Chosen By My Mate's Father-in-law
Chapter 53: Disguised

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Disguised

“Michelle, remember to block your left side. I’ve been able to get past you every time,” I instructed.

The younger girl nodded but wouldn’t look me in the eye. I put my hands on my hips as I studied her.

It was a couple of days after the five of us went to dinner at Nicola’s. Thankfully, there hadn’t been any run-ins with Elliot since, and Isabella had been busy with wedding planning. I hadn’t seen Gareth either. Which I told myself was a good thing. He was a confusing distraction in my busy life. I had enough problems already.

Now, as I stared at Michelle, my eyes narrowed with suspicion. She had been acting strangely throughout our entire lesson. Usually, she loved training outside as opposed to doing worksheets in her room. Her heart didn’t seem to be in it today, and she refused to look me in the eyes.

“Let’s take a five-minute break,” I suggested.

Michelle shrugged and stalked off to the weapons rack, putting her dagger in the wrong spot. Then, she walked onto the patio, collapsed into a seat, and crossed her arms.

I grabbed two water bottles from the outdoor fridge and handed her one as I sat next to her.

“Drink up. It’s important to stay hydrated.”

Michelle stared at the water bottle like it had insulted her.

I sighed. “Michelle, what’s wrong?”

Her body tensed immediately, and she looked at the ground. “Nothing’s wrong.”

My eyes zeroed in on the yellowing bruises on her arms and one on her cheek. It seemed like she had attempted to cover it up with concealer, but our training had revealed it.

Being bruised wasn’t that unheard of when you were in werewolf training, but those injuries weren’t there the last time I trained her.

Anger made my pulse quicken. Had someone hurt Michelle?

I leaned forward and tried to keep my voice at a normal volume. “What happened?”

Michelle’s green eyes flitted to mine, but she immediately looked away.

“What do you mean?” She grabbed her water bottle, and instead of drinking it, she unscrewed the cap and started playing with it. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not,” I retorted. “You have bruises all over your arms and one on your cheek. Did someone hurt you?”

“What? No!” Michelle protested, but her voice was higher than normal. She tried to pull the sleeve of her shirt down to hide her bruises. “Those are from training.”

“I’m the one who trains you, Michelle. You can’t lie to me. Who hurt you?” I insisted through gritted teeth.

Just the thought of someone hurting her made me want to hunt them down and teach them a lesson.

Michelle threw her head back and groaned in defeat. “Okay, fine.” She was still playing with the cap of the water bottle and refusing to look at me. “I got into a fight with some of my classmates. It’s not a big deal.”

My hands balled into fists. It certainly didn’t sound like a small deal.

“Anyway, I won the fight, but it turned into this whole big thing, and now the principal wants to have a meeting with my parents. But my dad’s been super busy with work...” Michelle trailed off, and a disgruntled look crossed her face. “I don’t want him to waste his time coming to my school for my meeting. It’s not worth it.”

My head tilted to the side. “I’m sure that Gareth would make time for the meeting. You and Isabella are the most important part of his life, much more important than work.”

“No...you don’t understand. I don’t want him to come! I’ll get into so much trouble! It’s going to ruin everything... “ Michelle shook her head, and I was surprised to see her eyes glinting with unshed tears. “Finally Dad and I have been getting along. I don’t want to see that look of disappointment come back into his eyes whenever he looks at me.”

Michelle’s voice had gone soft. My heart ached for her. I could hear the undercurrent of pain behind her words. She was simply an insecure child who needed more reassurance than most, who simply didn’t want to disappoint her one remaining parent.

I laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. “He’s your dad, Michelle. He won’t stop loving you because you made a mistake. And of course he has to go see the principal. He’s your only parent.”

A hopeful expression crossed her face as she finally looked me in the eye. “Well, funny you should say that...” Michelle hesitated and seemed to prepare herself to say something. “I have an idea.”

I took a sip of my water as I waited.

“Maybe you could pretend to be my mother and attend the meeting,” she said in a rush.

Water dribbled out from my mouth as I began to choke at Michelle’s ridiculous request. “Excuse me?”

“Michelle, you know I can’t do that. In our pack, lying is a crime, especially if you impersonate someone. If your dad found out, he would fire me as your tutor. Also, I’m only a couple of years older than you! How could I pass as your mother? Someone might believe that I was your older sister, but they would never buy that I’m your mom.”

“But I have a plan to disguise you.” She leaned toward me and took my hand. “Please, trust me. I would never let my father fire you. Please, Jasmine. I really need your help. I have no one else to ask. I can’t have Dad be mad at me, I can’t.”

I could see the desperation in her eyes. So, against my better judgment, I let out a reluctant sigh and agreed.

“Yay!” Michelle hugged me tightly. “You’re the best!”

As I embraced her back, my stomach churned with anxiety.

Hopefully, Gareth wouldn’t find out.

***

The next day, I was dressed in a crisp white business suit. I stood in front of my mirror and put on the finishing touches to my makeup. With the fitted suit and subtle makeup, I might just be able to pull this off.

But as I walked out of my house, doubt swirled in my stomach. I’d forgotten to get a more detailed explanation of the actual fight. I also didn’t know how to act like a real parent. I didn’t know the first thing about raising a child.

My steps slowed down as I neared my car. Maybe it would just be better to call the whole thing off.

An image of Michelle’s hopeful face jumped into my mind. She would be so disappointed if I flaked out on her.

I couldn’t back out now. It was too late. The meeting started soon, and I didn’t want to let her down.

As I neared Michelle’s school, my pulse quickened. Before I walked in, I took a few deep breaths and tried to convince myself I could do this.

When I walked into the main office, the receptionist was typing on her keyboard.

“Good morning,” I greeted, trying to sound confident.

But she didn’t even spare me a glance.

I repeated my greeting, but still no luck.

“Ma’am?” I tried to get her attention.

Finally, the receptionist looked up, her eyes scanning me with a scrutinizing look. “Yes?”

“I’m here for a parent-teacher conference. I’m Michelle Laken’s mother,” I informed her.

She immediately burst into cruel laughter, stunning me.

“You’re not Michelle’s mom,” she gasped through her laughter, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. “You’re nothing but a liar. Everyone knows that Gareth Laken is a playboy Alpha who would never settle down.”

Her brown eyes studied me again, and her lips pursed with judgment. “And even if he did marry someone, he would never stoop so low as to marry you. What could you possibly offer our Lycan King?”