Eventually, though, Ren’s part was over, and there were no more reasons to keep Katrina away from home. She’d have to introduce Ren to her folks and figure out how to mesh their lives together. Ren chartered another flight from the jaguar fleet, and this time, they sat together in the rear of the plane, enjoying just being together. How different this flight was from the last, Katrina reflected. Just being with Ren made everything better.
When they arrived in New York, there was a car waiting for them at the charter terminal. The fellow driving the vehicle was handsome in the brawny sort of way that Katrina had recently come to associate with wolf shifters. He was polite and professional, escorting them into the black vehicle with blacked-out windows then putting their luggage in the trunk. Ren looked over the vehicle with appraising eyes while the driver closed the trunk then got behind the wheel. As soon as the door closed, Ren spoke.
“Good to see you again, Cassius. Thanks for doing this.”
“Anytime, my friend. The Midtown Pack stands by its allies. My brother wanted me to pass along greetings to you and your Alpha,” the driver added, looking at them in the rearview mirror while he pulled out into traffic with competent motions.
“I’ll be sure to tell Mark,” Ren promised. “And I definitely owe you one. I’m going to have to clear a few things with your brother. Seems I’ll be spending more time in the Big Apple.” Ren put his arm around Katrina’s shoulders and smiled.
“Really?” The driver’s attention focused on Katrina in the rearview mirror with alert interest.
Ren grinned like the proverbial cat with the canary. “I haven’t introduced you to Katrina yet, have I? She’s my mate.”
“Seriously? Hot damn. Congratulations to you both,” Cassius said with genuine warmth. “So, you’re from New York, Miss Katrina?” Cassius asked politely.
“Born and raised. My folks own a restaurant on the Upper East Side. Have you heard of Valiando’s?” Katrina asked.
The driver smiled. “Love their linguini with clam sauce,” he told her. “I like to take dates there because it’s quiet enough that they can hear me without having to shout and yet busy enough that I can blend in when I’m out with a human. The food is top notch. Now that you mention it, I remember you. Didn’t you work the front of house? Seating people and overseeing the dining room?”
Katrina smiled. “I do. Or did, I guess. I’m not sure I can go back to that after working with Ren.”
“Not to mention, finding your mate,” the werewolf agreed, still smiling as he exited the airport and joined the traffic on the parkway traffic streaming toward Manhattan. “Your life will change, but I suspect it’s going to be wonderful beyond your wildest dreams. We all search for our mates. It’s the blessed ones who find their life’s mate early. You must’ve done something really good in a past existence, Ren, my boy.” The werewolf chuckled, and Katrina warmed to his playful tone. “So, you were in the movie, too?” Cassius asked Katrina as they sped along in the never-ending New York traffic.
The drive passed with Katrina talking more than she’d expected. Ren checked his phone messages a few times, but he was at ease, so Katrina didn’t worry. She suspected Ren and she were building a relationship here that might be useful in the future, since this werewolf obviously had a high spot in the hierarchy of werewolves in the city.
Katrina was beginning to understand that the shifters did things according to a pecking order, and Ren was pretty highly placed within his own people, but she didn’t know how that would translate to other species of shifters. She suspected he’d still be highly ranked due to his power and position in the human world, but the shifters seemed to have other measurements, as well. Like the dominance thing Ren had talked about.
Katrina knew she had a lot to learn about shifters, but she was enjoying the education. This werewolf was both friendly and charming in his own way. A typical talkative New Yorker, who put her at ease so that she almost forgot that she was about to introduce her fiancé to her family for the first time.
Cassius pulled up in front of the restaurant some time later, and Katrina was almost surprised the ride had gone so quickly. It wasn’t quite opening time yet, but it was close. As far as she was concerned, it was the perfect time to arrive. They would have a short window to be grilled by her folks before the restaurant got busy. She had planned it that way.
“Cassius, if you’ve got nothing else on, you should come in and get some dinner,” Ren invited the werewolf, surprising Katrina. “My treat. According to my mate, they’ll be serving shortly, so there won’t be much wait.”
“I can get you a really good table,” Katrina added, grinning. Reservations wouldn’t start arriving for another hour, so Cassius could have just about any seat in the house.
Cassius smiled back at them. “Now, that’s an offer I cannot refuse,” he quipped. “I’ll just park the car and join you in a few minutes.”
“Perfect,” Ren said, nodding.
Then, it was time to get out of the car and head into the restaurant. Ren urged her to go ahead while he dealt with the baggage, which gave her a few minutes to hug her parents and say hello before he joined them.
There was an air of excitement inside the familiar confines of her family’s restaurant. The waitstaff were holding back, bustling more than usual, if Katrina was any judge, as her folks greeted her with big hugs and a zillion questions. Then, Ren walked in behind her, filling the entry with his presence. And carrying all their luggage.
He set it down and came forward for the introductions she’d been both looking forward to and dreading. How would her parents react? They’d had many famous people in the restaurant over the years, from politicians to high-powered executives, but to her knowledge, they’d never met a movie star of Ren’s international stature. Would that count in his favor or against him? She wasn’t sure.
It was her mother who broke the ice, offering her hand as Katrina introduced them, and then, somehow, Ren was hugging her mother. Whether it was his impulse or her mother’s, Katrina wasn’t sure, but they hugged like long lost family members, and Ren’s open warmth with her mother touched Katrina deeply.
Then, it was her father’s turn to meet the new man in Katrina’s life. Her father was more reserved, shaking hands with Ren formally and giving him the eye—sizing him up, as if unsure whether to like him or not.
“I’m so pleased to meet you both. Kat has told me a lot about you and this place.” Ren gestured around to the décor. “It’s even nicer than she described. Homey,” Ren enthused. “I really like the atmosphere you’ve created here.”
That was all Katrina’s mother needed to hear. She took Ren by the arm, as if they were old friends, and gave him the nickel tour of the place while her father held back, standing next to Katrina.
“How serious is this thing, Katrina?” her father asked in a quiet voice. Katrina gulped. Her dad wasn’t one to beat around the bush.
“Very,” she replied, feeling her nerves stretch taut. “I want to marry him, Daddy.”
Her father sighed heavily and put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her into his side. “Are you sure about him, cara mia?”