AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Not that she didn’t have that before,” Kat added quickly.
I gasped. “Casey and Mack? How?”
Kat’s eyes softened. “We didn’t intentionally tell them. Casey overheard Leo and I talking and sharing how happy we were for you three. When she asked, we answered but also asked that they keep it to themselves until all three of you are ready to announce it.”
“Oh.” I took another bite of dessert.
“Kat’s right. Casey won’t say a word, and neither will Mack if he values his life. I didn’t mean my words the way they sounded,” Kymber huffed. “See, I can never quite say things the way they sound in my head. Casey simply wanted to extend the invitation because the more happily mated relationships that are formed, the more hope grows within the prides. So, whenever you are ready, she would love to have you all visit for a few days to just be with her people and enjoy a few days away from day-to-day life.”
I nodded in understanding of what she was trying to convey. “I’ll reach out and thank her. I don’t know when we will be ready to take what we have beyond our walls, if ever, but I don’t want her to think I am ignoring her.”
“You can tell her yourself. She and Mack and the twins are coming this weekend for the celebration,” Kymber blurted.
Kat gave her a look that could kill.
“What celebration?” I asked slowly as I wracked my brain, trying to remember what might be happening this weekend. We had been out of contact with the pride for a few days, but I would have thought Niko would have been contacted since he is part of the elite guard.
“Oh, it’s no big deal. Just a potluck and bonfire. Not really a celebration but more of a family get-together.” Kymber’s eyes shifted quickly around the room. A sure sign she was lying.
“Kat?” My voice warned her not to lie to me.
She sighed. “It was supposed to be a surprise. Another reason I’m here and why I sent your mates away.” She folded her hands in her lap as her posture and facial expression turned to that of her therapist persona. “Leo and Casey have agreed that it’s time to celebrate all the mated pairs that have developed over the last three years, but then when your bond intensified with Niko and Miguel, it changed to not just a celebration, a mating celebration showing what mates truly mean.” Kat was using the long road to the full explanation.
“Basically, it’s a party for the three of you while also celebrating the mates and cubs that have joined the prides recently,” Kymber summed up.
“The fuck it is.” I stood up, my appetite souring before I could enjoy my sweets. “There will be no party showing us off. I haven’t even decided that I want anyone else to know right now. We aren’t even fully mated. No one has marked anyone!”
“Pet, is everything okay?” Niko’s voice echoed in my head as waves of love and support washed through our bond. It was still weird being able to hear their voices, to talk telepathically. It was going to take some getting used to.
“Did you know about this fucking party they planned this weekend?” I fired back.
“No, we have just been informed ourselves.”His calm demeanor only pissed me off further.
“Hey, no mental chatting allowed during girl time.” Kymber crossed her arms and looked at Kat as if she could command me to stop.
She probably could, but I knew she never would.
“I’ll just let you know now; we aren’t going. Or at least, I’m not. I will not be paraded around in front of others to be judged the freak for having two mates.”
“We will discuss it later.”Niko’s voice held the command my tiger craved. She wanted to roll over and show her belly in submission.
“Are you finished?” Kat asked.
“Yeah, for now.” I plopped onto the couch, my knee bouncing with my pent-up annoyance.
“This celebration is not about flaunting you around or showing you off. It’s just as much about reconnecting with the first pride Leo settled in as much as celebrating that our pride has grown and flourished in the last two years. The fact that you three found each other right before was pure coincidence but gave us one more reason to celebrate.”
I deflated as Kat spoke. She was right. If it were anyone else, I would want to celebrate, too. “I don’t want people asking questions about our living situation, whether we plan on kids, if I’m already pregnant.” I sniffed as my nose began to run, and my throat constricted with yet again another round of tears. “Or if I will even be able to have cubs.”
“There we are.” Kat moved from the floor to the couch, taking my hand in hers. “The deep-rooted fear that I felt from you. Why do you think you can’t have them?”
“You know what I’ve been through, the damage both physically and mentally.”
“But has anything ever given you a reason to think you can’t?” she urged. “Think and tell me at what point did you decide you wouldn’t be able to have them.”
I glanced at Kymber, knowing she had been through as much as I had, if not more. She reached out her hand in support, and I grabbed on, needing her strength as well to get through sharing something I had buried deep inside years ago.
"I’ve never gone into a heat.”
