30 Disrespectful

An hour later they left and arrived at his parents' house. He massaged his eyes as he walked around the truck. He'd picked up his own vehicle a few days ago.

The human unsteadily dropped from the height of the truck and to the ground. In her arms were the cookies that she'd baked. Her pink hands were hot to the touch from the burns, but she'd not asked for a bandage.

He walked along the familiar concrete path that led to the front door. And remembered how he'd felt last night as he walked along the same path; he'd felt sorry for what the human would have to endure during a dinner with his family.

No one in his family had a love or leniency towards humans, save his sister who had a soft heart for anyone.

Knocking on the white door he soon heard footsteps coming towards it. He watched the opaque, oval window as he listened to his mother slow movements towards the door, she was making him wait.

He could hear the human's heart rate increase and he hoped that she wouldn't do what she'd done the previous evening. He hadn't known how to react when she'd so suddenly clutched his forearm.

'How was anyone supposed to react?' He reasoned. His wolf was quiet but James could sense that he was ready to strike if provoked.

The door was finally opened after a minute of waiting. The human hid a step behind him and he rolled his eyes with a huff. 'So weak.'

"James," His mother said tightly, "Come in. Ryan and your father will be here any moment." She said as she opened the door wider. He ducked through and the human behind him, "Your sister is busy so she'll not be joining us today."

He nodded and she shut the door. The human stood next to him, the Tupperware container resting awkwardly in her arms.

"She made cookies." James muttered and he felt a sting of anger when his mother attempted to hide an annoyed sneer.

"Oh!" She exclaimed with a false happiness, "I'll just take those into the kitch-en…" Her voice faltered when the human opened the container and offered one to her.

Her face was blank, but James could see in her eyes that she knew his mother didn't want it. He wondered, not for the first time, if she was as keen as Beta had been. A strategist at heart.

His mother stared at the dessert with contempt in her eyes, she quickly masked this with an innocent curiosity as she sniffed the air, "Are they gluten-free?"

The human cocked her head ever so slightly to the right and she blinked slowly. Her head moved up and down in a slow nod and his mother nodded as though she was apologetic.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I have an intolerance to anything gluten-free."

The human nodded slowly, but James could see an emotion in her eyes. He was… intrigued, to say the least, as to why she'd done that. Why she'd tested his mother?

James raised his head slightly when he recognized both his father's and Ryan's scents nearing the house. He immediately felt the urge to pull the human behind him to protect her.

He fought a growl. Why? She's pathetic and deserves no protection, especially from his family. It was his duty to protect them.

But his wolf continued to glance anxiously around the room, almost searching for a place to hide her. His wolf felt so strongly that she needed to be protected that he felt himself clenching his jaw and fists, to the point that his bones nearly cracked.

A door opened and soon his father and Ryan walked into the living room. Ryan's wrist was completely healed, he remembered Elenor's words saying that Malcolm had healed him. His father watched him from under his dark brow.

James had always felt the need to bow his head under his father's gaze. But he had not last night, and he did not feel that respect at that moment. He was Gamma now, and his father was to respect him.

His gaze moved back to Ryan and he found him staring at the human almost sadistically. He looked down when he didn't sense her fear and he saw that she was holding the younger Lycan's gaze, slowly eating a cookie.

He was confused and curious but didn't say anything, although he did feel the urge to rip out Ryan's eyes.

"Well, why don't we sit down." His mother said and she led them to the couch. He sat on a loveseat with the human, both of them not an inch apart. It was uncomfortable but he felt better knowing she was closer to him than to Ryan.

His lip nearly curled when he looked at his sister's mate again.

His father sat in his large recliner and Ryan sat on the white floral couch, an arm stretched along the back and his leg sitting atop his knee.

"Would anyone like a beverage?" His mother asked in a honeyed tone, but he knew that she was simply asking his father.

"A beer, Fiona." His father said, his eyes watching the human and him darkly.

"And Ryan, would you like anything?" She asked, not even glancing at him and the human.

"No, I'm good thank you." He said, a smirk rising to his features.

While his mother was gone getting his father his beer, Ryan smiled and James narrowed his gaze, "So, you're here to apologize?"

James growled, his disrespect and arrogance was getting too much and going too far. He stood and bared his teeth and Ryan laughed.

"I take that as a no?" He said with an arrogant chuckle and James snapped.

He lunged and with lightening speed, pinned Ryan to the curios cabinet smashing the glass. Ryan growled in pain and James crushed his shoulder with a growl of his own.

"I owe you no apology." He snarled as he watched Ryan's burning eyes as he endured the pain, "If you ever treat me with such disrespect again, I will take it as a challenge."

He took a step back and huffed, expelling Ryan's foul scent from his nostrils.

He walked to where the human sat, her eyes watching him steadily. He questioned what went on behind those dark, numb eyes.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her from the house and into the wintery afternoon. The breeze blew from the lake to them and she tucked her loose, wavy hair behind her ear.

He got into the truck and clenched the steering wheel so tight it was bound to break.

After driving for a few minutes he couldn't take the silence anymore, "What?"