Chapter Twenty-One
Indy
The next day, we had plans to visit my herd. I could barely control my nerves.
My mates sensed my unease. Seth came to me and put his hand in the center of my back. That always grounded me.
“You don’t need to be nervous. Your parents love you.”
“I’m not nervous about being accepted. It’s more about never wanting to let my parents down.”
“How can you be letting them down if you’re with your fated mates?”
“Dad already had three potential omegas picked out for me as perfect mates. He was firm about it. I’m sure he interviewed them and did all the background family tree research. All for nothing. I’ve wasted his time.”
“He’ll be happy for you, won’t he?” Bram asked.
“I guess. They both love me. I’m just jittery. I keep thinking they’re mad because I didn’t answer their texts for so long.”
“You’ve told them we’re coming, and they said yes. That doesn’t sound like they’re mad.” Bram put a hand on my shoulder.
“They won’t be mad. I just don’t like thinking I might let them down.
” My dad was an intimidating alpha. Being around him made me revert to about age eleven.
“I always wanted to please him.” My mates stared at me.
“I came home from school with all As and even shifted with him to graze together at Perish Field. I hated the bitter alfalfa there, but he loved it and I never complained.”
Bram tilted his head at me. “You love him very much, don’t you?”
“Yeah. And Papa, too. But Dad was the one I did so many things with.”
“It will be fine. We’ll meet them and if you feel unsure about anything, we have your back,” Seth said.
It felt good to have reinforcements. I didn’t need them in the physical sense. It was all emotional. Through our bond, I always sensed them, Seth and Bram, two bright lights like beacons letting me know that with them, I was always safe, always home.
We drove up the winding driveway to my parents’ house. It was a large two-story home with eaves like a gingerbread house and tons of wind chimes hanging on the porch and in the trees. Here, even in the lightest breeze, there was always the singing of the chimes.
Papa had hummingbird feeders all over. He kept them filled with red sugar water. Iridescent wings filled the air. He also had a bird feeder that attracted all different kinds of birds, along with squirrels who tried to steal the seed.
We got out of the car, and birds fluttered away as we walked up the porch. The door opened before I could even knock.
Dad and Papa stood together, Dad wearing his usual suit and tie with his long dark hair loose to his waist, Papa, with his bright golden hair, in his brushed silk jacket and matching pale-blue trousers.
“Welcome.” They pulled the door wide and glanced beyond me to see the two men I’d brought. I hadn’t really warned them more than saying I had a couple of friends who would be accompanying me.
Dad stepped forward and embraced me. Papa was a step behind, his arms going around me as well. He spoke softly into my ear. “Good to see you, Son. Did you have a nice trip?”
“Hi, Dad. Hi, Papa. Yes, it was a great trip.”
Dad surveyed Bram and Seth. “I see you made some new friends?” He sniffed the air and addressed Seth. “You’re from the shimmer up the road.”
Seth nodded, looking at me as if asking my permission to speak. I gave him a nod. Seth stepped forward.
“I’m Seth, the shimmer’s alpha apparent.”
“Ah, it’s been a while since we’ve seen you. You’ve grown.”
“Yes, sir.”
Bram stepped forward, hand out. “I’m Bram.”
He introduced himself. “I’m Caiman. And this is my husband, James.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Bram said. Seth echoed him a second later.
Papa interceded in that moment. “Why doesn’t everyone step inside? We have tea and coffee. And snacks.”
Dad and Papa stepped back, motioning us all in.
As we stood in the foyer, Dad looked at Bram. “You are a wolf, yes?”
“Yes, sir.” Bram pressed his mouth tight.
“I see.” A pause. “Well, you’re quite welcome here.”
Bram’s eyes brightened. “Thank you.”
He said nothing about Bram being an omega, or pregnant, but of course he had to have scented it.
“Come.” Papa escorted us into the living room where he had drinks and food already laid out on the coffee table. He motioned for the three of us to take seats on the couch.
Papa handed us each a mug then asked if we wanted coffee or tea. Seth and I chose coffee. Bram asked for tea.
Once we had our filled mugs, my parents both sat in recliners facing us. My parents were smart with great senses. They no doubt already sensed our bond.
I gulped. “Dad, Papa. Seth and Bram are my fated mates.”
“Both of them?” Papa asked, then coughed to cover his outburst as if it might be impolite.
“Yes, Papa.”
Dad turned to Seth. “Yet you’re the heir of the shimmer?”
“Yes, sir,” Seth said, voice low.
“How is that going to work? Does your father know?”
Papa interrupted. “I think congratulations are in order first. Before logistics.” He held up his mug of tea. “To a long and happy life together.”
Dad lifted his mug and nodded, his eyes softening. We all made the toast.
“Thank you both,” I said.
When things had relaxed, I said to Dad, “And yes, to answer your last question. Seth’s father knows.”
“We’re very happy for you,” Papa said. “We’ve been waiting to hear such good news from you. When you didn’t respond while you were in San Diego, of course we worried it might be bad news. But this is wonderful.” He turned to Bram and Seth. “You are both welcome in this family.”
“Thank you,” Bram and Seth spoke in unison.
Dad leaned forward with a small smile. “I’m very happy for you, Indy.”
“I-I wasn’t sure.”
“About what?” he asked.
“If you would be, uh, happy.”
“Of course I am. You found your rightful mates. That’s a very lucky thing. Did you meet in San Diego?”
“Bram. Yes. We met Bram.”
His gaze traveled between me and Seth. “How long have you two been together?”
I bit my lower lip. “A long time. Years.”
“I see.”
I lowered my gaze.
“It’s wonderful,” Papa said. “A very rare thing. Your dad and I found each other in a quite magical way. A rainstorm. An accidental fender bender. It’s a long story for another time.
” He waved his hand through the air then directed his next sentence toward Seth and Bram. “We’re fated, too, you know.”
“It’s a fantastical thing when it happens,” Dad said.
I looked up at him. His smile had widened. “Please tell us about your trip,” he said. “Leave no detail out.”
We talked for hours. My parents laughed through a lot of our conversation.
Happy. Approving. I wasn’t a disappointment.
I hadn’t let them down. Instead, they were ecstatic.
For me and Bram and Seth. The best news of all, Dad insisted my fated mates did not affect my inheritance.
I was still the alpha apparent. Even better news, Dad invited us to live with our herd.
He even offered to build us a big home nearby.
“As a wolf shifter, do you need any special accommodations?” he asked Bram. “Or for the pregnancy?” They or their animals had already discerned that.
Stunned, Bram merely shook his head. His eyes were bright, as if he’d never experienced such acceptance in his life except from his mates.
“I know you’re probably still in the planning stages of your future together. Please let us know what you decide,” Papa said. “We’d love to have you live here on these lands.”
Dad and Papa hugged me tight before we left and drove the six miles to my cabin. I’d been wanting to show it to my mates since we’d arrived. Seth had only been there once and that was before I’d fixed it up so pretty.
“I think that went well,” Seth commented as we drove. “No more nerves?” he asked me.
“No more nerves,” I said. “They surprised me. That’s all.”
“I don’t know why,” Bram stated. “They seem like the best parents ever.”
I swallowed back the tears in my throat. “They are.”