Page 29 of Their Promise

“I don’t care about your promise. She deserves to be courted, to find the mate, or mates, who will treat her well and love her the best. So, I’m vetoing your promise as it is not legally binding since you were all children,” Mom said sternly.

They frowned, but stayed quiet.

“I want to open my gifts before I leave,” I told Mason. “You didn’t tell me what time you were coming, so I’m not ready to go anywhere, and you didn’t tell me where we’re going, so I don’t know what to wear.”

“What you’re wearing is fine,” he said. “It really doesn’t matter what you wear.”

They set all the bags and boxes on the table in front of me and I grabbed the nearest one, reading the card before I opened the gift.

Kayden picked one up and snarled.

Assuming it was from Luca, I grabbed it from him before he broke it or something, and opened it. A pair of beautiful ruby earrings that matched my eyes when I was in snake form, dangled in a small box. There was also an envelope with a hotel key inside to one of the nicest hotels in the city.

“Whoa, that’s … bold,” Mom said with a soft laugh.

Sighing, I shook my head. “I am honestly not surprised.”

“Can I cross him off your courting list?” she asked.

“Yes,” all of my dads present said at the same time as Mason and Kayden.

“Do you want me to set up the dates?” Mom asked, ignoring them all. “Are there any you want to mark off?”

“Yes,” I said and pointed at three names. “They have made periodic anti-hybrid comments. I think their parents put them up to asking to court me.”

She scribbled their names out aggressively.

“I haven’t heard anything good about this guy,” Branson said and pointed at a name on the list. “He’s an aggressive werewolf with bad views about women.”

Mom scribbled his name off just as aggressively as the others.

“Not him either,” Riddick said, pointing at a name I didn’t recognize. “He’s an asshole.”

“He’s gay,” Caleb said and pointed at one of the names. “I’m pretty sure his grandpa made him submit his name.”

“Let’s set up a date with him,” I said as I picked up the next gift to open. “That way his grandpa won’t have any reason to be upset with him.”

Mom nodded. “He’ll be my first call.”

“Who’s your second call?” Caleb asked.

“Prince Liam,” she answered immediately.

“This is all pointless,” Kayden growled.

“Scared of a little competition?” Caleb asked with a smirk.

I loved my adoptive dad a lot, but it was times like this that I absolutely adored him and his confidence.

Kayden scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Those males couldn’t last a second with us.”

He shrugged. “Prove it then. Win her heart by courting her. You think your promise is all that matters, but what matters isthat she finds mates who genuinely care about and love her and are capable of providing her the life she deserves. We know you can protect her physically, but can you win her heart again, and prove you can protect it?”

Mason and Kayden were quiet after that, watching as I opened more gifts. After about five minutes, Mason stood and asked, “Can you be ready in thirty minutes to go on a shopping trip with me?”

A shopping trip? He hated shopping.

“Sure,” I agreed with a nod.

---