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A moment later, the three of them are standing in front of me looking like kicked pups.
Diva keeps her eyes on the floor, and they brim with tears. After a moment, she gets down on her knees in front of me, forcing herself to look up. “Marcello, please, I can explain. As the leader of your pack, I owe it to you. After I’m finished, if you deem me unworthy and turn me away, as the alpha, I will respect your decision and leave you all forever.”
“How can I even believe that Diva? You’ve lied to us repeatedly.”
“I know,” her voice is soft. “But I’m not lying now. You can kick me out. You can put me on a plane. You can refuse to let me in your house again. Whatever it takes. I promise.”
Her eyes glisten, and her small body is shaking. I would be lying if I claimed not to care. I want to believe her, even after everything she’s done. I lean back on the couch and fold my hands across my knees. “Fine. Plead your case.”
She nods and inhales a gulp of air.
“Men, sit next to me on the couch.” My brethren comply, one sitting on either side.
Diva looks at each of us in turn. “When I woke up this morning, I was . . .” She looks at her hands and then back at us. “Transformed.”
I cock my head. “Expound.”
“Shit, this is harder than I thought,” she says. “I’m just going to come out and say it.” She looks down at her hands again. “I’m Signum. I didn’t know. I woke up transformed into a fucking pixie.” She looks up at me in time to catch my eye roll.
“I’m not lying,” she says. “I don’t know enough about it yet to change at will, but if you call Iphigenia, she will tell you. Sophia saw me too. Iphi changed me back with a spell.”
I exchange looks with my mates; their eyes are as wide as my mouth. We all turn back to Diva and stare at her incredulously.
“You have my phone. Call her,” she says. “Why would I lie about such a thing? It’s not like you wouldn’t find out sooner or later.”
It would explain so much. Her physique, her white hair, her ice blue eye color, her flowery scent, even her vegetarianism. And she was adopted. I want so badly to believe her.
Emilio slides off the couch and drops to his knees next to her, kissing her cheek tenderly. “I knew you were Signum.”
“No, you didn’t,” I growl. “Get off your knees, man, I’m the one in charge. Let her finish speaking.”
Emilio gets up and returns to the couch, but he perches on the edge, not bothering to mask the love in his eyes.
“Continue,” I say.
“Iphi explained the little she knows about pixies. It’s not a well-known Signum species. Eventually I plan to travel to my birthplace of Cornwall to learn more. And, she also told me the reason it happened now is because you three are my fated mates too.”
My packmates and I exchange looks. Emilio grins wide, his eyes crinkling at the corners. That actually makes sense, and my heart rate increases at the knowing. She does belong to us.
“But for now, that’s all I know,” she says.
“And your parents? What did they say?” I ask.
Tears fill her eyes and drop down her cheeks. “When I told them, they disowned me.”
“What?” I jump off the couch, infuriated. “Their own child?”
“Not by birth,” she says.
“That doesn’t matter. They raised you.” I reach down and scoop her up into a hug. She doesn’t resist. I pet her fine silken hair. She’s ours. She truly belongs to us, and I can’t deny it anymore. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.” And I am. No parent, whether adopted, foster, step, or birth, should ever treat their child so cruelly.
I wave my hand at my pack mates, and they make room for her on the couch. I bump Luca over to sit next to her. She looks up at me, tears still falling from her beautiful, tragic eyes.
I bend down and kiss them away. And in that instant, I know I’m in love with her too. I’ve always been in love with her, I just didn’t want to admit it. And there is no way I’m going to tell my mates that their big, strong alpha was afraid. Afraid to love. Afraid to lose myself. Afraid to be vulnerable.
“Do you forgive me?” she asks.
“Did you bring your suitcase to stay? Forever? With us?” I have to ask.
