[Carmen]The week went fairly smoothly after the issues on Monday. We worked on learning everything and, by Friday, I felt fairly certain that I could handle the office. Gemma was a huge help. When Rock was stubborn, I had someone else to help back me up. It was exactly what I needed to ensure I was able to do what I wanted or needed to do. Rock interviewed Cam and Gray on Friday and he seemed impressed by them. I knew both boys loved building things when they were younger, but they both talked about other projects they’d worked on since they were kids. They talked about the equipment they were familiar with and brought pictures of stuff they’d built, which Rock later told me was well done. He told me he would keep them at the head of the list, but he had several other interviews lined up for the next week. My main focus was on the dinner with his friends that weekend. He told me on Wednesday that his brothers would also be coming. Not his mother, though. She still hadn’t responded to any of his messages. I would have been worried, but Rock wasn’t. He told me she would go radio silent sometimes and they all just had to wait to hear from her again. It made me nervous and I told him about my concerns. Rock told me his mother didn’t believe in ‘staying within your race’ like mine did. That should have been obvious since she had a baby with a human. It didn’t mean she hadn’t learned something from it, though. I still worried about her deciding she didn’t like her son with a werewolf. On the morning of the barbecue, Rock let me shift into Blanche and watch him. There were some metal plates in the backyard where he told me he would be cooking. I watched him pull them up as if they weighed nothing. Inside the long trench were smoldering coals. There was no fire. He started throwing pig corpses into the trench with little effort. I watched as they landed, kicking up some embers and charred coal dust. Rock covered them with the metal plates again and sat down on the ground next to me. He pulled Blanche into his lap and started scratching behind her ears. She loved it. He treated us both really well. I had worried a little that having a mate who wasn’t a wolf would mean that Blanche was mostly neglected. Rock always made time for both of us, though. He wrestled with Blanche and cuddled with her. He even bought a brush and brushed her out once. It felt really nice. My mate was gentle in ways that other people didn’t realize. He was sweet when it came to so many things. I knew he was smart, strong, and commanding, but this was a side that I loved seeing. It was just for us. “Soft,” Rock whispered as he dug his fingers into my fur. I loved this part even more. It was as if he was always amazed by the new softness in his life. I worked hard to make sure I gave him the sanctuary of softness I promised. We played and cuddled for a while before Rock said it was time for me to get dressed. Our neighbor peeked over the fence again. I was pretty sure he thought I was in my human form because he always seemed to be out when we were playing and always looked over the fence when Rock told me it was time to get dressed. In our room, I picked out a t-shirt and some shorts that were fairly short. Rock loved when I didn’t wear much, not because he was always hot for my body, but because he liked looking at me. He also liked touching me in non-ѕexual ways. The newness of having a soft mate still hadn’t worn off for him. I hoped it didn’t for a long time. There were a lot of times when all he wanted was to touch me and feel my skin. It made me feel really pretty. I loved that the goddess gave me a mate who wanted to touch me so much. I needed more touch than most werewolves because it was one of the ways that I communicated. I couldn’t see when people were looking at me, or anything, so I knew I was loved when my mate grabbed me and held on for a while. There was a pounding knock at the door as I left our bedroom. I went down the hall to see who it was. I knew the scent before I fully entered the living room. I smiled. “Forrest!” “Hey, little wolf. What the hell are you wearing? Is this Rock’s way of saving himself money on food? Goddess!” he groaned. I laughed. “Easy access for him to touch me wherever he wants. I guess you’ll just have to man up and control your stomach. Or are you too weak to manage that?” Forrest laughed, but someone else growled. I recognized the scent from Rock’s party. It was a troll female. I searched for information in my memory. “You brought a date.” I smiled at him. “Good job.”“This is Shayle,” he told me. I remembered Shayle. She had been grumpy when I looked at her at Rock’s party. She was one of the women who didn’t spend a long time in the room with him, so I liked her a lot more than I would have if she had been one of the ones who had ѕex with my mate. Putting out my hand, I waited for her to take it. Not that it was a long wait. She was as rough and craggy as Forrest but didn’t touch me for long. I remembered looking at her. She was considered very beautiful by troll standards. “I appreciate you coming, Shayle. I think I remember you, you were one of the most beautiful trolls at the party,” I said. “And everyone remembers you. I think the goddess made the right choice. You definitely match Rock,” she replied. She meant that as an insult. I frowned. That wasn’t very nice. “And I’m sure the goddess will find someone for you who matches you, as well.” I smiled. “But if you are as ugly on the inside as I am on the outside, then I know for a fact it won’t be any of the attractive trolls who call my Rock their friend.” “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she asked in a rumbling tone. “It means that like attracts like, but the goddess picks the best matches. Just because you’re hot, doesn’t mean you’ll get a hot mate if you’re ugly on the inside. I heard what you called Rock when you were at his party and I understood the insult of you saying we were well-matched. You don’t know him well enough to say that and have it mean what it means if his friends do,” I replied. “If you still don’t get it, Shay, I can repeat it slower for you,” Forrest added. “Forrest!” she hissed. “What? This is what I was warning you about. You keep being a bіtch and no one’s gonna like you,” he warned. She didn’t seem to like that and grumbled about needing a drink before stalking off. Forrest gave me a hug before following her. Rock came over and took my hand. “You should be careful of who you tell off. Shayle’s family is part of the upper class of the troll community.” “I don’t care. She’s a brat and she needs to learn when that is and is not appropriate. Forrest agrees,” I told him. He sighed and kissed me on top of the head. “Maybe you’re right. I shouldn’t try keeping the peace when she’s around like I normally do.” “No, you shouldn’t.” He was nicer to her than to other people, which would make her treat him like dirt even more. I remembered what she said when her name was called. She’d slept with Rock before. I felt a little anger rise up in me. Elbio showed up with a troll woman named Pyla. She was new to the area, according to what he said. He asked if I could look at her. I knew it was because he had sweetened the pot by saying there was a softie who would touch her. I had her sit down and felt over her face. She was a desert cave troll like Rock. I could see the similarities between them, but her nose was even flatter than Rock’s and she had a very wide mouth and jaw, which protruded a bit. I could imagine her being almost frog or snake-like in her look. She had smaller tusks like Rock did. “Are you not full troll?” I asked. “My father was a reptile man in the fae realm. I mean, he still is. He raised me. I’m here to spend time with my mother’s people. She didn’t want me when I was little but said that she’d take me back now that I was almost old enough for my coming of age. I was scared when my father said what it entailed. I always felt like more of a lizard than a troll,” Pyla replied honestly. “Being half troll can be hard. Will you have a shortened lifespan like Rock?” I asked. “I didn’t know he did. My life will be the length of a troll’s according to the reptile seers. That’s why I have to do my coming of age here instead of in the fae realm. I need to find my troll mate. Reptile people live about five hundred years, so my mate is likely not in my village back home,” she said sadly. “I’ll come to your party. That way you’ll get a lot of guests. We got a lot at Rock’s party because I was there, but I imagine you’re already going to have a lot.” “Really?” “Yes. Trolls find humans to be ugly and that means anything humanesque is also hideous. Reptile people are nothing like humans. I bet you’re considered gorgeous among the trolls. Especially if Elbio brought you. He’s quite handsome,” I whispered the last part. “I heard that,” Elbio called out from across the room. I laughed as he started telling Rock that he knew I thought he was handsome. I shook my head. “I don’t understand, but I think that Rock is handsome. He has features that would be easier to look at. It’s sad that you can’t see your mate.” “I can see him in my wolf form, and I think he’s the most handsome man in the world. No one else’s opinion matters. Rock is perfect for me.” I smiled. “Will… I mean… I don’t have many friends here and you seem a lot nicer than most of the people I’ve met. Most of my friends are people I grew up with, but I don’t know when I can go home next. Would you be my friend?” she asked. I nodded. “Yes. I would love to be your friend, Pyla.” She hugged me and held on to me. I hugged her back. This wasn’t something I expected. “Warm.” Pyla sighed. It was cute. Her lizard side must like warm more than her troll side liked soft. I found that whichever was stronger would come out. Over the next hour, Rock’s friends and brothers arrived. Jett was smoother, physically than anyone else. His skin was almost glassy and he didn’t have any eyes. I remembered Rock saying there were trolls without them, but I didn’t realize one of his friends was one of them. He hadn’t been at the party. He said he was going to go, but he had something come up and he didn’t want to show up late. Rock accepted his apology and his gift. Jett wanted to try seeing me the way I saw other people. We had fun while I helped him look at his friends for the first time. The entire time, he made comments about how hideous they were. I laughed when he pretended to heave while looking at Rock and saying he was the ugliest one yet. I knew he was lying, but what feels good to your fingers may not be what looks nicest to others. Mica came in with his mate Zaltana. She went by Tana and was a royal bіtch to Shayle. It made me laugh. It seemed like they had been in competition with each other a lot in their lives and didn’t like each other at all. Both of them were southern mountain trolls. They had moss that grew on them instead of hair. It was interesting and soft. When Rock’s oldest brother showed up with his mate, I was nervous. Rock left me in the backyard with his friends while he went to let his oldest brother in after he heard him shout over the house to open the door. I was sitting with Tana and Pyla, talking about the fae realm. I had never heard of it and didn’t really know the difference between the fae realm and the fae lands. The place that Pyla described seemed almost impossible. A living realm that was overlaid on ours but just out of our perception. “Well, where’s she at?” A man boomed from the back door. “Over here,” Rock responded. Pyla helped me up from my chair and I walked toward their voices. After the first time Shayle tried to trip me, earlier in the evening, she found herself threatened if she tried it again, I felt confident. Nothing stopped me from my path to my mate and his brother. Rock’s hand came down gently on my bare shoulder, igniting the sparks where he touched. I smiled and put my hand on his. “This is Carmen, my mate. She’s the sister of the Beta of the Hallowed Moon Pack,” Rock told his brother with pride. “Carmen, this is my brother, Haldor.”I put my hand out to him and he took it. His skin was more solid than Rock’s. It was rough, but more like Elbio’s than like Forrest’s was. I smiled at him. “Wow. A real softie, little brother. I heard the rumors and I was shocked. I didn’t doubt you when you said it. I guess I was expecting her to be better looking. You know, like Mom always says your dad was. She’s so different. How do you manage it?” Haldor asked. “That’s a good question.” Shayle laughed. There was a chuckle from some of the other trolls. No one would stand up for me. I was ugly in their eyes, but I never cared about the opinions of others. Rock liked me and that was all that mattered. But he didn’t say anything. I waited for him to answer, just like everyone else was. Rock was silent, though.