Demon: Book 1

Chapter 53: Flattery

I stomped down the stairs and looked between the kitchen and the living room. My mom was singing along to the radio while my father watched sports. I chose the lesser of the two cheery options.

Dropping onto the couch, I tucked a pillow under my head.

"Did you get all your homework done?" my dad asked.

"Yep."

"Let's hope you didn't fall too far behind this week. All this talk about after you graduate might not happen if you fail."

"Most of it was review worksheets," I muttered.

"Have you studied for your finals?"

"Yep."

My father tapped his finger on the remote. "For a teenager with all of their homework done, you sure look excited to have a free weekend."

"Don't, Dad."

He lowered the volume on the TV. "What's wrong?"

With a sigh, I sat up. "Titus is ignoring me."

"Well, being broken up with, even if it's just pretend, can be upsetting."

"He can still reply to my texts or answer my phone calls. We don't have to stop talking to make people think we've broken up."

"Aden." My dad shifted in his chair. "You bruised his pride, son. Normal men can be touchy when it comes to their pride, but werewolves"—he shook his head—"they take it hard."

"I didn't do anything to bruise his pride," I retorted. "Darius and Xavier thought it was the best option to keep Titus safe, too."

"Werewolves, especially the dominant ones, don't want to be kept safe."

I shrugged. "Maybe."

"Not maybe," he replied. "All of this makes Titus feel like he can't protect himself or you. I've dealt with werewolves long enough to know it wrecks their confidence, so give him some time. What you're doing is the best option, but in a pack setting, it would still be pretty embarrassing to have your mate tell you to get lost, even for a werewolf-like Titus." He winked at me.

I let out a deep breath. "Yeah, as un-shameful of a man as Titus might be." I shot him a smirk. "Way to make me feel like a jerk, Dad." Stretching out, I pulled my ring out of my pocket. "So you know werewolves, how would you cheer one up when they've had a blow to their ego?"

My dad shrugged. "Flattery."

"Flattery," I scoffed. "Like what?"

"It's a society ruled by a hierarchy determined by one's strength. The higher-ups in WIR call it: kissing alpha ass."

I laughed. "Well, Titus isn't the alpha, so I don't think that'll work." Rolling the ring around my palm, I had an idea. I went to the kitchen. "Mom."

"Yes." She turned down the music.

"Could I borrow one of your necklace chains?"

She wiped her hands on a towel. "What for?"

I held up the ring. "I don't want to lose it," I said with a forced grin.

"Hmm...." She raised an eyebrow and walked past me to her bedroom. Returning soon after, she held up a long silver chain. "Will this one work?"

"Yep, that's perfect." I kissed her cheek. "Thank you."

Running up the stairs, I went into the bathroom. I threaded the ring onto the chain and fastened the end. After removing my shirt, I looped the necklace over my head and took a few pictures in the mirror. Finding one I liked, I sat on the toilet and typed a cringeworthy message. If anything, it might make him tell me off for being so cheesy.