Page 3 of Twisted Mates

“Thank you, Mom,” I say, giving her a shaky smile.

“Are you all right?” my father asks, stepping up and placing his hand on my shoulder. I fight back a smile. Only on special occasions does my dad forego jeans and his favorite tennis shoes for a suit. He says his bulky form was made for comfort and not style. If I’m not mistaken, he even went as far as putting gel in his silver hair.

“I’m fine, I promise. I’m just really nervous. What if—what if I don’t find my mate? What if this was all for nothing?”

My mom shakes her head and pushes a strand of hair away from my face. “There’s no way. Your mate is in there waiting for you, sweetie. I just know it.”

Dad nods and squeezes my shoulder. “Just wait and see. It’s all going to work out.”

I swallow and force a smile. “You’re right.” But it doesn’t escape me that they didn’t say it was okay if I didn’t. That’s what I’m scared of.

Disappointing them. Letting everyone down. Leaving here tonight still being the only one in my family without a mate.

“It’s almost time. We’ll all meet you and your mate on the other side,” Mom says.

I wish I could take her into the great hall, have her with me as I’m drawn to the shifter that I will spend the rest of my life with. But that’s not tradition. I must remain alone except for the priestess who will continue to guide me as she has throughout these last three months. My mother and the rest of my family will wait for me in the grand ballroom that lies on the other side of the great hall. The moment my mate and I step through that doorway, tonight’s festivities will begin.

I reluctantly move away from my mom and watch as her and my dad are escorted by a priestess through another passageway. My brothers and their mates fall in line, all but Sam. He motions to his mate to hold on for a second. Sam walks up to me and pulls me into a hug.

I’d deny this if anyone asked, but it’s not like it’s not obvious. Sam is my favorite brother. He’s the one who I relate to the most, the one who understands the way my brain works. We like the same movies and laugh at the same goofy jokes. Everyone else could stay quiet during all the pack rituals, but not me and Sam. We'd always get Mom’s death stare during ceremonies when wewere supposed to be serious, which would only make us laugh harder. Sam was also the last of my brothers to find his mate. So naturally, we stuck together a little longer after Hudson and Parker found theirs.

“Listen, Alexia, you know it’s not the end of the world if you don’t find your mate tonight, right?” Sam says.

I sigh and rest my forehead against his chest. “Tell that to Mom and Dad. Did you catch how neither one ofthemsaid that? I think if I don’t find one tonight, they’re going to turn me over to the temple as a priestess!”

He laughs and kisses the top of my head. “No, they aren’t. We won’t let them. Will we, Heath?”

Heath, Sam’s mate, shakes his head and joins us, pulling me into a hug. “Hell no. We could never subject you to that boredom for the rest of your life.” He shudders. “I don’t know how you survived the last three months.”

“Goddess, me either. I’ve been ready to come out of my skin.”

“Well, let’s get this over with then. We’ll be inside, okay?” Sam says, taking Heath’s hand.

“All right. Thank you for the words of encouragement. That’s what I needed.”

“Anytime, sis.”

But before they turn to go, a heady floral scent fills my nostrils as a pair of arms wrap around my waist. My brother and his mate glance at each other and share a grin as I turn to see my best friend wearing a mischievous smile.

“Carrington!” I say, throwing my arms around her without a second thought. “I am so glad to see you! I’ve missed you so much!”

“I know, ninety days iswaytoo long without you.”

“But wait,” I whisper, looking around the foyer. “You’re not supposed to be in here!”

Her laugh is loud and echoes off the stone walls. “Yeah, right. You and I have spent countless days together for the past twenty-five years. If we were mates, we would have known it as soon as we started sprouting boobs. But I can see you’re disappointed that it’s not me,” she says with a playful wink.

“I have to agree with that,” Sam pipes up. “But don’t let Mom and Dad know she was here. They’ll have a conniption.”

“I won’t,” I say. “Now go, I’ll see y’all in there.”

My brother and his mate give me one more hug before they disappear down the hallway.

I turn back to Carrington. “I’m surprised that you don’t want to be a part of the ceremony. Don’t you want to know what it’s like to shift without a full moon?”

“I’m not fond of the idea of standing in a dusty temple room and letting you grope me in my wolf form.”

“You’re missing out. I’ve heard my groping is top notch. Only from shifters in human form, though, so...”

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