Chapter 27 Customs and Traditions

Customs and Traditions

Avalyn

"I'm sorry," Vanessa said sadly, her cute speech impediment showing. I'm sure she will grow out of soon.

"It's not your fault dear. I'm sorry, I should have talked to them first." I spoke softly. "I will talk to the next couple before anything happens. Your comfort is of utmost importance." I told them truthfully.

"Thank you," Adrian said, deep gratitude lacing his voice. Both of them were too mature for their age. I hated that they had to grow up so fast, they didn't get to be children first.

When we reached the house of the second couple, Nikolai decided to go in and talk to them first. He would inform me when he was done.

I turned around and looked at both of them. They felt familiar. I knew I hadn't seen or met them before but somehow, I felt connected to them.

'You can enter.' Nikolai mink-linked me.

'Okay.' I replied and got out of the car, the kids following suit. Both their hands grasped mine tightly before we entered through the door.

The couple—Shawn and Lauren bowed. "Good evening Luna." They greeted.

"Good evening, Shawn, Lauren." I greeted back. "I would like you both to meet the kids, Adrian and Vanessa," I said and kept my hands on both their shoulders.

Lauren's smile widened as she looked at them. "It is my absolute pleasure to meet both of you."

"So is ours," Adrian replied and smiled slightly.

We all sat down on the couch, the couple on one while Nikolai, Adrian, Vanessa, and I were on another. We were a bit squeezed but we didn't mind. We talked and asked them questions, in the hopes that while the kids didn't ask anything, they heard and learned more about them. Shawn was looking a bit worried at the lack of communication with him so he got up and smiled.

"Do you both want a tour around the house? I have a gaming room as well." He offered. The kids automatically looked up at me and I nodded, nudging them to go ahead. They got off the couch and nervously followed Shawn down the hall.

"In my opinion, they are doing fairly well." I comforted the nervous she-wolf.

"Really? They barely spoke a word." She replied.

"They just need some time." I smiled at her. Suddenly Nikolai got up and sped down the hall. I was hot on his heels.

We were in the backyard and Shawn was showing the pool to the twins. Adrian seemed interested but Vanessa turned back and ran to us, her little heart pounding wildly. She collided with Nikolai's body and curled her arms around his legs, holding on tight. Nikolai's eyes were wide and hands in the air, unsure what to do. She had not touched a single male yet and now she was hugging him. Slowly, he brought his arms around her and held her.

A smile lighted my lips when I saw them. I knew it bothered him greatly that the kids were not as close to him. He easily lifted Vanessa in arms, looking into her eyes.

"Did something happen?" He asked her softly. It was clear that he felt something for them.

She shook her head and leaned against his chest. I looked at Shawn to see him look at us with fear in his eyes. More like he was looking at Nikolai. Lauren was by his side as she held her mate's hand. Adrian was by our side in an instant.

"Thank you for your time. We will tell you the final decision soon." Nikolai said softly but they could clearly hear it because of the enhanced hearing. I held Adrian's hand and we walked out.

Nikolai placed Vanessa in the backseat and Adrian climbed in beside her. We got in the car and Nikolai started driving.

'What happened?' I asked Nikolai.

'I do not know. I just heard her heart beating alarmingly fast and just knew something was wrong.' He replied and his hands clenched around the steering wheel.

'Adrian would have acted differently if something must have happened to her.' I told him.

'Very true. But fear isn't caused only by our surroundings, Moya Lyubov. Our memories can do the same.' He said. It looked like he had experienced it. There was so much I didn't know about him. 'She must have seen or heard something to trigger it.'

My heart went out for the little girl. I remember there being a time when I used to fear everything, and I have come a long way now. All because of one person, who loves me unconditionally. I looked at Nikolai who was focused on driving, sensing me look at him, he turned his gaze towards me. "I love you." I smiled back.

"And I love you." He replied with a small smile on his face. He focused on his driving again as I went into deep thought.

There used to be a time when he hardly smiled. But he smiled much more frequently now. They made him look younger, more carefree. I realized that I smile much more often too. Did he notice that change too? I knew I had changed after the shift and the mating. I had become confident, stronger, and assertive. If the little make-out session in the parking lot was any indication, Nikolai loved this new me even more.

He pulled over at a quaint restaurant and all of us filled out. I had requested him to take the kids with us for dinner and he gladly accepted. We were quickly ushered in by one of the staff members and we gave them our orders as well.

"What would you two like to have?" I asked the kids. They just shrugged.

"Please get the same for them as well," I told the waiter. We had ordered spaghetti Bolognese and a filet mignon.

"Of course, thank you Alpha, Luna." The waiter bowed and left us alone.

"Did you like this couple?" I asked them.

"Yeah." They said in unison but Vanessa sounded unsure.

"What happened Vanessa?" It was Nikolai who asked this question.

"I saw someone." She whispered. A shudder ran through her little body.

"Whom?" Growled Nikolai. Vanessa flinched back a little as his voice and I placed a hand over Nikolai's bicep to calm him. He was already very protective of the kids.

"I don't know. But he was fa-Alpha's friend. He came to the pack." Vanessa said in a small voice and her brother looked at her questioningly. She glanced at him and it seemed like they were having an internal talk.

"Maybe that was before he left your pack and joined us. I assure you that no harm will come to any of you while you are here." Nikolai assured them. They looked unsure but nodded anyway.

The waiter arrived with our food and we talked with the kids about lighter topics. I did most of the talking and Nikolai threw in a few sentences here and there.

To end the dinner, I again asked the kids if they liked the couple and would want to stay with them.

They both looked at each other before Adrian looked at Nikolai in determination. "We like them but we like you both more."

Shock coursed through my body at what he was trying to tell us. He really wanted us to become their parents? I loved them both wholeheartedly but I don't think I could become a parent. Doubt slithered in my heart.

'Ava?'

'I'm not sure Nik.'

"It's time for you both to return back to the packhouse. There is some paperwork pending, we will come to pick you both up in two days." Nikolai informed them as he got up. We all followed his actions and left the restaurant.

The children's saddened expression hurt me. But I knew Nikolai made the decision after some thought. I trusted him.

We dropped off the kids at the pack house before we returned back to the estate.

"What's worrying you, Love?" Nikolai brought back my attention and placed one hand on my thigh while his other was on the steering wheel.

"They are good kids Nikolai. I -I feel connected to them." I whispered. "They don't deserve this."

His eyebrows rose an inch. "I thought it was just me. There is something about the familiar. Which pack are they from again?"

"Mystic Lupus Pack." I recollected. "The Alpha is Adri—oh." I breathed.

That was Nikolai's old pack. The Alpha was Nikolai's father. The pack which Nikolai left. The reason that was still a mystery to me. I don't know why I hadn't put two and two together.

His told on my thigh tightened. "Yes. My father." He snarled.

His eyes were turning black and the car speed increased drastically. I placed my hand on his and called my wolf forward, urging her to soothe him. Slowly, his eyes turned back to the grey color that I loved.

"You never told me what happened," I said softly.

"I don't like to talk about it." He clenched his jaw. He parked the car in its place and got out. He came over to my side and opened the door for me too. He held out his hand for me and I took it and jumped out.

"It's a touchy subject." He said softly.

I nodded. He would tell me at his own pace, I was not going to push him. We went up the stairs to see that everyone was gathered in the foyer.

"Thank god you're back." Natalia hugged me.

"Why are you carrying your bag? Are you leaving?" I asked her as I hugged her back. There were two bags in her hand and Mikhail had a couple in his hands too.

"Yup." She replied, not telling the exact details. "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it." She grinned.

"I doubt it. We'll miss you around here." I smiled at her.

"Of course you will." She winked and then hugged Nikolai too.

Mikhail came over to me and smiled. "Goodbye, Avalyn."

I hugged him too. "Take care, Mikhail." All of us had come close. We were a family now. All the men were like brothers to me. I would miss him.

They left quickly after that. They were delaying their departure just to bid goodbye to us.

"How are the kids?" Sofiya asked me as we walked towards our bedroom.

"They are great. I'm not sure if they actually like Lauren and Shawn though." I said worriedly.

"I'm sure they will overcome their fears. Lauren is a good wolf, I've known her for a while." She smiled reassuringly. "They just need to open up, which they will with time."

"I hope so," I replied before we parted ways. Or maybe we bring them here with us, they know us, they are comfortable with us, and are actually willing.

Nikolai was in the shower when I entered our bedroom. I quickly stripped and walked in. His back was to me as he stood under the shower. I smiled. I loved our shower time. I walked up to him and trailed my hand down his muscular back. His muscles bunched under my touch but he didn't move otherwise. I hugged him from behind and placed my palm over his heart.

My dear mate was troubled.

"How many more kids did he fucking torture Ava?" He whispered. The weight of the words felt heavy on his shoulders.

"What did he do to you?" I asked and placed my cheek against his back.

His muscles tensed further. "He made me train all day, punishing me when I fall weak in front of people who were more than twice my age."

Punished.

I closed my eyes. I remember the times I had asked him to punish me and I flinched. I had hurt him. I now understood why he loathed it when I said that. Why he wanted me to be normal. I was far better now than before but deep inside, I knew I still loved being dominated. I made a vow to never ask him that ever again. He would do as he deemed fit.

"I'm sorry."

Sorry, you had to go through it. Sorry, I asked you to punish me. Sorry to make you remember your past.

"It's not your fault." He replied and spun around and held me in his arms. "The world we live in, Ava, is not as pretty as you think. Punishing people, having pets is normal."

My chest tightened at his words. "But- you were so angry when you heard what Emilio did," I whispered.

"You are my mate, Love. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. What hurts you, hurts me too." He reasoned. For the first time, I didn't find it good enough.

"The other pets have mates too." I hated saying that word.

"They don't. The pets are humans. Humans have not mated Ava, not unless they are special at least. Werewolves take human pets to entertain themselves before they meet their mates or to do their personal work. It is more common in the Vampire world because they need to feed on blood. They can feed on normal humans too but it's too big of a risk, too many humans will die and the secret of our world will get out." I hated that it made sense.

"Vladimir is perfectly fine with Sofiya." There were no humans in our house...except the maids.

Maids.

Following every order, being scared of making a mistake...shit. How could have I been so naive?

"The maids are our human pets." He said exactly what I was thinking. "I had them remove their collars when I met you. I-I didn't want you to think ill of us, considering what you had been through."

"Violet— what happens when they make mistake?" I remembered what happened to me.

"Depends." He replied evasively.

"What happens, Nikolai?" I pressed and escaped his hold, I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling cold all of a sudden.

"We have strict rules regarding pets. All the supernaturals follow them, regardless of differences between races. They are a part of our— culture." He was still evading my question.

"Violet is dead. She was as good as dead the second she tripped you. She found this few found confidence after her collar was removed. I want you to know that since you know all of this now, I will have the pets wear their collars again."

I turned back and wrapped a towel around myself before walking out. I didn't want to be a part of all this. I couldn't believe he talked about all of this like it didn't bother him.

"Avalyn." He followed me and gripped my arm. "Don't pull away. You asked." He said forcefully.

"Papa didn't have pets! We had vampires in our pack too." I gritted, my eyes flashing as I wore my clothes, and walked out of the wardrobe.

"Think again, Avalyn. Maybe he didn't want his beloved daughter to think ill about him. How the hell did nobody in the entire packhouse tell you the truth about his death? Werewolves are loyal. At least one wolf would have told the Alpha's daughter how their Beta killed him." He snarled.

I flinched back at his words. I saw his expression falter for a split second before anger was back again. "You can't leave me! You bear my mark. You are bound to me forever now. You are born in this world. You cannot ridicule its culture."

"I'm not leaving you," I said, all the fight leaving me when I realized the source of his anger. He wasn't angry at me for not liking it, not too much at least. He was angry because he thought I was leaving him. "I'm angry because I was kept in the dark. I am angry because no one deserves to be a pet."

His eyes softened. "Not everyone is as cruel as Emilio. They face repercussions in the form of different punishments for their mistakes. It depends on the owner again. Not everyone punishes their pet just for fun." He cupped my cheek. I closed my eyes and controlled my tears. Not everyone meant that some still did.

"Have you— did you have ever have a pet?" I whispered.

"I was required to have one back at home. My pet took care of me and my wounds more than my father." He closed his eyes tightly at the memory. That was fine, I could live with that.

I tugged him to the bed. I lied down on the bed and he pulled me half on him. I laid my head on his broad chest and trailed random patterns over his abs. They tightened at my every touch, every stroke. I placed a kiss over his heart.

"I wish you would share your troubles with me Nik," I whispered before my eyes closed on their own accord and I fell asleep.