And as I watch her sleep, cradled between her two mates, naked and sated, breathing deeply, I tell myself that their family isn’t at all what I want. That I am content.
That there is no tightness in my chest as I stare down at her.
I close the door and walk away.
OceanofPDF.com
Chapter 15: Mona
Iwake up with a groan, once again relishing the beauty of sleeping in a freakin’ bed. I told myself the first time I got here that I’d never take a bed for granted again, and I haven’t. The bed in the cabin doesn’t count, that was more like a wick for sexual fluids. I shudder.
Find mates,Beep says as soon as I’m coherent.
“They’re downstairs,”I yawn. The bedroom door is cracked and I can hear their murmured voices.
Not them. The others. They should remain with us. Please inform them they are not allowed to leave.
I take a measured breath. It’s too early for this.“Did they leave already?”I ask anxiously, as if she might know.
Their alphas want to stay. The men are hesitant. It is unacceptable they chose to sleep elsewhere. As your alpha mates, it is their duty to show complete devotion to us. Convince them to stay, Mona.
I thought the alphaswerethe men,I snark back, still pissed at them and taking it out on her.Isn’t that what Ghost told me? The alphas are the men, Beep. If the men want to leave—
The alphas want to stay,she argues back.The men do, too, but they are being stubborn.
Actively working against us, to push away the attraction, the pull of our fated mate bond takes effort. Even with Grayson, sharing the face of the man I was terrified of, I still let him in. To have everything working for us, nothing standing in our way, and to still not want it…
“I shouldn’t have to convince them to want me.” Throwing the blanket off, I get up and get dressed.
I can still smell Orion and Grayson on my skin. I have them. Ilovethem.
I don’t need anything else.
Once I’m dressed, I tiptoe down the stairs, surprised to find a new scent in the house.
Not surprised to find Andrea’s, though. Groaning before I even reach the last step, I call out to her and Grayson. “I just want it on the record that I never agreed to this bodyguard bullshit!”
They ignore me. I round the stairs and head to the living room, stopping short at the sight of a man I don’t recognize. He’s taller than me, but short compared to the guys.
His brown hair looks like it’s in need of a cut. Wearing cargo pants and a gingham plaid shirt, he reminds me of those guys in school who got really into A/V club.
“Hi,” I wave awkwardly. There’s something strange about him. He smiles and tilts his head, then takes a deep inhale, breathing me in. That, I’m used to.
Most new shifters, when they meet me, want to hug me or touch my arm.
But he just closes his eyes and breathes. I can’t feel his alpha, but something about him tells me that’s the correct designation. Not very strong, then.
“Hello De—Mona,” he corrects. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Umm… you too…”
“Kendrick,” he shares.
“Oh!” This guy is like the king of the shifters. Wow, he seems so… ordinary. “How’s Lily?” I ask.
His eyes soften, and I hadn’t realized how tense his posture was until I mention his mate. “She’s healing well. She’s looking forward to meeting you.”
I hated my jealousy when Silas asked after Lily in the car on the way here. Of course he was concerned about her, I’d have thought less of him if he hadn’t cared about her well-being. But it only amplified his indifference toward me.
