What She Deserved

CHAPTER THREE

CALLIE

Time flies by when you’re having fun. We spent a lot of time racing to the top of each rock wall, seeing who could get more wins by the end of the day.

By the time we walked out of the establishment, it was starting to get dark out. The air was a bit cold and I was glad I had brought a sweater.

“How about that dinner now?” Xander suggested and my eyes lit up.

I had been snacking on some Nerds, but I needed real food. “Yes! I am starving,” I said, and as if on cue, my stomach began to growl. I blushed and looked away.

Xander laughed and pulled me closer to him. “Let’s get you some food before you decide you’re too hungry and end up eating me.” I gently shoved him, and his laugh only got louder.

We reached his black challenger that I had grown to love, and he opened the door for me. “Such a gentleman,” I whispered and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. He smiled back at me and I got in.

Soon, we were back on the road. “So, what are you craving?” he asked me without taking his eyes off the road but taking my hand in his free hand.

“Hmmm, I don’t know. I think I want a cheeseburger but from a diner or something like that. How about you?” I asked as I turned to him.

This time, he did turn to look at me and I could read the amusement clear on his face. “Alright. Well, I could go with a cheeseburger as well. Maybe a milkshake too and a slice of cake.”

I laughed, “you read my thoughts. That’s why I love you so much.”

“Only because of that?” he teased, and I chuckled as I shook my head.

“No silly, there are many more reasons,” I said seriously and placed a kiss on the back of his hand.

We drove in silence the rest of the way, I didn’t mind, I enjoyed our moments like these. They were peaceful and I could focus on the feeling of the sparks between us. It was a moment I pictured in my mind for many years to come.

…

When we got to the diner, there were humans around our age talking outside, laughing, and joking around. The neon lights from the restaurant were almost too bright to look at but it was perfect.

Xander got out of the car first and made sure to lock the doors after him. That way he made sure I let him open the door for me.

“My Queen,” he said as he opened the door and held out his hand for me.

I laughed and shook my head, “Is that really necessary?” I asked referring to locking me inside his car.

Xander smiled, “very.” And then he wrapped his strong arm around me and led me inside.

Inside it was what you expected to find in a 60’s diner. The booths were covered in red vinyl and vintage pictures were hanging on the walls. There was even a jukebox at the back of the diner. And it was full. There were loud noises coming from every corner of the building, it was almost too much for my ears.

“I have an idea. Let’s order to-go,” I said as I turned to Xander. He seemed pleased by my suggestion as he led us to the bar where there was a waiter behind it, drying glasses.

“Good afternoon, what can I get you?” he asked nicely. His smile illuminated the room and his kind, mature eyes held nothing but happiness. From his nametag, I read his name, Henry. He was a short man and his hair was mostly white now, but he kept on working.

“Good afternoon, Henry. I’d like a double bacon cheeseburger with chili fries and a bacon cheeseburger with waffle fries with cheese on the side. As well as a chocolate milkshake and an Oreo milkshake,” Xander said and it warmed my heart he knew me so well he knew what I would order.

“Anything else?” Henry asked as he scribbled our order on his notepad.

Xander turned to me, “what do you want for dessert?”

I looked over all the options and instantly knew what to order. “We’ll have that last slice of turtle cheesecake you have there,” I said as I pointed to the glass container. It was Xander’s and my favorite dessert.

“Will that be to eat here or to-go?” the waiter asked.

“To-go,” both Xander and I said in unison.

Henry smiled and nodded as he rushed to grab the cake before anyone else got to it.

Xander and I sat on the black stools as we waited for our order.

“How did you know about this place? Or was it just a lucky guess?” I asked as I admired all the photos and posters on the walls. There were lots of colors everywhere.

“My mother’s mother used to bring me here when I was little,” he said casually. I turned to look at him, but he seemed lost in his memories. It surprised me he talked about his grandmother; he didn’t usually talk about them. It wasn’t something he liked to talk about, not after how his parents had died along with another woman he was supposed to marry.

I knew of some of his most treasured memories but there was still a lot about his family tree I didn’t know about, besides his aunt and small cousins, I didn’t know much about his family. I just assumed he would talk about them occasionally like today.

“Your grandma had good taste,” I said, trying to sound cheerful. Xander chuckled and nodded his head.

“She did… she does,” he whispered, and I froze. His grandmother was still alive? I tried to recall a memory in which I had met her, but I was pretty certain his grandmother didn’t live in the mansion, I wouldn’t forget something like that.

“Your grandmother?” was all I managed to say. He looked at me in confusion and before I could respond, Henry appeared behind us carrying a bag with our order in it.

“Order up! You kids have fun tonight, it will be a pretty night. Just be safe,” he said cheerfully, and we nodded our heads.

“Thank you, Henry!” I called back as I waved at him goodbye.

Xander opened the door for me at the restaurant and then again in his car. He placed the food on the backseat and then got in. There was a silence between us but this time, I was intrigued.

“How come you never mentioned your grandmother is alive? Was she at the wedding?” I asked in disbelief.

Xander didn’t say anything at first. He backed the car out of the parking lot and began heading in the direction that led us home. “Yes, my grandmother Lucy, is alive. And no, she didn’t come to the wedding.” His tone was hard, and I saw how his knuckles tightened around the wheel.

I froze, had I touched an uncomfortable subject?

“I’m sorry if I sound mad, it’s just not something I like to talk about. She left the werewolf ways soon after my mother died, she didn’t say anything she was just… gone,” I could hear the pain in his voice and I grabbed his hand between mine, gently running my finger across the back of his hand.

“I understand. I just never imagined she was alive. I mean, I know werewolves can live over a century but since I never met her, I assumed all the family you had left was your aunt and her family,” I said softly.

He nodded his head in understanding, “yes, well, my grandma left to live a different life, a human life. She isn’t involved in any pack business anymore. Partly because my great-grandmother and my mother died one soon after the other. It was too much for her and I don’t blame her. My grandfather tried to persuade her to stay, for me, to help me lead just like she had done before, but it was pointless. My grandmother doesn’t change her mind after it’s been set.”

“Wow, I can’t even begin to imagine,” and I really couldn’t. All my grandparents were dead, all the family I had left was my parents and my brother.

Xander didn’t say anything more and I didn’t ask. He needed space to clear his mind.

“Should we go to the lake where we had our first date or how about the forest behind the mansion?” he suggested a couple of miles later.

“Neither. How about your mother’s garden? It’s been a while since I’ve been there,” I said, trailing off into a whisper.

“The garden it is,” Xander said and I could hear a slight smile in his voice.

It was dark by the time we got to the mansion. Most of the pack was in the backyard, I could hear the children playing from the car.

We got out of the car and silently tiptoed inside. We didn’t want to be interrupted by anyone, not tonight.

“It feels odd to be sneaking into your own home,” Xander said with a chuckle.

“Shhh, they could hear us,” I whispered while looking at our surroundings.

Xander laughed but quickly covered his mouth, “Love, we have some of the best trackers in the world, I think they already heard us.”

I didn’t respond, he was right, but I liked to play along.

Thankfully, we didn’t run into anybody on our way to the garden and once we were outside, I let out a deep breath and smiled. “That was fun.”

Xander walked closer to me and kissed my lips softly, “I like seeing you happy.”

I blushed, “Xander, I am always happy.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he smiled endearingly, “I know but I mean like this; carefree, relaxed and excited.”

I stood on my tiptoes so that I could reach his lips. We kissed softly for a moment, forgetting about everything around us. It was just us two.

The sudden growling of my stomach made me jump away. My mate was laughing wholeheartedly, and he raised the bag of food in his hand. “Let’s eat.”

Normally, Xander and I would eat dinner with the rest of the pack, on rare occasions, I ate alone in my office and so did he and it was even rarer to eat dinner just us two. I had missed it.

We sat down on a small, green garden table. Xander sat in front of me and he made sure to push my chair in before taking a seat. The metal of the chairs was cold, but I was too hungry to complain.

I devoured my food, Xander knew who I was, and I had no shame in being myself in front of him, besides, he found it cute. I let out a moan as I dipped a waffle fry in cheese and placed it in my mouth. “This is delicious. I have been craving waffle fries for a week.”

When I felt Xander's unmoving gaze on me I turned to look at him, “Is something wrong?”

He shook his head, “everything is perfect. I just like watching you.” I made a funny face and he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Like that too.”

“Oh, I forgot to mention it. Do you remember Zoey? The pack member who left a couple of weeks after we came back?” I said as I wiped my hands in my napkin and set my trash aside.

Xander nodded, “yes, what about her?”

“Well, apparently she’s the manager of the Spa you guys took us to,” I said with a shrug.

Xander stopped eating and pondered my comment. “I thought she left to go find her mate.”

“We thought so too but we didn’t get around to ask her. Do you think she’s okay? I mean, she’s all alone, we’re the nearest pack to the city,” I said thoughtfully.

Xander sighed, “I’ll go talk to her soon, it’s important to know of her plans. But maybe she just wants to lead a normal human life.” I knew he was remembering what he told me about his grandmother, and I didn’t say anything else about the subject.

“Were you and Evan talking about Rose earlier?” I asked after a couple of moments of silence.

Xander eyed me cautiously. “Why do you ask?”

I shrugged, “just… a feeling. She’s one of my best friends Xander and she’s important to this pack, I think I should know if something’s going on.”

He nodded his head and sighed, “I know, love, but it’s not what you think. Evan didn’t tell me anything, he just said Rose was going through a hard time and I urged him to take her to the pack doctor. She’s getting thinner every day and her exhaustion is obvious.”

So, I wasn’t the only one who noticed, I thought to myself.

“We should give them space, Rose will come around on her own,” Xander said but even as he said it, I could tell it was what Evan had told him a couple of hours ago.

I opened my mouth to say something else and Xander shook his head. “Let it go, my Luna. You’ll only worry yourself more by going around it in circles in your head.”

He has a point, my wolf said nonchalantly, and I rolled my eyes in my head.

Oh, so now you decide to show up, my wolf huffed and retreated back into my mind.

I took Xander’s hands in mine, “you’re right. We should focus on today, our special day.” I grabbed the cheesecake from the bag and pulled out two forks. Xander smiled fondly and started to take a bite.

“I can’t believe it’s been a year, Xander. It feels like so long ago. And, as I look back at it now, I can’t believe you saved me. You changed my life,” I was staring deeply into his eyes, getting lost in them, in him.

“You change my life as well, Callie. I never imagined I would have another mate,” he confessed.

I nodded in understanding, “me neither and yet, here we are and I am happier than I have ever been, even with all the complications and with our duties, this is where I belong, with you.”

He smiled, “I am honored to be your husband, your equal.”

I blushed and soon, the cheesecake was gone and Xander and I seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Without a word, we took the trash and put it in the bag, I held grabbed it while Xander took my hand and led me back inside.

Anxiousness and anticipation filled me as we rushed up the steps, this time we didn’t care about the sound of our footsteps. I was laughing the whole way to our bedroom and my wolf was rumbling with excitement, she wanted to be the one running.

Our hardwood brown doors came to view, and my heart began to race. We rushed inside and I set the bag in the trashcan while Xander turned on the lights and then dimmed them so there was only a soft hue of light around us.

Xander gently took me in his arms and laid me down on the bed. His eyes never left mine. I leaned closer to him and kissed his lips softly and his grip on my waist tightened and our bodies pressed together in unison. The kiss deepened and slowly, I placed my hands under his shirt, his soft, warm skin called to me and I wanted to freeze this moment forever.

“I love you with all my heart, my King,” I said through the mate bond. His body shivered under my touch and his hands began to caress my body. His touch was soft and gentle, sending shivers down my spine, making me moan.

“I love you Callie, my Queen. I am forever yours,” he whispered back, and my heart melted. There was only fire between us and our love for each other filled the room.

As our clothes ended up on the floor, our hearts synchronized as one. Our souls were merging into one. And this time, nobody interrupted us.