Virgin Sacrifice to the Last Lycan - Chapter 167: Chapter 167

Helen’s POV
“Out of curiosity, why not?” I asked.
Russo sighed. “I don’t know how long your nature will allow you to go between drawing the essence from someone. I would hate for your dry spell to turn into an affair, which would ruin things between you and Justin.”
A blush flamed across my face. “I don’t know that I’m ready to sleep with him.”
He nodded. “I can understand that, but your magnetism and need are still there. And I think we can get both you and his lycan on board with this mutual sharing of power. His lycan draws strength from his true mate because lycans, from what I’ve heard, are all as seriously monogamous as Justin seems to be to you. Once they choose a mate, they don’t stray. And your need to draw essence from someone that has enough power to satisfy you.”
“How were you thinking we should go about doing that?” I asked.
“I think we should treat tonight like the first date.”
“The first date?” I started him, completely confused as to what he might mean. “My parents never allowed me to date. I was kept locked away from anyone until they had secured a mate for me. I did feel the pull to my first mate, but you have to understand that it was essentially an arranged marriage. Between my parents and me, I haven’t spent time with any other males my age.”
A wide smile spread across his face. “I know exactly what we’re going to do tonight. We’re going to invite Julianne and her mate over, and once Justin and Randy arrive, we’re going to watch human romantic comedies until you have a general idea of what a date is supposed to entail. Now, of course, they’re comedies, so they’re not step-by-step instructions. But you’ll begin to understand what it’s like to go out and look for a mate rather than have your parents drop one on your lap. And I think it will be a fun evening for all of us.”
I stood up and pushed my chair under the desk. “I’ll go get the papers you printed off, and then I think we should go. The idea of spending a fun evening watching movies is beyond exciting. I can hardly wait to get started.”
The rest of the evening passed by in a flurry of getting ready and anticipation. It felt more like Christmas than any day I had ever experienced before, including all of my twenty Christmases up to this point.
Russo and I put a lasagna in the oven, which would be enough to feed everybody who was coming. And then, while we waited, we set about making bread sticks with warm butter and garlic on them and a nice fresh salad.
It was fun to be in the kitchen chopping vegetables with Russo because the two of us chattered about any and everything. It wasn’t a serious conversation. Nor was it angry. It wasn’t sexually heated and on its way to us screwing. The conversation just flowed companionably, and I loved it.
The doorbell rang, and I hurried to answer it, excited for visitors to my house for the first time ever. I didn’t really count Randy and Justin coming to dinner yesterday because that was more of a situation where my mate was seeing me settled rather than just a casual visit.
When I opened the door, Julianne greeted me with a smile and a perky little wave. “Helen, this is my mate, Peter.” She gestured to a man who was a little taller than her and had a thick head of hair so dark brown that it reminded me of dark chocolate.
For one moment, the urge to taste his hair rippled through me before I recognized it for what it was. I drew back in shock. Was this what Russo had been warning me about? I’d never felt so much as a passing flutter of interest in any man except for my mate. What on Earth was that feeling that I had just had?
I tried to soothe myself and remind myself that I’d really only ever spent time with my first mate, Scott, and Justin, and Randy, and Russo. The time I’d spent with the rogue, Oscar had mostly been running. And more than that, most of the time I spent in the presence of Randy and Russo had also been spent while my mate and I were going at it like rabbits. So how was I supposed to compare my feelings toward another male?
Besides, all the times I’d spent in the presence of males after I’d awaked my powers had been while my lycan mate and I were sexually active. I wouldn’t have been needing anyone else’s essence like right now.
I frowned. That brought another rather unpleasant thought to my mind. That sexual frenzy that Justin and I had gotten into, the one which nearly cost me my life . . . if that was a result of my heritage plus his lycan, how did we keep that from happening again in the future? I’d have to ask Russo to help me ensure both Justin’s safety and mine.
Refocusing on my visitors, I blushed and gave Peter a little wave, refusing to shake his hand just in case. I didn’t want to dredge up some uncontrollable lust or something that was a leftover of my lineage.
“Nice to meet you, Peter,” I said. “Come on in.”
Julianne stepped inside, followed by her mate. She took a big sniff. “Whatever you’re making smells delicious. I was just about to start dinner when Russo texted me. But I’m glad he did. I’m really looking forward to dinner and movie night.”
“I know,” I gushed, focusing my attention on her. “I’ve never done a movie night with anyone. In fact, the only time I ever watched movies growing up was when I snuck in and watched from the door while my family enjoyed them. I was ever allowed to go in and sit with them.”
Peter shot me one puzzle book, and I didn’t miss the quiet shake of her head that Julianne passed his way. It was nice of her to protect my feelings.
“We’re having lasagna for dinner,” I said.
“Oh, that’s good. I love lasagna.” Randy’s voice came in through the still open door from the porch.
“Randy, you and Justin made it!”
“Of course we made it,” Justin said, stepping inside without being asked. “Do you think I would miss the first dinner my mate hosted on her own?”
He emphasized the words my mate as if any of the three males present in the room besides him were going to forget that I was mated to the lycan king.
I ignored the little bit of possessiveness because he wasn’t pawing all over me as if I were a fire hydrant that some dog needed to pee on to mark as his own. If Justin got out of hand, I’d pull him aside and mention it. Maybe I’d bring along Randy or Russo, too. But at least I knew they would back me up at this point.
The timer in the kitchen beeped. “The lasagna is ready,” I said. “Give me about five minutes to get everything ready and on the table, and then we can eat.”
I hurried into the kitchen, fully expecting to be by myself to set everything out. But to my surprise, Julianne followed, as did Peter, Russo, and Randy. And at the back of the line, Justin came too, looking slightly unsure of himself but eager not to be left behind. That many hands made short work of setting the lasagna, the bread sticks, and the salad on the table, along with a bottle of wine that Peter had brought with them. And before I knew it, we were all sitting around the table for a big dinner with my friends.