"What if he doesn't like me?" Elena was about to meet Jeremy, Clay's adoptive father for the first time.
"Impossible" Clay retorted. "He is going to LOVE you, almost as much as I do." Clay pulled the hand he held hard, which surprised Elena and slammed her into his chest. Clay dipped her into a passionate kiss, trying to take her nerves away though they just added to his own.
Clay hadn't told Jeremy they were coming, or that they were engaged, or the fact that Elena existed at all. Clay felt slightly guilty for that, for not sharing the woman he loves with the man that raised him as his own son, but he had plenty of other things to feel guilty about. Mostly about not telling Elena his secret, she knew everything else about his life except for the biggest thing of all, Clay was a werewolf. It was against pack law to tell her, but it went against his heart not to. It was also against pack law to fall in love with a human, but he was way past that now. Clay was loyal to his alpha, but he was now loyal to Elena as well. He hoped Jeremy would understand his feelings and make an exception to the law.
"Come on darlin', no use putting off the inevitable." Clay righted Elena, made sure she was steady on her heels, grabbed the bag he had dropped when he kissed her and headed to the front door. It wasn't until he had opened the door when he realized Elena wasn't next to him. He turned back to where he had left her and saw her looking into the forest.
"Darlin?"
Elena's head turned slowly from the woods, the smile had left her face, and she went to join Clay in front of the threshold.
"Before you know it, I will be carrying you over one of these" Clay joked bringing Elena's smile back and releasing the tension from her shoulders. They walked through the door together.
The house was nothing like Elena had imagined. It was beautiful and gigantic. There were paintings everywhere, Jeremy's she assumed, and sculptures. It didn't look like a bachelor pad, but felt like a family home. Clay had told Elena that often his extended family would gather here, during the holidays and through the summer. There were pictures of these gatherings all over the walls, both real and drawn. Off the foyer was the study on one side, and the kitchen on the other, and straight ahead a stairwell. Next to the stairwell was a large totem sculpture of a wolf that was both creepy and unique.
Clay stared at Elena's face as she took in his home. He wanted her to love it as much as he did and if the smile on her face was any indication, she did. He let her take it all in for a few minutes and then led her into the study.
"This place is beautiful!" Elena kept repeating, she was amazed and slightly jealous that he had grown up here. She could have fit every one of her foster homes in this mansion, and still have room to spare. He had grown up with a real family, while she had jumped from one to the next to the next until she was 16 and left. She jumped from state to state doing odd jobs, waitressing, being a receptionist, anything she could to make a few bucks, never truly having a family or a home. But Clay had one here, and hopefully, with the consent of Jeremy, she could join his.
"You stay here and explore, I am going to find Jeremy," Clay told her with a smile on his face. He climbed the steps from the foyer and went to the third floor to talk to Jeremy. Clay was 100% positive Jeremy knew they had arrived and would be in his study. Clay also knew he wasn't pleased to have a strange girl in his sanctuary.
Clay got to the closed door, knocked four times, a signature knock he had developed in childhood and had continued to use, waited until he heard the reply of entry from within, and opened the door to see his father.
"Clay" Jeremy greeted from behind his desk. "Jeremy" Clay replied. There was a slight hesitation before Jeremy got up, came around his desk and hugged Clay.
When they released each other, Jeremy had his alpha face on, and Clay was ready to defend his decision.
"Who is this girl? Why did you bring her here? You know this place is not for humans!"
"She is the woman I love Jeremy. We both never thought this day would come, but she has changed me and I won't be a part from her. I want to tell her, I want to marry her, I want to spend my life with her."
Jeremy was silent, some would think deep in thought, but Clay knew better, he was keeping his anger under control. All the hope Clay had had for Jeremy's acceptance of Elena went out the window. Jeremy would never understand, he would never budge from pack law.
"She doesn't belong here, she is not one of us. And you brought her here without giving me a warning. Do you know why she paused in the driveway when you walked to the front door? She saw me, changing in the woods."
Clay turned ice cold and couldn't breathe. "No, that's impossible. She just say a bird or a fox or something."
"No, she saw me. You just signed her death sentence."
Clay was so angry he began to shake, he was about to start yelling when he heard and felt Elena's present behind him.
"Umm, Hi. You must be Jeremy, I am Elena." Elena paused in the doorway, she had gotten very impatient waiting downstairs by herself, so she had begun to explore and followed the sound of voices to the third floor. She wished she had stayed downstairs for she had clearly interrupted something.
Jeremy put on his human face. "It is so wonderful to meet you," he grinned, "Why don't we head back downstairs to the study so I can get to know you better. Clay, why don't you head to the kitchen and grab some lemonade and cookies." This was not a suggestion, this was an order.
The three of them filed back downstairs, Clay turned to the kitchen while Jeremy and Elena went into the study.
Elena did not like the heavy silence so she spoke first, "I am so sorry we barged in on you, I told Clay to call, but he said you wouldn't mind."
"He was right dear. So tell me, how did you and Clay meet?"
"Well, I am a student at Toronto University and I met Clay when I became his office assistant. Things progressed a little quickly from there, but I can promise you I love Clay more than anything in this world."
"I understand that and I am happy for you both. I see you are both wearing wedding rings, have you already married?"
"Oh no, they are more like promise rings, we are hoping for a small family thing…Oh, what a beautiful dog. Clay never mentioned you had one."
Jeremy whirled around and saw Clay, in wolf form, approaching Elena. "Don't touch him!" Jeremy warned, but it was too late, her hand was already reaching for his head.
"I have spent a lot of time around animals, I worked in a shelter for a little while, I will be fine."
As soon as the word left her mouth, both she and Jeremy knew she wasn't going to be fine.
Clay had bit her and Elena immediately felt woozy and very quickly blacked out.