Page 114 of Drama Queen

"Get to the point." Rushing him is the only way I’ll stay sane through this conversation. My omega knows he's her mate. Fight. Fuck. Knot. Yes, that one.

His body stiffens, sensing the pheromones that spiked when my mind drifted to knots. "My point is, we had no idea you were our mate until that moment. Only a handful of days. Hendrix never mentioned your night together, nor that he knew you were our mate."

My breathing quickens as the information sinks in. "How is that possible?" Since the bond provides the avenue to sense his truth, the question is metaphorical.

His gaze locks with mine, sincerity shining through his icy eyes. "We’re figuring it out." He clears his throat to continue, sensing my attention. "Drix told us everything he remembers, which isn’t much unfortunately. Up until last week, he thought... well, hoped that what he did remember was only a dream. Now we know it wasn’t. But if you share your side of the night, it will help tremendously."

Confusion furrows my brows, curiosity tilting my head. "It sure as hell wasn’t a dream to me when he called me shiftless, dressed, and then left me naked without another word, alone and vulnerable in a barn."

Maddock flinches with each punctuated word, our bond amplifying my pain. His eyes fill with shame and heartache. "I’m sorry, mate. This should never have happened. If you’ll let us, we’ll spend the rest of our lives begging for your forgiveness." When fire lights my eyes, he sees the rejection on the tip of my tongue. "Wait... don’t answer right now. Tell me what happened—let me help figure this out. Something happened to Drix that night. I don’t expect you to forgive us without thought, but let’s get all the facts on the table. Right now, we both only have partial pieces. Help me fit them together."

I’m torn. My brain screams for self-respect, not to be swayed by kind placations, but my heart tantrums to give him a chance, even though he wasn’t there.

They’re my mates. What Maddock says is true. Honesty has resonated through our connection the entire time he’s been here. So, I do what’s right for Evie, for them, and for myself. Especially for Hendrix. When I think back to that night, he did seem out of it, but I chalked it up to pheromones and mate bonds, which can induce a drug-like state. But what if something else was wrong? When he left me there, pain was the only emotion; seeing anything else was impossible. If I had to describe it now, I’d say he was robotic when he dressed and walked away.

The small clarity in the worst moment of my life brings curiosity back to the forefront. "Yes. Okay."

Maddock’s eyes widen, clearly surprised by my quick agreement. I appreciate knowing he planned to fight for me, evident by the relieved breath he released. "That’s great, my Moon."

Though I despise pet names, shivers of pleasure trail my spine when it slips off his tongue. "This is going to be a tough conversation. I’ve not mentioned a word about it since that night." My throat tightens as I extend the first lifeline to one of my daughter’s fathers—a fact I never would have predicted. "Let me put on a pot of coffee. It’s going to be a long night."

Shell-shocked.

That’s the best way to describe our exchange over the last few hours, resulting in us slumping against the back of the couch with exhaustion after divulging my deepest shame.

My entire world has flipped on its axis. I knew the Carver brothers were all potentially my mates, being a pack, but having it confirmed is an entirely different experience. The picture’sclear for the first time, and my heart aches for Hendrix because something did happen to him. We weren’t super close over the years, but he was always kind to me, and his crude behavior when he walked away seemed out of character. Only I couldn’t see it then, buried in my own despair.

When I was young, no one taught me about our nature—like the fact that there’s a chance I’m not shiftless. Hendrix discovered me almost immediately after I revealed as their omega, turning biology against one another. My wolf wanted to shift for the first time but also prepared for a pup after coupling with her mate. His presence sent me into a small heat, ending quickly because of the unknown conception.

We were the perfect storm—our connection strong enough to engage prior to my first shift—resulting in its block. Since I’m Evie’s only support, my omega disposition keeps my wolf dormant to protect my cub.

When I asked why the rest of them hadn’t claimed me when they presented as alphas, he explained that my designation had to present for them to sense our connection.

"Come here, Moon. Let me tuck you into bed. You’re exhausted." Maddock doesn’t wait for affirmation before his strong arms wrap around me, cuddling me close to his chest, ignoring my nose burrowing into his neck. Instead, his chest rumbles, constricting my heart. No one’s ever purred for me.

Tears prick my eyes as a tsunami of emotions unleash, engulfing me. An embarrassing keening whine slips through my lips, navigating the shoulda-coulda-woulda's of our situation. My daughters never met her father because of Hendrix's manipulation, the why and who unknown, stealing a moment we’ll never get back or experience again.Tainted. That’s our current status.

A giant hand cradles the back of my head, pressing my face firmly against his skin, his forearm supporting me. My fingerscling tighter to his shirt as he leads us to my king-sized bed. "Shh… sweetheart. Youralphahas you. Yourmatehas you." The punctuated words crack my reserve.

He cuddles me the rest of the night, whispering sweet words and promises. For the first time in a long while, hope courses through my veins, urging me to embrace the thrumming bond. My hands find skin under his shirt, burning yet calming, coating me with drowsiness. Every moment with him cracks my cold, dark heart, bleeding pain, and reconstructing with stolen love.

With my face against his neck, relaxing to his soothing purr, the best sleep of my life pulls me under.

Four

MADDOCK

My Moon is exhausted.Once I’m sure she’s sound asleep, my fingers slip into my pocket and snag my phone. None of my brothers have patience, so it’s no surprise there are dozens of text messages and several missed calls, which is exactly why it’s set to silent. Progress with Ares is crucial, and managing the situation delicately is vital. I'm genuinely surprised at how smoothly our conversation unfolded. Our unmated bond is strong enough to sense each other's intentions, so I knew she could detect the truth in my words, just as I could.

The fact that she trusts me enough to stay in the house while she and our daughter sleep was unexpected. Pride swells in my heart, knowing my mate is a fighter, considering the struggles she faced as an unmated shifter with a baby. The conflicting emotions in my numb heart intensify like an internal rollercoaster of immense proportions. Someone robbed us—stole our firsts, our love, our family.

As my purr borders on a growl, my mate wiggles against my chest, immediately quelling my aggression. She sees only our light—never the darkness. We'll save that wrath for when the time is right.

She calms instantly as the vibrations soothe her back to sleep. Selfishly, I ignore my brothers and savor the small woman in my arms and the even smaller gift in the next room. Her scent saturates every fiber of my being. The moment she opened the door, she owned me. Mind. Body. Soul. They were all hers to command.

My wolf whimpers, longing to nuzzle her hair and neck—a desire I pacify by laying my cheek against the top of her head, reminding him that she barely knows us. She likely despised us before the truth came out, so pawing at her while she sleeps won’t earn us any brownie points.

A distraction for both wolf and man is needed, especially since my fantasy is draped across my lap, softly snoring with each inhale.

---