Page 43 of Mating at Midnight: Book 1

His large arms engulf her as he replies, “I wish I didn’t have to tell you this, but your grandmother’s cabin was set on fire, and we can’t find Crown.”

Nyah steps out of her father’s embrace before dropping to her knees as a blood-curdling scream leaves her. I’m instantly at her side, wrapping her within my arms.

Alpha Lightfeather squats to our level, telling Nyah, “Babygirl, I promise we will find out who is responsible for this.”

“Responsible?” Kenia shrieks, drawing everyone’s attention. “We all know who is responsible! Where’s your Beta and his son, daddy?”

Alpha Lightfeather studies his daughter as he stands. “They left yesterday morning to go visit relatives in Arkansas. I haven’t seen them since they left. So, I have no reason to believe they are responsible for this.”

“Well, I do,” Nyah snaps, pulling out of my embrace, then rising. “Who’s to say they told you that bullshit excuse to make you think they were gone, but in reality, they never left. They could have booked a hotel in the city, then came back to do this.” Nyah moves closer to her father. “My grandmother’s house, I can always have it restored as she once had it, but Crown...if they have hurt him in any way, I will do ten times as much to them.”

Nyah and Alpha Lightfeather stare each other down. Leave it up to my mother to break the silence with her bullshit.

“This sounds like a four-corner lover’s quarrel. The Beta, his son, and someone named Crown? How many other men besides my son is she messing with?”

Before I can get a grip on her, Nyah uses her wolf-speed and is standing damn near nose to nose with my mother,

“Lady, I put up with your shit last night and this morning out of respect, but I won’t do it now when you are standing on my land.”

Mother gasps, clutching her imaginary pearls as Nyah continues. “There’s no lover’s quarrel and definitely with four others. I swear some people need to ask questions before making assumptions. The world would be a better place because of it. Since you didn’t do that, let me bring you up to speed; my daddy’s Beta and his son are up to no good, Crown is my pet, and Braxton is my mate.”

Mother scoffs, saying, “That still has to be determined.”

I could have stepped in and gave mother our news, but I let Nyah take the honor.

With a sinister smile, Nyah stares at mother, airing our news. “It was determined last night by the Gods when Braxton officially claimed me.”

If it wouldn’t come off as disrespectful, I would have pulled out my cellphone to capture my mother’s shocked expression. Ifthe saying‘close your mouth before you catch a fly’were true, then mother would have a swarm in hers.

“You didn’t?” she implores, glancing at me.

“I did,” I proudly replied.

Mother grimaces. “What about Megan?”

Taken aback, I sneer, “What about Megan? She is not my mate, Nyah is. The faster you realize that, the better.”

Our little dispute is interrupted when Alpha Lightfeather says, “You all can go back and forth about this later.” He cuts his eyes to me and Nyah. “We’ll discuss your unorthodox mating at a later time. Right now, our focus needs to be on who set fire to the cabin and Crown. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” we say together.

Moving forward, daddy tells Alpha Lightfeather, “Noah, if you don’t mind, James has a person who can track the movements of Horace and Corey. We’ll be able to see if they actually left the state.”

Alpha Lightfeather nods. “Thank you, Bryant, that would help tremendously. Everyone else, I need you to comb the land for Crown. Security did it once, but maybe since Nyah is here and he’s hiding, he’ll come out.”

Once again mother had to open her mouth. “Bryant, I hope you know I won’t be tramping through the forest in my five-thousand-dollar heels.”

Father, having enough of her bullshit, states, “No, I didn’t think you would Ramona which is why I’m having you escorted back to the hotel.”

“What?” mother shrilled.

Father stands his ground, replying, “If you’re not here to help, then there is no reason for you to be here.”

“But I want to be here,” mother argues. “I might not be able to help with looking for...” She waves her hand. “The Crownperson, but I can be helpful here while you all are out there. I’m sure whatever they do around here, I can handle.”

“Oh, really?” Alpha Lightfeather asks.

“Yes,” mother replies with moxie.

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