My Hockey Alpha Neighbor - Chapter 16: Chapter 16

Carol’s POV
I sit on the bed, unable to sleep. I can hear the muffled sound of Aiden talking in the next room. He’s been speaking with his father for almost an hour now. Judging by the little I’ve heard, it isn’t the most pleasant conversation.
My anxiety is reaching new heights when Aiden finally re-enters the room. He has a grim expression on his face as he slips his phone into his pocket.
“Is everything alright?” I ask. I think I already know the answer.
“Sort of,” Aiden says uncomfortably. He pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a deep breath in and out. After a long moment, he sits down on the bed next to me.
“My family is… Unhappy with the fact you’re human,” he admits at last. “He’s demanding that I bring you home with me.”
My eyes widen. “What?”
“I know, I know,” Aiden says apologetically. “He said he won’t give us his blessing unless you come back to my family’s home.”
“Back at the Capital?” I ask. I can’t keep the nervousness out of my voice. From what I read online, the Capital is where Aiden’s pack lives. His family’s primary business is located there, as well as Aiden’s previous hockey club.
“Yes,” Aiden confirms uncomfortably. “Look, you can say no if you want to.”
I rub my forehead. The world feels like it’s spinning around me.
“There’s a party coming up next Saturday. Everyone in my family will be there, as well as many of our colleagues. That’s where my father wants to meet you.” He furrows his eyebrows with frustration. “Why he insists on something so over-the-top, I’m not sure.”
“I’ll do it.” The words come out of my mouth before I’m ready for them to. Well, there’s no going back now, I think. Aiden looks at me with surprise.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes,” I say eventually. I’m surprised to find that I’m being honest. As stressful as the idea is, I know that this is the only way to ever become close with Aiden’s family.
Aiden spends the next morning outlining what I can expect from a prestigious werewolf party hosted by high-class Alphas. I force myself not to regret my decision.
That afternoon, I stop by my apartment to start picking out clothes. Fiona offers to help me pack up a few bags to take back to Aiden’s place. Joking around with Fiona is enough to take my minds off of the upcoming trip, if only for a moment.
Being back in my small apartment reminds me just how nice staying with Aiden has been. I can’t help but think again about the status of my lease here. It feels foolish to keep paying for a lease when I’m spending more time with Aiden.
I’ll think more about this after our trip, I decide eventually. There’s no need to stress myself out even more right now. For now, I pack up a large portion of my things.
The rest of the week passes by in a blur. My days at work move by much more smoothly without Zack or Sophia around, but now there’s something even more daunting hanging over my head.
My boss approves me to take Thursday and Friday off work as soon as I tell him where I’ll be going. I guess this situation has some perks, I think dryly. Whether my boss is feeling starstruck or is afraid of what Aiden’s father is capable of, I don’t know and I don’t care right now.
Thursday rolls around before I’m ready. Aiden and I pack up our bags and head to the nearest airport. Aiden calls his private driver once more to take us. He has been managing our flight details, so I can’t help but feel confused when we drive past the doorway to security.
“Didn’t we just pass the entrance?” I ask. Aiden looks at me out of the corner of his eye with a wry grin.
“We’re going to be going through security somewhere else,” he says mysteriously.
Sure enough, we pull up to a separate terminal entirely. Only once we step out onto the flyway do I realize where we’re going.
A beautiful, sleek-looking airplane is waiting for us. Emblazoned on the side in large golden lettering is the word “Cruz”. My jaw drops.
“You have a private jet?!” I gasp. Aiden chuckles.
“What, don’t like the color?” He teases. I punch his shoulder playfully.
The ride is so luxurious I almost regret how short it is. Just as I’m getting comfortable in the plush velvet seats and enjoying the complimentary champagne, we’re already descending at our destination. I open the window to gaze down at the city as we pass overhead. Despite living only a few hours away, I’ve never actually been to the Capital before.
Unsurprisingly, another private driver picks us up from the airport. It takes us a while to get out of the city center. As we stop at stop light after stoplight, stuck in a seemingly endless traffic jam, I can’t help but stare out the window and watch the city all around us.
The Capital is just as bustling as I imagined it to be. I’m not perfect at identifying werewolves, but I can guess that there’s a much higher werewolf population here due to how tall everyone looks.
“Where are we staying, exactly?” I ask as we drive into a much fancier part of the city. “I assume we’re not staying with your family the whole weekend.”
“We’re going to my place,” Aiden confirms. He rubs my shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to throw you right into the fire.”
We pull into the driveway of an absolutely gorgeous house. It’s a bit more ostentatious than the place Aiden is living now. I glance in his direction — I can’t help but wonder if that’s exactly what he’s been trying to get away from.
Aiden insists on carrying my bags into the house despite my protests. When we step into the foyer, I realize this was the house that I found when I was initially researching Aiden. The inside is much more minimalistic than the outside, just as I remember from the articles I saw.
Aiden carries my bags to his room and sets them down on the bed. I unzip my luggage and start to look through the options that I brought. I made sure to just take all of my nicest items of clothing and figure out the specifics later. Aiden heads to the closet, which appears to be just as stocked as his closet in Statford.
“Which outfit do you think I should wear?” I call over my shoulder. I’ve laid out a few nice options. Aiden reemerges from his closet holding up a hanger with a suit on it. He lays it out on the bed.
“This is what I was thinking of wearing, for reference,” he says. Once again, my jaw drops.
“This?” My voice comes out almost as a squeak. Laying on the bed in front of me is the most gorgeous tuxedo I’ve ever seen in my life. It looks as fancy and high-quality as an outfit right off of the red carpet. I bury my head in my hands.
“Oh god. I don’t have anything appropriate, do I?” I despair. Aiden rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.
“I think your clothes are lovely, for the record,” he says, “but… these parties are sort of intense. It’s expected that the attendees all adhere to the ‘golden rule’.”
I raise an eyebrow. “ ‘Treat others how they want to be treated?’ ” I say, confused. Aiden has a sheepish look on his face.
“Ah… Not that golden rule. At these parties, the golden rule is that all clothes should be worth their weight in gold.”
I stare at Aiden, absolutely dumbfounded. “What?! Are they going to weigh my clothes?!” I exclaim. I can feel myself getting faint. How much is gold worth per pound? Ten thousand? Twenty thousand?! I start frantically doing the math.
Aiden shakes his head quickly. “Not — literally. It’s more of a figure of speech. Basically, everything is incredibly expensive. That’s all.”
I flop back onto the bed and let out a groan. “Oh, no. Your family is going to hate me,” I sigh. Aiden looks at my clothes, then back at me. Eventually, a smile spreads across his face.
“Why don’t I take you shopping?”