Page 30 of Fearless as an Eagle

“Mia! Oh my God! How have you been?” Brooke cries when she stops in front of us.

Mia steps out of my arms and hugs my sister like they’re long-lost friends and looking around, I’m not the only one confused.

“You two know each other?” I’m the first to ask.

“Of course! Jase and I used to go camping at Willow Grove National Forest all the time. On one of our earlier trips, we met Ranger Anderson. She was so helpful, showing us a good spot to fish.”

“No fair! You already know her,” Brianna pouts.

“I’m sure she can get to know you, too, Brianna.” I shake my head at my baby sister’s dramatics.

“Fine. Mia, you sit by me tonight,” Brianna declares.

“I’m sorry. You don’t have to-” I start to tell her.

“Don’t be silly. I always wanted a sister. Now I get two of them,” she says with a smile.

"Good! Come on, let's get our seats. Dinner's almost done," Brianna says, grabbing Mia's hand and dragging her down the hallway to the dining room.

They sit on one side of the long oak table with Mia in the middle and one of my sisters on either side of her, with their husband on their other side. The guys and I sit across from them with empty seats for my mom and Braden, and Dad’s at the head of the table as always. The table is already set with dishes, utensils, and water glasses. Braden comes into the room with a platter of steamed veggies, followed by Mom with a bowl of pasta and Dad with the salmon. The last platter is piled so high, if anyone else was carrying it, I’d worry there’d be a salmon catastrophe.

After everyone sits down, we all dig in, loading our plates before the inquisition begins. As if on cue, just as I’m bringing my first bite to my mouth, my mother finally asks the question I know she’s been dying to ask. “So how did you meet?”

I smirk at Mia across the table and tell my family our kismet story. It takes me longer than it should to tell the tale, with my mother constantly interrupting. First worried that I was camping in a blizzard, then elated that such a scary story that could have ended in travesty, instead ended with me finding my mate. Everyone was riveted, barely eating, as I told them the PG parts of my last few days.

“Thank you, so much, for saving our boys,” Mom tells her when I finally finish the story.

“They saved me more than I saved them, Mrs. Townsend. I’m quite certain they didn’t need to be rescued at all. Mason could have handled it,” Mia responds.

“Nonsense! And please, call me Mom. You’re going to be my daughter soon, might as well get used to it, my dear,” she tells her with a wink.

“Oh. Um… We haven’t talked about when we’re going to get married. I told them I wanted to wait a while. There’s no need to rush,” Mia says.

“But you’re going to mate and give me grandbabies, right?” Mom questions, giving Mia her mom look.

“Maybe? Someday? I guess it would depend on who the dad was… Unless that wouldn’t matter to you… Then yes, someday. Maybe five years from now,” Mia rambles, making me smile despite the conversation at hand.

“What do you mean it would depend on who the dad is? Why wouldn’t it be obvious that Bennett is their father?” my mother demands.

All four of us have the realization at the same time, our eyes widening comically. My family thinks she’s just my mate. I mean, why wouldn’t they? That’s how it’s always worked with our family. My sisters have one mate, my mother has one mate, both of my grandparents do, going as far back as I know. There would never be a reason for them to think I would be sharing my mate.

“Ummm…” Mia looks at me before rolling her eyes. “Mason, Bennett, and Riley are all my mates. I have three.”

As soon as she finishes, the table erupts into chaos.

Chapter 22

Mia

Everyoneistalkingatonce,and it’s so loud I can’t make out most of what any one person is saying. Mostly, I catch several “You have more than one mate?” and “How is that possible?” Bennett’s entire family is in a tizzy. I guess we threw them through a loop with that announcement. I hope Mason and Riley’s family’s aren’t this bad. Finally, Bennett has enough and lets out a high-pitched whistle, effectively shutting everyone up.

“One at a time, please. Yes, Mia has more than one mate. It happens. I don’t know why everyone is so shocked. It’s not like we don’t know people with multiple mates,” he grumbles.

“Well, yeah… But that’s other people. Bears only have one mate. We’re a family of bears. All the way back to the beginning of our line, we’ve mated bears and birthed bears. Next thing you’re gonna tell us is she’s not a bear,” Mom rants.

“She’s not,” Bennett agrees, causing the table to go off once more. Bennett whistles again and everyone quiets. “Things are changing. I’m sorry if that scares you, but it is what it is. Most families aren’t like ours. Kids aren’t always the same animal as their parents for generation after generation. My mate is an eagle, not a bear. We may have bear offspring or we may have turtles. It’s not up to us or you to decide. I expect you to welcome my family no matter their soul-bonded animal. Just like you welcomed Mason, Riley, and Alex into the family. Now they truly are a part of the family, just as Zac and Jase.”

“Well, of course, we will. We don’t care if you’re not a bear, darling. We’re sorry if we made you feel that way,” Bennett’s mom tells me. “It was just unexpected is all. I think it’s wonderful that you’re mates with all the boys. They’ve always been very close. I was worried they may drift apart when they found their mates. But thanks to you, I don’t have to worry about losing any of my boys. Where is Alex, by the way? He’s your mate too, right?”

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