Page 64 of Sweethearts and Savages
But deep in the recesses of my heart, where that constant ache sat, was the knowledge that I might never see my mate again. That instead of making me stronger, my mate bond was slowly killing me.
To say it made the day bittersweet was an understatement. Everyone stood, the steady hum of conversation bouncing off the trees in the grove where we held mating ceremonies. I wouldn’t call it sacred or anything; it was just beautiful. I gripped Bohdie and Stacey’s hands as we wandered back through the trees toward the giant feast that would be held in the square. We’d go back to Dark River tonight, and have another feast with the townspeople, because despite us being wolf shifters, they loved us as if we were their only offspring. I might have had eight actual parents, but my family were innumerable.
The actual creation of the matebond would happen tonight, probably, if they hadn’t done it already. That was a private thing, like consummating a marriage, and I certainly didn’t want to bear witness to that.
Everyone was here, which was kind of nice. Ghost, Nîso’s snow leopard Enforcer, was juggling a baby snow leopard, which could only be one of Celeste’s. Celeste and her human mates lived on the grounds of Eden Academy, but they visited Ghost up here a lot. It was nice how they’d become family, adopting each other like siblings. Life was funny like that.
Actually, most of the founders of Eden Academy had come, because our lives had become entwined with theirs somehow. We’d grown together, I guess, from the very early years of the Academy until now. Miss Pea was there, as well as Ramer. The Lycans, Micah and Alistair, were there with their mate and the worlds nicest person, Layla. Her third mate, Locke, was carrying a baby. Actually, he was carrying a baby and two toddlers. I guess they were kind of my in-laws now, and to prove the point, Stacey dragged me toward them.
I blinked rapidly as she pulled me, and by extension Bohdie, to a stop in front of them. “Parentals. You know Enit, my mate. And my Packmate, Bohdie.”
Locke laughed, handing her the baby. “Of course we know them, Stace. I knew Enit before you knew the periodic table.”
Stacey frowned, and honestly, her holding a baby kind of did things to me. “No you didn’t. I knew the periodic table when I was two.”
Locke laughed, leaning over to kiss the top of her tamed curls. “Just a saying, Sweetheart. I’m glad it has worked out for you guys. I couldn’t have picked a better person for you to fall in love with,” he said softly, and I swear, I almost cried again.
Apparently, we were playing pass the parcel with the baby, because she handed him off to Bohdie like he was a relay baton; Bohdie just held him with complete ease.
Yep. There went my ovaries.
Calm down. You have plenty of time for diapers and midnight feedings. We aren’t done banging in every room yet,I told them. That perked them up.
Stacey rounded on Alistair, who was gazing at us all with bemusement. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about breaking mate bonds.”
The whole party went silent and everyone turned in our direction. I went pale, swaying on my feet, and Bohdie juggled the baby into one arm, wrapping the other around my waist. Alistair’s eyes bounced between us all, and Micah reached out to extract the baby from Bohdie.
“I think it’s best we talk about this at some other time, Sweetheart. A mating ceremony might not be the best place.” But even as Alistair was saying the words, I could see him appraising me with a scientific eye, as if he was making the connections.
The founder of Eden was brilliant. I had no doubt he was surmising exactly the right scenario in his head right about now.
The conversation of the party resumed, and when Carmen and her Pack arrived, we were forgotten in the cheers of celebration. Stacey turned to me, her face flushed pink. “I’m sorry, Enit. I momentarily forgot that everyone had supernatural hearing,” she said softly, and I leaned forward to kiss her cheek.
“I know.”
Shifters really knew how to party. Food was eaten, a crazily large cake constructed by Mom and Nico was cut, and by the time someone cracked the moonshine, everyone was on a good sugar rush.
Carmen kept shooting me worried looks, and I think it was from how pale I looked today, or maybe it was the way my dress kind of hung off me in a way that it hadn’t six months ago. We’d all been caught up in our own bullshit, but there was still no one I knew as well on this planet as I knew my littermates.
Which became extremely apparent when Christopher appeared, his eyes a little wild, and his breath scented with the bite of moonshine. Christopher had taken the accident badly, and my abduction even worse. Now I wasn’t living at home in Dark River with him, I rarely saw him. He seemed to be avoiding me on campus, and when I did accidentally stumble across him, he hugged me and told me he loved me, then disappeared again.
He was drowning and I wasn’t sure I had the emotional capacity to pull him back up anymore. I was just drowning right along with him.
He pulled me into a hug, and I let my Omega essence wrap around him, gentling his fractious spirit. He relaxed a little, though that might have been the moonshine kicking in. “Something is wrong with you, E.”
I let myself sink into his strength. It was something I was doing more and more of, relying on other people to keep me propped up. Bohdie, Stacey, even Frost. “I know, Christopher.”
His arms squeezed, like he wasn’t expecting the admission. “What can I do?”
I shook my head. “I accidentally mated him, Christopher. There's nothing you can do unless he decides to come back.”
My brother’s whole body froze like he’d been turned to ice. “What?” he hissed, pulling me away so he could look down at me, like I might have been making the world's worst joke. I just looked up at him sadly. “Fuck,” he whispered. “Does Carmen know?”
I shook my head, and then pinched him. “And you won’t tell her, either! Let her enjoy mated life. There’s nothing she can do and we can tell her if things get… dire.”
Christopher exhaled deeply. “E, I can feel every one of your ribs under my palms. Things are already pretty dire.”
I shook my head, stepping away, feeling self-conscious. “We’re working on it, Christopher. Just have to wait and trust the process, you know?”
