He snorts. “You mean just like me.”
“I didn’t want to say it like that.”
Remy pulls me closer in a swift move, making me almost squeal. I press my hand against my mouth, suppressing a giggle, but make sure to smack his shoulder. “You are such a tease,” he mutters.
“I am the tease? Look in the mirror, babe.”
His fingers twist some strands of my hair, and I just can’t help myself. I have to reach out to wrap my arms around his neck – it’s physically impossible for me not to do it. And I have to force his head down so he can kiss me. Remy wraps his arms around my middle, readily answering my kiss like he always does.
“Hey, Kata, Gabe and I thought,” Eve’s voice reaches us, sounding way too close. Remy and I startle away from eachother, only to stare right at our two brothers. “We thought you might need help,” Eve finishes blandly.
For long minutes, none of us move or say a word. I thought Gabriel at least would react angrily or admonish us, but he just seems genuinely perplexed. Finally, Eve is the one to find his voice. “I am all for the youth to have fun,” he mutters. “But we have agreed not to date within the pack and not to date any relatives of our allies. It’s too tricky and can lead to scorched earth.”
Remy looks at me and sighs. Then he takes my hand and pulls me back a little. “We aren’t just dating,” he says. “We are mates.”
“What happened? What’s taking you so long?” Joel’s voice echoes through the room before he pops up behind Eve. Sean has followed him, eyeing the whole group with a frown now.
“What’s going on?” he asks, his voice tense. “Did something happen?”
“Goddess,” Gabriel mutters while gazing at Sean. “Your presence will make it more complicated now.”
Sean’s eyebrow ticks slightly in annoyance. “What do you mean by that? Joel and I have no clue what’s going on. Just answer the damn question.”
“I am getting anxious, too, now,” Joel agrees, his eyes darting from person to person. “Is everything okay? Anyone hurt?”
I let out a sigh and squeeze Remy’s hand. “Well, Eve and Gabriel just walked in on us—”
“Doing something dirty?” Joel asks hopefully.
The way Eve, Gabriel, and Sean all narrow their eyes to glare at him would be funny if I still didn’t have some things to explain. Finding your mate is an amazing thing for us wolves, and it’s certainly something to be celebrated.
However, it’s very unusual to keep it a secret, especially when it concerns an alpha’s family, or worse, two alpha families. Maybe, we should have thought this through better.
“They saw us kissing,” Remy finally says. “But that’s not all. We kept it hidden from you.”
“You are a couple?” Sean asks, his brows are furrowed now, and I am sure he is starting to put the puzzle pieces together. “No,” he says, his voice is eerily calm. “That’s not all. You are mates?!”
“How could you tell?” Gabriel mutters. “Just how do you always do that?”
“I thought something felt weird about them tonight,” Sean says shortly.
“Wait a moment,” Joel gapes. “Did I just hear it correctly?”
“Yes,” I verify. “We definitely are mates. There is no denying it.”
Sean stares at Remy, and I can feel him tensing up again. “Going by Katalina’s words, this means you feel the bond, too. Which means… you have connected more to your wolf.”
“Alrighty,” Joel intervenes before anyone can say anything more. “I, for one, think this is good news.”
“It’s not about it being bad news, Joel,” Eve says quietly.
“Whatever,” Joel grins. “I want dessert. So, please return to the dining hall, while the two lovebirds and I will take out the dessert.”
It seems like no one feels like arguing with him, so the other three retreat. Once they do, Joel turns to us, his grin becoming a smile. He kisses my head softly and squeezes Remy’s shoulder. “It’s just the shock,” he reassures him.
“Sean hates lies,” Remy tells him.
“Sean is worried,” Joel corrects him. “He doesn’t show it, but your health is his number one concern, far ahead of anything else.” He smiles. “But I stand by what I said: this is fantastic news. So, let’s grab the dessert and get back to the others.”