“Mija, let me see you.” My mother pulls Isa toward her, not bothering to introduce herself or offer any sort of hello before spinning her around and taking her in. “A new wolf!” It’s a statement not a question so I say nothing.
Isa accepts this like it’s completely normal, a hesitant smile on her face as she circles back around to face my mother. My mom is a small woman, a few inches shy of five feet making Isa, who’s tiny compared to me, look tall for once.
“You’re beautiful,” my mother tells her, leaning in to give Isa a kiss on the cheek.
Isa returns the gesture. “Thank you. I’m Isabella.” Her voice is small, but her smile is genuine.
“And how long have you been seeing my son?” she asks, and I groan while Jordy chuckles.
“Mamá!”
“What? A mother should know these things. You bring a beautiful girl home, a wolf no less, and I’m not allowed to ask questions?”
I shake my head. “Not a one. Don’t scare away the first girl I’ve introduced you to.”
“Sorry, Mrs. Castillo, Isa here is mine.” Jordy tosses his arm around Isa’s shoulders.
My mother’s frown is immediate, forcing me to bite off a laugh. “Tell him you won’t feed him unless he gives her back.”
Her eyes, lined with age, spark with mischief and she smiles.
Jordy growls. “Not cool, bro. Not. Cool.”
I tug Isa from his arms careful of her injuries. She comes willingly and I tuck her beside me, leading her to the table. I’m just as hungry as Jordy. He wasn’t kidding when he said our twelve-hour patrols have been killer. Between that and school, I hardly find enough time to eat, sleep, and shower.
When Isa’s back is to my mother, my mom’s concerned eyes meet mine and she makes a small gesture silently asking the question I knew was coming. I shake my head. Unsure how to answer. She’s thrilled Isa is a wolf. We don’t have many females in our Clan which is why each one is heavily protected. But she’s also concerned with how Isa came to be here. Why she hasn’t seen her before when I’ve clearly known her for a while. I wish I had answers for her. And her lack of knowledge means whatever agreement my pops and Kline have with one another, is on the down low. He isn’t one to usually keep secrets from his mate.
I give a small shake of my head, hoping she’ll drop it. At least for now.
Thankfully, she trusts me, so with a satisfied nod, Mom returns to the stove, dishing up three plates of food while we take our seats. Within a few short minutes, rice, beans, and tamales are in front of me and I don’t hesitate to dive in. Jordy eats like he’s been starved, which earns him a beaming smile and a second helping. Mom won’t eat until Pops comes home from the Compound so after making sure we’re all settled, she retreats to her room.
The Compound is on the same stretch of land but as all of our Clan Alphas do, he spends more time there then in his own home. He’s tried convincing mom to move into the Compound. It’d make life a hell of a lot more convenient, but she refuses. She wants there to be some measure of separation if only for her sanity. And I can’t say that I blame her. I want to ask if that’s what was going on. If maybe they were just rehashing one of their age old arguments? But our family is private and she would be embarrassed if I brought up family matters in front of guests, so I’ll wait to talk to her when Isa’s gone.
The first few minutes we focus on our food. Isa’s bites are small, her chewing almost methodical as if she’s savoring the flavors. I’ve noticed she doesn’t eat a lot at school but she’s eating now, so it doesn’t look like there’s reason to be concerned.
“You’re such a lucky asshole,” Jordy says, now on his sixth tamale, and I smirk.
“Consider yourself lucky I put up with you or you’d miss out on all of this.”
Isa laughs. “It is really good.”
“Better than my albóndigas?” I ask and she blushes.
“I don’t know. That’s a hard one. I’m not sure I could choose.”
“Rafael’s ma’s tamales. Hands down. She only makes them like twice a year. I would kill for these.”
I ignore him, leaning toward Isa and capturing her lips with my own in a quick kiss. When I pull back her eyes are wide and uncertain as her fingers come up to touch her mouth.
“What was that for?”
I shrug. “Because I wanted to.”
Jordy, having missed the exchange, talks on about how amazing my mom’s food is and how I’m a greedy bastard who doesn’t share often enough. Some of it is a joke, but there’s a thread of painful honesty there, too. Jordy’s mom bailed when he was seven, leaving behind her husband and four children. Something virtually unheard of among shifters. Wolves don’t abandon their pups. But she did. He has two older brothers and a little sister. And let’s just say his dad isn’t the domestic type.
But Jordy’s always been welcome here and my mom loves feeding the fucker. As we eat, Isa relaxes, her smiles coming more easily as Jordy and I bitch and moan about patrols. Every now and then she sends me questioning looks. I know she’s waiting for me to ask her what happened back at school, but I want her to be comfortable first. I’m also waiting for Desmond to show up. I have a feeling I’m going to need all the help I can get to pry what I need from Isa’s mouth.
When we finish eating, I draw Isa back outside to the garage and pull her down beside me as Jordy takes a seat on the opposite couch, his expression now serious. The sun is setting and a cool breeze floats through the open space, bringing with it the scent of the surrounding Apache pines.
