Russell stared at Santana from where he sat, of course, Charlie hadn't listened to his explicit instructions to not reveal herself without him being there to control the situation. It was reckless, and stupid and more importantly it was baffling. Charlie claimed that Santana was her mate, and yet his youngest child continuously put Santana at risk. Her flagrant disregard for his rules was driving him crazy.

"Russell, dear, you're staring. She's a guest and I think you're scaring her," Judy murmured under her breath before placing the largest steak in front of him. She could only hope that it would distract him.

Russell turns to Judy for a moment before grunting in reply, she was probably right but for once in his life, he didn't feel ravenously hungry. All he felt was danger, this wasn't a situation that he had ever personally prepared for and it bothered him that Charlie was so cavalier about the whole thing. "You're human," he says after a long moment, focusing on Santana and ignoring his family who had turned to look at him.

Charlie stopped piling food up on Santana's plate and narrows her eyes slightly, she knew that judgmental tone. "You promised," she reminds him. He had promised that he wouldn't cause a scene and embarrass her but he was totally going to do it anyway.

"And you promised that you would wait for my presence but you didn't," Russell reminds her and crosses his arms over his chest as he stared at Santana. There had to be something wrong with this situation that he simply wasn't seeing. Humanity hadn't been kind to the animal people which was why they hid their communities, it was why they were so spread out. "I didn't actually think that she would agree to be your mate," he says finally, pausing as he studied Charlie's face. He had expected the outrage, but his daughter had always been a shitty liar, and there was a look of guilt in her eyes. "She didn't actually agree to become your mate, did she?"

Santana hesitates and chooses to speak up despite the weird tension she felt between Charlie and her father, it made her feel uneasy like a fight was going to break out. "Well, I have a lot of questions, I mean all of this is so new and amazing," Santana admits looking up at Russell who had turned his attention towards her. "I mean this is just so—cool."

Russell stared at Santana for a moment, disbelief crossing his features as he turned to his youngest daughter, this was who she had decided was going to be her mate? Someone who thought she was a side-show attraction? "Pretty cool? This is our life, this isn't some—"

"Russell, she's a teenager. A teenager that saved Charlie's life," Judy interrupts before he could get going. Santana probably had no idea of Russell's weird ticks, and what would set him off, and from her tone she could tell that Santana hadn't meant any harm in it.

Russell snorted, "Yes, and for that I am eternally grateful. I'm surprised she's even lived this long to be frank with you, Charlie's headstrong, foolish and does incredibly stupid and dangerous things on a daily basis based on her silly whims," Russell frowned eying Charlie who promptly ignored him and continued to make sure that Santana had plenty to eat.

Quinn snorted in amusement at her father's characterization of her twin. It felt good to be the favorite child and to have both of her parent's approval. It was a rather rare thing indeed. So, when Charlie turns to glare at her she can only smile and take a bite of her mashed potatoes. "What? You're the dipshit that decided to run after a bunny. He's not wrong."

"Language," Judy sighs, this was going to quickly devolve and she adjusts her seat so she could intervene and protect Santana in case the three of them started to bicker like children again.

Charlie inhaled slowly, she could feel her wolf growing restless at the constant picking, so instead she simply places her hand on Santana's and flashes her a warm calming smile even if she didn't feel it on the inside. "She's my girlfriend and—Quinn I will stab you with this knife if you try and touch my food," Charlie turns grabbing her knife as Quinn withdraws her hand and flashes her a smirk.

"In front of your girlfriend?" Quinn teases and watches as Charlie drops the knife and turns and looks at Santana guiltily.

"She was trying to steal my food," Charlie insists defensively.

Santana stared slightly shocked at how foreign this was, but she had seen dogs arguing over food before this wasn't that strange all things considered. "Don't look now but she's making another attempt," Santana says watching as Charlie turned and immediately smacked Quinn's hand away.

"Quinn, there's plenty on the table," Judy sighs rubbing her forehead. This was why they didn't have company.

Quinn flashed her mother a smile and shrugged it off. "Sorry."

Charlie eyed her twin and then turned to look at her father who was waiting patiently. "She already promised that she wasn't going to tell anyone and you're being unfair. There's a learning curve, she has a lot of questions—you couldn't have expected her to agree to become my mate, she doesn't even really understand what that means—"

Russell held up his hands and studied Santana, before looking at his wife. "We are mates, it runs deeper than just a piece of paper, she is the only one I can ever be with, we share our feelings our thoughts, through the bond we share. It's a spiritual and mystical experience that you can't even begin to grasp, or comprehend unless you go through it yourself. We are soulmates, and the bond we share can't be broken even in death. Yes, I can bond again but it will never be the same. So, excuse me if I find it hard to believe that Santana agreed to be your mate, in a way that a human can comprehend its marriage, a marriage that no piece of paper, and no court can break. This is forever, and it's not something that you just nod your head at and hope for the best. It means everything to us and I'm still unsure as to how Charlie formed half a bond with you. You are human. You can't mate and turning you into one of us—it's a death sentence if your body can't handle it. So, tell me Santana is that what you signed up for?"

Charlie growled lowly causing Santana to turn to her, it sounded so animalistic and she could see the flash as Charlie's eyes began to shift for a moment and she doesn't know why she reaches for her, touching her lower back causing Charlie to stop for a moment. This was weird, and as much as she wanted to be okay with it, Charlie's father was talking about something that scared the crap out of her. She was just sixteen. "We're taking it slow—"

Russell laughed narrowing his eyes slightly, "I love my daughters, despite the fact they are a permanent pain in my ass, but my daughter is not patient, she is impulsive and doesn't think things through. It might not happen now but the pressure is already on for you to say yes, and soon the conversation will turn to when you will be ready. You're sixteen and human Santana. This isn't something that you're going to be ready for anytime soon."

"Dad," Charlie snapped at him.

"She saved your life, which means that I owe her the full story something that you seem to be hiding from her, because you're afraid she'll leave. I can see it on her face, she's scared at the idea of mating. She's sixteen Charlie and she isn't one of us. You two are free to continue dating, but as I'm sure your mother has informed you sex is off the table. It will only compound your instability problems, I'm not even going to begin to deal with your emotional instability. Whether you care to admit it or not you will become a danger to her, and I do not want to be in a position where I am forced to choose between putting you down and protecting a human. You know our laws."

Santana turned to Charlie who didn't look like she was about to back down anytime soon, "What is he talking about?"

"Charlie's already pushing it by telling you, this situation isn't exactly common," Quinn speaks up as Charlie looks away. "Maybe it was the month she spent as a wolf, but she's been completely out of balance and deciding that you were her mate. We've always been in tune with our wolves, but that doesn't mean that we can completely control them, in a stressful situation when her emotions are too high she could become a danger, as in she could attack. Wolves are not meant to be domesticated and a situation could arise where she does attack you. The rules are clear on what we're supposed to do in that case. Charlie's put us all in this situation."

"I'm not the only person in this house that's fallen for a human," Charlie retorts immediately.

Quinn's gaze hardened at that, "I don't actually like Rachel and even if I did, I'm no idiot I'm not acting on anything. Rachel is fun to fuck with even Santana would probably agree with me on that, I'm fucking with her. Not fucking her, just fucking with her."

"Charlie. Quinn. We have a guest," Judy snapped immediately, she was never going to be able to host a dinner party and this one had been ruined.

Charlie rolled her eyes and turned to Santana, none of this mattered all that mattered was what Santana thought if controlling herself for a few years was all it would take then that's what she would do. "Santana—" Charlie begins as Santana turns to look at her and it's that look that tells Charlie everything she needed to know. "You're going to break up with me, aren't you?"

"I—" Santana hesitates for a moment, she liked Charlie, she liked her alot but she was feeling overwhelmed with all the information that had just been thrown at her. Charlie was already thinking permanent marriage, she was in high school. "I mean—this is all too much." There was a pause for a moment where Charlie's eyes flashed for a brief second and she looks away. "I mean maybe I just need time but—"

Charlie tossed her napkin onto her plate, she didn't want to be excused or anything she just needed to get out of here. It suddenly felt suffocating, and what's worse she could feel her wolf just at the surface. She didn't know who she was angriest, her family for ruining something that made her happy, for putting faith in Santana or herself for thinking that Santana was it.

Quinn watched Charlie for a moment before turning to Santana, and moves to stop her from following Charlie. "What did I just say about enhanced emotions? Look, after dinner. I'll take you home give you both some time to figure it out."

Santana nods after a moment, she just needed a day or two to think. They might still be able to figure it out.