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“I loved him,” I say, glaring at Oliver. “No matter what story you’ve concocted from your creepy stalker days, I loved him. I won’t tolerate any disrespect towards him from my mates, and I most definitely won’t tolerate it from you.”
“He loved you, too, you know,” Oliver says softly. I flinch, and he leans forward. He doesn’t get off his seat, just rests his elbows on his knees, as he clasps his hands together. “You were never a game to him, Maia, never a passing fancy. He loved you with his entire soul.”
I frown, taking in the words from Alex earlier, the truth I know about werewolves and mates. “But if he were a wolf?—”
“No if, Maia,” Oliver says, shaking his head. “Ryan was a wolf, just like Phoebe and these pricks. He still loved you.”
I bite my lip, confusion filling me, and there’s hesitance from Alex and Topher. Ben’s amused, and Seb’s indifferent, and I’m curious about what they know.
Only one way to find out, I suppose, is to ask.
“But then... what about his... your... mate?” I avoid looking in his eyes as I ask the question, and the atmosphere in the room shifts.
Oliver sighs, leaning back in his chair, and he looks over at Ben with a defeated expression on his face. “You tell her. At least it won’t sound so pitiful, then.”
Ben cackles and grins at me. “Oliver’s deformed state means there’s no mate for any of them, darling. The fuck up of the family broke his trio’s soul so badly that there’s no mate out there for any of them.”
I gasp, my hands covering my mouth in horror. My brain can’t even begin to process the words Ben said, the descriptions he used for his cousin.
They’ve got no mate.
Oliver clenches his fists, breathing fast and heavy, before he relaxes. “I figured you deserved those little jabs for the runt comment I made earlier. You’re a cunt, but you’re not wrong.” He turns to me and shrugs. “Without me being a wolf, the bond the three of us brothers share is incomplete, so there’s no mate that we can claim.”
My brows draw together as I cock my head. “So you need to get your wolf to bond with Ethan, to then bond with your mate?”
Oliver nods.
“So, can’t you just get Ethan to change you?” I look around the room, not sure what I’m missing. “You’re an adult now, so if there were safety issues?—”
“The only thing that can turn a human into a werewolf is a mating bite,” Topher says softly. “It’s probable that a female wolf could claim Oliver, and Ethan by association, and attempt to turn him... but since they’re not fated mates, that wouldn’t happen.”
“I don’t understand. Why can’t a parent or a sibling do it?”
“Science, Maia Papaya,” Oliver says.
“Do not—” Topher snarls, anger filling his eyes as he feels my pain.
“Please, don’t,” I echo, and Oliver flinches. “I... how do you even know that he called me that?”
“He called you Papaya?” Ben scoffs.
Oliver’s eyes drop to his lap, and there’s a sheepish expression that covers his face.
My eyes widen, my mind racing to fill in the blanks as to what could cause this sort of reaction from him. Surely, gossiping with his brother—oh. Disgust fills me, my stomach rolling, and my head fills in the gaps.
I stare at the man so familiar—so fucking familiar—as bile rises up in my throat. I can’t stop it, and I launch myself up from the armchair, racing through to the toilet. I drop down to my knees on the cold tile just as my breakfast starts coming back up. A warm body drops down beside me, rubbing my back and offering gentle words as I gag and retch.
My throat is burning, my eyes stinging.
They swapped places. Or at the very least, Oliver became Ryan, didn’t he? They shared the fake role of Ryan Tartan, and I was the fool they played.
I gag again, my body in agony, as I can’t stop vomiting. The retches are loud and painful, and I can’t even pause to thank whoever is holding back my hair.
They betrayed me.
He betrayed me.
He’s kept so much from me, and like the fool I am, I’ve forgiven his memory over and over again. He’s gone, and the forgiveness has surely been for me… but I’ve given it so freely.
