Two hundred years! Two centuries. Whoa. I wasdating an old guy who looked like he was in his late twenties.
Emma stepped forward. “We don’t know much of werewolfaging, but it seems that you age normally until about twenty or twenty-fiveyears old. Then your aging stops until you meet your mate. Once you are mated,you age together, but very, very slowly. It might take fifty years for you tolook ten years older.
My mind was reeling. “You stop aging untilyou are mated?”
Emma nodded. “We think it has something to dowith fertility. Some of us never find our mates, but if we are lucky enoughthen it can take a very long time. A werewolf can only have so many childrenbefore becoming sterile. We go through menopause just like humans.”
“But we don’t die of old age?” I queried.
Kai shared a look with Emma. “The few wolvesold enough for us to test that theory on have asked their pack to kill them. Itseems that after so many hundreds of years alive they just crave an end,” Kaitold me.
“That’s horrible,” I said. I was unsettled bythe whole idea.
“My parents were in their forties when theywerechanged, so they look about fifty today. Since they mated, theyhave aged only about ten years in the two hundred they have been wolves. Someseem to age faster. We just don’t know.”
I shook my head. Wow. I looked again at thepretty wedding invite.
“We will go to the wedding and supportSadie.” I hadn’t meant to say it so final, like a command.
Kai tilted his head to the side at my wordsand raised his eyebrows. “As you wish.”
Maybe being mates really did make us equal.
Family
I paced the house wearing foot marks into thecarpet. Kai went to pick up his family from the airport and I stayed back. Kaididn’t think it was wise for me to be in such a public place since I was beinghunted by vampires and witches. I had unpacked my room and cleaned thekitchen. All of the things I hadn’t unpacked yet or that I wanted to sell, werein the garage. It felt weird to be living with my boyfriend. That’s a huge stepin a relationship that you usually make after a year or more of dating. I hadknown Kai a few weeks. I face palmed my forehead. What was I doing? I was so inlove. Common sense flew out the window!
Just thinking of Kai made my stomach flutter.I told him I loved him already? Oh my God, and he said it back. It was like Ihadn’tjustgotten the Lycan virus and turned into a werewolf. I gotsome lovesick mating virus and all of my logic and normal tendency to push guysaway went out the window!
I heard a car door shut. They’re here! I feltsick. Trent was probably as nervous as I was. He had Skyped with Diya the nightbefore, but they still didn’t know each other very well. We told Trent we wouldlet Diya settle in and then we would call him over.
I could hear voices at the door and Kai’s keywas in the lock. Oh God, I was going to be sick. Why was I so nervous? I wasonly meeting my 200-year-old mate’s mother and only sister. Didn’t he saysomething about a brother coming, too? The door began to open and I panicked. Iran down the hall and into the bathroom.
I shut the bathroom door and ran the water. Ilooked into the mirror and smoothed my blonde hair. I was wearing light make upand had my pearl earrings on. I decided on dark blue skinny jeans and a brightteal, long sleeve sweater. Why was I so nervous? I had met my other boyfriends’parents before. ‘Because he is your mate. You love him,’my inner wolfwhispered to me. She was right. I did love him. I was nervous because I cared.This was a serious relationship and I wanted his family to like me. I wantedthem to love me. I didn’t have a big family.
I let my inner wolf take over. She sent acalm feeling through my system. Her instinct was to be dominant. To show hisfamily that I was worthy of their approval but that I did not need it. I lookedin the mirror and saw my golden yellow wolf eyes looking back at me. I deservedKai, we deserved each other. I hoped his family liked me but if not, oh well. Itook a deep breath and my wolf faded. I turned off the water and left thebathroom.
Kai was in the kitchen making tea. His motherwore a deep red sari and had gold bangles on. His sister wore jeans and anIndian top. She had a jeweled bindi on her forehead. A twenty-year-old-lookingyoung man stood behind Kai looking over his shoulder. This must be his brotherJai.
Jai frowned. “You’re putting too much gingerin.”
Kai groaned. “You haven’t changed a bit. Stilltrying to boss me around in the kitchen.”
“Well, if you knew how to make proper Indiantea then I wouldn’t have to,” Jai retorted.
I cleared my throat and everyone turned.“Hello, I’m Aurora.”
Kai’s mother, Maya, stood and clasped herhands together. “You are more beautiful in person,” she exclaimed, barelymeeting my eyes. She was submissive.
Diya jumped up and ran over to me, giving mea brief hug. “Hello, sister.”
I stood there silently for a moment, unsureof what to say. I wasn’t expecting a warm welcome.
“Let her breathe, Diya,” Jai told her with amild Indian accent.
Kai smiled at me. “Would you like some Chai?”After six months spent in India, I knew better than to turn down an offer of Chai.
“Sure.” I nodded as Diya pulled me over tothe table.
