Changed (Book 3 of the Athens Wolves Series)

My dad learned how to paint my nails when I was barely 6 years old because that was what I wanted. All the other girls my age had pink or purple nails and I wanted them too. But there was another difference, their mothers did their nails. My mother left me and my father just a couple months after I was born. Not like most female wolves do with their pups and mates. Once I got older my dad told me the only reason my mom left was because they weren't true mates and they never marked each other. She set out to find her true mate and never came back. My dad never left to look, nor ever seemed that interested in his mate. I didn't know why. I was sort of frowned upon in school, and in the pack. The girl without a mom to tell her things about growing up, how to act, or look. It never was that hard to be myself though. I never let myself stress out over my makeup, or my hair, or boys that were popular. I didn't really have any friends until I got to college. A gay vampire named Jesse made sure that I started doing things his way. He did my hair every single day after freshmen year when we moved in together. He taught me how to do my makeup and paid for certain things like getting my nails done and new clothes. He was over a century old, he looked mid twenties so he got to save up his money and he loved to spoil me and his sometimes boyfriends. Jesse lived in the city now that I was on the pack lands again. We got really close, my dad didn't like it at first but when he saw us interact and have fun he was happy that I had changed, with Jesse's help, for the better. I am a teacher, and everyone knows that I don't get paid well, and I refuse to take any money from my dad or Jesse so I am also a barista in the summertime as well as a camp director for a month. It was August now, a week after that summer camp let out and the first briefing I had when I got back on pack lands was that Genevieve, the Alpha's sister, and Jack Titan the new Beta were getting married. Which meant that Greyson Titan would be around. He annoyed me to no end. Of course I only knew his reputation and heard him through the halls of high school. He prided himself on any kind of team he was on. People worshiped him and chanted his name on games days before the whole team hit the field. Speaking of, I was in the middle of a latte for Twyla Russell when someone shouted his name. I finished, smiled at Twyla as she took the latte and made her way out. "Iced Black coffee." I heard the register guy shout back at me and I grabbed the cup from him before turning and getting the ice and putting them in the cup before turning to the brew and pouring it in before placing a lid on and then grabbing a straw. I lifted it for show, looked at the name. "Greyson, iced black coffee." I almost stopped when the tall wolf just engulfed the drink and sort of surprised me into looking up into the steel eyes that were Greyson Titan. I felt the pull automatically and I just sucked in a breath, let go and heard the next order. I got to work, him still in my peripheral vision. "Janine your White Chai Latte is up." I called setting it down, grabbing a slip and setting it down on top of the lid. "Excuse me." Greyson called waving his hands towards me when I backed up to get another order. "Hi, what can I help you with?" I asked over my shoulder as I pumped two caramel shots in one cup and then got a cup of ice and a couple of shots of caffeine. "I was uh, what time do you get off?" "Soon." I shrugged and kept making the drinks that were piling up. He nodded, sent me a smirk and took his drink and sat close to the door. 45 minutes later I disappeared into the back and came out to restock a couple things before going back, changing into my black halter top, and long red skirt and then put on my horrendous shoes and clocked out before walking right back out. I waved to a few co-workers as I made my way out. "Hey there." I didn't jump when Greyson appeared on my side and I smiled at him. "How about you tell me your name, we go on a date and live happily ever after." He said making me laugh in his direction. What an asshole... I know I wasn't popular in highschool, but there was only 2 other wolves in our class and he can't even remember I was one of them. "Look in a yearbook. Any one of them. I grew up here but I guess you wouldn't know." I smiled at him, waved at a guy who stopped so I could cross the street. "No you didn't." He laughed and I just sighed. "Yes I did." I told him flatly as I unlocked my car. This was a gift from Jesse, it was showy with it's teal paint job, but it was also perfect for me. Small and compact. "Wait, where are you going? What about the date and happily ever after?" He asked as I opened my door. "We are true mates." He said lower and getting a little closer to me but I rolled my eyes and kept walking. "I guess that will have to wait until you know who I am." I told him and then laughed when he looked confused even more. I got in, shut my door and started my car. I had a lunch date with Jesse today and I was already late. But when he knew who I was I would go out with him, maybe. I would not stop hearing about it until our drinks came, but I could live with it with the gossip I was about to tell him. I drove the 20 minutes into the city, meeting him at this little place he actually owned. He was in the back and I walked right to him, waving at a few girls who knew me. I sat down and he looked nervous and that was a sight to see, the only other time he looked nervous when he was bleaching my hair and actually burned some of it off and then proceeded to talk me into a short hair cut that I still maintain today. "What's with the jumpy leg, the nail biting, and the huge smile Jes?" I sat down and licked my lips. "I did something bad but good but mostly bad." He told me reaching over and taking my hands in his and biting his lip now. "What have you done? Slept with a guy like that Sebastian last year? He even clinged to me." I laughed and took a sip of the wine he had already ordered for me. "Oh, by the way, it is not as bad as what I have to tell you." "You go first." He gulped and I gave him a small look before sighing. "I ran into my mate in the coffee shop." "What?" "What what? It's your turn." I told him with a smile and he shook his head, his nervous behavior long gone and I pulled my hand away from him. "Tell me who your mate is! I think I would remember after looking through your yearbooks so many times I practically memorized it." "Greyson Titan." I told him without mumbling or flinching. He took a moment before letting his mouth drop open. "Don't even say it." I told him waving my hand in front of him and then sighing before going for my wine again. "But he is so hot, if we weren't who we were and he was gay I would steal him away and lock him up." He told me and I gave him an eye roll as a waitress come towards us. "I will have the lemon chicken salad and he will have the same." I told her and she smiled before walking away. "How do you get so lucky." He pouted and I smiled and rolled my eyes and sat back swirling my wine. "I don't really call it luck, he asked me my name, I told him to look in a yearbook, and he laughed saying I didn't live here my whole life." I rolled my eyes again and started playing with my napkin. "Now it is your turn." I told him and he became nervous again. "Just tell me." "I can't, not now. I will tell you more when I know more." "What have you done?" I asked leaning forward and he sighed. "No, you aren't getting it out of me but you are going to tell me what you plan to do about that hunk of a man that is your mate?" I blanched slightly thinking about how flightily everyone always described Greyson to be. Even I heard about him moving from pack to pack to help fight or find those who attacked the Luna a couple years back. But even before that after his parents died he was an enforcer for the king and queen. He was only in town because his little brother was getting married. I sure as hell didn't want to have to travel with him because he was the higher ranking official for the queen's guard. I didn't want to leave my students or my dad again. "Hello, are you even listening to my suggestions?" Jes pouted on the other side of the table after carefully kicking my shins to get my attention. "No, he won't be in town long anyways. I am not leaving this place and he works for the king and queen." I shrugged and smiled at the food coming our way. "So you don't think he will wait around to sweep you off your feet before leaving?" He asked with a laugh and I sighed."Can we just eat in peace? I can cross the Greyson bridge when he finally learns who I am, until then, tell me, what is your next move?" "I am just doing some research, you know, becoming a Supernatural Counselor and all." He shrugged and I smiled. "You have been talking about becoming one of those since way before I met you, I know, your old friend Ginny, talks about how you chicken out every 10 years." I laughed and he looked at me with a scowl. "I am serious this time. I have applied. Soon I will be in my own school. I will be the student and learning all I can about what it means to be one. I have never done that in my 1000 years." He said picking up his fork and stabbing his croutons. "I'm sorry Jes, but why are you doing this now? I mean I don't want you to leave? Can't you wait about 80 years until I am dead?" I asked and his scowl deepened. "Can we not talk about that? I hate death, why do you think I use blood bags and not humans?" He asked over the table playing with his food now. "I'm sorry Jes." I said and pouted when he sent me another scowl. "I am, you can die well before me anyways." I sighed and now he scoffed and looked around with a sort of smile. "Okay, tell me something to distract me from my foot in mouth syndrome." I ordered and he sighed. "Your dad called me, asked me to set up a party for you out here." He said and I stopped with my fork full of food and looked up at him. "I know you hate them, but I said I would do it. He begged me Air. I can't say no to your old man, he might be old but he is still fine." "Ah! He is my father Jes, remember what I told you?" "Off limits to my s****l gaze... fine." He sighed and started huffing his food down and I did the same thinking how long it is going to take to get my father to back out of this party idea. I ate with Jes until it was time for him to get back to his 'job' in the corporate world. I got back in my car and set off to my dad's place. I got there not even seeing his truck and walked towards the front door. I moved the brick off of the stone pathway and picked up the key. I unlocked the door and set my bag down before going towards the kitchen. He hadn't taken anything out for dinner, but luckily he hadn't frozen anything from when I went shopping for him just the other day. I took it out, cut it up into chunks and started boiling it. I chopped up some bell pepper, carrots, and then opened a bag of frozen peas and put them all in a separate pot so they would cook thoroughly and then started on the white sauce as car engine pulled up. "You know, the whole point of you getting your own place, was that you would have me over and we can eat there." I smiled at my dad's amused tone and turned to him. "Well, if you didn't leave your chicken in the fridge where it could possibly go bad... I wouldn't mind having you over." I said back and gave him a huge smile. "Smart ass." He said and strolled over to the fridge to get himself a beer. "I learned from the best, how was your day at work?" He worked at a lumber yard, close by, but a lot of heavy lifting. He was a werewolf but that doesn't mean he can't get tired of carrying wood all over the place. "Busy, it seems that the Titan brothers are making a treehouse for Heidi Giselle." He told me and I nodded and smiled. "That's nice of them." "Well one is her new daddy, and the other is her uncle so, it is typical for them to do that." "I never got a tree house." I pouted and then narrowed my eyes. "You asked Jesse to plan my birthday party?" I asked and he let his mouth hang open before cursing. "That vampire needs to learn how to keep something from you." He said before shaking his head. "Jesse can't keep s**t from me, just like you can't... you would have let it slip eventually." I smile as he grumbled at how right that was before hearing another car pull into the driveway. "You expecting anybody?" I asked as I started whisking everything together. "Nope, let me go check who it is." He said and walked to the front door as I tried to peek around as I kept stirring. If I didn't it would get all clumpy and gross. "Hello sir, I met you earlier, Greyson Titan." I snapped back into a straight back listening as I pretended to focus only on my stirring. "Yes you did. What can I do for you?" "Is that your car on the street?" "It's my daughters, is there something wrong with it?" "Well no, but my mate got into the car earlier and drove off without telling me her name. I believe she is also your daughter, might I come in?" Scuffing of boots told me that my dad moved aside and let him in. "Aaron!" I heard my dad shout and I bit my lip as I heard his footsteps get closer. "Yes?" "A Greyson Titan is here to claim you as his. You didn't think of telling me about your day first did you?" He asked crossing his arms and I shrugged. "First of all, he probably didn't know my name until just now, so I wasn't going to mention it just yet." "Aaron." I looked at the mountain of Greyson and gulped. "Why do you smell of a Vampire?"