Darcingtowne Wolves: The Misfits (Book 1)

Chapter Nineteen: Expectations

Toby groaned as he rolled to the edge of the bed. He didn’t know what he looked like, but from Chessa’s expression when he opened the door, he knew his appearance must have been ghastly. He cleared his throat as Chessa gaped at him, and straightened out his rumpled suit jacket. He hadn’t even changed when he got back, and knew that he must smell something awful, as he’d sweat through his shirt in his sleep.

“I was going to ask if you want to go for a run and maybe look for your mate, but...I don’t think she’d want you if you showed up looking like that.” Francesca said, giving him a frank once over.

“I’m just going to go back to bed then, thanks.” Tobias rasped, snapping at the little Princess a bit more than he would have normally.

“Nonono, don’t…” Chessa grabbed the edge of the door, struggling to hold it open against Toby’s obviously superior strength. “Come on, Toby. What’s going on?”

Toby sighed and let go of the door, retreating into his room. He pulled his jacket off, and tossed it toward the clothes hamper. It didn’t quite make it, instead falling onto the floor next to the hamper.

“Nothing. Just pack business. Speaking of, I have some things to do tonight…think you can stay out of trouble for the space of an evening?” Toby asked as he started unbuttoning his shirt.

Francesca considered him for a moment, turning away as he stripped his shirt off. They’d seen each other naked plenty of times before, but she never liked seeing the jagged scars that criss crossed his back. It had been years, but she still blamed herself for them. He’d taken those lashes so that she wouldn’t be punished.

She must have decided that she’d pried enough out of him the evening before, because Chessa sighed and said, “Fine, but I’m going to need you to take me for a run tomorrow. I’ve been cooped up for days.”

“As you wish, Princess.” Tobias said, smirking a little when Chessa only rolled her eyes at the cheesy line.

Tobias knocked on the front door of his parent’s apartment. It was in a nice little historic building that belonged to the pack, which suited their style. His parents had a fondness for things with a bit of character to them, though the building had been updated with modern amenities. Character could only take you so far; comfort became a lot more important as one got older.

His mother answered the door in one of her frilly housecoats, her eyes and smile going wide when she saw that it was Tobias at the door. She squealed and threw her arms around him, and he hugged her tight, letting himself relax in his mother’s arms. Samantha Oriano was a petite woman whose had finally given in to aging, letting the gray in her brown hair become more prominent over the last year or so. Still, she was beautiful; at least, she was to her son.

And to her mate, of course, who poked his head from around a corner at the sound of his mate’s squealing. Lucas’s easy smile spread over his lips like warm honey. Lucas was around the same height as his son, but with a thinner, rangier build. He had the same olive skin and dark, hair, though his eyes were a solid medium brown - while Tobias’s were a dark hazel green. His hair was also graying, though only on the sides so far, and he wore thick framed black glasses that gave him an academic air - which suited him perfectly, as he was indeed a professor with Promenade Collegiate. 

“Tobias, my boy. What brings you here on a Monday night? Not that we aren’t pleased to see you, of course.” Lucas said, motioning his wife over in an effort to get her to stop smothering their son.

Tobias came into the apartment, closing the door behind him. Then, he held up the clinking bag of peanut butter budino jars that Mason Silvius had given him earlier. 

“I thought I’d bring you guys some dessert.” Toby said, following his parents further inside. They went to the kitchen, and his father went immediately to the coffee pot, firing it up.

Their apartment was cozy, but small - only one bedroom, a master suite, with a reasonably sized open plan living and dining space and a half bath for guests. It was just enough space for a retired couple; not too much for them to maintain on their own, and just enough to live comfortably. In keeping with his parents quirky, eclectic tastes, a cat shaped clock with eyes and a tail that swayed back and forth in time with each second that ticked away watched him from the wall beside the table. 

It was one of many strange clocks that they owned, from a long case grandfather clock, to wheeling carousel clocks, to the numerous smaller and less cacophonous timepieces that his father kept in the large display case coffee table in their living room. Their small apartment filled with the clanging, cacophonous sound of numerous clocks chiming the hour at once, which is why Toby had timed his visit for just after the turning of the hour.

He’d never quite gotten his parents obsession with clocks, but he loved them all the same.

“Actually…” Tobias said, taking a seat at the small, round table. “The dessert was a gift. I met the new council liaison today. He said he knew you both, and...uhm...you used to like his peanut butter budino. Mason Silvius.”

Samantha stiffened a little, glanced briefly to her husband, then went to sit down at the table with her son.

“I suppose someone told you who Mason was to me?” Samantha said softly.

“Yes.” Toby said simply as he started removing the jars of sweet peanut butter and chocolaty goodness from the bag he’d set down on the table. “Daniel and I went to his cabin because the King refused to have him over to the packhouse for the customary meet and greet. Something about bad blood, and his sister’s death. Honestly...he’s not what I was expecting.”

“Ah, good old Mason.” Lucas said jovially, taking a seat next to his mate after fetching three spoons. “One of the world’s great enigmas. Don’t feel bad son, Mason enjoys confounding people. He’s been doing it since he was a child, like his father before him.”

“He was a child once? Here I thought he’d just emerged from the pod a fully formed man.” Toby snorted, unscrewing the lid of his jar. “Were you childhood friends or something, Dad?”

“Sort of. Our parents were acquaintances, and we knew each other, but we weren’t close. I don’t think Mason has ever really had friends. The only person that he was close to, so far as we know, was his sister. He’s kind of a lone wolf. And of course, when we met again as adults and it turned out I had marked and married his fated mate, well...I thought he would surely issue a challenge.” Lucas said, snorting. “But instead of challenging me, he showed up at my office every day for a week with different sweets until he found one I liked. Peanut butter budino. He hardly said anything the first few times, just sat there and ate with a blank look on his face. Then, one day, after figuring out that the budino was a hit, he asked me what I thought about rankism.”

“You can imagine my surprise when I found out that my once-mate was courting my husband instead of me.” Samantha snorted. “The nerve of the man. I almost barged my way into one of their meetings and ripped his throat out for trying to take what was mine. Well, I probably wouldn’t have gotten through all that thick skin and muscle, but I would have tried.”

Tobias’s lips quivered at the ridiculous picture that formed in his mind of his tiny mother trying to rip anyone’s throat out, much less the big man’s.

“He just wanted to make sure that I was worthy of you, dear. You know that.” Lucas said, laughing lightly. “Although, I do wish you could have seen his face when I told him that strict adherence to the rankings was weakening packs by not allowing people with specialized talents, but born to lower ranks, to advance. It was the only time I think I ever managed to surprise him, rather than the other way around. He assumed I would hold the conservative line, being the Gamma of Twilight Promenade and all. After that, he started bringing three desserts with every visit, so I could take the spare back home to your mother.”

“What is with his face, anyway? It was like talking to a brick wall.” Tobias asked, recalling how disconcerting it was to stare into Mason’s studiously blank face.

“His parents were interesting people. Pacifists, humanists...the werewolf equivalent of social justice warriors. His father was the president of ProCo when I was a student. I think half the new council members over the past two decades were influenced by his progressive teachings. With their own children they went even further, though. They taught their children to suppress their more beastial Alpha behaviours in favor of clear, reasoned thought. In Mason, it manifests as this.” Lucas passed a hand in front of his smiling face, letting his expression fall away as the hand moved past. His voice was flat when he spoke again, “Please, try my peanut butter budino. I have been told it’s quite good.”

Samantha giggled at the rather poor impression. His father’s voice just didn’t have the same gravitas as the big man’s.

“Well, that explains some things. I was hoping you’d be able to give me some info on him since Daniel and I will probably end up meeting with him regularly, and knowing even this much really helps. I also wasn’t sure if anyone informed you he was back in the city.” Toby said, shaking his head a little. “I didn’t want things to go sideways if you bumped into him at the bodega or something. Though, that doesn’t really seem like a problem now…”

“Mmm, he wrote to us about a month ago letting us know he would be returning to the city with his daughter.” Samantha said, looking relaxed as she dug into her own jar of budino. “We’ve heard sporadically from him over the years, but Mason is a peaceful wolf. I don’t imagine he’s here to stir up trouble. Though, I’m sure Prince Reginald will disagree.”

“Daniel mentioned something about that. Mason blames the Prince for his sister’s death?” Toby asked.

Lucas’s eyes went a little dark at this. “Rightfully so. Aurora Silvius was Prince Reginald’s true mate. He didn’t reject her at first, just strung her along. He knew his parents would never approve of an upstart Alpha female like her, but...the Prince liked toying with the girl. Then, when he found out she was with pup, he rejected them both. The pain of it sent her into early labor. Mother and child both died.”

Samantha ran her hand over her mate’s clenched fist.

“I retired early from the Gamma position after that.” Lucas said, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. “It was the only way I could protest without endangering our family. You and your sister always came first.”

“Speaking of your sister, did you know that she has been visiting every Sunday?” Samantha said, smiling brightly - obviously trying to distract her mate from a subject that riled his temper.

“I know, I know…I’ll think about it. Sunday family dinners. I saw the texts.” Toby said, feeling a little guilty. While his sister visited weekly, and his older brother called his parents almost daily, Tobias barely made the short trek across the city to their apartment once a month. He wasn’t any better about calling or texting, either.

“You and Marius still haven’t met her mate, and she is getting really impatient. Apparently her big brothers’ approval means more to her than any of us thought,” Lucas said, laughing lightly. 

The guilt only grew worse when it occurred to him that he hadn’t told them about his mate yet. He’d always imagined that his parents would have been among the first people he told; the first people he’d introduce his mate to.

Now he wasn’t sure if he should tell them at all. He knew they would love him regardless of whether or not he rejected his fated mate, but part of him was worried that they would be disappointed. Nothing was worse to a child than seeing their parent’s disappointment, even when the child in question was a full grown adult werewolf.

Samantha eyed her son for a moment as he poked at the jar in his hand with his spoon, looking a little disappointed to find that it was now empty.

“Is there something else troubling you, sweetheart? You know you can tell us anything, right?” Samantha said, giving Toby one of those tender, loving smiles that always made his heart melt.

“M-mom…” Toby said, his voice cracking slightly. If he lied, or tried to hold back, she would know. She always knew. His mother was the most accurate lie detector he’d ever encountered. So, he decided to do the only thing he could do in such a situation. He told the truth.

“I found my mate.”

Samantha’s round face brightened at this, then dimmed almost immediately when she realized that this was not the happy news it should have been. He saw the same range of expression pass over his father’s face, before looking down at the empty jar in his hands, as if it might hold some solution to his dilemma that he hadn’t yet considered.

“Her name is Penelope Silvius, daughter of Mason Silvius...and I have to reject her.”