He Will Be Mine

Chapter 45: Christmas in Wisconsin (Part I)

*** Alyssa's POV ***

Matt volunteered to drive us to his house, and neither Tyler nor I had any objections to that. He didn't do much of the driving on the way to my house, plus it's a trip he's used to making. I called shotgun, so Tyler is just relaxing in the back, lost in his own little world of whatever he is watching on his phone. Meanwhile, Matt and I have been occupying ourselves with the oldies radio station, singing along badly on purpose because it's fun. I suspect he is actually a pretty decent singer, though he seems to be more comfortable with being silly about it.

Every now and then he gets tense and quiet, I would imagine because he is worried about the conversation he needs to have with his dad about his uncle. In fact, his uncle and cousins might already be there by the time we arrive. I told him he could save it for later, but I suspect he won't. He is really curious about how and why his uncle is a werewolf.

"Could it be possible that my family comes from werewolves?" he asked me at one point.

I had to admit that it is a possibility. I just can't conceive of how it would make sense, at least not in a way I like the thought of. There are no packs in Wisconsin that I'm aware of. Certain individuals get permission from their Alphas to live outside their pack territories, for work or a temporary situation like going to college, but Matt grew up there, and it's too far from any pack to be approved by any Alpha I know of. For his parents to live there, his dad would have to be a rogue, and that would complicate things. I don't want it to be true, but it is possible. His dad could be a werewolf and still have human children if his mom is human.

When I started explaining to him that if his dad is a werewolf, he is probably a rogue, Tyler's eyes got big and worried.

"You really don't want that to be true," he agreed with me, prompting me to ask what he knows about rogues.

"I encountered them during my trials," he reminded me. "It wasn't a good time."

Then I had to explain that "rogue" is a general term used to describe a werewolf without a pack, and they're not all threats like what he experienced. Many are, and I would even go so far as to say that most are, but some are just lone wolves, usually victims of circumstance. Once a wolf becomes a rogue, it's difficult to be accepted by a new pack. They're not all bad people, but if his dad is a rogue, then it could prejudice the Elders against accepting Matt as my mate. Having ties to rogues makes someone, especially a human, a liability.

I know Matt is also worried about how his parents are reacting to the news about Jessica, and how they will accept him jumping into a new relationship so soon. He asked us not to mention anything about him being involved in our relationship and requested that we tell his parents that Tyler and I are together while Matt and I are just friends. It makes me a little sad that we can't just be honest, but I understand. We'll tell people when he's ready. To be fair, he's not yet ready for the relationship either, so it makes sense that he's also not ready to announce it.

Whenever he tenses up like that, I reach over and put my hand on his leg, rubbing it gently in hopes that the sensations will soothe him. It seems to have worked for the most part. Now that we're getting close, though, it seems like nothing can help him relax.

He's been quiet for a while, but then suddenly he points ahead of us and tells me, "It's that big house on the hill. Tyler might recognize it, though last time he came this way, it was hidden by the corn growing here. It might look a little different from this viewpoint now."

He's indicating the field to the left of us. His family seems to live in a farming community, because I've been noticing for a few miles now that there are more fields than houses around here. The house he pointed to is surrounded by fields on three sides, though I also notice that there's no big red barn on their property. Just a garage and a pole barn that looks like it's for storing broken down vehicles, not farming equipment. Which would make sense since I know his dad is a mechanic, not a farmer.