Aurélien Cullen thrived on chaos. Maybe that's why fate presented him with a werewolf for a soul mate. After all, what's more chaotic than a love that goes against your very Biology?
"You have such a beautiful soul, Seth Clearwater."
Seth Clearwater...
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"Grand oncle Aurélien?" Seth leaned over and hissed. They were seated in the living room of Manon's large house, waiting for her to return with the cup of tea she'd offered Seth upon entry to the house. "That means great uncle in French!"
"Really? I had no idea," Aurélien said, no real venom in his voice. He was on edge. There were a lot of things he'd expected to happen when his great niece opened the door, but it wasn't for her to usher them inside and rush of the play hostess. "Wait, how did you know that? All you can say in French is hello and goodbye."
"Duolingo," Seth said with a shrug.
"What?"
"Duolingo," Seth repeated, like it was self explanatory.
"What the—"
"Tea!" Manon announced loudly as she breezed into the room, setting it down on the coffee table in front of the chaise the two were sitting on. Seth quickly thanked her and took a polite sip. "So, what brings you here to see little old me, grand-oncle Aurélien?"
"I've told you to stop calling me that."
"That is precisely why I call you that."
"Your still insufferable, I see," Aurélien fired back with a grin. He'd forgotten how much he loved the dynamic they had.
"Your still so easy to rile, I see," Manon responded with glee, equally happy to fall back into their old repertoire. "I guess neither of us are changeable creatures."
"Well, it runs in the family."
"Sorry to interrupt your reunion banter, but can someone explain to me what's going on?" Seth spoke up, eyes flickering between his boyfriend and the dark-skinned French women across from him whose name he'd never heard till today. "Who are you? Why are you calling Aurélien your great uncle?"
"You didn't tell him about me?" Manon said, pressing a well manicured hand to her chest with a mockingly aghast expression. She even added a small gasp for dramatic effect. "I'm hurt."
"We ended on bad terms. I don't like to talk about it."
Manon scoffed, leaning back in her armchair and observing the two.
"Just a heads up, Seth, Aurélien doesn't like difficult things. Things that are hard and involve any emotions he doesn't want to deal with," Manon said, fixing her red eyes on Seth. Any trace of amusement was gone, replaced by harshness and frustration. "If he can avoid it, he will. It doesn't matter how much you beg, how much you deserve the truth. He'll always talk the easy way out: avoidance. You'd think after all these years of life Aurélien would learn that there are things you cannot avoid, no matter how difficult they are or how much you dislike them." Although Manon was addressing Seth, her red eyes resting on him, everyone in the room knew she was really addressing Aurélien by the sharp edge to her words.
