Chapter 12 - Austin

You have got to be kidding me! 

Thanks, Maxton, thanks a fucking lot. Cocking blocking, son of a bitch. Do all fathers have a cockblocker mode, or is it just him? 

Because fuck if he doesn’t. There is no way he could have just coincidentally timed walking out onto the porch like that. No way. He had to have sensed it like that robot in Spaceballs with her virgin alarm. 

I waited till she was inside, and Maxton had shut the door before backing out of the driveway. Don’t think I didn’t miss the way his eyebrow arched as he looked at me. Oh, he not only knows my jeep, but he saw me clear as day behind the wheel. 

I can just imagine what conversation is happening inside the Walterson house tonight. What will she tell them?  

Will she lie and say we ran into each, and I offered to drop her off? Will she tell the truth and say we’re mates? Or will she tell a white lie? Omitting that I’m her mate but say I was one of the instructors? 

So many possibilities, and I have no way of knowing what she’ll do. Not only because I can’t simply contact her, but because Suzanne Walterson is anything but predictable. 

‘You realize you’re a moron.’ Jax sighed. 

‘I’m afraid to ask this. But how do you figure?’ I questioned. 

‘She has a wolf now. She’s part of the pack. Which means…’ Jax tried to lead me down his path of thinking. 

‘That she’s in the pack link. So I don’t need to have her number to contact her.’ I blinked as the realization dawned on me. 

‘Look at that! You can be taught!’ Jax chuckled. 

‘Fuck you.’ I grumbled. 

I decided to wait till I got home to try and link Suzie and see what she told her parents. I would rather not deal with any surprises if I run into them. Especially any unpleasant surprises. 

Like pulling into my driveway to see Denise’s car. What the fuck!? Why the hell is she at my house? How did she even find out where I live? I’ve never brought her here. 

‘If that human bitch screws things up for us with Suzie, I’m killing her.’ Jax growled as I climbed out of the jeep and hurried inside. 

Walking into my family home, I could hear Denise laughing. I used to think it was cute, but it’s like nails on a fucking chalkboard now.  

“I can’t believe how cute Austin was as a kid.” Denise laughed. 

“Thanks so much for letting me wait for him to get home inside.” She added. 

“Not a problem, Miss. Far too cold to sit outside in your car and a waste of gas to keep it running.” Dad assured her. 

Clenching my jaw as I tried to keep Jax in place, I quickly made my way to the living room. My dad was sitting in his usual chair, with the tv on low, watching Sports Center. And there she was smiling, looking at some pictures my dad still has hung up on the wall. 

“Denise? Mind telling me what the fuck you’re doing in my living room?” I was barely able to stop myself from growling. 

“Is he always this grouchy after going to the gym?” Denise chuckled. 

“Sometimes.” Dad answered. 

“Austin, you shouldn’t be rude to your girlfriend. Bad enough that you’ve been dating this girl for months now and never introduced her to me. Poor thing had to come here herself to make the introduction.” Dad scolded me. 

“Girlfriend? Is that what she told you she is? We aren’t dating, dad.” I shook my head, clenching my fists, willing the old hot head asshole Clement to stay locked away. 

Dad frowned at my reaction and glanced at Denise. 

“Oh, Austin just misunderstood last night. We fought against moving in together, and I told him to leave.” Denise tried to smooth things over with dad. 

“That’s why I’m here, baby. I wanted to make up. I’m sure we can talk this through.” Denise was all smiles and sex appeal as she walked up to me, pressing her hand to my chest. 

Her hand barely touched me, and I practically jumped ten feet back. No way in hell am I getting her fucking scent on me. Nope. Suzie would have my balls no matter the reason. 

“Don’t fucking touch me.” I growled, like really growled. 

I could feel Jax trying to take control. He was not having her shit. We found our mate tonight, and he would not let anyone jeopardize that.  

“Austin… I think you may want to take some calming breaths.” Dad suggested jumping to his feet. 

“Put Jax in a corner. I don’t know what’s happening, but your eyes are starting to change, and we do not need an incident.” Dad warned his voice barely a whisper. 

Fuck, it would be so much easier if he had his wolf. Then he could use the link, and I could explain this all without risking her hearing me. 

I closed my eyes, trying the breathing exercises as I pulled Jax back in my mind. I cannot have Denise finding out I’m a werewolf.  

Alpha Logan would lose his shit, and I’d be a dead man. Denise, she’d get her memory wiped by Duncan. Her never remembering me wouldn’t be so bad, but me dying would be. I don’t want to die, not now that I’ve found my mate. 

“Austin, why are you acting like this? I thought you loved me?” Denise sniffled. 

Oh fuck. It’s either I keep asshole Clement at bay or Jax. I can’t keep them both bottled up. And either way, this was going to be messy. 

“I never once told you I love you. Do not stand here and put words in my mouth.” I reminded her dickhead Clement was starting to rear his ugly head. 

“We fucked and went on some dates. That’s it. There was never a future for us. You dumped me last night, and it’s for the best. I don’t want to be with you. So get the fuck out of my house.” I raised my voice, not quite shouting, pointing in the direction of the door. 

Denise was sniffling as she started to cry. “You… you don’t need to be such an asshole.” 

“Apparently, I fucking do. How else will I get it through your thick skull that it’s over?” I rolled my eyes. 

“You know what? Fuck you, Austin! I hope you end up alone and miserable.” Denise cursed as she grabbed her jacket and purse, running out of the house. 

“Austin? What was that all about? Why did you have to be so cruel?” Dad questioned after she left. 

I let out a heavy sigh running my hands over my face. I finally let Jax go, and I managed to shut down dickhead mode with a few more deep breaths. I don’t want to be a dick to my dad. 

“I found my mate tonight.” I confessed. 

That at least shut dad up. He went wide-eyed as he stumbled back for a half second. Then suddenly, he was hugging me as tight as he could. 

“That’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you, Austin. Who is she? When can I meet her? Do I know her family? Tell me everything.” Dad peppered me with questions as he made me sit on the sofa 

I chuckled, shaking my head at his one-eighty personality flip. A second ago, he scolded me about how I treated Denise, but one mention of my mate and Denise became forgotten. 

‘Good. We should all be so lucky to forget that bitch.’ Jax scoffed. 

“It’s Suzanne Walterson, so you know her and her family.” I sighed. 

“Little Suzie Walterson? Oh, how the time flies. Is Suzie already old enough to get her wolf? I remember when she was just a baby.” He sighed, shaking his head as he sat down. 

I rolled my eyes. 

“Yeah, well, there are some downsides to all this.” I frowned. 

“What downside can there be? You found your mate. This is news worth celebrating. I should call Maxton, invite them over for dinner.” Dad smiled. 

“Goddess, I can’t believe it. Your mother would have been so happy. She and Edith were such good friends. It’s why you and Stephen were always together as pups.” Dad sighed, his gaze softening as he looked at the last family portrait hanging on the wall. 

I don’t remember much from before mom died. I mean, I know I spent a lot of time around Stephen. I thought it was because we lived down the road.  

I never thought it was because of our moms. But I guess it explains why, after mom died, Edith was friendly to me even when I was at my worst. I still have a lot to learn about my mom. 

“Dad, I know you’re thrilled about this. And, of course, I am too. I didn’t think I’d have a mate or that a mate would want me, given my injury. But you need to dial it back.” I sighed. 

“The Goddess wouldn’t give you a mate who couldn’t love you exactly as you are. And what’s the problem?” Dad frowned. 

“Grandpa, for one. Stephen for another. And the bitch that just left could be an issue.” I sighed. 

“Oh right…. Dad. He will be an issue, given he doesn’t like that family. But he can’t do anything about it, son. No one can get in the way of the Goddess’s will. So ignore him.” Dad encouraged. 

“And the same goes for Stephen. It’s been years since you saw him. You’ve both grown. Both matured. And if anyone should understand how important and fragile the mate bond is, it’s him.” Dad snorted. 

“Now, as for the girl. Well, just be sure you don’t keep secrets from Suzie. The best foundation for a relationship is honesty. And if Suzie grew up to be anything like Edith….” Dad cringed.  

“Suzie knows me, dad. Suzie knows every dumb, mean, and shithead thing I’ve done. And I don’t know if she will hold it against me or if she’s going to accept that I’ve changed. And yeah… Suzie has her mother’s strength.” I sighed. 

“You are mates. That means you were made for each other. Like pieces of a puzzle.” He smiled. 

“Her knowing your past can only benefit you. It means you don’t have to go over all that. It also means she can see how far you’ve come to be the man you are now. You just need to be honest about that Denise girl and not let her mess things up.” He advised. 

“I know. I don’t want to keep things from Suzie. I just know Denise is going to be a sore subject.” I frowned. 

“What do you mean? The girl knows you, so she knows you’re no saint, least of all a virgin. She should expect you to have former lovers.” Dad shrugged. 

“You know I was Suzie’s physical therapist after her accident.” I sighed. 

“Yes, I remember you mentioning it. You two had been getting along rather well during that. This means Suzie got to see the man you are now. That’s a good thing.” Dad nodded. 

“Yeah, well, she showed up while Denise was propositioning me in the breakroom on her last day. Suzie saw Denise getting close to me and dropped the cherry pie she’d brought for me. Then she got angry at me when I tried to go after her. And I hadn’t seen or talked to her until tonight.” I explained. 

Dad groaned and hit his palm to his forehead. 

“Austin… I love you, but damn, you are dense. So the girl had a crush on you before her shift, and you crushed that budding love.” Dad shook his head. 

“Thanks for the recap. But yeah. So me telling Suzie I was sleeping with Denise these past months….” I sighed. 

“Could get you an ass kicking.” Dad nodded. 

“Exactly. But I have to tell Suzie because the last thing I want is to keep a secret from her.” I agreed. 

“Well, you better tell her quickly. Cause it will go all kinds of wrong if Suzie goes to see you at work and that Denise girl still hasn’t gotten the picture about you being over.” Dad frowned. 

I sighed, slumping deeper into the sofa. I could just imagine how badly that would go. Suzie would be furious. I can imagine the fit Denise would pitch to find out that I started seeing Suzie a day after she dumped me. 

“Why don’t you sleep on it? You’ll have a better plan of action in the morning. Just don’t wait too long to tell your mate. Then we can see about having the Walterson family over for dinner.” Dad suggested patting my head as he headed upstairs. 

I sighed, glancing at the clock. Dad’s probably right. I should get some rest. Maybe a path forward will be evident in the morning. I can at least count myself lucky that Denise isn’t on the schedule for tomorrow. 

With that in mind, I lumbered up to my room. I took a quick shower in my bathroom before collapsing face first on my bed.