distance away.” Rock whispered.

“The blond is Ben, the Gamma of the pack. I don’t know the other, but he could be Roald, the Beta of Polar Star. The people with my parents are probably the previous Alpha and Gamma of the pack and their mates. They are all friends with my parents.” I replied quietly.

He led me toward Alpha Trent. I could smell him as we got closer. I took a calming breath. I couldn’t be nervous. I needed to trust my mate.

“Alpha, it’s good to see you again.” Rock said politely.

“Please, call me Trent. Carmen is like a little sister to me. I welcome you as her mate, Rock.” Trent replied.

I heard my mother stifle a sob. It hurt me a little bit, but I squeezed Rock’s arm and felt a little better. I would have hoped that my own mother would be happy that my mate didn’t reject me.

“We didn’t get a chance to formally meet last weekend. I’m Mike, Carmen’s actual big brother. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Beaumont.”

“You can call me Rock, Mike. My mate has nothing but good things to say about her relationship with you. You are one of the people she trusts most.” Rock answered.

“But she didn’t trust me enough to tell me she found her second chance mate.” Mike muttered.

“I didn’t want to jinx it, Mike. Not after what happened the first time. Please forgive me.” I said softly.

“Enough of this. Enough of this farce pretending this is okay. I’m not going to stand here and pretend that this is okay! My daughter belongs with a wolf, not with some sort of monster fae!” My father growled.

“Matt. Calm down.” Landon, the previous Alpha, ordered.

“I will not calm down! From the moment I saw her with him I knew there was something fishy going on. He seduced my daughter and made her think he was her second chance mate! If Trent goes along with this, I’m reporting it to the Association. I demand this troll be arrested for what he’s done!” He yelled.

“Dad. He really is my mate. He had no clue. I told you, he hadn’t come of age yet. I wasn’t allowed to tell him that I even suspected it.” I insisted.

“After everything we’ve done for you. You come here wearing only a t-shirt, in front of our pack, and dare tell me I’m wrong. I’m your father. I’ve been around long enough to see when some good for nothing punk tries to take what doesn’t belong to him. Beta Roald was willing to come all the way here just to meet you. Do you know how hard your mother and I worked to find you an acceptable mate who didn’t care that you were blind?!”

“Mr. Rosen. If you speak to my mate like that again, we’ll have a problem. We are here to collect Carmen’s things and speak with the current leadership about her living in the fae lands. Nothing more. Your opinion is neither desired, nor required.” Rock said coolly.

I heard running behind me. Familiar foot falls. Gemma and Ashley were coming. I turned toward the sound, only to hear them stop suddenly.

“Ash. Come on. We’re late.” Gemma urged.

“Mate?” Ashley squeaked.

There was a slight commotion. I really wished I could see.

“Mate.” An unfamiliar male voice replied.

“Is that your friend Ashley?” Rock asked.

“Yeah. What’s happening?” I whispered.

“The guy we think is Beta Roald is the one who answered her back. He looked really shocked. They aren’t moving. I thought you wolves threw yourselves at your mates when you found them.” He said.

I chuckled. “Not all of us.”

“I guess I’m just lucky then. Seems like she’s shaken loose of it. She’s approaching him like a little kid seeing Santa for the first time. He’s touching her face. They started kissing…. Oh. Okay, there she goes. She jumped on him and he’s carrying her into the pack house. They’re totally going to do it.” Rock snickered quietly.

“Dirty old man.” I laughed.

A hand grabbed my arm roughly and jerked it before it was pulled away. I heard gurgling above me. My mom screamed my dad’s name.

“You don’t touch my friend.” Forrest rumbled. “If you do that again, I’m gonna rip your arm off. You got that, boy?”

I don’t know what my father’s response was, but I soon heard a thump and he was gasping for air. When had my father become this? Did he really hate the idea of me with Rock so much that his entire personality would change?

“Please come into my office. I have a team of omegas who are packing up all of your mate’s personal effects from her parents’ home. We can negotiate the terms of her living off pack lands. It usually doesn’t take long. Of course, I want you to know that you are an honorary member of the pack as Carmen’s mate.” Trent said. “Dad, please take Matt somewhere to calm down and heal. I’ll have a word with him about some disturbing reports I’ve recently had about him.”

We followed the familiar path to Trent’s office. I knew people were watching us walk by. There were whispers in the hall.

When we were in the office, Rock pulled me toward where I knew Trent’s desk was and sat me in a chair. I could feel him standing next to me. It was a comfort.

“Carmen. Are you doing alright?” Mike asked.

“I just want to go home, Mike. I don’t know why dad’s being like this. Is it really so bad that my mate is a troll?” I wondered.

“Much like my grandfather holds prejudice against vampires, your father has some against fae. This is something that is not as widely known as my grandfather’s distaste.” Trent sighed. “I’m so sorry. If I had known that your second chance was a fae, I would have taken extra steps to protect you. I’m not saying this is your fault. I completely understand why you kept your first mate a secret and I understand why you didn’t say anything about your second chance. We instill the rules for a good reason. Sometimes, it backfires.”

“I had no idea. I never heard him say anything good or bad about the fae.” I said softly.

“Dad will need time to deal with it, but he’ll come around. You still have me. Can you remove your glamour, Rock? I’d like to see the man my little sister is mated to.” Mike requested.

“Sure.” Rock replied.

“Honestly, you aren’t nearly as scary as I was afraid of after seeing your friends.” Mike chuckled.

“It’s because I’m only half troll. My human side makes me look less frightening. That doesn’t mean I’m someone to be messed with.” He said in a stern tone that made me squirm a little.

“Oh goddess, can we get this over quickly? I don’t need to smell that.” Mike groaned.

I blushed. I forgot that the other werewolves would be able to smell when I got aroused. It had never been a concern before. I wasn’t like Gemma, who got turned on when a cute boy walked by.

Trent started in on what I needed to know and what Rock needed to know as my mate. I was still required to come to pack meetings and events. Rock could come to events, but not meetings. Rock disagreed with that. They argued for a while and Trent backed down.

I chewed on my bottom lip as the discussion went on. Rock was professional and didn’t let anything devolve, keeping to the facts and away from emotional arguments. His command of the room seemed to outshine Trent’s.

After an hour, we were finished going over everything, including Rock’s concerns. Only my brother, Beth, Gemma, and Ashley would be allowed to visit me in the fae lands and only with at least one day’s notice. I would always have a troll guard on the pack lands. And my father would be reprimanded for his previous actions, with the understanding that he would be punished for any further attempts to separate me from my mate.

“The omegas said they have your things in the van. Gemma and Ashley are waiting to see you off. Congratulations on finding your mate, Carmen. I’m happy for you. I hope that you’ll keep me updated.” Trent said.

“Of course. You’re like a brother to me. And the Alpha of my pack. Thank you for everything, Trent. I’d like to go home now.” I replied.

Before we left, I got hugs from Trent, Mike, and Ben. By the van, my friends waited to see me. Gemma hugged me, then pulled away from me suddenly.

“You’re not wearing a bra.” She hissed.

“Shush. We’re all pretending that no one notices.” Rock whispered from behind me.

My cheeks burned and I crossed my arms over my chest. He chuckled and rubbed a hand on my back. Gemma snorted.

“You’re not as gross as I thought you’d be. You treat my best friend right and we won’t have any problems.” She warned.

“Like you could take a troll.” Ashley laughed.

“Shut up, Mrs. Beta. I’m so pissed at you two for finding your mates before I do. Now I have to go out hunting guys on my own.” Gemma pouted.

“There’s always the Gamma of Lune Rouge.” I suggested. “I hear he’s still single.”

“I think I’ll just go to the national gathering. Maybe there’s a hot Alpha out there for me.” She hummed speculatively.

“Maybe he’s not a wolf at all.” Rock suggested.

“I’ll be your mate.” Elbio purred.

“Umm. No. Thanks?” Gemma replied nervously.

“Your loss. I’m the hottest troll in the region.” Elbio scoffed.

“It’s true. He’s considered supermodel hot among trolls.” Rock told me.

“I think Forrest is more attractive. His tusks are bigger and his skin is rougher.” I shrugged.

Forrest started teasing Elbio about being less attractive than him. They began bickering and I bit my lips together to hold in my laughter. I’d learned a lot from those troll women.

Rock wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled my ear. “Are you saying my tusks are too small for your tastes, my little wolf?”

“Never. Your tusks are the perfect size for me, my big strong troll.” I purred.

“Okay, you two either need a room or a cold shower. Go home. We’ll call you. Here’s your phone. One of the omegas found it in your room. Don’t lose touch just because you don’t live here anymore. You either, Ash. The pack is going to be so lonely without you two.” Gemma whined.

“We’re not forgetting you, Gemma. We’ll always be there when you need us and you better tell us when you find your mate.” I told her.

“Promise.” She said happily.

Rock loaded me up into the van and we headed out of the pack lands. I leaned back in my seat and listening to Forrest and Elbio arguing about something new. It felt like family. Like home. Rock took my hand and squeezed it gently.

This was perfect. I hoped my father would come around. I knew Rock was a man he could respect, if he got to know him. One day. One day my family would be whole. I just knew it.

“So, Rock, when are you taking Carmen to meet your mom?” Forrest asked.

I turned to Rock, who quickly pulled his hand back. “Well?”

“I’m going to kill you, Forrest.”

“Now who has rocks for brains?” Elbio scoffed.

“That’s a conversation for another time, Carmen. Let’s just spend some time settling in. I think that would be for the best.” Rock said.

“We’ll definitely be talking about this later.” I scowled.

For now, I’d take his suggestion. It was time to find my new normal before I had to deal with another parent who would probably object to our mating. I didn’t need that kind of pressure right now.