My Verboten Mate

3. Problem child

ALPHA LUKE POV

One Sunday out of the month our pack has a barbeque. My Pastelito says it helps her stay connected with all the pack members. She does her rounds checking in with everyone. I pointed out that she’s doing the same thing her mother did to her, but I never mentioned it again after she withheld her gatita (kitty) from me for a week.

All jokes aside, it is a very good way to keep track of the growing number of pack members and our children. It’s a crucial time right now for our eldest children. Winona and Adam are graduating this year and although they are very different in personalities, they are very similar in their dreams.

They both want to go to college before committing to any position within the pack. Adam doesn’t have a high-ranking position waiting for him within the pack and any education he would get would determine which position he would take, should he decide to stay here. I would hope he would.

Winona, on the other hand, is the heir to the pack. She would be the Alpha or Luna if she so chose. Both positions are very demanding, and I would have liked her to make a decision earlier on so that she could train, but she is still unsure. Dragging it out to the end.

When Becky and I found out we were having a girl first, we didn’t mind one bit. As time passed, I realized why most Alpha’s wanted a boy first. For some reason, male Alpha wolves crave power. It’s instinctual for them to want the title.

They don’t need to ask their male children if they want the position, it’s implied. There is no question about it, and everything flows in its natural course. I don’t regret having a girl first and I would never change that. The uncertainty of what she will choose to do is what scares me.

I also want to give my eldest son a position in the pack. As I mentioned, an Alpha Wolf thrives on having a title and, although he will not be Alpha of this pack, that doesn’t mean he can’t have a high position here. He’s smart, dedicated and strong.

I’m not blind to the fears of the pack, but I’m certain he can prove them wrong. I can’t stop Brian from running his mouth and I’m sure he thinks that because he doesn’t confront my son or put his hands on him, that I won’t do anything to him, but I’m at my wits' end with him.

He is the reason my son is reluctant to be himself. Always holding back, not wanting to stand out or outshine anyone. Unless he’s on the football field, then all bets are off. The confidence and certainty he has on that field should also be reflected in his day-to-day life.

My Shortcake can give hundreds of speeches telling everyone to judge people by their actions and not what you assume about them, but they tend to fall on deaf ears. Brian gives millions of speeches and people are driven by fear and gossip.

I know it kills Brian that Robbie is best friends with Adam. He’s currently scowling at their table, watching as they chat and laugh together. It irks him even more when Angela sits down in front of Adam and gives him a small smile. All of our kids respect each other, and it kills Brian that Adam is given that respect.

I felt my Luna’s presence behind me as she wrapped her arms around my waist. “Uno de estos días me lo voy a chigar. (One of these days I’m going to f**k him up.)” She said while glaring at Brian. She and her family had tried coaxing him over long ago. They almost had him, but his dark side was too strong for them. Dad joke.

Wrapping my arms around her, I kissed her head. “Es un fascista, pero es el abuelo de Robbie y Angela. Y el papa de Celia. (He's a fascist, but Robbie and Angela's grandfather. And Celia's dad.)” I said, reminding her why he was still a pack member. I know that one day not even that will be enough to keep him safe from my angry Pastelito.

She let out a cute growl and I had to hold in my amusement. Although her bark was small, she could take a chunk of your ass off with that bite. “Are you smiling?” She said though gritted teeth. s**t! I shook my head and held her tight. She squinted her eyes at me and then went back to glaring at our problem child. Brian.

It’s hard to believe that he’s still causing problems so many years later. You would think he would grow up. It almost seems as if he’s grown more immature with age and he’s becoming a nuisance. Yet kicking him out would probably make things worse for Adam. He would essentially be blamed for it.

ANGELA POV

I could feel my grandfather’s eyes boring a hole through me. The second I sat down, and Adam looked at me, I couldn’t help but smile and say hi. Why shouldn’t I? He is one of us, isn’t he? Now all I can think of is the conversation he is going to have with me tomorrow when Robbie and I go to dinner at my grandparents’ house.

I began to eat, listening to the boys and Winona talk about how their graduation is only two weeks away. Adam smiles and I can’t help but stare at how gorgeous he looks when he’s happy. Feeling my eyes on him, Adam turns and catches me gawking at him. I quickly stuffed my face and looked down, avoiding his gaze. I would die if those dark brown eyes caught my own staring at him.

I swear I heard him chuckle but when I looked up, he was getting up and began walking towards Luna Becky and Alpha Luke. His smile is even more brilliant when he’s with them. It’s hard to believe that he could be anything more than what I see in front of me. It seems way too farfetched to believe anything my grandad has said.

How could the man that took Robbie and I fishing every summer say something so unfounded? The man who dressed up as Satna every Christmas and got in character said something he had no proof of. He didn’t just say he thought Adam was up to something, he asserted it.

That left me with two different options. Believe my grandfather and keep my distance from Adam, ignoring him like everyone else does. Or accept that my grandfather is making things up, telling tales when he has no proof of what he’s accusing someone of. That would make him a horrible person, since he’s been doing this since Adam was little.

Deep down I knew my parents would never allow me to be friends or even be near someone who they thought was a danger to me. How could my grandad know better than the Alpha, Beta and Gamma of the pack? My doubts were caused by the love I felt for him. My unwillingness to believe he was wrong, that he was being malicious.