Introspect [The Mating Games #3]

WENDELL ZERONE

It was his favourite time of year. Luna New Year.

Not just because of all the presents and family time, but due to the overall blissful ambience that enveloped them all at this specific time of year every year. Except this time, it was so much more special.

It would be his first Luna New Year with his mate, and also the first time that he would introduce Troy to his family.

“Mum, dad,” Wendell turned to both his parents, the three of them enjoying a cup of hot cocoa in front of the fireplace. “There’s someone that I want you to meet.”

“Who is it?” his mother asked, her eyebrows furrowing together in the middle

“You’ll see soon enough,” he grinned as he jumped up to his feet, rushing over to the door where he knew Troy had arrived behind.

Wendell was nervous but his excitement triumphed. This would be the first time that his mate and family would meet – sans his brothers as they had left after dinner to wreak havoc somewhere.

“Ready?” Wendell murmured to his mate in question, his smile beginning to wobble slightly at the corners.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Troy exhaled, walking through the door that Wendell held open for him.

Reaching out to give his mate a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, Wendell inhaled sharply before turning around to face his parents. The both of them stared at the two males between them, glancing curiously between them.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend, Wendell?” his mother called out to him, taking another sip of her cocoa.

“Right, sorry,” Wendell chuckled nervous as he walked further into the room, reaching over to take Troy’s hand in his. “Mum, dad, this is Troy. He’s the Beta of the Blood Rose pack in England but now, it appears that he’s the Royal Beta.”

“What are you talking about, son?” his father frowned, seemingly misunderstanding what Wendell had just said. “And why are you holding Troy’s hand? Surely he can’t be that nervous to meet us.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr and Mrs Zerone,” Troy stepped forward to greet his mate’s parents, holding his hand out in. When neither of them moved to take it, his smile dimmed slightly as he dropped it back to his side. Stepping back, he returned to his previous spot next to Wendell who watched the whole exchange, or lack thereof, with a displeased expression on his face.

“I would say likewise but I’m not quite sure who I’m supposed to be meeting here,” his mother frowned before turning her attention to Wendell. “What’s going on here, Wendell? I thought you were going to introduce your mate to us.”

At that, Wendell and Troy turned to glance at each other, sharing an unsure look. Perhaps Troy hadn’t understood before but this was the exact thing that Wendell had been worried about in the first place.

“I don’t think you quite understand,” Wendell cleared his throat uncomfortably. “This is my mate, Troy Christian of the Blood Rose pack.”

“I don’t think so,” his father snorted and shook his head, as if there was something to deny in this situation.

“What?” he couldn’t help but question, his lips parted in surprise. “What do you mean you don’t think so, dad?”

“Your mate isn’t a man.”

“He is,” he continued to insist, unable to believe that this was actually happening even though this was the exact thing that he had feared. That he had been hesitation about in the first place and warned Troy of.

“This must be some sick joke,” his mother tutted from behind her mate. “Wendell, can you please stop messing about and introduce us to your real mate? Where is she?”

“There is no she, mum,” Wendell couldn’t help but growl despite speaking to his mother; something that he would have usually felt guilty over. But not this time. “Troy is my mate and that’s that. It’s not something up for discussion and it’s definitely not something that you can change or disagree with, so let’s move past this before things get out of hand.”

Things were out of hand already but Wendell didn’t need to say that aloud for everyone knew it already.

“This is definitely something that I disagree with,” his father growled, pushing back on the armrests of the sofa as he stood up.

“Wendell, maybe I should leave for now,” Troy murmured in a quiet voice from behind him, clearly trying to diffuse the tense atmosphere. But that didn’t settle well with Wendell. How could the mistreatment of his mate ever settle well with him?

“No, Troy. You’re not going anywhere,” Wendell denied sharply, refusing to let go of Troy’s hand. Once he was certain that his mate wasn’t going anywhere, Wendell couldn’t help but growl as he turned his attention back to his parents. “My parents are just being ridiculous right now.”

“You’re the one being ridiculous,” his father growled.

Before either of them could say anything further to fuel the fire, his mother inserted herself into the conversation. Not that her input helped the situation any. In fact, it all so much worse.

“I’m afraid that this just can’t do,” his mother sighed dramatically, putting down her cocoa, her tastebuds now soiled by the situation. “Think wisely here Wendell because if you choose this man,” she all but spat over the word, “then you will lose everything. This family, the palace, the title. Your brother will take over as Royal Beta if you don’t change your mind.”

“You can’t do that!” Wendell all but roared at the ultimatum that had just been laid out of him, even more as he felt his mate tense up beside him, obviously very disturbed by this predicament that they had somehow landed themselves in.

“Oh, but I think I can.”

“I’m sorry that it’s come to this,” Wendell sighed, a soft, melancholy expression on his face. When his parents smiled at that, he knew that they believed him to have given in but they couldn’t be more wrong. “I’m sorry that it’s come to this but I have no idea how you can think that I’d be able to choose anything or anyone over my mate.”

“You’re going to regret this, Wendell!”

“I don’t think I will,” he murmured haughtily, not feeling the least bit apologetic even though he had essentially just given up everything he’d been working his life toward in a single moment. But for Troy, his mate, it was all worth it. That, and so much more.

“You know your brother won’t be able to take over Beta,” his father growled, evidently enraged by his son’s decision.

“Then you should have thought of that before you asked me to choose between the position and Troy,” Wendell snorted, rolling his eyes. “You should know better than to think that a wolf would choose against his mate.”

“He’s not your mate!”

“Troy is my mate just as much as mum is yours!”

“Get out!”

“What?” Wendell questioned even though he had heard perfectly.

“Get out of the palace!” his father roared again, marching up to them, his mother not far behind as she always was.

“Don’t you dare touch him!” Wendell growled loudly, moving to stand between his parents and Troy, refusing to let either of them lay a finger on his mate. “You have no right.”

“I have every right!” his father roared back at him but Wendell refused to hear it. Not when he directly threatened the safety and wellbeing of his mate.

“Not anymore,” Wendell snorted and turned around, taking Troy with him.

With their heads held high, Wendell and Troy walked out of the room and then the palace, letting themselves out.

-

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Layla Knight

24.06.2021