his hands out, clearly not wanting to take sides or argue.
I couldn’t help but find myself charmed. But then, family interactions always fascinated me. Not having one made a guy curious, I supposed. My own history wasn’t a tragedy to me, so I wasn’t jealous. Hell, my unmarked chest was quick way to get in someone’s face and dare them to show their true colors. Funny how often trading on it worked for me over the years.
Stepping forward, I offered my most charming smile to the lady. "No need to get too excited on my account, ma'am. Raul was about to give me a tour, but we can certainly spare a few minutes to show some respect to his parents."
Raul looked like he wanted to roll his eyes and call me out for throwing him under the bus, but he didn't know me well enough yet to bust my chops. He swallowed, then smiled tightly. I wasn’t sure what he was planning to say, if anything, but I couldn't take watching the little guy squirm.
I laughed, gently pushing his arm. "Chill, Raul. I wouldn't seriously do you like that, man. At least, not before we've gotten to know each other. I know respect is everything in Latino culture, so I decided to mess with you. I figure it's best if everyone knows from the start the kind of alpha I am. Meaning I try not to take myself or most situations more seriously than necessary."
Eyes going wide, he huffed a laugh before shaking his head. His parents cracked up along with us, and bada bing, bada boom, the ice was broken.
Turning back toward his parents, I held my hand out to the mother. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume you're the boss, ma'am. Alpha Lucian Smith, at your service. Lucian works fine, though, and I'm more likely to answer to it."
She gave me a quick onceover with a prim smile and sharp eyes, not missing a thing. "Bueno. Welcome to the Tehachapi pack, Lucian. Enough ‘ma'am’ business. I am Esmeralda, and this is my mate, Pedro. You will call me Essie for now. Eventually, you'll call me Mamá like everyone else does."
I dropped into my familiar routine of opening my cut to display the unmarked flash over my heart. "Essie it is, then. Since I didn't grow up with parents, I'm afraid it's a bit late in the day to call anyone Mamá at this point. Y'all probably weren't expecting an unclaimed alpha to lead your pack, but it is what it is."
Rolling her eyes like someone half her age, she snorted and swatted my hand away from my vest. "What, am I supposed to be impressed by your manly chest or decide your worth based on the actions of the people in your past who didn't value it? Their mistake has nothing to do with who you are. Just wait, tough guy. You'll come around. Before you know it, you'll be calling me Mamá and sneaking cookies from the kitchen."
I grinned, liking this lady more by the minute. "I like how you brought the conversation back around to you, Essie. While I give you props for not looking down on me, I do have to ask—where's the pity most moms show me? I mean, don't you feel even a little bit sorry for the poor baby alpha who was left unmarked, unwanted, and unloved by the people who brought him into this world?"
While she cackled, Raul and Pedro simply watched the show, which only made me like this family more. If they could roll with such a crazy introduction, they definitely didn't take themselves too seriously.
After wiping her eyes with the back of a hand, Essie smiled broadly and hooked her arm through mine as she rested her head against my arm, as if she could tell that was as much of a hug as I could accept at our first time meeting. After a few seconds, she patted my arm and stepped back. "You'll do, Alpha. Quite nicely, I think. Our pack needed someone like you to breathe life into it. And you, tough guy, need me more than you know."
"If you say so, ma'am. I mean, Essie." Pausing, I winked, teasing her to show my approval. "Since you’ve given me a proper welcome, how about you point me toward those cookies you mentioned?"
"Ha, not so fast, young man. Alpha or not, you'll wait for dessert to get goodies. If you haven't had lunch,