Mated To The Lycan Queen

"LIZZIE, OVER HERE!" she heard her aunt's voice calling. As she turned to the side, she noticed her aunt, Kate, waving energetically to catch her attention. Lizzie smiled warmly and made her way over. Moving cautiously, Lizzie was acutely aware of the many eyes on her at the station. The town Kate had moved to was predominantly a werewolf community, with very few humans who were aware of their supernatural neighbors. Two packs resided on opposite sides of the town. Lizzie knew that his pack often roamed freely here, making it quite the intriguing environment for a wolf shifter like herself. "Aunt Kate," Lizzie greeted her with a grin, stepping closer. Her aunt's expression shifted at the name, reflecting her distaste for being called 'Aunt.' "Lizzie, you know how much I dislike that word," Kate responded, though Lizzie sensed her underlying happiness at seeing her. "Apologies, Kate," Lizzie replied, hugging her aunt. "How was your journey?" Kate asked, taking Lizzie's bag as she pulled her suitcase behind them toward the exit. "It was okay. I flew in first, then took a bus for the last twelve hours. There were stops along the way to stretch, but I'm used to it and double-checked that no one was tailing me," Lizzie responded. She noticed the bus driver exchanging keys with another driver, both casting glances her way. She sighed, feeling the weight of their stares. "If one more person keeps staring, I swear I'll show them a piece of my mind," Pam, her wolf counterpart, grumbled in her head. Lizzie's mother was a shifter, as were Alicia and Kate. "Why is everyone staring at me?" Lizzie whispered uneasily, sensing Pam becoming more alert. Kate scanned the area, then smirked. "Well, it's not every day a stunning young woman enters town." Lizzie laughed, "Surely, there are others here. But seriously, you get what I mean." Her eyes caught two old women staring. When Lizzie looked back, someone seemed to be communicating silently. "Probably alerting their Alpha that someone new is here," Pam speculated, reclining in Lizzie's mind with a yawn. Kate leaned in. "You should be careful when Pam emerges; your eyes change color slightly," she whispered discreetly. "We'll discuss more in the car," she added, leading Lizzie to the parking lot. They headed to Kate's modest Honda when a BMW abruptly pulled up, blocking it. Kate sighed, eyeing the luxurious car. "One Alpha too many. Be polite, Lizzie," she murmured through gritted teeth as a man emerged from the vehicle, accompanied by two young men around Lizzie's age. One of them approached, his scent familiar. Recognition sparked, eliciting a low growl from Lizzie. She knew that scent. Although not her father, the man carried a similar essence. He must be his son—perhaps a brother Lizzie had yet to meet. "You must be Kate's niece, Lizzie. I'm Dave, Beta of the Midnight Pack, and this is Paolo, our Gamma. We wanted to introduce ourselves," Dave stated formally. Lizzie regarded him with disinterest, questioning why the Alpha hadn't bothered to acknowledge her. "Yes, that's me. Could you please move your car so we can leave?" she retorted sharply. Kate looked tempted to reprimand Lizzie but controlled herself. "LIZZIE," she scolded lightly. "Sorry, we didn't realize it was your car," Dave lied, given Kate had resided in town for months. "John, please move the car." John, the driver, complied, parking in a space opposite Kate's Honda. "Is that better?" he asked with a forced smile. "Suppose so," Lizzie replied curtly. "Kate, can we go, please? I'm exhausted," she feigned a yawn, seeing through the ruse. Kate chuckled, handling Lizzie's luggage. "Yes, anything else, Beta and Gamma?" she asked, placing Lizzie's bags in the car. Paolo seemed momentarily distracted, possibly mind-linking someone. Pam observed with bemusement from within Lizzie's mind. After a pause, Dave addressed Lizzie. "Actually, one more thing. We'll be at the cafe later for cakes we ordered for the ceremony." "No problem, they'll be ready for pick-up. Hope the new Alpha's party is successful," Kate replied. "Oh, it will," Dave assured with an overly confident smile that made Lizzie shudder at its implications. "We invite you both," he added suddenly. Kate glanced back at the young men with a measured look. "I don't think that's possible. Lizzie needs to recover from her long journey," she explained, her voice edged with a knowing frustration. The thought of who might attend the gathering made her insides clench. "The invitation stands," Dave, the Beta, responded politely. Paolo, the Gamma, looked at Lizzie with a tentative expression. "You should really consider visiting the pack house..." he began, but Lizzie interrupted him. "Absolutely not. You both surely know my father is part of your pack. I refuse, or rather will never, set foot in your pack house. Why don't you both carry on with your business before I ruin your shoes?" she retorted sharply as she moved toward the car. Before settling into the driver's seat, she turned, offering one last biting remark, "And do send my regards to my father. It's been a decade since he last cared to see me. Enjoy your party, but stay away from me." She climbed into the vehicle, slamming the door decisively. "Stupid wolves," she muttered, her voice barely audible. Seated in the car, Lizzie watched from the window as her words left the trio momentarily speechless. Her heart simmered with resentment; she had no desire to face the man who had deserted her. "I'm sorry about Lizzie," Kate said apologetically as she approached the car and opened the door. Dave, having regained his composure, attempted a conciliatory smile. "We mean no harm," he assured them both. The three young men turned and walked away, retreating to the direction from which they had come. Lizzie and Kate watched their departure. "Stupid wolves," Lizzie muttered again under her breath. "Lizzie, you need to control your temper and watch what you say," Kate advised as she started the car engine. They exited the parking lot, merging onto a straight road and driving in silence. "Kate, why did you want me here?" Lizzie eventually asked, the silence in the car becoming too heavy to bear. Kate sighed deeply, "I wanted to see you. You're my niece." Lizzie eyed her aunt, sensing something unsaid lingering beneath the surface. "And there's more to it, isn't there?" Lizzie pressed further. After a brief pause, Kate continued, "Your father came to the cafe a few weeks ago. Someone in his pack mentioned I was here. He wanted to know how you were and if you'd be returning to live here." She glanced over at Lizzie, her expression softening. "He wants to get to know you, Lizzie." Lizzie chuckled softly. "Yeah, right. He hasn't shown any interest in the past ten years, so why now?" she wondered aloud. Kate shrugged, her expression reflecting shared resentment. "I don't know. I understand your anger toward him for what he did to your mom and everything else that followed. I hate him too for abandoning you both. But he seemed genuinely torn when I told him you'd probably never want to see him again." Lizzie stared ahead silently, knowing Kate would respect whatever decision she made about seeing him. The man had left her, and she couldn't fathom facing him now. "You don't know the whole story about why he left, Lizzie," Kate remarked gently. Lizzie's face remained expressionless as she silently reflected on the truth she believed she knew. The real problem with that statement was that she remembered clearly why he left; perhaps Kate wasn't aware Lizzie knew or had been misled by whatever stories he told. "Who's this new Alpha anyway? And why are they throwing a welcome-home party for him?" she asked, eager to steer the conversation elsewhere. Kate glanced at her briefly before refocusing on the road. "His name is Drake. He's the Alpha's son. He's been training in neighboring packs for the past few months." She paused. "He used to come into the café every day before he left. You'll probably see him around soon." The thought of encountering any Alpha or wolves made Lizzie uneasy, and she promptly dropped the subject, turning her gaze out the window. This small town was surrounded by an expansive forest, with houses nestled closely together—a convenient setup for those who needed to shift and run into the woods at a moment's notice. "We need to go for a run later. I need it," Pam, her wolf, suggested, feeling neglected from the recent months of travel without any form of release. As Kate parked in her driveway, the familiar sight of the house stirred memories that Lizzie tried to suppress. Quickly shaking off the nostalgia, she got out of the car, moving toward the trunk to retrieve her suitcase, as Kate collected her bag from the backseat. Suddenly, Lizzie felt a pair of eyes on her. "Pam, do you sense someone behind us?" she asked her wolf without looking back.