By the time dinner started, Connor felt exhausted. He didn't just have to work at the family's wine import business, but he also had to meet with the Guard's Lieutenant and talk about Perimeter assignments, not to mention the food shortages in the village and trying to figure out why the summer harvest hadn't been as fruitful as other years.

So now all he wanted was to relax and eat in his room, but the Flicks were still here, and as guests, they required the company of the Alpha and his family.

Mia had just come back from boarding school for the summer and she made sure to jump on Connor's back and twist herself like a monkey around his neck.

"Agh, an invasion," he yelled as she laughed.

"What did you buy me?" she asked seriously.

"You're supposed to bring me something, gnat."

She swatted him on the shoulder, all unladylike, apparently the boarding school had not taught her 'manners', and she said, "Don't call me that. As for your present, it's virgin blood. Do you want it now or later?"

"Just give it to Cook Sherry, she knows what to do."

She giggled and jumped back on the floor. "Done. What about mine?"

"Maybe this time there's no present for the wicked."

"Maybe you are full of shit."

Connor shushed her. "Don't let father hear you."

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Yeah yeah, so what did I miss while I was away?"

Miguel ruffled her hair, coming out of the shadows. "Your brother's courting the most beautiful woman in all the lands, as his future mate."

"Eww, gross," Mia said. "What about your true mate?"

"That's why you're my favorite," Connor said and kissed her hand. "Ignore these fools, I'm not courting anyone, we just have guests from the South."

"Oooh, did they bring presents?" Mia asked, but then went quiet when she saw their father at the head of the table, and the guests who now stood to greet the newcomers. Her eyes went wide when she saw Nancy. "Wow, Miguel wasn't kidding."

"Late as always, son," the Alpha scolded.

"Hello, father," Mia said and then plopped on her chair without so much a curtsy. "And welcome, new people."

The Alpha sighed. "You must excuse my youngest. She's receiving the best education, and yet, it seems to have gone to waste." He said it with a smile because he is powerless when it comes to Mia. "Can you at least sit straight and tie your hair back, Daughter Mine?"

Mia shrugged, but only sat up straight. Her hair was so long and curly that it always stuck to her food, but she didn't care.

"I love your hair," Nancy said, eliciting a smile from Mia.

"I love your everything," Mia said back.

Nancy laughed. "Thanks."

Meanwhile, Connor had been turning this way and that, sniffing the air, because there was a strange new smell in the air tonight. He looked around to see where it came from, but it was strangely faint in the room, as though someone carried it there. He discreetly sniffed his guests, and true enough, Nancy and her father had some on them. Mystified and desperate to find the source, Connor scoffed.

Nancy put her hand over his gently. "You all right, Connor?"

He focused on her sincere face. "Yeah, sure, I just..."

She frowned. "What?"

"What do I smell? You carried it with you."

"What do you mean? Like a soap or the stream or something?"

"No, it's something new. I haven't smelled that before."

She scrunched up her nose. "I don't smell anything out of the ordinary."

Connor started turning his head this way and that, making everyone else notice him for the first time tonight.

"Are you having an episode, son?" the Alpha grumbled.

Connor looked at his father and everyone else, now staring at him. "No, I... no, I'm just... feeling under the weather."

"You seem fine to me."

Suddenly, without warning, the air changed and while the scent had been faint before, now it was so strong, it almost knocked Connor out.

"Fuck," he grunted.

Nancy looked worried, her father looked murderous, and Connor himself turned around to see what in the hell smelled like that. True enough, the source had entered the big room, and it was a person. Connor stared at the boy who walked slowly to the table, and as soon as he fixed his eyes with his, they both kind of... stopped. The boy stopped advancing and Connor stopped breathing. He could not believe his nose or his eyes.

The boy was tall, but not taller than Connor, built on the lean side, almost scrawny even. His skin was so pale that it contrasted greatly with his dark hair. And even from this distance, Connor could tell his eyes were blue. All details that fell into place before Connor's eyes.

The boy stared at Connor, his mouth wide open, and Connor probably looked just as surprised. Jerking upright, Connor stood awkwardly, unsure of what to say. Did everyone notice what had happened or was it just something the both of them knew? Or wait, did the boy know?

Shit, he really didn't have a manual for this.

The boy started walking again, avoiding Connor's gaze. The latter frowned. There was no way only he'd noticed what had happened, right?

Right???

The boy sat next to Miles and opened his mouth. Connor had never heard an angel talk, until that moment. "Sorry, father. I, um, got detained."

Miles grunted and waved his son off dismissively. "This is my youngest, James."

"Jamie," the angel corrected, still not looking at Connor.

Nancy was frowning, obviously detecting something was different, but she simply ate and gave Connor a smile from time to time. She even ruffled Jamie's hair, much to his apparent dismay. They seemed to have a good relationship. Mia, on the other hand, seemed uncomfortable, like she had swallowed a lemon.

All of this happening, and Connor still wondered how nobody at the table, in the world, knew what he knew.

Jamie was his true mate. He'd finally found him.

Trouble was, he had no idea what to do now.

***

In all the years Connor had fantasized about his mate, he never imagined his mate would be so perfect. Nor did he imagine that his mate wouldn't acknowledge they were mates. At the very least, Connor had expected a smile, a handshake, anything but this silence.

Throughout dinner Jamie didn't look at Connor, who was dying to see his mate's beautiful blue eyes again. There was no way Jamie missed that fateful moment... was there? Suddenly Connor wasn't sure which way was up anymore.

Was it possible that Connor was wrong?

No, how could he be? Jamie smelled like his mate and he looked like his mate and he even sounded like his mate, so if it quacks like a duck... and all that.

Frustrated and confused, Connor said, "So, Jamie." Everyone else fell silent. He'd said it a bit too loudly.

Jamie looked up and finally, Connor was soothed by the blue depths of his mate's eyes again.

"What brings you here, if you don't mind me asking?"

Jamie pursed his lips, then said quietly, "My father got me an internship in the area."

Connor didn't look away from Jamie. "Did he?"

"James is at the age where he should seriously consider his future. I have a friend who agreed to help James learn more about Business Management."

"Is that what you want to be doing?" Connor asked Jamie.

Jamie didn't back down from Connor's invasive stare, but he did seem to be jingling his leg under the table. "I guess."

Connor frowned.

"James doesn't know what he wants, so I made sure he'll have options."

Aha. Connor realized that Jamie had as much control over his fate as he did, and with a father like Miles, it was no surprise. He said, "If that's the case, I'll be happy to allow Jamie to shadow me. Our Wine Import business is flourishing and we have clients from all over the North. I personally overlook a lot of the work, as my father would confirm."

Jamie's eyes went wide.

Miles frowned. "You should focus on your mating, not charity work."

"Charity, sir?" Connor asked.

"My boy will be just fine with the arrangement I made for him."

"With all due respect, sir, if you want your son to be the best one day, he should know how the best work, and I don't know anyone in the area who knows more about wine or handling a complex business than I do."

Connor's statement was firm and final, just as his father had taught him, and for the first time, the Alpha looked at him with something like pride in his eyes. "Yes, Miles, you should let my son help. He's personally grown our client list by 30% in just 3 years. He's quite ingenious."

Miles nodded. "All right then, as long as it doesn't interfere with other things, I think James could learn a lot from you."

Connor did his best not to grin like a maniac. "It's no problem. I am glad to help. We are going to be family after all."

The Alpha's jaw dropped, and so did Miles'. "Well," the latter said, "isn't that nice."

Nancy frowned at Connor, but he said nothing. What he said was technically 100% true. It's just that everyone thought he meant Nancy, when two people at the table knew different.

I know, I know, I like the name Jamie too much. :D

Did you like the mates' first meeting? Why do you think Jamie didn't say anything? Eek!