“Oh my God!” both Vanessa and Olive screamed at the same time. The next second, they had already hugged each other, leaving Shem and Dolly to watch in surprise.
“What are you doing here, Vanessa?” Olive asked as her eyes sparkled with joy.
“I live here,” Vanessa replied and Shem snorted loudly behind them. Vanessa turned her head to glare at him.
“You live here yet you haven’t spent more up to five nights since the beginning of this year. Iconic lie of the year,” he said and rolled his eyes.
Vanessa almost threw him a fork but Olive laughed and grabbed her hand.
“Haha, don’t mind him,” she chuckled.
“Olive, is it true? You’re Wayne’s mate?” Vanessa asked with teary eyes. Olive wanted to nod but remembered what Gia told her so she just faked a smile instead.
“Oh my gosh! I’m so happy for you,” she hugged Olive again. Shem rolled his eyes and continued to eat. Dolly gently sat on a chair and was arranging her napkin on her thighs.
“You’re finally free from those assholes! Phew!” The two ladies laughed. Dolly and Shem didn’t understand anything they were saying.
“But I must warn you, my brother is also an asshole. Be careful about him,” Vanessa warned jokingly.
“Brother?” Olive asked and looked to Dolly.
“Step sister,” Dolly stated, referring to her relationship with Vanessa.
“Oh my God! Vanessa…all along you’ve been an Alpha female of Balendin Pack?” Vanessa shrugged.
“Didn’t it show on me? I was always carrying a mighty aura. I’m a big girl you know,” she said proudly and Shem choked on his food.
“Big girl my foot,” he muttered and if looks could kill, Vanessa would have murdered him in cold blood.
“Olive, sit down and eat,” Dolly said and the two of them sat down.
“Is the guy a brother or step brother?” Olive asked Dolly.
“Step brother,” Dolly replied and smiled at him. She was too fond of Shem and Vanessa hated that.
“I wouldn’t really say step brother. We’re too bonded to be step siblings. People don’t even realize Vanessa and I’s mother is different from Wayne and Dolly’s,” Shem said and took a large size of pancakes into his mouth.
“Yeah, we’re one big happy family!” Dolly cheered.
“No. We would have been one big happy family if Wayne and Shem weren’t born,” Vanessa snorted, earning a glare from Dolly and Shem.
“Wayne was born first, remember? If there’s someone who shouldn’t have been born, it’s you sis,” Shem threw words at her again.
Vanessa’s mouth fell open. And before anyone could calculate anything, a whole plate of butter had landed right in Shem’s face, giving out a splash sound. Dolly and Olive burst into laughter.
“Gosh, these two! They should be the step siblings instead. I can’t believe they’re full blooded siblings,” Dolly said while trying to curb her laughter. Olive wiped a tear from her eye as she fought to slow down her laughter.
Shem frowned and walked away with his eyes all buttered up.
“Serves you right,” Vanessa mocked and began to eat.
“Eat up, beauty,” Dolly said and set a plate of pancakes, cream and berries in front of Olive. Olive was appreciative. She wondered why Wayne and his sister preferred to set her plate instead of her doing it.
“Thanks, Dolly.”
“Hmm. Oh, Olive…how did you know my sister?”
Vanessa and Olive glanced at each other.
“Well, she was a regular guest at a club I use to go to,” Olive said.
“What pack?”
“Selcece Pack. It’s not so close to Balendin. It’s a small pack though,” Vanessa answered.
“You guys seem like friends,” that was from Dolly.
“Yeah. Olive saved my ass one night. I had just received tons of money for the night and was heading to my hotel when some mobs attacked me. She was passing by and kicked their asses. She was like Wonder Woman, Dolly. From that day, she became my friend and always came to visit me anytime she could sneak out of…” Vanessa stopped talking immediately after she saw Olive’s alarmed face.
She knew Olive was in The Vrek Cult, everyone in that neighborhood knew because of how she was always with them patrolling and causing trouble. Though, she didn’t really cause trouble. Just the guys she walked around with. Vanessa knew her pain there, which was why she was so happy to find out she was Wayne’s mate.
“Sneak out of what?” Dolly asked.
“My boss’s club. He was a frightening man and made me work overtime,” Olive quickly answered.
“Oh. No wonder you can fight. You probably lived in a rough neighborhood,” Dolly asserted and Olive nodded. However, she didn’t just live in a rough neighborhood, she lived a rough life.
“Come on, let’s eat up. We’ve got lots of things to do,” Dolly nudged them on.
“I was going to leave after breakfast. But seems I’m staying this whole week. I’ve missed you so much, Olive,” Vanessa whined. Olive could only smile.
“But Dolly, why all this makeover for just a meal? I don’t see anything unusual or formal yet,” Olive spoke up after gulping down half a glass of milk.
“Oh, we’re not usually this scanty you know. There’s this overly serious aunt and uncle who live with us. The former Alpha’s sister, in order words, my Dad’s sister. She’s presently in the country’s capital with her husband to visit her daughter who had a baby. If she’s on this table, yeesh! We wouldn’t even be talking like this,” Dolly answered her.
“She always has something to complain about. ‘Vanessa, why is your hair looking rough?’ ‘Vanessa, you look like a disgrace. Get rid of your hangover!’ ‘Vanessa, this is not how a noblewoman should dress. Go and remove that tattered jeans you call fashionable!’ Gosh, I hate that woman,” Vanessa whined and rolled her eyes causing the two ladies watching her to laugh.
Shem returned to the dining table and sat down. His face was wet and free of butter. Olive smiled as she saw his hair. One would think it was exactly Wayne’s. Their curls were so unruly and wouldn’t just lie down.
“Also, ministers do join us for meals sometimes if they overwork and Wayne invites them to eat before leaving. Their main offices are situated on the ground floor of the castle,” Dolly added and Olive understood. They were the first family of the entirety of Balendin, they had to put on a good outlook in front of the outside world even though it was for a simple meal.
Olive then noticed the larger wooden chair at the top of the table. Obviously, it belonged to the Alpha. Talking about the Alpha, she missed him already. The way he looked at her during dinner last night, it made her melt. The thought that he might not truly be her mate was painful.