Page 12 of Family: Posy 4

I frowned as I glanced over at her. Did she really think she had to ask?

"Sure, cutie. You can always talk to me about anything."

"Well, it's personal. I know you're not usually shy about sharing anything, but you still have a right to your privacy."

"Sure, baby, but I don't want to keep anything secret from you."And after this date, I won't be,I added in the privacy of my mind. "What's your question?"

"Ash told me how the Moon Goddess came to you five in a dream and said you'd all share a mate. How did you feel about that? The sharing part, I mean."

Oh. Is that all?I rolled his eyes.

"Ash and I were only thirteen," I told her. "We didn't fully understand it, other than we wouldn't have to live apart from each other."

"Were you living together by then?"

"No. Jay and Ash went to live with Mase after Uncle Jay and Aunt Denise died. Everyone thought that would be best because the Black and Barlow households were in chaos, and Mase was so sad and lonely after Willow died."

Stopping at a red light, I looked over at her and saw her bottom lip wobbling, and Granite growled at me for upsetting her.

Life is upsetting, Gran, I said with a sigh.I don't like seeing her sad, either, but the truth is the truth. You can't change it, and hiding it from her wouldn't make her any happier.

He disagreed with a grunt, but otherwise stayed silent.

"It didn't matter who our official guardians were, though," I went on, "because we were together all the time, anyway. The dream came the night Mom and Dad declared themselves as chosen mates. Then they, Mama, and Papa asked the Moon Goddess to bless the five packs combining into one."

Goosebumps popped up all over my skin as I remembered what happened next. It was an epic, once-in-a-lifetime experience. I sent Posy my memory through our mate link and heard her gasp.

"Truly amazing," she breathed. "Were you together when you had the dream?"

"Yes. Cole and I had a sleepover at Mase's house. We all woke up at the same time the next morning, which, as you know, is not usual for us. Ash cried. I mean, we all woke up in tears, but Ash was so relieved, he sobbed."

I snickered as I remembered how Mase had picked Ash up and held him while he cried. Even at thirteen, Ash was as big as Mase, who was already a giant himself at sixteen.

"Why was he relieved?"

"His second set of parents died in the sickness about eight months before that," I explained. "He was so worried we'd separate when we found our mates. To him, sharing one meant he could stay with his brothers forever."

"What about you?"

"I was happy for that reason, too," I had no trouble admitting, "and also because the Moon Goddess promised us a perfect mate, and she delivered. We got you, precious girl."

"Did the Goddess talk to your wolves?" she ignored my compliments to ask.

"Yeah. It was weird, like Granite was standing next to me. All our wolves were ecstatic, but Quartz was a little iffy about the sharing part." So she didn't get the wrong idea, I hurried to add, "But only because he thought five mates would be overwhelming."

"What about your brothers?" Posy asked. "You were happy and Ash was relieved, but how did Mason, Cole, and Jayden feel about the sharing part?"

"Since Mase and Cole were older, Papa and Dad had already given them The Talk, so they understood more than the rest of us. Mase was satisfied and content that the Goddess had arranged a major part of our future, although he shared Quartz's worry because the rest of us were a little wild. Don't be fooled by Jay's guitar-playing, book-reading nerd front," I scoffed. "He went as hard as the rest of us in the raising of hell. Fortunately foryou, we've settled down a bit."

I smirked when she raised one eyebrow and gave me a disbelieving look.

But, "What about Cole?" was all she asked.

"He was a little anxious about how sharing would work. Would we get jealous or even come to resent each other? Mase said that, if it was the Goddess' plan, it would work out, then made us all swear by the moon such a thing wouldn't happen. That was all he needed to hear."

"And Jayden?"

I waited until I pulled into a parking spot and cut the engine before I turned to her.

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