The Chef's Sick Mate (Book 17 of the Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 27

Gen stared up at Aidan in shock. How the hell did he know? Was it like a scent thing? Could he smell if she was sick or something? That would be just weird. Though she thought she'd read something like that in one of her books. Maybe.

'No, he can't smell that,' Jules muttered, rolling her eyes.

Aidan would be an authority on all things werewolf though. That she was sure of. If he'd been one all of his life. She wondered how long Ana had been one. Less than two months.

"Trust me, your wolf knows everything going on in your body. If something's wrong, she'll know about it before you do. If she says you're fine, then you're fine," Aidan said confidently, flashing a smile at her.

Gen studied him quietly. She couldn't believe him. She couldn't let herself believe him. No way. If she couldn't believe Jules, she definitely couldn't believe Aidan. She just couldn't. It was too dangerous to have any hope.

"Xavier is.." he paused, searching for the right word. ".. special. His blood is different from other werewolves. It can turn others into werewolves and it heals. So anything that was wrong with you before, isn't now. Your father knew that and that's why he gave you the blood. Or at least he knew about the healing part. He didn't know if would turn you into a werewolf."

Gen bit her lip at his statement. She still couldn't trust that. But she still had questions. Lots of questions. "What makes this Xavier so special?"

Aidan chuckled. "He'll be King one day."

Her gaze snapped to him in shock as she realized how little she knew. "King of what?"

"All werewolves." Aidan crossed his arms over his chest, and Gen noticed a tattoo peeking out near his wrist. Her curiosity piqued. She wanted to go get a tattoo. Maybe Ana would go get one with her, though for some reason she couldn't imagine Ana getting a tattoo, or even dating a guy with tattoos, though if Aidan was her mate, it wouldn't matter.

But then what he said clicked in her head. "You have a King?"

He nodded. "Yeah, we do. Though it's not Xavier. Not yet. Only him, and those before him are able to turn humans into werewolves. Only they have the power to heal."

"So he's a prince." Her brow furrowed at that, wondering how in the world her father had gotten ahold of a werewolf who was supposed to be King. What the heck had he been thinking? Had he known Xavier was a prince? Now she just had more questions.

"You can't tell anyone about any of this either, Gen," Ana said, eyeing her sister. "You absolutely have to keep all of this a secret."

Gen scoffed. Like she had any friends. "I won't tell anyone," she muttered. Sometimes she swore her mother and sister treated her like she was ten years old still.

"I'm serious, Gen," Ana said sharply.

"Who am I going to tell, Ana? It's not like I go anywhere or have any friends." She closed her eyes, hating how bitter she sounded, then opened them again to see Ana looking sad and Aidan just staring at her. He must think she was overly dramatic. Maybe she was acting like she was ten. She released a small sigh. "What about Mom?"

Ana looked up at Aidan.

"She'll have to know," Aidan told her. He looked back at Gen. "Do you think she already does?"

She shrugged. "That I'm a werewolf? Absolutely not, but I'm sure she's noticed other things. I don't see how she couldn't."

"Like the fact that you've gained weight and your hair is absolutely amazing?" Ana said with a smile.

Gen looked down, not comfortable talking about that stuff in front of Aidan. He was hot, and she just felt like a mouse. Not that it mattered. He only had eyes for her sister. That was obvious. Gen could only wish that some guy would have ever look at her that way once in her lifetime, but she doubted it. She doubted her own mate would ever look at her that way. She pushed the ugly thoughts out of her mind. "Something like that."

"We want to invite you to come back to Pennsylvania with us, and join our pack," Aidan told her with a smile.

Her mouth dropped open at his invitation and she immediately wanted to shout Yes! but she didn't. How was she supposed to be able to afford to move? She couldn't leave her mom. And what if they were wrong and she was still sick? She highly doubted that Ana would want her living with her anyway, not when she had Aidan to have sex with. Gen would just be a third wheel. She swallowed back the excitement. There was no point in getting excited.

"Mom would be able to come too. You two could have an apartment at the pack house to live in," Ana told her. "We've already spoken to the Alpha about it."

Gen felt hope try to rear it's annoying little head. Her mom would probably never agree to that. "Do you think Mom can afford to move?"

"We will talk to her about all of that. But she won't need to pay rent at the pack house," Aidan said.

Gen chewed on her lip. She really hoped Melissa said yes. "If Mom agrees."

Ana's face broke out into a smile.

"You'll be happier in a pack. You can make friends and have freedom to let your wolf out whenever you'd like on our territory," Aidan told her.

Her life would be so different if they chose to move to Pennsylvania and join his pack. She really wanted a change and maybe to find out for sure that she was truly okay. 'What do you think, Jules?'

'Joining a pack will be good for us. Might help us find our mate,' Jules told her.

Gen wasn't so sure about that but she did like the idea of going somewhat new. "I'll go if Mom agrees. But you know she doesn't like me around other people," she reminded Ana.

"Aidan and I will convince her, Gen. Don't you worry about that. And if she is worried about your health, there are two pack doctors there that you can see, but you won't have to worry about that," Ana said, stepping forward and hugging her sister.

Gen hugged her back and met Aidan's gaze. "Good luck convincing her."

Aidan and Ana left shortly after that, going to stay at a hotel that wasn't far from the house. They would be back in the morning with breakfast.

Gen walked into her bedroom, feeling completely overwhelmed by everything that had been discussed. She was completely shocked still that Ana was also a werewolf, but now she at least has a few of her questions answered. She knew how she'd become a wolf. And she knew what has happened to her father.

The last part hit her hard, and Gen crawled into her bed, pulling her purple blanket up around her as tears fell. She hadn't even seen her mother again that night. She wondered if her mother regretted splitting up with him.

Gen finally dozed off. She found herself in the woods, though she didn't recognize anything. She walked along slowly, enjoying the warm sun on her skin. She didn't go out much during the day. Usually it was only at night when she could shift.

She heard a noise and her head snapped to the left. She could barely make out a man standing off in the distance, but then she caught his scent and breathed it in deeply. He smelled amazing. She turned and headed towards him, but he kept moving, getting further and further away. She never got a good look at him.

***

Aidan and Ana showed back up the next morning as promised with a huge breakfast.

Melissa came out of her bedroom and hugged both of her daughters. Gen noticed she looked tired, her eyes swollen from crying. But she thanked Aidan and Ana for bringing breakfast and sat down to eat.

"Mom, there's something we need to talk to you about this morning," Ana started.

Convincing their mother was a whole different story. She had a hard time believing that not only were werewolves real, but both of her daughters had become one, and it was partially Coleman's fault. Ana ended up stripping off her clothes and shifting. Gen truly thought her mother was going to pass out for a while there.

"How is this even possible?" Melissa sounded completely appalled. Her face was still pale as she stared between Gen, Ana and Aidan.