Page 83 of Twisted Mates

“Of course,” my mother says quickly, as if she’s embarrassed that she hadn’t already offered. “Goddess, what is wrong with me? I’m just so?—”

“Surprised, confused, I know,” I say, reaching out and squeezing her hand. “I promise, I can explain.”

We follow my parents into the living room and take a seat on the sectional sofa meant to fit my large family. We leave a respectable distance between us, merely for my parents’ benefit. Our mating bond is still so new that I want to be attached to Xander at the hip at all times, but I keep a hold on my hormones for now.

“I guess I’ll just start at the beginning,” I say, and I drop the biggest bombshell that’s the most important for them to understand. “Kai isn’t and never was my mate.”

I’d laugh at the way my parents’ jaws drop in unison if this weren’t such a serious situation. “Excuse me?” my mom finally says, glancing at my dad before looking back at me, “What did you say?”

“Kai isn’t my mate. The ritual was tampered with.”

And after I explain that entire situation to them, their heads are still spinning when I add, “But I did find out later that the wolf I stopped at toward the middle of the line... that was Xander. He’s my mate. Which is why we’re here together today and why our connection just started growing from day one. And why Kai and I never did quite mesh.”

Dad lifts a thick eyebrow and says to Xander, “That makes you our next king, which is going to be hard for many to accept after?—”

“I know,” Xander says. “I’ve got some work to do to repair the damage from my absence. There is a lot that goes along with that story, and I promise I’ll share it with you and others before I take the crown. But just know that I can do this... Iwantto do this with your daughter at my side. I’ve just started to crack the surface on all this, but I do know one thing. Any shortcomings I have—and I have quite a few—your daughter will make up for them as our queen while she helps me grow. Believe me; she’s already done quite a bit of work on me already and she doesn’t even know it.”

My heart swells in my chest and I squeeze Xander’s hand. “Let me just say this: Clayton had a lot to do with Xander not being here for Olivia’s funeral. There issomuch you don’t know. But what you have to know and trust is that Xander is my moon-bonded mate.” My parents’ eyes widen as they glance at each other and then back at me. “He is everything I never even knew I wanted, and I love him with every single piece of my soul. He understands me better than anyone I’ve ever known, and he’s truly my other half.” Emotion clogs my throat. “Dad, Mom,please. I need you to be okay with this because no matter what, Xander is my future. There will never be another day where he isn’t by my side.”

My parents exchange a long, loaded look. It’s one of those silent communications that comes from years of a healthy, loving relationship. No one can read into it. Not even me, and that sets me on edge as I await their reply.

Xander’s fingers slide between mine. He gives two reassuring squeezes. This is us, our future. No one, not family or friends, will stand between us. And those who try to tear us apart will be our enemies. I don’t want my parents on that side of things. But if that is the choice they make, it will not hinder the way I feel about my mate. They have to know that.

My dad stands and Mom follows suit. He extends his hand to Xander. My mate stands and grips Dad’s fingers. His muscles coil as he moves to shake, but Dad draws him into a hug.

He pats Xander’s back and says, “Welcome to the family, son.”

Xander’s brilliant blue eyes find mine, and I see it—the gratitude, the acceptance. It’s not just him anymore. He knows he has the love of an entire family, including Kai.

“Thank you, Mr. Rush,” he says, gently clapping my dad on the back.

“Stop that nonsense,” my mom says. “I think we can all be on a first name basis now.”

Xander nods. “All right. Thank you, Bradley... June. You have no idea what it means to me to have your acceptance. And I swear to you that I will protect Alexia with my life every day until my last breath.”

“Hey, this was the easy part. We believe you. Now you have to get past her brothers,” my dad says, rocking back and forth on his heels.

Xander shrugs. “That’s terrifying. But I’ll make it happen.”

“You could always order their heads lopped off if they aren’t nice to you,” I say, unable to stop the giggle that escapes me.

He pulls me to his side and kisses my forehead. “Or you could just order it yourself, my queen.”

“Don't tempt me with the power to torture my brothers. I could have way too much fun making them think I would actually follow through with it.”

“She would,” Mom chimes in. “And the boys might deserve it.”

“They do,” I say.

Xander smiles down at me, and I see our whole future in that one look. This is just the start of something great. Just. The. Start. We have so much to still learn about each other—idiosyncrasies, favorites, and pet peeves. I get to spend the rest of my life learning everything I can about this man. And I already know he is hungry to learn everything he can about me.

When I look at us from an outside perspective, I know it seems unbelievable. That we could fall in love so fast. Many others would have been ripped apart by the circumstances we’d been given, but instead, we’ve sewn the tears in one another’s heart with the tangled thread the goddess began to weave the moment each of us was born. Our destiny may seem twisted to some, but the path we took was truly our own. It was the way the goddess intended, fate having written that part of our story for us. Every chapter from here on out is ours, and we will ink the ending however we want.

EPILOGUE

Two Months Later

Alexia