As we leave, he says, “I know she had a good time too, Luna.”

Before the door closes, I hear, “Luna? You got married? What about—” The voice cuts off as the door closes.

“The big guy is kinda grumpy today, huh?” I ask.

“He told me he had a rough morning. He was just mad at himself and jealous. Never thought I’d see the day that cocky bastard would be jealous. It’s pretty funny,” he chuckles. We walk in comfortable silence for a little while, but right before we reach Masen’s house, he says, “Luna?” His voice is serious. “I know he messed up today, but don’t let him off the hook too easy. He needs to learn he can’t treat you like that.” Hearing Michael say that makes my heart hurt, shouldn’t that be natural.

“Michael, should it be this hard? Did you experience anything like this with Nicole?”

He doesn’t answer right away, seeming to think about his answer. “No.”

I am surprised by his short response. “No to what, Michael?”

“I’m sorry Luna but no to both. No, it shouldn’t be hard, and no, Nicole and I didn’t have any similar issues. Honestly, I’ve never seen anyone struggle the way Mase is. I don’t know if it’s because you guys haven’t marked each other yet or if maybe the years you’ve spent apart are causing a problem.”

That’s not what I wanted to hear. “Yeah, I kinda suspected that. The only Mates I’ve known were my parents, and that’s not the way they acted. Thank you for your honesty, Michael. I’ll see you later,” I say before walking into the house.

My brain is on overload so I decide to make lunch. I need something to keep me busy. I make a veggie cheese soup. It’s an hour and a half before it’s ready. Masen comes in just as I’m about to eat. I give him my bowl and make another. “You didn’t need to do that. I can get my own, but thank you,” he says. Masen waits for me to return to the table before eating. “This is really good. Everything you make is delicious. When did you start cooking?”

I wipe my lips with a napkin. “My mom loved to cook, and my dad loved to eat.” I laugh. “I was always in the kitchen with her. She let me help even if I was just making a mess. As soon as I got my own place, I started cooking again. It reminds me of my parents. My dad was smitten with my mom. If he wasn’t at work, he’d follow her around the house just to be close to her. So, he was in the kitchen with us a lot,” I say a little sadly. I miss them. “I also love to eat,” I tease to lighten the mood.

“What are your parents like?” I haven’t heard him or Sniffer mention them.

“My dad’s the Alpha of a smaller pack in the Upper Peninsula. He’s a hard man but fair. My mother” —his smile lights up his eyes— “is the sweetest woman you’ll ever meet. She rounds out all my dad’s edges. I had a great childhood. Where we lived is still really isolated, not a lot of people, or things to do way up there. So, we made our own fun. I left home a little after I turned eighteen. I’ve only gone back to visit a few times. Cass tries to go home for a weekend every couple months.” He looks thoughtful. “I guess you’ll meet them at our ceremony. We can always go visit them too. I know my dad is gonna love you for your cookies alone,” he chuckles.