Chapter 19
Cordelia
Iclose the gate, then turn around when I hear the now-familiar footsteps. Fox creeps up to stand beside me, watching as Gale trots up into the paddock. His hands find my hips, and it feels as natural as breathing. I lean back into him.
“Are you all right?” he asks after a minute.
I glance at him over my shoulder, surprised. “Of course.”
“So, you don’t hate me for…” he stops, his face turns bright red, and he drops his eyes, unable to look at me. “For last night?”
I pull away, turning, and grab his shoulder before he can escape.
“Fox, it was hilarious, but really sweet. You rushed out to protect me, us. You were brave and ready to take on any human threat. I can’t blame you for being surprised by some of the local wildlife. Though I think we should leave the checking of the intruders to Sebastian.”
I turn away, suddenly both warm down to my toes and startled. I exhale sharply and grab the fence so I don’t fidget.
Am I planning forever? In my mind, it’s us forever. But I haven’t even told them yet, and they might leave. I can’t be…I need to figure out how they are going to feel about Lynn Marino and me being the same person and then tell them.
“Do you want a drink?”
I turn back to the house and hear a chain drop. I turn around, scanning the fence, and find Mat sitting there watching me. Below him, the chain that locks the gate is swinging. I grab Fox’s hand and pull him towards the house.
“What’s going on?”
“Just watch.”
We turn sideways and watch as Gale comes over and lifts the latch, and suddenly, he’s free.
“Far out, that is some team.”
I glower at the magpie horse team and wonder how I can fix this, short of getting a padlock or a bike chain.
“Stop right where you are, mister!” I snap at Gale.
He flicks his ears back and forth and lowers his head, trying to look all cute, and it works, but not well enough.
“Turn around and march your tuchus right back into that paddock and stay there.”
He stomps a hoof.
I fold my arms across my chest.
“Gale,” I warn him.
He snorts, then turns, and goes back into the paddock. The magpie doesn’t even move as I approach, just lets out one of his songs, stretching up and singing at the top of his lungs.
“Don’t do that again, Mat.”
The magpie ignores me, fixing its eye instead on Fox and letting out a cute trill. Almost as if he’s showing off.
“Hey, you two,” Katsu says.
He looks immaculate, even after everything. But, no, is he panicking?
“So, uh…”
I stare at him as he rubs the back of his head and struggles for words.
“Katsu?”
He closes his eyes. “I’m really sorry, but my parents are here, and they would like to meet you.”
“WHAT?” I shriek.
Tarou sits at the restaurant and studies me over steepled fingers.
“She is very pretty. In a classic kind of way.”
I bare my teeth. “If you say I have good hips, I will swear off packs forever.”
His eyes flare wide, and then he smiles, and I can see Katsu’s good heart in him. “I wouldn’t dare.”
“No, he wouldn’t,” Freddie says with a grin.
She’s got a riot of brown curls and dancing eyes.
The omega sits on one side of Tarou while Sari, a much quieter beta, sits on the other.
She’s got light brown skin, dark eyes, and an old elegance about her that makes me think she could be royalty.
Freddie is the omega, and she is life, but Sari is the foundation of calm and pack stability.
Their pack dynamics are very similar to how ours would look. It’s fascinating.
Katsu shifts beside me, then turns slightly as the restaurant door opens, and Sebastian rushes in.
“You said it was an emergency,” he gasps out.
Katsu glances at Fox. The wary accusation hits hard, and I get the giggles.
“Sorry, lost in translation,” Fox says with a shrug of his shoulders.
“What’s to translate?” Sebastian asks, and suddenly, he notices Tarou and looks between Katsu and the older alpha with a concerned frown.
Fox blows Katsu a kiss. The trio watch us with warm smiles.
“Oh, I like this dynamic,” Freddie purrs.
I lean back in the seat, trying to work out what to say.
Sari leans forward and touches my hand lightly. “We are so excited to meet you, dear heart.”
The words are so soft and genuine that something in me melts. Then I remember my secret, and guilt becomes an equally huge part of my disturbing emotions.
“This town is pure charm,” Freddie says. “The people, the beach, the sunshine. It is darling.”
“You don’t know any of the people yet,” Tarou points out.
“Don’t be ridiculous, we know Cordelia and Sebastian.” Freddie flicks her fingers dismissively.
“For a whole two minutes,” Tarou says, not that the two females even acknowledge that he’s speaking.
“And we trust our instincts.” Freddie tosses her hair.
“Your instincts got you lost for two days in a desert.”
“We have never been wrong,” she continues.
“Unless, of course, you ignore the incident with the tarot cards and the scheme to take our money by convincing you to paint the house puce and put it on the market.”
Freddie exhales, looks right at me, and turns to her mate with a wide but dangerous smile.
“We agreed not to talk about that ever again,” she says archly.
“Oh, did we? I don’t remember that conversation.” Tarou looks up at the ceiling, humming innocently.
“My love, you want us to be happy, right?”
“Right,” Tarou says with a wary smile.
“So, being with our sons makes us happy. Besides, I need to get to know my new daughter,” Sari says calmly.
Tarou sighs. “So, I should start looking at real estate?”
“No need, I bought this house.” Freddie holds up the phone.
I lean in, my eyes widening. It’s an expensive property, and it’s only just come on the market.
“You bought a house? Without telling me?” Tarou pouts.
“Aw, don’t be like this, baby, we know how you hate hotel rooms. And this way, we have privacy and space away from everyone so we can have,” Sari runs a fingernail along his forearm.
Katsu raps his knuckles on the table. “If you are busy, we can leave you to it.”
All three of them look up and glare.
“My child, you are not getting out of this so easily,” Tarou says formally.
“Who said it was easy,” Katsu murmurs.
“Oh, you are so adorable, my son, your sense of humour is exactly like mine.” Freddie says and grips his hand hard.
I exchange a glance with Sebastian, and we carefully look away from each other. Katsu is clearly an exact replica of his father, even down to temperament, but who am I to argue?
Tarou turns his attention to Fox. “So, my favourite son, tell me the amazing talents of your new bonds.”
Fox hesitates. “Uh, we don’t have bonds yet.”
The three gasp. “No bonds?” Sari whispers, appalled.
Freddie leans forward, whispering in horror. “But why?”
I squirm.
“We’re taking our time, getting to know each other,” Fox says, but he’s losing steam fast under their disappointment.
Freddie gasps, and her eyes fill with tears. “Oh, they aren’t fully committed. We could lose them. We have to do something, Sari.”
My eyebrows hit my hairline. That escalated fast.
Katsu rubs his forehead, looking like a mirror as father and son do the same motion without even noticing. It is startling but also really cute.
“We are committed; we’re just seeing the event through,” Fox says, trying to reassure them.
Are we? I turn a stunned look on him. There’s less than two weeks before the Winter Solstice, and he’s saying at the end of that I will be bonded and part of a pack. I want it so badly, but…
“We haven’t discussed that yet,” I remind him.
His expression falls. “Oh. I thought…”
Freddie wails, and Tarou catches her, rolling his eyes heavenward as Sari weeps inconsolably.
Katsu turns his head, studying first Sebastian and then me. He makes a decision; I can almost see it in his expression. He stares into my eyes and dips his chin slightly. The relief I feel is intense, but more, I believe him.
“Stop it.”
His bark draws all three of them up. They all looked shocked.
“But we’re just…”
“We will decide when we want to bond. Just because we have not done so yet does not mean we aren’t fully committed to each other. As far as I am concerned, this is my omega, and these are my alphas.”
“Really?” Freddie whispers, her hands clasped in front of her. “They are really ours? I always wanted a daughter.”
Ours? Are they claiming me? Wow, I don’t know what to say.
The air is thick while Sebastian waits a moment. Then he inclines his head. “Yes, I claim them.”
The two females scream, jump up, and hug each other.
“Our son has a pack. Four times the love.”
Fox, because he is simply Fox, doesn’t take any offense to their comments at all; he just smiles at them in amused fondness.
Elijah comes out and puts a massive share tray down with cute little quiches and pastries full of vegetables with sweet and spicy chili sauce.
I cast him a help me look that he ignores.
I’m too nervous to eat, but Katsu calmly serves me up a small plate and lets out a rumbling purr, just a short three seconds, but the effect is instantaneous.
My whole body relaxes like I’ve been embraced, like he’s pressed his lips to my ear and told me that I am safe, that he won’t let anyone hurt me. Not anyone. Even his beloved family.
I reach for a quiche, my fingers still shaking a little, but they crowd in around me, Sebastian touching me, shoulder to shoulder, Katsu thigh to thigh. Fox’s eyes stay on me while I eat, as if every bite I make is his triumph.
“Okay, so tell us about yourself, dear heart.”
It takes me a moment to realise Sari is talking to me.
“Me?” I set down my food, ignoring the displeasure from my alphas.
Katsu moves a glass of water to right in front of me. I absently take it out and gulp down a mouthful.
“Oh, well, I grew up with just me and my mum. I like to help people out and…” I trail off, realising how bad I sound on paper.
“Where’s your father?”
Shame hits hard.
“Oh, he left my mother when I was young.”
Their expressions morph to sympathy so strong I want to squirm and sink beneath the table.
“That’s awful.”
I shrug. “I don’t remember him.”
“What about your job?” Tarou asks. “What do you do?”
I open my mouth to respond and realise I can’t. I literally can’t say anything without outing myself.
“I, uh…” I cast around, looking for some kind of way out, but there’s nothing.
“Cordelia has been providing for her family for years,” Sebastian says with fondness. “She’s talented, but she’s no graphic designer.”
“And you are?” Sari asks, jumping on him.
“I am indeed.”
“Ooh, what kind of art have you done?”
I turn and look at Sebastian because he’s walked into a hole he can’t walk out of, and I don’t know how to save him anymore than I knew how to save me. He looks at me, and I can see the panic flare deep in his eyes.
“Um, well.” He presses his lips together and glances at me one last time as if in apology. “I did the covers for Lynn Marino.”
Katsu’s glass lands heavily on the table. “You did what?”
I wince at the hint of anger in his voice.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I didn’t know how,” Sebastian murmurs.
“You did the covers, then you know who she is?” Fox demands, grabbing Sebastian’s shoulder.
“No,” Bas says, shaking his head. “No, I don’t know. She paid using her pen name. We didn’t exchange details; it was a transaction.”
Fox’s excitement drops, and I feel a bit sick at how sad he is and how angry.
“We’ll talk about it later,” Katsu says smoothly, but I can almost feel him mentally withdrawing. Everything in me wants to reach out and soothe his hurt, smooth over his pain. I don’t like him being upset almost to the extent that I’m ready to confess right here and right now.
“So, do you still plan to nail this author to the wall?” Tarou asks with a laugh. “My son, I have never seen you not do what you set out to do, and you are vicious when it comes to Fox. She doesn’t stand a chance.”
Katsu looks up, meeting his dad’s ruthless expression. “Yes, I intend to destroy them, now even more so.”
I clamp my lips together and lean back in the seat. My ears are ringing, and I can’t stop hearing those words. Sebastian is staring at me, but I don’t dare look.
My phone rings, and with relief, I see Felix’s name.
“I have to take this. Would you excuse me?”
I get up and take the call.
“I need you,” Felix says starkly.
“Ditto. I’ll see you soon,” I say in a rush.
I make my excuses and leave before anyone can stop me. Running, because I have my answer. I can’t tell them without ending this thing between us. And I don’t know how to let them go. They have become my future, my dreams, my hopes.
Felix meets me at the edge of town, where he stands scolding my freaking horse.
“GALE!” I shout at him and burst into tears. It’s all too much.
Felix doesn’t hesitate; he hugs me hard, holding me while I sob.
“Who am I killing?” he growls in a fierce snarl.
“Me, I did it. I ruined it, and the worst part is they don’t even know yet.”