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“I wish I would’ve known that back then.”
Then again, having Devin slowly fall in love with me was a fun experience too. It wasn’t instantaneous like it is with most mates.
If anything, Devin and I fell in love the old fashioned way.
You’re worth waiting for.
As I make my way into the dining room that evening, things are tense. Devin and Damian are both extremely quiet, which isn’t like the two alpha males. I look at Monica and she simply shrugs. Whatever it is, she must not know what’s going on with them either.
Grant makes noises from his highchair as he stuffs his tiny fist into his mouth. Even though he’s still a baby, he has quite the appetite. He’s a wolf shifter, so it makes sense.
“Will my children eat like Grant does?” I wonder aloud.
“I don’t know.” Monica takes a sip of her sweet tea. “I guess it depends if they’re more like you or Dev. You’ll probably have a mix of different children. Some will shift, some might not.”
Monica grabs a second burger and I raise an eyebrow at her.
I know from what she’s told me, she had a very human-like appetite when she was pregnant the first time. It looks like this time around, she hasn’t lost her appetite at all.
“I’m starving,” she says, before taking a huge bite.
I glance over at Devin. He’s got his lips pressed into a firm line and his brows tilted down. I’m afraid to ask him what’s going on, especially when I see a similar expression on Damian’s face.
I clear my throat, looking at Monica. “Did you hear that Blake and Ember are getting married next month?”
Devin shoots a glare at his brother and I realize what this is about.
Devin’s mad at Damian because Blake and Ember’s parents aren’t making them wait to get married.
Maybe bringing up the subject wasn’t such a good idea.
“I heard about that,” Monica says, glancing over at her husband. She sighs and turns back to me. “I know Ember’s mom is so excited. To meet your mate so young is a joy. I was twenty one when I met Damian. I wish I could’ve met him when I was in high school, but it’s probably best I didn’t. I wasn’t ready back then for something so big.”
“Fate doesn’t make mistakes,” I say. “It knows the exact moment both people are ready for such a commitment.”
Damian looks over at me. “You think Devin was ready for a commitment when he met you? You do realize that this is the guy who was pouting about you being a dark fae for a few weeks.”
I tense at his words, not knowing what to say. But as it turns out, I don’t need to say anything. Devin’s head snaps toward his brother, his eyes flashing yellow.
“Just because you’re a stand-in alpha doesn’t mean you know what is best. You don’t,” Devin proclaims. “You attacking my mate only proves that. You’re only thinking about yourself and what you think is best. But if you took the time to talk to Tori and me, you’d know that we’re ready now.”
“Devin,” Monica warns.
He turns toward his sister-in-law. “You want to tell me we’re not ready too?”
She shakes her head. “No. You know I don’t share the feelings that my mate does. You and Tori are more mature than most people your age.”
“Exactly.” Devin turns back to Damian. “In less than four months, I’ll be taking over as alpha of the pack. If I can handle that, certainly I can handle being married.”
Damian’s face turns red as he turns toward Devin.
Monica stands up from the table. “Come on, Tori. Let’s go sit outside.”
Not wanting to listen to Damian and Devin argue, I follow Monica out the back door. She grabs Grant from his high chair as we make our way outside. We sit down on the oversized outdoor couch. She puts Grant onto the rug so he can crawl around and play with some toys scattered around.
“How are you handling all of that?” Monica motions toward the door that we just walked out of.
I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. “I don’t know. I’m torn between trying to be respectful to Damian, but also really wanting to marry my mate. Devin is right. We’re ready now. There isn’t a point to waiting.”
