[Rock]On the night of the banquet, Gemma helped Carmen get ready. I liked watching them talking as Gemma applied Carmen’s makeup or teased and curled her hair. Gemma got frustrated with me after a while and pushed me out of the bathroom. With a chuckle, I went to get ready for the banquet. I could always wear jeans and a t-shirt, but make my glamour look like I was dressed up. Carmen was putting in a lot of time and effort into looking good, so I was willing to dress up, too. After putting on my suit, I went to the living room. Austin was uploading pictures from the construction sites onto my company’s website. He was actually really good with them. The lighting was always good and he made the work we did really shine.As I entered the room, Austin looked up from his computer screen and gave me a small smile. “You look good,” he said as he leaned back in his chair.I smirked and sat down on the couch near him. “I always look good,” I replied, causing him to roll his eyes.He finished his work and turned off the laptop, putting it on the coffee table. We sat in silence for a few moments, both of us lost in our own thoughts. Austin sighed and looked over at me. “We’re moving to the pack lands at the end of the month,” he told me. “How are you feeling about it? You’re marked, married, and a member of the pack. You have family there now and you know the ranked members won’t hurt you. Are you ready for it?” I asked. “I’m going to miss living here. You and Carmen feel like family to me more than my real family. This feels like a little like leaving home,” Austin replied. “I think I’m ready for it, but....” “It’s time for you to take the lead in your life.” “I know. Since we sometimes stay at the pack lands, I’ve grown to be more comfortable there. I hope that it can come to feel like home, too.” Nodding, I patted his back. It was about time for the two of them to go out on their own and make a life for themselves. The pack lands were a better place for them. “Everything is going to work out. Believe in the goddess and her path.” He patted my knee and got up. I got up and started pacing. I always loved the result, but hated waiting for Carmen to get ready. After a while, she came out of the hallway. Carmen looked beautiful. Her hair had loose curls spiraling over her shoulders and down her back. The dress she wore hugged her body perfectly, but wasn’t too sexy. Her makeup was flawless and almost made her look like someone else. I didn’t like when she wore a lot of makeup, but tonight wasn’t really about me. Humans liked it when makeup changed how a woman looked. She was doing it to make me look good in front of my peers at the banquet. “What do you think, Rock?” Gemma asked from behind Carmen. “Too much makeup, but Carmen is always beautiful,” I replied. Carmen smiled at me. She knew how I felt about makeup and about her. She looked even more beautiful when she smiled. We went to the door and got our shoes on. Carmen was wearing heels that gave her a little more height, but she was still short compared to me. We said our goodbyes to Gemma and Austin and headed to the truck. I didn’t think showing up in a big van would be a good idea and I didn’t want to risk Carmen’s dress on the back of my motorcycle. I helped her into the truck and went to get in on the driver’s side. Wylder Steinmann was out there somewhere. I didn’t know how he planned to follow us, but I had no doubt that he would go where we were going and would even get in to the banquet. Ever since we met him, I knew he was around, but never saw him. Unlike with Rhett, I couldn’t sense anything about Steinmann. I didn’t even feel like I was being watched. When I pulled into the parking lot at the place where the banquet was being held, I found a spot fairly easily. I got out of the truck and went to help her. Carmen and I had eaten earlier in the night to make sure we weren’t too hungry while we were there, but we were still looking forward to the meal. Carmen wrapped her arms around one of mine and we headed for the door. There were a few other people walking in from the parking lot. I recognized a couple of them. At the door, I handed over my invitation and we were given our seat assignment. The ballroom was filled with people dressed in formal attire, all mingling together while sipping on drinks. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling cast a warm and inviting glow over the entire room. I led Carmen to our table, which was near the stage. The table was set with white tablecloths, silverware, and crystal glasses. Each seat had a small card with the name of the person assigned to it. I pulled out Carmen’s chair for her and guided her to sit before seating myself next to her.“What do you think so far?” I asked. “I can’t see much, because I can’t spread my magic too far, but the table looks lovely. It looks like we were early enough to be the first seated,” she replied. “I’m always early to these things. I don’t like feeling lost and it can be like that when you get here late. I did that once the second year I was invited and it was awkward. I didn’t like that,” I explained. Carmen nodded and smiled at me. She put her hand out and I took it, giving it a squeeze. It was nice to be there with her in a different sort of environment from anything we had done before. It wasn’t long before people arrived at our table. I stood when one of our tablemates came over with his wife. His name was Chuck Graham and he ran a competing construction and renovation company. We were usually going up against each other in bids. I introduced them to Carmen. Chuck greeted us with a smile and a firm handshake. His wife, on the other hand, looked at us with a hint of disdain. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and a thick beard. His wife, Michelle, was petite and slim with long blonde hair that shone like gold. They were both about my age and had two adult children. We all sat and a waitress came over to take our drink orders. Chuck and I ordered a beer in a glass, Michelle ordered wine, but Carmen ordered a Shirley Temple. I knew it was a drink she enjoyed when we were out. “So Carmen, you’re dating Rock?” Chuck asked. “We’re engaged,” Carmen told him. “Our wedding is going to be in May.” “Oh?” Michelle said. “How long have you known Rock?” “We met in August, a week before his fiftieth birthday,” Carmen answered. Michelle frowned. “That isn’t a very long time between meeting and marrying.” I raised an eyebrow at Chuck. He was a shapeshifter and I knew Michelle was his mate. He told me she was his fated mate, but he never told her what he was. Chuck offered a small smile before our conversation was interrupted by another couple joining us. They were also familiar to me. It was Dean and Samantha Clark, who owned a landscaping company. Dean was dressed impeccably and carried himself with a certain air of sophistication. His wife Samantha was beautiful, with long dark hair and striking green eyes. They both greeted us warmly before sitting down. I worked with them a few times on bigger projects. Apparently, Michelle and Samantha knew each other. They were sitting next to each other and talked like old friends. Our drinks were delivered and the other two ordered their drinks. Each table would have four couples at it. I didn’t know who else was coming. “Carmen, Michelle tells me you’re engaged to Rock and that you only met back in August. Sounds like it was a bit of a whirlwind romance. How did you meet? What was it about Rock that first attracted you to him?” Samantha asked. “A mutual friend of ours introduced us at a club and we got to talking. I fell in love with him from the moment I heard his voice. No one else sounds like him and his voice is very sexy. I ended up going to his birthday party a week later and we’ve been together ever since.” “You went to a club at your age?” Dean laughed. “How else was I going to meet attractive young women?” I joked, making Chuck laugh, too. Michelle scowled and Samantha looked concerned. I got the feeling that they didn’t like that answer. It was probably the reason Michelle was acting like that earlier. “I promise, I’m in this relationship for more than the fact that Carmen is a beautiful young woman. I’m actually in love with her and not using her,” I told the women. They looked at each other, then back at Carmen, who was chuckling. It seemed that my answer wasn’t good enough to appease them. ‘Rock, they’re worried that I’m using you, not the other way around. Think about it. You’ve never brought a woman to one of these things and we haven’t even known each other for a year before getting engaged. Humans are suspicious of relationships that move as quickly as ours did,’ Carmen told me mentally. ‘That’s fuсking ridiculous. It’s none of their business anyway. I’m a grown-ass man.’‘I think it’s sweet. They’re worried about you. I never realized you had such good human friends. What they’re seeing is a younger, more attractive woman who has attached herself to a plain-looking older man who only really has his company and money going for him. This is how a lot of those murder shows start off.’Frowning, I looked at the women. How could I even explain what was going on without telling them what we were? I looked at Chuck, who shrugged. Big help there. “What do you do for a living, Carmen?” Michelle asked. “When I met Rock I worked for a private company in their accounting department. I audited the budget and expenses. Rock offered me the job of office manager for his company, so that’s what I do now,” Carmen answered. “How old are you?” Samantha asked. “I’ll be twenty-two in June.” “Rock is more than twice your age. How do your parents feel about your relationship?” Michelle pressed. “My children are about your age. I don’t think I’d approve.” “I’m an adult, so my parents’ opinion doesn’t matter.” “I think that’s enough,” I told the women. “Carmen has humored you more than she needed to.” The last couple who were assigned to our table arrived and sat with us. It was a couple I didn’t really know that well. Like Dean and Samantha, they were both human. We all introduced ourselves again. As the meal was served, we all chatted quietly about innocuous things. Chuck and I talked about the projects I’d gotten without even bidding. He didn’t mind, because I was his biggest competition and without me bidding, he was getting a lot more business, too. Even though we had dropped the topic, Carmen and I were still getting looks from Michelle and Samantha. Sometimes they would whisper something to us. It was loud enough in the room that I couldn’t hear them, but Carmen would look amused or offended throughout the meal. She could hear them, but she wasn’t willing to tell me what the women were saying. After the meal was over, I excused myself to the restroom. As I walked down the hallway toward the restroom, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around to see Michelle walking towards me with a serious expression on her face.“Rock, can I talk to you for a moment?” she asked.“Sure,” I replied.“I’m sorry if I offended you earlier. It’s just that Samantha and I have seen a lot of relationships like yours, and they never end well. We don’t want to see you get hurt,” she said. “Young women like Carmen are usually only after one thing.” She was trying to protect me. People rarely felt the urge to protect me from things. The fact that this human woman thought she needed to save me almost made me laugh. “I appreciate your concern, Michelle, but you don’t understand our relationship. I know that most people would see an older man and an attractive young woman together and believe that she only wanted him for his money, but Carmen really loves me,” I told her. “Of course she’s going to try to make you believe that, but.... Look, Rock, you’re not... well... attractive. Girls like Carmen only date unattractive men for one reason. You’re well off. You own your own company. In all the years that I’ve known you, you have never dated anyone seriously or even mentioned marriage. This has all the signs of a gold digger situation. I don’t want to hear that you died in some freak accident after you’ve been married for a year....” I interrupted her, feeling the anger rise in me. “That’s enough, Michelle. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Carmen is not a gold digger. She loves me for who I am, not what I have. And whether or not I’m attractive is none of your damn business!” Michelle recoiled at my outburst, clearly taken aback. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. “Look, I appreciate that you’re trying to look out for me, but I know Carmen. I trust her. Drop this and leave it.” Michelle stared at me for a moment, then nodded slowly turned, and walked away. I continued on my way to the bathroom. The last thing I needed was a nosy woman insulting my true mate and implying I was too stupid to not know when I was being used.