Nerd's Badboy Alpha novel Chapter 20

After supper, Alex asks my uncle if it was all right that I have dinner at his house the next night because his parents invited me. This is kind of a big deal. Not just because I'm meeting Alex's parents and we're not even "really" dating, but because I'll be meeting his dad, who is the Alpha of the pack. I'll also be meeting the Luna, who-as it turns out-is the older sister of my long-dead mother. I would have liked to have been apprised of that information, but hey, until recently, I was persona non grata around here.

Now I'm "dating" the son of the Alpha of another pack and he's the hottest guy in school, and apparently, I'm not the runt of the litter anymore because I turn into some giant monster direwolf thing that Mrs. Marsos had warned would be the "destruction" of my bloodline. She also said I would be the "salvation" of my bloodline, but I don't know, call me a realist. Maybe someone should have checked my reading materials as a child and not allowed me to read "Crime and Punishment" by Dostoevsky at the age of ten. Because that was how I developed a love for Russian novels and eventually, a cheerful nihilistic outlook on life, I'd say.

Alex picked me up from my uncle's house at 6:30 pm on a Friday night, and my uncle told him to have me back no later than eleven. My Aunt Ruffia said ten-thirty, but Uncle Alfred said, "For God's sake, she's almost eighteen."

I think Aunt Ruffia is more worried that I'm going to be meeting an aunt that I never even knew about, never mind that she's the Luna of another pack.

I didn't really have anything nice to wear, so I had to borrow from my cousin Bethany who is a lot taller than I am and has curves. Ramona had to pin it in places so it wouldn't look like a hospital gown on me, and she helped me with my hair, too. I hugged her afterward because in all my years living in Uncle Alfred's house, she's the only who has shown me true kindness.

While Ramona was working on me, Stephanie came in and said she wanted to help. I was understandably wary as she hates my guts and has said so on many occasions, but she entered my room with a jar of hot wax and strips. She said it was time we did something about my caterpillar eyebrows. Ramona stayed and supervised to ensure that Stephanie wasn't up to mischief and sure enough, she wasn't. Afterward, Stephanie made me face the mirror and I actually gasped. I barely recognized myself. I looked like the woman in my dream.

"You're welcome, nimrod," Stephanie said before exiting my room.

So I was really nervous when Alex finally came around to pick me up. I've only really seen him in his football practice outfits and school uniforms, so when he showed up at my door in a suit that looked like a million bucks and fit like a dream, I nearly fainted. He had flowers for me, which was not the best idea, because it turned out I might be allergic to roses. Ramona hurriedly took them away and said she'd put them in water.

Alex did not pick me up in his truck. It's a sleek late-model luxury sedan that cost somebody's dad a lot of money. He opened the door for me as usual and put on my seatbelt for me. While he was putting on his seatbelt, he stopped and stared at me for a full minute.

"Did you do something different with your hair?" he asked. "You look..."

He's been asking me this for days. It's not my hair! "I look... what?"

"Really pretty. I mean, beautiful. You're gorgeous tonight, Melvin. Not that you're not pretty on other days, but-"

I put my hand over his mouth. "I get it. Let's get going or we'll be here all night." He licked my palm, so I slapped his shoulder. "Why are we all dressed up?"

"Oh. Um... sometimes my family likes to get fancy. They're old school," he muttered, seemingly embarrassed.

Their compound was deep in the hills and I almost got car-sick because there were so many turns and zig-zags. When we finally reached their house, I realized exactly why we got dressed up fancy. Alex lives in a frickin' mansion.

"Uh..." I stop and pull his hand when we reach the front door. "Maybe you can tell your folks that I had to go home because I suddenly fell ill, and it wouldn't be a lie because I almost threw up a couple of times on the drive up here."

He gets a serious look on his face and tips my chin up so he can examine me. "You got carsick? Why didn't you say something?"

I tug on his hand again. "Look, it's not a big deal. And... let's not do this, okay? I'm just going to embarrass you in front of your parents. Why are you even introducing me to them, anyway? I'm not your True Mate. It'll just be weird."

"Melody." He cups my face. "I like you very much and care about you very much. I want you to be here. And I want my family to meet you."

I stare into his emerald-green eyes and get lost. "If it'll make you happy."

He gives me a brief kiss. "It will."

The door is opened by a beautiful blond woman in a long, sleek dress that looks haut couture. She's tall, lean, and toned-fortyish and gorgeous as hell. Her hair is done in a neat updo and she has simple diamond earrings on her ears. "You must be Melvin."