“I am certain that baby is Evelyn, Thaddeus. You killed her parents, and that is how she ended up in the foster system. We didn’t find any information on her parents, not even ID. We are pretty sure they were squatting in the house because there were no belongings, and she was naked, in a towel like she had just been born a couple of days before. How she survived is beyond me because her parents were crushed to death. The only thing that wasn’t destroyed was the crate we found her in.”
“You’re saying I killed her parents?” I ask. The realization slowly sinks in. I am responsible for my mate’s life, everything that has happened to her leads back to me and my doings.
“Yes, Thaddeus. We haven’t told her, but she may be suspicious. When talking to her, your father and I asked her a few questions, and I think she knows something is up. But I thought it would be best coming from you.”
I shake my head before I realize she can’t see me. “No, she doesn’t need to know. Nothing good will come of her knowing.”
“Thaddeus?”
“No, Bianca. I won’t lose my mate because of something I didn’t realize I did!” I snap at her and hang up the phone. I can’t listen to more, can’t let her talk me into this madness.
As I turn my gaze, I see that Ryland is watching me. The feeling in my gut sinks as I meet his eyes. He has heard everything.
“You can’t keep that from her. She has a right to know what happened to her parents,” Ryland growls at me.
“No, she doesn’t need to know. She survived just fine without them,” I tell him.
“I can’t believe you can even say that. Look what happened to her, all because you threw a tantrum twenty-one years ago,” he snaps at me. I growl, warning him. “You tell her, or I will. I can’t live knowing we are lying to her,” he snaps and turns his back on me, walking out of the room.
“Where are you going?” I shout after him.
“To get our mate,” he snaps back, and I follow after him.
I am responsible for everything. Is this my karma? Give me a mate that is going to hate me? Will she still want me after knowing the truth? I follow Ryland upstairs and watch him pack a bag. “Why are you packing?”
“Because you know your parents will make us stay for a bit,” he mutters matter-of-factly.
“No, we are getting her and coming home,” I tell him.
“And what if she doesn’t want to go?” he asks, facing me.
“And why wouldn’t she want to come back?”
“Because you have to tell her. I am not keeping this a secret from her to come out in the future and break the little trust we have gained from her, Thaddeus. If you don’t tell her, I will.”
My anger is bubbling dangerously close to the edge at his words. She doesn’t need to know. I can feel my energy shifting within me.
My family has always been out to get me because I’m not perfect like Amara, and now, they are determined to ruin my mate. This is making my blood boil. They have turned my mates against me before and I won’t allow them to do it again.
Evelyn
I wake up just as the sun rises to someone climbing in bed next to me. Opening my eyes, I find Orion, looking down at me.
“You’re here,” I mumble, half asleep.
As I place my head in his lap, Orion tucks in the surrounding blanket, trying to keep me warm against his cold skin. Amara moves behind me and his eyes snap to her. A smirk appears on his face as she puts her leg and arm over me, rolling into me.
She is the worst person to sleep next to, hogging the bed. I was woken a few times by her randomly putting her hand or leg on me, and I was even smacked in the face with her elbow.
Just as Orion is about to say something, Theo walks in. He smiles down at us as he walks over and shakes his head at his daughter who is half on top of me, snoring like a chainsaw.
“Can I speak to you inside for a minute?” he asks Orion, who nods and instantly hops off the bed.
“I will be back soon,” he whispers, leans down to kiss my head, and follows his father-in-law.
I close my eyes, trying to go back to the slumber I was awoken from. Amara tugs me against her, snuggling into me like I am her teddy bear. Sighing, I give up trying to get out of her grasp. Closing my eyes, I drift off, but not for long; it must have been only a couple of hours because my eyes feel like sandpaper as a loud growl awakes me.
Stretching, I find Amara’s head on my boob, her arm over my waist, and we are tangled in the blanket. But that isn’t what woke me up. Thaddeus, standing next to the bed, his eyes on his sister, lets out another menacing growl.
“I thought Orion was the only one coming,” I say, looking up at him. I notice his teeth protruding. His eyes snap to his sister as she sits up slightly, looking down at me.
“I drooled on you,” she says, not realizing her brother is in the room with us.
As I look down, I realize she indeed has drooled on me. She smiles and brushes my hair over my ear. A moment after, she sniffs the air and turns her face to see Thaddeus glaring at her.
“Brother, finally, you’re here. See? Perfectly safe snuggled with me,” she says, a smirk on her lips.
“Get off, my mate,” he spits at her, and she rolls on her back, yawning.
“You are far too angry for this early in the morning,” she mutters, stretching as Thaddeus picks me up out of bed, crushing me against his chest.
I inhale his scent, wrapping my legs around him, loving the warmth of his skin and his closeness. “Where is Ryland?” I ask.
“Inside, with my parents,” he says, hugging me close. “You smell like my sister,” he growls, clearly annoyed.
I shrug, not seeing that as a problem. “So, you saw your parents?”
He shakes his head, and I pull back, looking at him. His eyes are searching mine. He places me down on my feet. “I have to go meet my aunty in town. Ryland and Orion will stay with you for the day,” he tells me, making me a bit confused.