Although Brandon had to practically force me to invite Jack along to the family dinner on Friday, I soon felt that it couldn’t come quickly enough. Though we texted each other through the week, both too busy to meet up before dinner, it felt like I’d been starved of Jack by the time I picked him up. Even just catching his scent as he climbed into the car settled my spirits.

Of course, I was still pretty nervous. Did he really know what he was getting into? And exactly how many of my family members was I going to have to bat away from interrogating him?

“Hi, handsome,” he said, sliding into the car — then turning to grin at Josie in the back. “And hello, amazing artist.”

“Hi, Jack!”

I felt my chest flip again, as it had every time they’d spoken to one another. I’d been so instinctively afraid of him even finding out about Josie that I had failed to mention her on our first date. Seeing them actually get along well warmed my heart.

Of course he was good with Josie, though. It seemed like he could charm anybody that crossed his path, near enough. I just hoped he’d be able to keep up that charm when he was surrounded by brothers, sisters and cousins — and my mom, insisting that he eat more than he wanted to.

I bit my tongue, refraining from asking him one more time whether he was sure about this. I’d already asked him by text, and I didn’t want him to think it was me that didn’t want him here. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I’d given Brandon a death stare for making me invite Jack, sure, but it felt right that he was coming along. Early as we were in this relationship, it just seemed appropriate for him to meet everybody.

Was that crazy? I couldn’t tell. It had been so long since I’d dated that I’d almost forgotten what did and did not qualify as ‘normal’.

Then again, Jack didn’t seem all that bothered by behaving normally. He was already pulling silly faces at Josie in the back seat, and… well. His tattoos were amazing, but his look couldn’t exactly be described as conventional.

“You okay?” he asked me, straightening up in his seat. “Seems like you’re gripping the wheel a little tight, there.”

I relaxed my hands, giving him a sheepish smile. “Sorry. Just… hoping it’s going to go well. I like you. I’m sure they’ll like you too. It’s just… you know.”

“I know,” he assured me. “Honestly, it’s… a lot for me too.”

I thought back to our conversation last Saturday night. The last time he’d lived among a big pack was many years in the past now. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he was anxious about this. Still, the fact that he had agreed to come despite all this was a good sign. This was pretty overtly not a casual move; if he wasn’t as invested in this as I was, he wouldn’t be here.

“We’ll be okay,” I said, prompted to comfort him even if I felt uncertain about it too. “We don’t have to stay all day if it gets a little… suffocating.”

“What’s suffocating?” Josie piped up, from the back.

“Hey,” said Jack, turning to face her as I pulled away. “I meant to ask you. Do you have art classes at school?”

“Not always,” she said, sufficiently distracted. “Mostly math and science and stuff.”

“Ah, that sucks.”

“I like science. ‘Cos it’s-”

I felt a rush of warmth for Jack’s ability to distract her — and to be interested enough to listen to her long, rambling answer. As her dad, I loved to hear exactly what she enjoyed about science, and what she’d been studying about it recently, but I knew that was mostly a parent thing. Other adults who didn’t know her would normally consider it a chore. If Jack did, he was particularly adept at hiding it. Not for the first time, I wondered whether he’d learned to be good with kids, or whether he was just a natural. He was good with everybody else; I figured it followed that his charm should extent to young ones too.

For all I knew, he’d get dragged into the puppy pile out in the yard today, and none of my nosy adult relatives would be able to bombard him with questions.

Actually, that might not be a bad idea.

Once he’d sufficiently availed himself of Josie’s school schedule, Jack settled back into his seat to give me a lopsided grin. “So. Your parents’ place far?”

“Not really. It’s up in Pinehurst — might take us 20 minutes or so.”

“Keeping close, huh?”

I gave him a sheepish smile, checking my mirrors. “For sure. I think my family would have a collective coronary if we tried to move away. It’s nice, though. Everybody takes care of everybody else. You ever need help, somebody’s around.”

“You ever want a little privacy...”

“Well, yeah,” I admitted. “There are downsides. But they could be worse. They’re very tolerant. Very liberal. In fact, I think Mom and Dad are probably more liberal than I am, so… there’s nothing you really need to hide from them.”

Jack raised his eyebrows. “No? Nothing?”

“Oh, no, trust me. Nothing.”

I glanced in the rear-view mirror and found Josie’s nose was buried in her book. She knew all this already; we had never hidden this information from any of the kids in the family. Still, I didn’t know what kind of questions Jack might want to ask.

“Mom and Dad are open,” I said. “They have three partners each living there, of various genders. Picked up most of them in the 60s, with...um...”

I took another glance in the back.

“You know. A little chemical assistance, in some cases.”

Jack snorted, rolling his shoulders in his seat. “You’re such a square. Even the way you said that...”

“No, I know! That’s what I mean. I would never, but… they have all this experience, and all these relaxed views. So no matter what you do, so long as you don’t hurt anybody...” I shrugged a shoulder. “The worst that can happen is that you get embarrassed, and Mom won’t stand for it if you get teased for too long anyway.”

“What’s the worst thing they ever found out about you?”

“You can’t ask me that!” My ears burned, only getting worse at the peals of laughter from the passenger seat. “If you must know...”

“I must.”

“Somebody took in some… interesting… packages of mine and Micah’s while they were minding the kids one time.”

Jack folded his arms, intrigued. “What kind of interesting?”

“It was more his thing than mine.”

“Yeah, no. Sorry. Still interested.”

I could feel his eyes on me, but I kept mine pointed straight out of the window, watching the road. Safety first, right? “You wouldn’t have bought it. Let’s say that.”

“I wouldn’t…?” he trailed off, mouthing the words. There were a few moments of peace and silence before he tapped the dashboard, triumphant. “Leather. Ha.” A pause. “To wear?”

“That is quite enough information for one day,” I said, turning off the main road into Pinehurst. My collar felt too stiff.

“Because if it was, there are plenty of synthetic alternatives. I have a few myself; I’ll show you sometime. And if it’s restraints...”

“Would you look at that? We’re almost there.”

When I took a glance sideways at him, still trying to fight the smile off my face, I saw a similar expression in him. Now that we were closer, I could begin to see the signs of tension. I’d never seen Jack with such stern brows before, and he seemed to be holding a lot of weight in his shoulders. He’d need to be careful with that, or someone was going to have to massage it out of him later.

Admittedly, I wouldn’t mind if it was me.

“Alright,” I said, pulling up onto the side of the street to my parents’ large family home. “Here’s home.” Built in the 60s, and with greenery on all sides, I dreaded to think what it would sell for in today’s markets — and what they had paid for it, all those years ago. It was a nine-bedroom home, with large living spaces to match. Since it had started life with eight bedrooms instead, the extended parts looked a little like they’d been tacked on. Peeking out from behind the back were some of the large hedges that sealed the yard space in, and the old birch tree stretched up from behind the house. The whole property had a chaotic but cozy air, which suited my family to a tee. The entirety of the large driveway was already taken up with cars, and I knew my parents would already have stored theirs safely away in the garage.

Casting his eyes over the sheer number of vehicles outside, Jack’s shoulders lifted. His arms seemed even more tense.

Something told me it would be better not to mention it. He wanted to be here, and I knew from personal experience that having somebody point out how nervous you looked wasn’t likely to calm you down. Instead, I just squeezed his arm as I unlocked the doors.

“Alright, Jo-Jo,” I said, climbing out of the car and walking around to open her door onto the sidewalk. “We’re here.”

Jack stuck close by my side as we made our way to the front door, Josie oblivious to the atmosphere of nervousness as she turned the handle. There was no need to knock. Nobody would hear it in the hustle and bustle of Friday night dinner anyway — a lesson my family taught to Jack as soon as the door swung open. Raucous laughter spilled out from the sitting room that branched off from the entrance hall, and we had been hearing the occasional yipping and howling from the yard since we opened the car doors.

“Yeah,” said Jack. “It’s a big pack, alright.”

“Yeah,” I said, a note of apology in my voice. “Pretty much.” I linked my arm through his, squeezing, but it seemed to hinder more than help. He forced a smile, but this environment was clearly busier than he’d imagined.

“Daddy, I’m going outside,” said Josie. Knowing her well enough to understand that this was more of a question than an announcement, I patted her back.

“Okay, sweetheart. Go play.”

We watched her scamper through the hallway, half-skidding on the carpet as she turned into the back room.

“Careful!” I called, but she was already too far to listen — and calling out seemed to attract adult attention instead. My mom popped her head through the kitchen door, beaming at both of us.

“You’re here!” She vanished for a moment. The sound of a couple of pots hit the countertops, and she re-emerged wiping her hands on her apron. “It’s great to see you both. This has got to be Jack.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Oh, no,” she said, patting his arm. “Dylan’s done a terrible job preparing you. No sirs and ma’ams here. Please call me Laura — or Mom is fine,” she added, coy.

“Mom,” I warned.

“Let me go and find Dylan’s father,” she said, already slipping away. “He’s going to be so happy you’re here.”

As she vanished, the silence stretched between us. For the first time since we’d met, I could feel both Jack and I struggling for conversation. Eventually, he cleared his throat.

“Anyone would think you’ve been skipping these dinners for months.”

“They can be pretty intense,” I admitted, letting go of his arm to stand in front of him. “You know, honestly, if it turns out to be too much-”

“There he is!”

We both turned to meet the sight of my dad approaching, hands spread wide and cheeks already ruddy from wine. “Jack, Jack, Jack.”

Jack smiled. It didn’t stretch to his eyes.

“This is my dad, Roderick,” I said, trying my best to lighten the situation as I gestured between them. “Dad, I… think it sounds like you already know his name.”

“Once more can’t hurt,” he insisted, taking Jack’s hand and giving it a hearty shake. “Great to meet you, young man.” I felt like a teenager. This was a bad idea. How couldn’t I have seen that before? This was way too much strain to put on a relationship that was, in real time, a few hours old. This was only the third date.

Unfortunately, there was worse to come. Dad was already steering Jack away by the hand.

“Dad-”

“Let me take you for a drink,” he was saying, his hand still clamped around Jack’s. Unless I was badly misreading my father, this wasn’t meant to be a power move — but there was something innately political about one alpha dragging another away without asking. Pack hierarchy didn’t mean much in my family, largely because we never had discipline issues. Everything was very informal, but who knew what Jack was used to?

“Dad.”

I met Jack’s eyes, seeing pinches of frustration and anxiety in his expression. I mouthed ‘sorry’ as he was drawn away, only turning as Mom put her hand on my arm.

“Let him go,” she said, voice warm. “He won’t bite. He’s very excited to see you with somebody new.”

“Well, then, tell him to stop sabotaging me,” I insisted, but sounding like a teenager wasn’t going to make me feel any more adult. “It’s still so early. You know he can’t steer another alpha around like that.”

“Oh, we’re all friends here,” she said, stepping into the kitchen and beckoning me to follow. Seeing no possible way of rescuing Jack yet, I winced and did as I was directed. “It’ll be fine. He likes you enough to come along.”

“Mm.”

She tutted, pouring out two glasses of water — presumably, one for each of us. She garnished both with slices of lime. “Don’t be so on edge. You know your father is a nice man, and I’m sure you wouldn’t be involved with anybody unpleasant. They’ll get along just fine.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“How has he taken to Josie?”

This was an easier topic; I smiled, leaning against the counter as she handed me one of the glasses. “Really well. He told her he liked her art, and let her color in his tattoos.”

“There are a lot of those, aren’t there?” she said, sounding less judgmental than she was interested. “Are they just in visible places? Or are they everywhere?”

“You absolutely cannot ask me that,” I said. I took a sip of the water, then admitted: “Yes. Everywhere.”

“I suppose it makes sense. Brandon said he’s a tattoo artist. Is that right?”

I nodded. “Owns his own shop. The other two members of his pack work there.”

“Only two?” she winced. “Jeez. No wonder he looked like he was lost at sea in here.”

“See. You noticed.”

She waved a hand, and I waited as she took a drink of water. “Yes. He’s very nervous. It’s in his scent; old noses are good at these things. But the point still stands. He agreed to come along, honey. He knew what he was getting himself in for.”

“Well… did he, though?”

I stared out of the window, watching two human passersby scurry past the house, trying their best not to react to the sounds of the pups in the backyard.

“It’s not my story to tell, but it’s been a long time since he’s been around this many wolves. Maybe he forgot how overwhelming it is. And I’m pretty sure he didn’t think he’d be separated from me within the first ten seconds...”

“He isn’t you,” she teased. “He’s a big, strong alpha — and a handsome one, too,” she added, approving. “Honestly, Dylan, he won’t mind fending for himself a little. That’s practically what they’re born for.”

As she busied herself checking on the dinner, I tried to let her words comfort me. Jack was a big, strong alpha. He was every positive stereotype, and so far seemed to exhibit none of the bad ones — bar the typical overconfidence, which was disarmingly sexy in any case. I had never seen anything trouble him so far. But surely that meant it was all the more significant to see him look troubled now?

I finally got a chance to catch up with him as Mom and I headed through to the sitting room. They were sitting in the window-seat, watching the pups run outside. I could already tell that Dad was talking Jack’s ear off, and dived over to help.

“Hey,” I said, closing my hand over his. I didn’t feel the usual squeeze back. “Dad, can I steal Jack for a while? I want to show him something.”

“Fine, fine,” he said, holding up his free hand. “I’ll cease interrogations for now. But listen, young man,” he said, pointing at Jack with a serious expression on his face. “You finish that beer, you come right back to me.”

“Ha. Thanks.”

As I led Jack away, I hunted for the right thing to say. Should I apologize? Make a joke of it? Offer to drive him home? Or would it be better to pretend that none of this was happening, and just let Jack handle it himself?

I was too out of practice to tell.

“Come and see my room,” I said, stalling. “It’s kind of a study now, but...”

“Sure.”

I’d never heard him sound so short with me. I bit my lip, leading him up the stairs.

“Does this whole pack drag people around by the hand, or…?”

I dropped his hand in an instant. Jack’s humor was always so dry that it was hard to tell whether he was joking or not, but right now the distinction was even more important than usual. I turned round to look at him, trying to wear my apology in my face.

“Didn’t mean to,” I said, hoping this was a safe hedge either way. “Can’t speak for my dad, but… um. I’m sure he spoke plenty for himself.”

Jack didn’t answer. The silence was oppressive, but at least the house was getting quieter around us as we reached the second floor, and the door that led to my childhood bedroom. Having him in this space felt weird, but at least it would be somewhere private to take a breather before he had to meet seven thousand cousins, or… however many were actually in attendance. Maybe he’d already been introduced to some of them.

“I’m really sorry this is so hectic,” I said, tripping over myself to find the right words. “I mean. It’s usually hectic, and I guess I should have known, but… maybe this was a bad idea. I didn’t know he was going to drag you off. Did he really interrogate you, or was he kidding? Or kind of both?”

“Talk a lot when you’re nervous, huh?”

I forced a smile, but couldn’t mean it. What would usually be a gentle tease didn’t seem so lighthearted now. “Sorry.”

“So you said.”

I took a deep breath, trying to rid myself of tension — but ended up feeling like I’d just inhaled more of it through my nose. “We can go out with the pups, if you want. They’re a little easier to take. And obviously we can leave any time.”

“Yeah, thanks,” he said, turning to examine my old bookshelf. “Haven’t forgotten that I’m a free man.”

“Well, I just meant-”

“This is your pack,” he pressed. “Not mine. I know I can walk out whenever I want to.”

My chest ached. It hurt to be spoken to like this, not least because I felt I’d brought it on myself to bringing him to something so intense. Sure, things had felt very close and ready between us, but we both should have known better. Should have known that was an illusion pulled over our eyes by our wolf selves, desperate to make us mate. Alpha-and-omega blindness. Was it already fading away? Had we gotten too close, and spoiled the magic by seeing how it was done?

At the same time, I just ached to think he was so uncomfortable. This wasn’t what I wanted for him. Not at all.

“Sure,” he said, after the pause had just grown long enough to be wrong. “Let’s go outside with the pups until it’s time to eat. Good idea.”

His tone was still hot, but at least he was trying. I nodded, eager to patch things up and make things better between us again. It felt wrong not to be standing on the same side, elbows bumping together. Laughing about everything. Maybe we could still laugh about this later, when my dad wasn’t downstairs and ready to pounce.

“Okay,” I said, hanging back to let him lead. “Let’s do that.”

Jack gestured with one hand, looking tired. “You go. I don’t know where the fuck I am.”

I swallowed, nodding as I led him back down the stairs. This wasn’t ideal. It had morphed from a third date I’d been desperate for into a ball of stress. A waking nightmare. My only hope now was that it could go quick, and we could leave dinner intact.