His Hybrid Archer

10 - Meeting the Family

Snow 

    It was interesting to watch how my so called mate reacted to me taking those rogues down.  I could tell he was impressed by the look of awe on his face, and he was even more awed after watching Dart retrieve my arrows for me.

    I was a little bit surprised by how easy it was to talk to Lance.  However, I was too nervous to even try talking to the other werecats with him.

    When we reached the tree where I had sat and watched him all those different times, I somehow found the courage to tell him about it.  He seemed sure that I had fixated on him, because of our mate bond, but I had no clue if that was why or not.

    I told Lance why I never tried to talk to him before, then he adamantly assured that me and my parents were always welcome on the Jungle Pack's territory.  After that, he invited me to move into the castle with him.  That completely threw me off.  I was not expecting him to make such an offer that soon.  

    After I warily mumbled, "I don't know.  I will have to discuss this with my parents.  You should probably do the same," he chuckled as he grabbed ahold of my hand and entwined our fingers.

    My first thought was to pull my hand away, but those mysterious sparks felt so amazing, I couldn't bring myself to do that.  It had been a long time since I held either of my parent's hands, but it didn't take me long to get the hang of it again.

    As we walked closer to the border, I felt my heartrate speed up.  My level of anxiety was also quickly rising.  I wasn't sure if I was truly ready for everything that was suddenly happening.  I honestly couldn't remember a time when I wasn't on the free territory.  

    Lance gave my hand a little squeeze for reassurance, then he stepped across the border.  I inhaled a deep breath of air, then I took my first step off the free territory onto the Jungle Pack's territory.

    Instantly, a fierce chill ran down my spine and made every hair on my arms stick up.  The sensation I felt after crossing the border was like nothing I could possibly describe.  It almost felt like there was something awakening within me.

    Lance must have noticed something was off, because he nervously asked, "Are you okay, Snow?"

    I glanced behind me at the free territory for just a second, then I met his eyes and timidly answered, "I think so.  I feel like something is happening, but I can't explain what."

    Out of nowhere, Lance wrapped his arms around me and mumbled by my ear, "Whatever it is, I am here with you.  I won't ever let anything bad happen to you."

    It felt oddly nice to be hugged by him.  After a few seconds, I wrapped my arms around his waist and returned the hug, as I shyly asked, "Promise?"

    Lance nuzzled his face against my neck and breathed in my scent, then he lifted his face and gazed straight in my eyes.  Again, there was an overwhelming amount of love swirling in his stunning tri-colored eyes, as he smiled and replied, "I promise, mate.  You have nothing to worry about here."

    I returned a shy smile and sheepishly admitted, "I like you, Lance.  You're sweet."

    "You haven't seen anything yet.  You are my princess and soon to be queen.  That means you will be treated like royalty moving forward.  I hope you are okay with that," he happily informed me.

    "To be honest, I don't know if I'm okay with that.  I don't know what it means to be treated like royalty," I hesitantly replied.

    Lance chuckled at me, then he proudly replied, "You will have everything you could possibly need.  Also, you will be treated with respect."

    "That doesn't sound so bad," I cheekily remarked with a smile.

    Lance tightened his arms around me for another second or two, then he released me from his hold.  After he dropped his arms from around me, he grabbed my hand and started walking again.

    I gazed around and admired the beautiful scenery in front of me.  The farther we got from the border, the more lush the jungle got.  Luckily, there were trails to walk along, or I would surely get lost walking around there by myself.

    The jungle was nothing like the forest on the free territory.  There were a lot of trees, but there was also a lot more ground plants.  However, these weren't like the briar bushes in the forest.  These plants had huge leaves that were my size and bigger.  Not to mention, the creatures inhabiting the jungle were a lot different from the creatures in the forest.

    Jazzy was still flanking my leg, but Dart had flown off my shoulder the second I crossed the border.  I had hoped he would stay with me, but I completely understood why he didn't.  The forest on the free territory was his home, and I couldn't fault him for wanting to stay there.

    Finally, after at least twenty minutes of walking, a huge castle came into my view.  It was hands down the largest structure I had ever laid eyes on.

    As we got closer to the castle, I admired how beautiful it was.  For the most part, it was all white with a few silver designs painted on it.  Also, there were several tall columns that looked like they were swirling.  The columns appeared to be holding the porch roof up high in the air.

    Looking at the front of the castle, I assumed there were several floors judging by the many excessively tall windows.  I could also see several balconies that had doors placed between the tall windows.  

    In addition to this magnificent castle standing before me, there was a large garden to the right of the castle with all kinds of exotic flowers.  I had always been a fan of flowers, so I made a mental note to check out that garden a little later.

    Lance led me up the stairs onto the porch, where I saw there were a lot of chairs scattered around for everybody to sit on.  The porch was very spacious with plenty of room for people walk around, and I could only imagine what the inside was going to be like.

    When Lance opened the front door, my eyes were met with a well lit entry room.  After we walked through it, we were in a large room that I assumed was built for having large parties.  

    To my left and right were flights of stairs that had intricate designs carved along the handrails.  Lance led me up the stairs to the left, then he led me down a hall.  

    Before I knew what was happening, Lance threw open a door and immediately pulled me into what appeared to be his family's living quarters.  A second later, he excitedly hollered, "Mum!  Dad!  I'm back with my mate."

    Within seconds, we were surrounded by a few different aged werecats.  There was a female who looked to be a few years younger than Lance.  Also, there was a male and female that were even younger and appeared to be twins.  

    Lance introduced me to his siblings, and they all seemed to be very excited to meet me.  They greeted me with enthusiasm, and there was no stopping the smile that stretched across my face.

    That definitely helped to ease some of my worries.  However, I was still feeling very anxious about meeting the King and Queen of werecats.

    After another minute or so, the most beautiful werecat I had ever seen came into my view.  She had the prettiest burgundy hair with orange streaks, and her eyes were also multicolored.  That seemed to be a trend with this family.  

    The beautiful werecat walked straight up to me and immediately engulfed me in a motherly hug, as she affectionately remarked, "You are a beauty!  How did my son get so lucky to have such a stunning mate?"

    "Her beauty is nothing compared to her remarkable skills," Lance proudly stated.

    "What skills?" she curiously asked.

    "Snow is a master at killing rogues on the free territory.  You should see her in action.  She has an owl that hoots when there's a rogue nearby.  After Snow takes the rogue down with a flaming arrow, there is this falcon that retrieves the arrow from the rogue and returns it to Snow.  It is hands down the coolest thing I have ever witnessed," he enthusiastically explained.

    "Really?  I've never heard of anything like that," she mumbled with the prettiest smile lighting up her face.

    "Anything like what?" I heard a deep voice ask.

    We all turned to see an attractive guy standing there.  Right away, I noticed the many similarities between Lance and the guy, so I assumed it was his dad.  

    After Lance went through the story again, he officially introduced me to his parents by proudly stating, "Mum, dad, this is my mate Snow.  Honey, this is my mum, Celeste, and my dad, Lance Sr."

    "Welcome to our home, Snow.  It's a pleasure to meet you," his dad greeted with an ear to ear smile plastered on his face.

    "This calls for a celebration dinner," his mum happily chirped, then she scurried off to the kitchen with his dad right behind her.

    While his parents cooked dinner, Lance gave me a tour of their living quarters.  After he showed me the main areas, he led me to his bedroom.  

    I was happy to see how nice everything looked.  His bed was huge with a thick, midnight blue comforter that matched the curtains covering the windows and a door that I assumed led to a balcony.  

    The carpet was also a midnight blue color, and the walls were painted a light pale blue color that contrasted well with the carpet.  Against one wall was a light blue loveseat, and there was a mahogany dresser against the opposite wall.  

    As I looked around, I noticed two other doors and immediately asked, "Where do those lead?"

    Lance walked over to the first one and opened it as he said, "This is the closet.  There is plenty of space in there for your clothes."  After that, he walked to the other door and opened it.

    My eyes were met with a bathroom that was bigger than my bedroom at home.  I followed Lance into the bathroom and gawked at the huge tub.  When he noticed what I was looking at, he curiously asked, "Do you prefer baths or showers?"

    "Either is fine with me," I shyly mumbled.

    Right away, he pointed to the corner and politely informed me, "There is a shower over there.  You are welcome to use either one whenever you want.  If there's a special soap or shampoo you prefer, just let me know.  We can easily get you whatever you like the best."

    I flashed him a little smile and replied, "Thanks, Lance.  I'll let you know if I need anything."

    He returned the smile, but he didn't say anything else.  I finished looking around at the bathroom, then I walked back into his bedroom and nervously asked, "What now?"

    Lance immediately grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the loveseat.  Once he reached it, he plopped down and patted the seat, as he cheerfully stated, "Sit with me.  I want to hear all about your life."

    I timidly sat down beside him, then Jazzy jumped in my lap, as I warily asked, "What do you want to know exactly?"

    "Everything, but we have the rest of our lives for that.  Why don't you start by telling me your full name?" he sheepishly asked.

    "Snow Angel Delaney," I quietly mumbled.

    "Did you say Snow Angel Delaney?" he asked with curiosity.  I nodded my head to confirm, then he sweetly murmured, "Snow Angel Delaney.  That is the perfect name for my perfect mate."

    Instantly, my body shivered in delight from the way my name rolled off his tongue the second time he said it.  My smile widened a little while I explained the story behind my name.  After that, we talked about how Jazzy became my pet, then his mum called us to the dinner table.