"Ha ha ha, you meancursive," Aiden laughed again and the other two chuckled.
"I'll read it to you if you'd like, sweetness," Jayden offered. "If you don't mind me knowing what it says."
"Of course I don't." I grinned at him and handed him the paper. "I'll tell all of you, anyway."
"Baby sister, we're going to give you some privacy while you read it," James told me. "And go help those two darling mates of ours not lose their minds. Is that okay?"
"Yes, thank you." I nodded.
He and Aiden hesitated for a second, then nodded back and left.
They wanted you to hug them, Quartz sneered.
I know, my love.I made sure the smile I gave him was full of dimples.Q, when we get home, do you think you could convince your brothers to joinus for a snuggle?
Convince them?he smirked.I'd have to fight themnotto.
"Ahem, now that you two have your date planned," Jayden interrupted with an eye roll, "do you still want me to read this letter now? We can always save it for later, sweetness."
"No, my dragon." I sobered up and lifted my chin. "I'm ready now. I want to know the truth."
#
Jayden
I cleared my throat before I began to read.
Dear children,
If you are reading this, I died before I could explain anything to you, and for that I am sorry. A sad story poorly told on notebook paper will have to be explanation enough now.
Kendall Briggs was not my Goddess-given mate. We met at an alpha conference when I tagged along with my father, William Swift. At thirty, I was one of the oldest unmated females there, and Kendall the oldest unmated male at thirty-four. We chatted and found some common ground we thought we could build on, so we made an arrangement. We would be chosen mates with the understanding that we'd separate amicably if ever one of us found our true mate.
"What's amicably mean?" Posy asked.
"Like friends."
"Since he wasn't her true mate, that's why he could hurt her, isn't it?" she whispered.
"Yes. I'm so sorry, Posy."
She sniffled a bit, but nodded her head for me to go on.
Kendall did not stand by that agreement. When James was four and Aiden three, emissaries from the king arrived at Green River, and among them was my true mate. Logan Everleigh wasn't an alpha or a beta, not a gamma or even a delta. He was a regular wolf, as he liked to call himself, but to me, he was everything I ever wanted in a mate.
"I bet Father wasn't pleased when she told him," Posy said. "What is an e-missionary?"
"An emissary is a representative," I explained. "Like we are when King Julian sends us somewhere."
"Thank you. Keep reading, please."
When the emissaries left to return to the royal pack, I went with my mate and brought you boys along. I should have known then that Kendall was plotting something. If I hadn't been blinded by bliss, I would have realized that he'd never let his heirs leave Green River.
For three months, my mate and I lived in happiness and peace, visiting often with my family. Every day shone brighter, and I dared to dream we had the rest of our lives to spend together as a happy family. Logan loved you both, James and Aiden, as if you were his own sons. Posy, you would have been the apple of his eye, his little princess, if only he had lived to know you.
"Oh!" she let out a hurt little sound. "I could have had a real father. I could have known what it's like to have a dad."
"Come here, baby."