CHAPTER EIGHT
- Tallulah -
I frown at all three of them. Then, my attention turns to Kenji. My frown deepens when I take in his serious expression. He can’t honestly expect me to trust him. They’re my mates? Nope, I don’t believe them. This has to be some sick and twisted joke, right?
Throat tight, I choke out a half-laugh, half cry. “You’re wrong. You’re not my mates. I don’t have mates, and I never will.”
“Tally, Kenji’s telling the truth. We’re your mates, and you are ours.” Desperation fills Quimby’s voice.
For a few heartbeats, the hysteria builds up in my chest before it finally spills over. “Since when, huh? When the hell did you decide this?” They all drop their heads in shame. “Well? The last five minutes? The last week? I’d know if you were, dammit, I’d know!”
Theo lifts his head to stare directly into my eyes, his vulnerability obvious. Even then, I can’t help but bitterly think, Join the club, asshole.
“Promise me you won’t fly off the handle,” Theo implores.
His request surprises a snort out of me. How the hell does he expect me to make a promise to him? Pulse hammering, my patience starts to wear thin. “Spit it out, will you?”
He nods and scans his brother’s faces before his attention focuses back on me. “You remember the summer everything changed, right?”
Sarcastically, “How could I ever forget the year I became a leper?”
“Tally, please, listen to him,” Quimby desperately pleads.
“Why, Quimby?” My patience runs out, and my palms sting as I slam them onto the table. “If I’m your mate, how the hell have you continued to come to the house for all these years and not told me? I don’t know whether to believe you or smack you!” With a huff, I slouch forward. “I mean, damn, I know I’m not good enough, but I don’t think you can get some type of return policy here. This has to be some kind of twisted joke.”
After silently looking at each other, all three guys stand up. They stand in a line, shoulder to shoulder. Kenji undoes his jeans and both Theo and Quimby pull the hem of their shorts down on one side. In perfectly timed movements, they reveal the skin high on their thigh.
Unable to catch my breath, I stumble back, forced to grab the table to stop myself from falling. It can’t be. There’s no way they can fake something like that. With a firm hold on the table to keep my balance, I hobble closer to inspect what they’re showing me. Their mate’s mark is the exact same shape and location as my birthmark.
A determined glint enters Theo’s eyes as he begins to explain. “When we went to the waterfall with you, you took your shorts off before you jumped into the water. That’s when I first laid eyes on your birthmark. Your mark is the same as ours.” He clears his throat, but it doesn’t take the emotion out of his voice. They pull their shorts and jeans back up before Theo continues, “I was nine, you were five. We’ve always worn longer shorts or boxers so our marks have never been revealed. When I saw yours, I knew. I was so excited to find out you were our mate…” His sudden laugh comes out hollow. “Instead of swimming with you guys, I ran back home to tell my parents we found you.”
The sense of dread washes over me, and I wobble on my feet. Being the closest, Kenji snags a chair and pulls it over for me to sit on. Then, immediately returns to his brother’s side.
“What happened?”
Theo continues through gritted teeth, “When I got home, I ran straight to Dad’s office. Instead of knocking on the door, I barrelled straight in.” His eyes reflect the disgust he has for his nine-year-old self. “I didn’t pay any attention to who was in the room, and I blurted out that we found you, our mate. Luckily, I didn’t say your name. But it was too late, the damage was already done.”
His shoulders slump, and he drops his head before he turns away. He moves to stand by the window with his back to us. “They knew who I was as soon as I ran in, the future Alpha of Argent pack. What I didn’t know, until afterwards, was that the other pack who was there were Blood Moon.” The light plays across his skin as he reaches up and pulls at his hair. “We all know an Alpha is more respected and can function better as a pack leader with his mate by his side. Blood Moon thought I’d be unstoppable. They didn’t want it to happen.”
Shock shoots through me; I didn’t know any of this. I’m not sure if my five-year-old self would’ve been able to cope with the magnitude of the situation. But I should’ve been told when I got older. If my life was under threat, surely, they wouldn’t leave me completely in the dark? There was only Dad and me…
I practically launch myself out of the chair. “Did my Dad know?”
Oh god, please say he didn’t know. I thought we were close enough that we didn’t hide shit from each other. He knew all my worries and fears, well, not all of them, but he knew most of them. He’s not a stupid man. He could’ve quite easily worked out my crush on the boys.
“What?” they question together.
“Did my dad know?” The urgency to know builds panic within me. “Obviously, I didn’t know you were my mates. Now you’ve told me I’ve been in danger for the last fourteen years of my life. So, did my father know?”
Please tell me he didn’t know. I’m not sure I can take it if he did.
Kenji slowly steps towards me like I’m an injured animal about to attack. His hands out in front of him to prove he’s not a threat. I must appear as crazy as I feel. “We received word from another pack that Blood Moon were to begin the hunt for the future Luna. We couldn’t let it happen. Numerous other threats were sent to us, telling us they weren’t about to give up their search for you. They’d eventually find you.”
Heavily, I sit back down on the chair. He slowly crouches down in front of me, but doesn’t touch me. “They thought we’d keep you extra close because of who you are to us. The only solution was for you to stay away. To only have you visit here for the bigger events and celebrations. Then our dads sat your dad down and told him.”
Overwhelmed by the familiar sensation of abandonment, tears roll down my face. “I believed the other children didn’t want to be my friends anymore. I-I thought all the mummies and daddies knew my momma was human and that’s why they didn’t want me here.”
Quimby and Theo quickly rush over and kneel at my feet next to Kenji. With all of them so close, my whole body starts to tingle. The sensation causes me to gasp.
“You feel it, don’t you? The tingles? It’s the bond between us.” Hesitantly Quimby reaches up and places his hand against my cheek. Instantly, my body warms under his touch. The tingles turn into a comfortable buzz.
Following their brother’s lead, Kenji places a hand on my knee, and Theo grasps my hand. The buzz in my body intensifies, but not enough to be uncomfortable. My stomach feels like I have huge dragons swooping around in it from their close proximity.
I don’t know if it’s their touch, but I don’t feel so out of control. Though, I’m not sure what to make of all they have revealed…
Holy shit! I have three mates!
I try to ignore the niggles of self-doubt at the back of my mind and allow myself a moment to relish in their touch. I throw caution to the wind and lean forward, slowly lifting my arms up. As best as I can, I pull all three of them into my embrace.
For the first time ever, I feel like I truly belong. Even if I don’t know how long it will last.