Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 148955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 745(@200wpm)___ 596(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 148955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 745(@200wpm)___ 596(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
“Will there be answers?”
“There’d better be. They’re required to document every single spell they cast. If they don’t? It could cause a war. They’d have to answer to every supernatural being council in the country.”
“How are mates chosen outside of scent? Should someone else have been mine?” I ask. “I don’t care if that’s the case, Ivy is mine, but I’m curious about this. Did the witch spell alter destiny?”
“It’s a complicated matter, son. I have no answers. It wouldn’t be the first time a coven interfered with what would normally happen with a myriad of factors outside our knowledge. Fate? Compatibility? Chemicals? We don’t know what makes someone attracted to someone else. With alpha shifters, it’s especially complex. It’s sometimes been said that you’re all at the mercy of past generations of witches who very carefully ensure the balance of things in nature. Is that true? I don’t really know. Is it a matter of love at first sight? Sometimes. Sometimes a couple grows up together and realizes out of the blue that they’re mates. Witches are very secretive and there’s also nature at play so while we don’t have all the answers, neither do the witches.”
“Well, that’s as clear as mud,” I grumble.
“I know,” she whispers.
“It doesn’t matter. She’s mine.”
“But if there’s a reasonable explanation, maybe it’ll heal things with you and Mason.”
I bare my teeth but say nothing.
“At least that’s not a no,” she says and taps my arm affectionately.
“I like you, Catrina Savage. I’m glad you’re my mother.”
She looks startled for a beat at my words, then she laughs.
I like the sound of her laugh, even if my expression doesn’t show it right now.
“I need to work on my way with words,” I add.
She smiles bigger and throws her arms around me. “I love you, my boy. I’m so glad you found your way back to me.”
I squeeze her tight. I take in her scent and instead of reminding me of the pain I was feeling at knowing her scent was on Cornelius, I now have other feelings associated with her scent. Care. For who she is. For all she’s shown me of herself so far.
“Go fix things with your girl. Please know, being gentle might be the key here, son. Rather than listening to your alpha instinct to take control of her. And I want you to know, I have all your father’s diaries. He talked a bit about his approach to fighting off his temper. He got tips from his father, who also had temper issues.”
I nod.
“You’ll have to learn the ancient language to read them,” she adds, “but Bailey learned from our elders. I’m sure she can help.”
Bailey comes outside. “Amelia Brennan is the older sister,” she says.
My mother looks alarmed. And then just as quickly, her face changes, like something makes sense to her.
“What’s this?” I demand.
Bailey lowers her voice, presumably so that Ivy can’t hear. “If a witch made some spell to match two sisters with two alphas from the same pack, really, it should’ve been the older sister with the older alpha. Our pack works chronologically with such things. Always has. Though it was strange that Riley mated before Mason. We figured that although he was third in birth order, it was because he took second alpha place instead of Mason. As for you and Mason… being in the council together, you being born first and him being born right after you, if you’re destined to be mated to girls from the same family, logically you should be paired with Amelia and Mason should be paired with Ivy.”
My blood heats on the verge of boiling at those words.
“Hear me out,” Bailey pleads. “I know you don’t like the sound of that, but I think something must have malfunctioned in that spell. We need to reach out to that coven and get them digging through all their grimoires.”
“When was Mason born?” Cat asks Bailey.
“January 19,” Bailey says.
“Only one day after Tyson,” Cat says softly. “Maybe not even a full day. Tyson was born just before midnight. I don’t know what time Mason was born, but… What about Ivy’s sister?”
“Ivy said they’re born a year apart, to the day.”
Enough of this. “I don’t know where all this is going and right now I don’t much care. Can you go buy that phone, Mother? Leave it on the step here when you do, if you have time for that.”
“I’ll make time,” she says. “I’ll be back quickly.”
“Good. Don’t knock. I’m going to be busy.”
“Tyson, be sweet. Be whatever sweet you were that had you winning her over,” Bailey suggests.
“I can only be me.”
“I respect that. It’s just that she’s very wounded in her heart, and – if you break a woman’s heart – you can’t always mend it.”
“You’re heard. Go, women. Please.”
Bailey nods and heads to Cat’s car. So does Cat.