Sorry,I say.I don’t even know what I am nervous about.
Felix, they will love Gwen! They have accepted all our siblings’ mates with open arms. They will do the same with Gwen.
I am not scared about that,I say.I know they will accept her. When I talked to Mom on the phone, she was so happy for me.
Then what’s going on?
I don’t want to disappoint them,I admit.
Dario is silent for a moment.Care to elaborate?
I want to quit college,I say.Deep down, I have known it for a while, but talking to Gwen today made it real.
But that’s fine. I had a feeling you would come to this decision soon,Dario says.Just for the record, I fully believe you could havestudiedand passed. But you absolutely hate it! Thereareother paths.
I am going to be the only one in our family who hasn’t studied,I say.Even Mom did back in the day, although she was pregnant. Annie became luna and still finished her studies. Marius went back to school.
Freya didn’t,Dario argues, mentioning our brother Finn’s mate.
Freya lived her life as a slave. That’s different. I bet she could have if she had any options.
She had the option once she met Finn,Dario says.She decided to finish school instead and then attend some additional classes. You are right, her background is different, she didn’t have opportunities, but what I want to say is: No one cared if she studied or not. I can’t remember our parents ever asking.
Dad wasn’t happy when Marius quit,I say
Dad wasn’t happy because he knew Marius struggled with a lot of things, but couldn’t tell what. He wasn’t happy, because Marius was depressed and closed up, seemingly going nowhere. You want to quit, because you want to do something else. That’s different.
I know you are right,I say.I don’t know why this makes me freak out so much.
You need to have some trust,Dario answers.It’s okay to be anxious and not want to disappoint anyone, but you made a decision for yourself. I think this is something to be proud of. Making crucial decisions isn’t easy.
Okay, I will try to keep that in mind,I say.
I take a shaky breath, turning my attention back to Gwen, and notice she is freaking out, too, but for other reasons.
“They will love you,” I say, easily able to tell why she is nervous.
“How do you know?”
“They loved every single mate my siblings brought along,” I say gently. “All of them, no matter the background. You are not the only hybrid. Oh, and I told you about Liam, right?”
“He is the oldest brother.”
“Yeah, the born alpha,” I say. “His mate is an omega she-wolf. He didn’t give a shit about her rank, and my parents didn’t care either.”
Gwen looks at me for a long moment. “You are a really good person,” she says. “And Dario is too, from what I can tell.”
I laugh. “What makes you say that?”
“It’s obvious,” she pauses. “And parents who raised their kids to be like that can’t be bad people,” she concludes.
I grin. “Yeah, we are a great family, and now you are part of it, babe!”
I park the car, waiting for Dario to follow. Then I take Gwen’s hand, squeezing it gently and nodding at her. When we open the car doors, the raccoon and otter, or rather Peanut and Aqua, are the first to climb out with Tiger following them, landing on Mr. Dot’s head. We must be a hilarious sight, judging by the expression on Aurelia’s face.
She clasps a hand over her mouth, whispering something to Arden. Dad looks downright amused, while Mom seems to be delighted.
“If you think that’s all,” Dario says as he gets out of the car and stretches his limbs. “Then you are mistaken.”
