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That’s good. That’s very good.
“Sweetling.” Eleanor turned towards me. “You’re their true scent match, their true mate. Everything in their nature will drive them to care for you, protect you and cherish you. Such is the bond between Alphas and their Omega.”
She sounded so certain that I thought about all the little things I’d noticed since arriving here. I’d seen them rest a hand on the small of her back in passing, or Cedric kiss her temple without thinking. Samir brought her tea exactly the way she liked it, and Matthias touched her whenever he walked close enough, even if it was only to brush her shoulder with his fingers. All three comforted her whenever she was upset.
They weren’t constantly declaring their love for each other because they didn’t need to. It was everywhere. Dad had never been that openly affectionate with Mum, and I’d known he loved her more than anything. Maybe Alphas and Omegas really were different. Could I have something like that?
“Do you really think they’ll like me?”
Eleanor’s eyebrows rose. “Darling.”
I looked down at our joined hands. “What if I embarrass them? Or make some horrible social mistake because I don’t know how any of this works? What if I say the wrong thing or sound completely uneducated? I’m not exactly…” I let go of her hand and gestured helplessly toward her.
“You needn’t worry about that. Your sisters and I can teach you whatever you’d like to know before you leave, if you feel up to it.”
“I can manage.”
“Then we will.” Her smile softened. “But you must understand something, sweetling. You don’t need to become someone else to deserve your mates’ affection.”
That felt a little too close to home.
“They aren’t mating your table manners. They’re mating you.”
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it.
Eleanor smiled. “And I rather expect they’ll adore you.”
Could I adore them? The thought didn’t frighten me as much as I’d expected. I smiled and nodded, mostly to myself. Okay, I can do this. I’m a quick learner.
“How long do we have?”
Something in Cedric’s expression made my smile disappear.
“Three days.”
You’ve got to be kidding me!
Chapter 11
Elowen
Nora sighed. “I think you need to rest.” She sounded almost as exhausted as I felt.
“No! I can do it. I just need to focus.”
I looked down at the open books and scattered notes covering almost every inch of the bed around me. Nora lay on her stomach across from me, and Ivy sat among the mess to my right, holding the question sheet safely out of my reach.
“You’re not to look at the answers,” Ivy warned.
“I’m not!” I straightened up. “I’m not.”
She lifted the paper higher anyway. “What are the three most powerful Houses in High Mountain?”
“Vaelor.”
“That should be the easiest, since your mates belong to that House,” Nora said, her voice muffled by the pillow.
“Still counts.”
