The Wrong Mate (BoyxBoy)

Chapter Eighteen

Kane followed the sound of his sister's high-pitched laughter down the staircase. He couldn't help but smile widely when he saw the situation that had unfolded in the kitchen. Nora stood at the bench, her hands grasping a bowl that had recently overflown. Grace sat on the top of the bench, lent over the bowl, with a mostly empty looking flour packet in one hand. She was laughing and swatting away at the flour that had flown about on the benchtop.

"What's happening in here?" Kane asked.

Both culprits looked up at him with amused eyes. Grace laughed.

"Well, we were attempting to make pancakes, but someone here got a little flour happy," Nora revealed before turning a cheeky grin towards Grace.

"Do you want to help us?" she asked.

Kane put his hands up in the air. "I think I'll stay out of this one."

He smiled as he turned away from the kitchen. It was nice to see Nora in a good mood. He hadn't seen her smile since they had gotten back from her pack, and seeing it had sent a nice feeling through the bond.

Kane heard his mother's voice from the next room, "How are they going in there?"

He found his mother on the couch. She looked up from her book to send him a smile.

"They are making one hell of a mess, but they are having fun," Kane told her.

Scarlett shrugged. "I'll deal with any amount of mess to see that girl finally smile again."

Kane sat down next to her. "You've noticed her recent mood, I'm guessing?"

Scarlett placed her book face down on the coffee table and turned to face her son. "I noticed something was off as soon as we got in the car to go home from Maysville."

"Why didn't you say something?"

Scarlett smiled slightly. "Mates aren't perfect, Kane. Every couple has a few hiccups when they first start out. I didn't want to say anything and make it more complicated for the two of you. It seems like you managed to work it out anyway, if her mood today is any indication."

Kane wished that he could attribute their current issues to just the hiccups of new mates. There was much, much deeper problems than that between them, but he wasn't sure how much of that to tell his mother. She didn't want her to hate Nora the same way Heath seemed to. He needed Nora to feel safe here, to be accepted, otherwise they had no future together.

"I don't know about that."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well," Kane glanced towards the kitchen to make sure Nora wasn't overhearing, "we had a fight in Maysville, a pretty big one, and we haven't talked about it. Every time I try to work it out with her, she just avoids it."

Scarlett nodded like she understood. "This is a big adjustment period for the both of you. She might have just needed some time to cool off. Try talking to her today."

Kane nodded. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course. Anything."

Kane wanted to tell her everything. His mother had always been his greatest supporter, even when he came out to her, she didn't even flinch. He knew that he could trust her with the full story, but again, his mind told him not to mess with the way she saw Nora.

"Do you," he asked slowly, "think that Nora and I are well suited together?"

Scarlett tilted her head slightly. "You are mates, she is the most suited person for you on the planet."