18. Twenty questions
2192 Words
Kara calls Mattias to meet her at Giovanni’s. They can talk there in private and she knows her shadow has another assignment, because Elio texted her before. He is turning out to be an ally. She wishes he gets the girl when all this ends, and she wonders who he’s dreaming of. Maybe she should ask and see if she can help him out? He deserves some help in return for all he does for them. She can give a tip to her mother about it, she is better in diplomacy and she loves solving intriguing puzzles.
She smiles as Mattias walks into the covered courtyard. It’s been cold lately and Giovanni uses the summer tarp to keep the sun out in the winter to keep the warmth of the gas lamp inside. She is not bothered by the cold, but for the few humans that frequent his restaurant, the terrace can get a bit too cold at this time of the year. That is why it’s nice and private here, the humans are all huddled inside by the four small tables.
“I’m glad you called.” Mattias smiles at her. He is slowly growing on her, even with her feelings securely locked away. He is a nice person, he doesn’t fake it, she can tell.
“I promised to give this a try. I have the questions, I only hope they are the right kind.” She smiles back at him.
“We’ll see. There is a way to bypass the Alpha command, I just can’t help you do it. I’m not sure I can give you pointers, my wolf is growling even as we speak.” Mattias nods.
“I understand. I think the best questions are the ones with yes and no answers.” Kara tells him.
“Fire away.” He smiles at her.
Giovanni brings them their pizza and wine, because she thought it best to have her favourite comfort food while they do this. If nothing else, food is the way to any wolf’s heart. Feed it and the animal will like you better. That’s from her experience, she has no idea what’s going on inside Mattias’ head right now. Does his wolf resent her? Does he even like her? Maybe she should start with that and build up to the things she has prepared?
“What does your wolf think about me? Does he even like me?” Kara blurts out before she can lose her nerve.
“Huh?” Mattias looks at her in wonder. He stalls his slice of pizza on the way to his mouth, and the image would be comical if she had the nerve to laugh.
“Does your wolf like me?” She repeats the question.
“Of course he does. He thinks you’re beautiful and worth fighting for. He thinks I’m lucky to have gotten you.” Mattias smiles at her.
“Good. Are you a fighter, by chance? What if my Uncle makes you fight for me? This is messing up his plans.” Kara inquires.
“I haven’t done much fighting to be honest. I know a few fighting techniques, but I have no practice. Never needed to fight.” He tells her.
“Neither did I. I thought our pack was one of the modern ones. We live in harmony and peace.” Kara smirks. “Uncle changed that. I have no idea why, except that he’s clearly crazy.”
“I wish I could tell you anything to make it better, but I have no idea how to even start. It’s a mess.” Mattias shrugs. She appreciates his honesty, it tells her a lot about his character.
“I know you’re not a lone wolf. Would you say your pack is big?” She begins with her questions.
“Yes.” He nods and winks at her.
“Is your Alpha a male?” She continues. Kara knows from her mother that is not the case with all Swiss packs.
“Yes.”
“Do you live by a lake?” That’s as general as it gets. Most packs live next to a lake, but she can eliminate the biggest two packs with this.
“Yes.”
“Is it in the mountains?” That would bring her closer, just a few like to be secluded.
“Yes.”
“More than one lake close by?” Down to one pack, if the answer is yes.
“Yes.”
“Interlaken?” She smiles.
“Yes. You’re good.” Mattias smiles as well. “Did your mother give you pointers?”
“She did.” Kara nods. “I have a fairly good idea where you come from. We don’t know much about Swiss packs, but this is a good one.”
“Yeah. It is.” He nods. “Is that all you have to ask?”
“Not by a long shot.” Kara laughs. “But I can make adjustments to my questions now.”
“You prepared well. I’m impressed. I wasn’t expecting questions like this, but you got the result faster. I have to say, I like you even more, now. Intelligent, as well as beautiful.” Mattias tells her.
“Why, thank you.” Kara laughs. She never gets many compliments, because she discourages people from talking with her at all.
“What next?” He inquires. He even has great table manners, she’s observing the way he holds himself while eating.
“Do you have siblings?” Kara moves on to the personal questions.
“A sister. You might like her.” He answers.
“You can tell me that? Nice!” She exclaims and moves on: “Are you close to your Alpha?”
“Yes.” He nods. No elaborating there, so she knows she’s in the danger zone. She needs to ask carefully or his wolf will shut the conversation down.
“I think I have a fairly good idea who you are. Just by observing you. The way you sit, the way you eat and drink. Your manners are your tell-tale sign.” Kara bites her lip. No to seduce him, but to stall herself from blurting out what she thinks.
“Tell me.” Mattias orders. Just the tone of his voice has changed and it’s an order, not a request. She is not his subject, so she’s not forced to obey. Getting to see this side of him, is just another confirmation of her suspicion.
“Yes, your highness.” She smiles. “Do you even use the titles any more? Do your pack members call you Prince Mattias?”
“No.” He laughs. “You got everything right. My father would be proud, but I have no idea when you two will meet.”
“Why didn’t I see the connection? You just shortened your last name. You didn’t change that much.” Kara looks at him.
“The most common and obvious thing is usually the best cover. If it doesn’t sound weird, no one will question it. For an arts dealer, Mattias Zimmer sounds a lot better and less complicated. Don’t you think so?” He responds to her.
“Yes. Prince Maximilian Mattias von Zimmerle would turn more heads. Maybe intimidate people? And it would be awkward, because people wouldn’t know how to act around you.” Kara nods. She does understand him.
“You do understand. How?” He inquires.
“I met Ty. He is Vesna’s mate. I don’t know if you met Vesna? She is Veles’ sister and Devana’s cousin. Things get awkward around him very fast once people learn who he really is.” Kara explains.
“Never met either of them.” He shakes his head. “So? Who is he?”
“Ty? I guess it doesn’t hurt if you know his name.” Kara shrugs. She is not letting any secrets out with names, but she can’t tell what kind of a shifter Ty is. “Tyberius Vincenzo Castellano, Duke of Castelletto.”
“Uh. Sounds like a mouthful. It must be difficult to be him.” Mattias smiles. “I can relate. School was a nightmare! Even when I attended the best boarding school in Zurich. Some names just stand out too much.”
“Since we’re playing the twenty questions game, do you want to know anything about me?” Kara offers him.
“It would be nice. Are you volunteering information? May I ask personal questions?” Mattias winks at her. Is he flirting with her?
“I am. You can ask me anything you like.” She nods.
“Do you have more than one brother?” He starts.
“Yes. Massimo is older than me, he doesn’t live at home any more.” Kara answers. “And you met Teo already.”
“I liked Teo. The kid will go places.” Mattias smiles. He is looking at her and she can swear his eyes have changed colour. Is his wolf close to the surface? Is the animal intrigued or angry that she figured him out?
“Did you always want to be a pastry Chef? Or was that something you fell into because of the family business?” Mattias breaks the silence that her staring created.
“I wanted to be a painter, but I worked with sweets since I was eight. Mom said I’m a natural, so she let me do what I wanted in the kitchen. I “graduated” to pastry Chef at Rialto five years ago.” Kara explains.
“You didn’t go to culinary school?” Mattias gapes and she laughs at the surprised look on his face.
“No. I have a masters degree in modern art. Maybe that’s why my cakes look like sculptures? I don’t know what influences me when I create. That is the same with painting and baking.” She tells him.
“I don’t care what motivates you, as long as you don’t stop being you.” He smiles at her.
The time that they spend together is like a blink of an eye, but she notices it’s close to midnight and she would hate to cause trouble for Giovanni. The guy works all day, he deserves to sleep. And she knows he is too polite to throw them out. If they didn’t have to go through the restaurant to get out of the garden, he would probably lock up and worry about the glasses and bottle tomorrow.
“Let’s get out of here.” She nudges Mattias gently. “I’m sure Giovanni would appreciate getting some sleep.”
“What time is it? It feels like we just got here.” He wonders.
“Close to midnight.” Kara smiles. “I’m sleepy too, now that I think about it.”
“Will you have time tomorrow? I have to tell you that my father is pressing me to come home. I got a reprieve, but I don’t know when his patience will run out.” He tells her.
“Did you tell him about me? Is that what got you a reprieve?” Kara smiles.
“Yes. But I got no help. His exact words: Succeed or fail on your own.” He chuckles.
“Ugh! Fathers! Mine vanished on us when Teo was four. Good riddance!” Kara exclaims.
“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine bailing on my family, yet alone my children.” He shudders.
She knows he means it. Sometime tonight her feelings came online. She feels everything right now. She felt safe with him in their little bubble in Giovanni’s garden terrace. That is a great thing. Her wolf likes him, she likes him and she can relax with him around. The only other person is her mother. Fate really knows what it’s doing. Or whoever is responsible for fated mates. This alone is a sensation worth fighting for.
‘Bailing on your family? On your pack?’ Her wolf inserts.
‘Moving to a new family. To our mate. Isn’t he the important one? The other part of our soul?’ Kara wonders.
‘Well? When you put it that way…’ Her wolf responds.
‘We’ll see. But the idea is appealing.’ Kara smiles.
‘His pack sounds better than ours.’ The wolf says all of a sudden.
‘That too. I mean, who would want to join our pack? What sane person?’ Kara asks.
‘That’s debatable. Elio is turning out quite fine.’ The wolf scoffs.
“So we fight for our bond?” Kara asks before he leaves.
“Yes. Your pack might be messed up, but you are worth it.” Mattias nods to her.
“Devana told you about Alessio and Grazia?” She inquires.
“She did. It’s crazy. Hope it doesn’t come to that, but if it does? I’ll fight for you.” He smiles at her. A gentle kiss is all they can afford, because she hears footsteps approaching. Better not get caught. They need a firm plan of action before they make a case to her Uncle.
- Writer
