Their Mate And Luna

CHAPTER 19

THE HOSTILE FAMILY 1

"Lisa, where's Nicole? I haven't seen her in a while," Alpha Drake asked the head maid as she placed the bowl of salad on the dinner table for him and Malia.

"Mabel called to say that Nicole's at the hospital," Lisa answered in a somber tone.

"What?"

"Since when?" Luna Malia asked, exchanging worried glances with her mate. The last time she checked she thought they were all part of one close and big family.

"Weeks now, Luna," Lisa supplied, her own confusion mirroring that of the two people with her. She too wondered why Mabel hadn't informed the couple of Nicole's condition. Considering how they love that girl like she was theirs.

"What!?" Alpha Drake rose slowly from his seat, dropped his fork and immediately reached out to his Beta through the link. “They’re at home. Let’s go,” he said to his mate, who abandoned her fork also and followed him out of the dining room. “Tell the boys where we’ve gone,” he instructed Lisa as they left the table.

The ride to meet Mabel and Oscar’s house was tense and silent. Emotions swirled between Alpha Drake and Luna Malia as they processed the shocking news. The one question on their minds was clear: why hadn't their friends trusted them enough to confide in them about Nicole's condition? Why all the secrecy?

"Can you think of anything we did that could have made them do this?" Alpha Drake sked his mate over their mindlink, hurt and confusion evident in his voice.

"I don't think there's anything we’ve done, Drake. Only they can tell us why they’ve kept this from us," she replied him, her voice also filled with hurt and confusion.

When they pulled outside the house of their friends' house, the couple were already outside waiting for them.

Drake could sense the hostility coming from Oscar and his mate. It was faint but enough for his wolf, Tiger, to growl. He shared this with Malia through their link, and she confirmed she felt the same.

"Hope all is well, Alpha? Luna?" Oscar asked, attempting to put on a friendly façade, though his eyes betrayed the unease he felt.

Malia mindlinked her mate, questioning the sudden formality. "When did he start calling us that in an informal gathering?"

Drake attempted to ease the tension with a light-hearted comment as they entered the living room. "Can't I come visit my friend and Beta to have dinner with his family?" he joked, but the weight of the situation hung heavily in the air. The silence in the house only heightened their suspicion that something was being concealed.

"You could have given me a heads up, Luna. I would have prepared." Mabel tried to keep the façade, making up an excuse to reduce suspicion.

"Why would I when you're the best caterer in the whole pack. Anything you scrunch up is just fine," Drake joked further, noticing the subtle exchange of glances between the mates. His wolf, Tiger, was tired of the pretense and needed answers fast. But he heard his mate's plea in the link, asking that they wait some more.

"We actually just pushed our dinner away, thinking it's been a while since we've hung out together as a family." Malia emphasized the ‘family’. "Hence, why we are here."

"Also, I heard you went to visit your folks at your former pack. How are they?" Drake went on, relaxing into the chair he was sitting on. "Did Nicole find her mate there?"

“What?” Oscar frown deepened. “Who told you that?”

"We saw Tim this afternoon. You forgot to mention that?" Luna Malia interjected, her eyes locked onto Oscar.

"I…we..." Oscar stammered, casting a quick uncertain glance at Mabel. “I guess it slipped my mind. It wasn’t a long visit…”

The hostility and lies were becoming increasingly unbearable for Drake's wolf. He wanted to demand an immediate explanation for the deceptions and the hidden truth, but he continued to maintain a facade of calm.

Malia pressed further, "How about the girls, Savvy and Nicole?" She observed how the couple seemed to freeze, their unease growing more apparent. "They don't seem to be at home. Nicole hasn't been coming to the house, and Lisa mentioned she hasn't been coming to work for a while now."

Oscar and Mabel exchanged another uneasy glance, struggling to come up with an explanation. Oscar stammered, "Well…uhmm…the girls are fine. They're out on a girl's night out with friends."

Drake, now taking on a more authoritative tone as an Alpha, cut to the chase. "Then why did Lisa say Mabel told her Nicole's sick and at the hospital?"

Mabel jumped in to answer, her words stuttering, "We... she... there was..."

"I will use my alpha tone if I have to, Mabel. This is my pack, and everyone under my rule is my responsibility," Drake warned, his voice carrying the weight of his authority.

Mabel sighed deeply, shoulders slumping as she felt the immense burden of the secret pressing down on her. "It's true, she's at the hospital," she finally admitted, her mate offering his support by rubbing her back.

Drake rose from his seat, followed by Malia, as he demanded an explanation. "And I wasn't informed because?"

"She asked us not to tell anyone before..." Mabel hesistated, realizing she was about to divulge the truth.

Malia, with her gentle touch and supportive presence, encouraged her to continue. "Please, continue, Mabel."

Overwhelmed by the weight of the secret she had been carrying, Mabel broke into tears. She was relieved that the truth was finally going to come out. "You can tell them everything, love," Oscar encouraged her, his deep voice filled with concern and support.

Mabel nodded at his words and requested that they all sit down. Once seated, she began to recount everything that had transpired, leaving out only the names of the two individuals involved.

Drake, unable to contain his anger, roared as he flew out of his chair. "I want a name, Mabel! Give me a bloody name!"