Page 38 of Called By Fate

Even Elian can't resist my mother. She’d tan his hide if he tried to push her away, and he has come to accept her need for hugs over the years.

My mom gives me the look. The distinctlymomlook that says,you’re in trouble for not calling.

“It’s good to see you too, Mom,” I say with a nervous chuckle.

"What's this I hear about you challenging the Elders, being disgraced, and having amate?"she demands, placing a hand on her hip.

Yeah, she's definitely pissed at me for not telling her all this sooner. Might as well apologize now and get her scolding over with because I know it’s coming. "I'm sorry I didn't call you to tell you all this, but things have been extremely... hectic lately, to say the least. Not to mention, I was afraid to drag you into my mess for fear the Elders would use you against me."

Okay, that didn't help my case any. I think she's frowning even more now.

"Kaos Remus King, you should know better than that. I am your mother. Screw those pretentious bastards. Speaking of which, why ishehere?" She directs her venom toward Niall.

"He's helping conceal us from his fathers. They have also met their mate, a shifter, and have sworn off the Elders," I explain, and her eyes widen.

“A shifter? Oh my,” she says. “Come, come inside. We shouldn’t stand out here in the open much longer.”

My mother leads us through the entryway and into the small living room. They downsized a few years after we were old enough to take on the estate and I don’t blame them. Keeping up with the estate is a huge undertaking.

The scent of her lavender and honey cookies permeates the space, bringing me back to my childhood. Dante, Elian, and I squeeze onto the sofa while she sits across from us on the bay windowsill. Niall and Vinson choose to stand beside the sofa.

I clear my throat, feeling sheepish. “I really am sorry, Mom. We’ve had a lot going on lately.”

She sighs. “You should have come to me, son. Your fathers and I would've helped you.”

“With what?” I ask gently. “We met our mate, our true mate, who was immediately challenged. Then we were told we might lose her. The Elders were going to stick us with someone none of us could stand unless Sadie won, which she did. I just wanted to enjoy all the time with her while I could. Meeting her was such a surprise and a huge shock. You know how much true pairings have been dwindling lately.”

She nods and her face softens slightly, but I can tell she’s still upset. Although nothing really keeps her down for long. Something else she and Sadie have in common. “I feared with them dropping off, you wouldn’t be as lucky as I was and wouldn’t find yours. So, tell me about her. What’s she like?”

“Feisty. You’re going to love her,” Dante chimes in.

I debate telling my mom the Triad revelation, but she’s going to find out sooner or later. There’s no sense in hiding it. “Yeah, she’s a firecracker,” I agree. “She’s also a Triad and carries all three races in her.”

My mom gasps and her blue eyes, much like my own, light up. She squeals and I cock my head at her in confusion. “My son’s received such a powerful match! I knew raising you boys right would pay off. Did you hear that, Chris, and Gerrard?” My mom calls out to my fathers in the kitchen. Then, to us, she says, “You know, I’ve never liked those blasted Elders. Sorry, Niall.”

He waves his hand. “No offense taken.”

“A Triad, huh?” she asks, and I nod. “Wow, this is huge. It’s going to blow this community apart.” Her tone is serious, yet there’s glee in her eyes.

“I know,” I respond, rubbing my chin. “I think my life has been in danger more times than not lately.”

And that puts the frown right back on her face. "Tell me everything,” she demands. “Oh, I made your favorite cookies. Gerrard should be pulling them out of the oven any second."

I delve into everything that’s happened to us since the night of the festival and my mother listens intently. At some point, my fathers, Gerrard, and Chris walk in and follow the conversation after depositing the cookies on the coffee table. When I’m finished, she takes a deep breath and snags a cookie.

“My sons are starting a revolution,” she says around a mouthful, pride shining in her eyes. “I’m so damn proud of you. But—” There’s always a but isn’t there? “—I sense something more is going on today. Elian looks like he sucked on a lemon.”

“When does he not?” Dante quips, and Elian elbows him playfully.

“I’m fine, Viola, honestly,” Elian responds, dismissing her concern.

“Yeah, right. He’s upset that the Light Weaver bonded to Sadie before he did,” Dante says, calling him out. “If he’d pull his head out of his ass already, he could bond with her too. Somehow, she still seems interested in the prickly fucker.”

My mom swats at Dante and levels Elian with one of those signaturemomlooks. “What’s holding you back?”

“Nothing… not anymore,” he amends. “I just don’t know how to repair the damage I’ve done.”

“Talk to her,” she says to him, and the look on his face is like she told him he needs to jump through a ring of fire, naked. Yeah, Elian is not a talker. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. From what you’ve told me, she seems like a very sensible woman. I’m sure you can win her over. And apologize. That’s the main thing.”

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