Griffin

What was the point of moving out if my whole family was just going to pile into my suite within twenty-four hours of me moving in? Honestly, it was kind of a let-down after years of agonizing over the -idea of living on my own.

The little space was full of enough different conversations that it all faded into the background if I wanted it to, and honestly, I was enjoying a nice sulk at the moment. Tyler and Blair were snuggled into my bed with me, which was making it a little harder to maintain my bad mood. Margo and her mate were being a little too handsy on the wide armchair in the corner of the room nwhile my dads pretended not to notice even though they could definitely see everything.

Dad, Pop, Uncle Magnus, and my Aunt Mel were standing around the little kitchen island, chatting and sipping from mismatched mugs of water, since that was all I had to offer them and no one had bothered to run down to the kitchen. There were two different conversations taking place in their group, with the talking partners periodically switching or with one of them suddenly talking over the others. It was chaos over there, and I was much happier cozied up with my little sibs.

My couch was taken up by my aunt and uncle's mates, Lachlan and Jason. My cousins were thankfully absent, though I would have really liked to see Kitana.

So there I was, in a little suite jammed full of people, mostly wanting to hole up under my blankets even though some distant part of me could admit that my dads had been right to call in the family when Wulfric left me here pouting. But as much as my family both irritated me and somehow made me feel better, there was only one person I really wanted to spend time with right now, and that was my mysteriously-vanishing mate.

Tyler and Blair were having a whispered conversation about some TV show. It would usually be amusing, since they had a strange way of enjoying watching the same things but liking them in such different ways that they still found a way to argue. Blair would like a show despite character X, while that character would by Tyler's favorite. Tyler would find some plotline boring and played out, while Blair would be riveted by it. And so on. I tuned them out until I heard the word "vampire."

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked.

Blair snorted, while Tyler clearly didn't get the joke, whatever it was. Instead, he answered earnestly, "'Buffy the Vampire Slayer!'"

"We started watching it when we found out about your mate. It was sort of a joke at first, but then we realized it's actually really good."

"You did not," I said in disbelief.

"What, do you not like that show?" Tyler asked innocently.

My choices were to explain to him how this might be a little inappropriate, let it go and join in on their discussion of an admittedly good show, or exit the conversation. I chose door number three. "Nah, Tyler, I like it fine," I said, sinking further into the covers.

I pulled out my phone again and checked the time. Wulfric had left almost an hour and a half ago now without any kind of explanation for where he was going, how long he'd be gone, or why he thought this was an appropriate time to leave. Sure, I was fine and I'd told him that... but hadn't he been even a little bit worried about me? Or, failing that, hadn't he wanted to spend some time with me?

I groaned and rolled so my face was pressed into my pillow. I hated how I was feeling. It was too much like how some of my past partners had been the morning after we hooked up, clingy and with expectations that really hadn't been fair of them to put on me. Wulfric and I had never promised each other anything.

"I am happy."

The memory pushed its way to the forefront of my mind, stirring up another confusing wave of emotions. That was what Wulfric had said to me last night after we slept together. Three simple words that most people would throw out like they were meaningless, but somehow, hearing them from my mate had felt really good. There had been this look in his eyes that gave the words weight and made me believe he was being genuine.

I was missing something, obviously. There was an explanation for how we had gone from that to Wulfric disappearing like this, and I was going to get it out of him as soon as he got back. Whenever he got back.

I checked my phone again and felt a flash of irritation when I saw that only three minutes had passed.

Almost at the same time, Tyler and Blair wriggled closer to me and cuddled against me on either side. I rolled in place, intent on demanding some personal space, until I saw the way they were looking up at me with the same concerned expression. They were growing up so fast. How many more times would we snuggle together like this before they thought they were too mature for it? My mate problems couldn't stand up to the warmth of familial love in my chest.

"Aww, let me get a picture!" Pop said, coming out of nowhere seconds before the flash of his phone blinded us. "Whoops."

I glared at him, but couldn't be too angry, especially when my phone buzzed with a copy of the picture he had just taken. I opened it up and showed Blair and Tyler, who both rolled their eyes and settled back down. I set the picture as my phone wallpaper, earning a groan from Blair, but I didn't care if she thought I was overly-sentimental. Someday, she would understand.

Someone knocked on my front door, cutting through the various conversations taking place in this small space. The only people who had met Wulfric yet were my parents, but everyone could probably guess who this was by scent because what other vampire would be showing up here? Even if they didn't recognize the species by scent, they would know that this wasn't a werewolf.

My heart raced in my chest with anxiety. Wulfric wasn't supposed to meet my family yet, and here he was walking into a gathering with almost everyone present and with no warning. At this point in our relationship, I trusted that the surprise wouldn't scare him off... but it could make him really uncomfortable, and that wasn't what I wanted. In a brief moment of insanity, I seriously considered trying to convince everyone to exit through the window to get out of this impromptu introduction. As werewolves, everyone but Tyler and Blair could make the jump no problem, and those two could ride on our parents' backs.

Before I could completely dismiss that as an option, Dad opened the door to let Wulfric inside. I could see that he was surprised by the crowd, though he did a good job of hiding it. And instead of being intimidated, Wulfric didn't seem to care at all. In fact, after a brief nod of acknowledgment at my dad, he strode over to me with an uncharacteristic lightness to his step. His eyes flicked from Blair to Tyler to me and filled with warmth.

"These are your brother and sister?" he asked.

I sat up without separating myself from them, though I was feeling torn. As much as I loved this family time, I really wanted to launch myself at my mate. "Yeah, this is Blair and here's Tyler, and over there is my other sister, Margo and her mate, Krish."

Wulfric smiled politely and waved at them, and I keenly felt everyone else watching us. With a sigh, I pointed out my uncles and aunt to Wulfric in an informal, rushed introduction and shot my dad a pleading look. He understood the hint and clapped his hands together.

"Alright, party's over."

This was greeted with a lot of good-natured ribbing. Uncle Magnus said, "Oooooh," in a singsong voice like he was a kid and someone had just gotten sent to the principal's office.

"Aw, it was just getting good," Aunt Mel complained.

"Are we sure they're old enough for this? I'm pretty sure Griffin was five years old yesterday," Pop griped.

"Aw, I wanna stay," Tyler complained. "I can stay with you, can't I?"

"Never change," I said to him. What would it feel like to be so innocent?

Blair rolled her eyes (she had started doing that more and more often) and said, "Oh my god, you cannot be this dense. Come on, Ty, we're all giving them some alone time. Jeez."

While everyone else started filing out, Margo approached Wulf for a handshake. It was weird to see her acting so grown-up, even though I knew she was practically an adult now.

"It's good to finally meet you," she said.

"You, as well," Wulfric replied smoothly.

"Maybe we can all get together sometime," Margo suggested, and I finally understood what was going on. She always had been good at weaseling her way into getting what she wanted, and I knew she was curious about my mate.

Well, I wasn't ready to share just yet. "Margo, we can figure this out later," I said. I drew the blankets in tighter around myself. Now that Blair and Ty were gone, I felt that stupid chill again.

"Sure, raincheck," she agreed, but I could see by the glint in her eye that this wasn't over. I'd probably never hear the end of it until we planned some kind of group date. Ugh.

Dad and Pop were waiting by the door, and Dad hooked an arm around Margo's shoulders when she and Krish reached them. Pop pulled the door shut while he struck up a conversation with Krish, and then Wulfric and I were finally left alone.

I didn't wait a second longer to throw myself at Wulfric for a hug. I still had the blankets wrapped tightly around myself and we were both clothed, so this wasn't quite the contact I craved, but it was enough to relax me deep down.

"Are you okay? Do you feel ill again?" Wulfric asked. He hugged me back hard and eased us down so we were sitting together on my bed.

"I'm fine," I said, and in that moment, it was true. Then, the hurt and betrayal I'd felt when he left earlier crept back, and I pulled away from him a bit. Just enough to see him. Okay, maybe to glare at him. Just a bit. "What was all that about?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You left," I accused. Sure, it was childish... but I couldn't help myself. People leaving when they should stay was kind of a trigger for me.

Instead of looking properly apologetic or anything like that, Wulfric actually smiled. It might have been the biggest smile I had ever seen from him. "I have news. Incredible news."

It was impossible to stay upset when he looked like this. I got swept away in his excitement. "What is it?" I asked eagerly.

"What would you say if I told you we could make you immortal?" Wulfric said.

None of the ideas floating through my mind had come close to this. I gaped at him while my brain struggled to process this unexpected turn of events. He wanted me to be... immortal?

I mean, I guessed it made sense. I wanted his lifespan to be like mine. Why wouldn't he want mine to be like his? But... me? Living forever?

It was hard to conceptualize. But the idea didn't make me feel good, and it took a while to think about why.

It would mean watching my family grow up and eventually die without me. It would mean either not having kids of my own, watching them grow and change while I didn't, or inflicting immortality on them, too. It meant throwing away the most important thing in my life: staying close to the people who loved me. Close not just in affection, but in experience. I couldn't imagine being left behind like that.

I didn't want to be in my twenties forever. I wanted a normal life. As normal as a werewolf could have.

Then again, not doing it meant growing older while my mate stayed young, and eventually dying on him. It wasn't a great alternative.

I stared at Wulfric, regretting that I couldn't be excited about this for him. I couldn't speak the words to actually tell him how very much I didn't want this. His smile slowly faltered, shifting into a concerned frown.

"You don't like the idea," he said. It wasn't an accusation, but I still felt guilty.

"It's a lot to take in," I hedged. This was a big decision to make, after all, and my gut reaction might not be how I ended up feeling about it after I had some time to really think about it. Because I owed Wulfric that much, the consideration of putting some thought into this decision when it was something he clearly cared about. Though, I really didn't see my mind changing on this.

Wulf's hand enclosed mine supportively. "That's okay, I understand. You've got plenty of time to think about it and there's no need to make a decision yet. We could wait years, if you wanted."

That didn't make me feel much better, somehow, and I couldn't speak around the lump in my throat.

"We don't have to do it at all if that's not what you want," Wulfric added softly. I could hear his disappointment. "I apologize, I thought you would be excited."

I shook my head. "Please don't apologize. It's... it's a nice idea." And it was. It meant that Wulfric wanted to keep me with him for longer than one lifespan. And at least now I understood why he'd rushed out. "Thank you," I told him, and meant it.

Wulfric wove his fingers through my hair, which was extra messy from all this time in bed today. He smiled softly and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips. "Of course. No more of this talk for now, agreed? Why don't we find a more pleasant way to pass the time?"

Coming from anyone else, I would have been certain this was an ill-timed inuendo. But there was no hint of lust in Wulfric's eyes. I let him settle me back in bed and watched as he pushed the old TV on its stand into my bedroom and plugged everything in. I had an HDMI device that connected the television to online streaming services, so there was no limit to what we could watch.

Wulfric climbed into the bed with me when everything was to his satisfaction, going as far as to prop us up with the cushions from the back of the couch and my pillows. How had I never thought of doing that before? It was so comfortable. Then, he pulled me against him and handed me the remote, and I almost short-circuited from happiness. It had been a pretty lousy day, but we were finally where I'd wanted to be all along: alone and close. And we were spending time together in that casual way, without any pressure or pretense. Just me and my mate.

It was almost enough to make me forget the decision looming over my head. Almost.