Page 142 of Dream Mates
“Meanwhile,” Creed continued, “Mumsy was doing a presentation at the conference and just generally in a bad mood.Dad was an undergrad at another university. He was nervous because he was also part of a presentation.”
“They literally collided in the hall. Mumsy’s stuff went everywhere, and Dad apologized and helped her pick it up even though she was telling him off. Then they looked at each other and froze. Because, boom.” Verity clapped her hands together. “They knew.”
Creed nodded. “Mumsy waspissed.She was considering moving back to England after she finished her PhD if they weren’t going to form a pack. Mom was mad because she had this whole idea in her head about her, Mumsy, and Baba going to the Center and filling out an application to be matched with an omega. She doesn’t like it when her plans go off the rails.”
“Mama was also at the conference, though she was there with Baba just for fun, and sheadoredDad. By the end of the conference, Mumsy had come around to the fact that she’d found her omega. Mom was attracted to him, too. They decided that even if Baba didn’t want to be part of their pack, they’d start one, since you only needed three people in their state. So, they brought Dad to his apartment, packed him up and took him back to theirs–even though they lived across the country,” Verity said.
“Wasn’t he still getting his degree?” I tried to fathom knowing that fast and making such a decision like that so quickly.
“Oh, he was. But those alpha instincts when you first meet your omega can hit youhard, and Mom and Mumsy wouldn’t let him out of their sight. They can also be obstinate and overbearing–and it’s always Mom’s way or the causeway. Dad was so besotted that he just went along with everything. So, even though they’d only known each other a few days, Dad gave up everything and moved in with them, and transferred universities,” Creed added.
“It was intense and a bit of a mess. Because Dad just picked up andleft,with just a few texts and emails. Mama was actually theone who did things like help Dad formally transfer universities with minimal credit loss.” Verity laughed. “Eventually, because Mama and Dad had such a friendship, and Baba and Mama were going forward with being married, Mom and Mumsy came to terms with it and the five of them formed a pack.”
I finished off my coffee. “As nice as it is that they found their mates, this sounds like an anecdote for why the Center should be involved in these things.”
Wow. To meet your mate and it be so intense that you dropped everything, including your classes, andmoved? That was wild.
“Yep. When we were little, they kept it light and cute. We’re told the whole story when we’re older so that we understand how not to fuck everything up,” Verity added.
Creed nodded. “It was a huge mess. A lot of things might have gone smoother had they taken time to actually get to know each other before mating. So many things got dropped in the whirlwind, too. The biggest thing was Dad’s girlfriend.”
My belly turned. He’d had a girlfriend? Poor girl.
“This was where an advocate might have been helpful–and where the story gets sad,” Creed continued. “They lived together. She was away when Mom and Mumsy moved him out. Dad was so caught up in emotions and hormones that he literally just textedFound my alphas, bye.He left no forwarding address. When she tried to get ahold of Dad, Mom and Mumsy got possessive and kept them apart. They got him a new phone number, had him change his email, take down his social media, and basically he cut himself off from everyone but his immediate family.”
My gut wrenched. “He ghosted her. He had a live-in girlfriend, found his pack, and just dropped her with nothing but atext. That’s not right. I mean, couldn’t she have been part of it, too?”
“It’s not right and that is not how it’s supposed to go,” Verity interjected. “This is why the parents tell us this part–so we’re notassholes like they were. Because it gets worse. When she tried to see Dad, the moms called the police. When she tried to come on campus they had her dragged off. They got a restraining order. She did trash Mom’s car, but to be fair, they were so possessive that they wouldn’t even let her talk to Dad. Other than that single text, they never had a conversation. He never saw her letters or read her emails and texts or heard her voicemails.”
“Shit. She just wanted closure,” I whispered. How awful. I was so glad that me appearing hadn’t caused that sort of tragedy with Wes and Evan.
“Yeah. Months later, she found his new phone number and left a frantic message about being in trouble and needing him to keep something for her. But Mom talked him out of calling her back,” Creed said. “Not long after he found out that his ex-girlfriend died. And… and that she’d been persistent because she’d been trying to tell Dad that she was pregnant.”
The bottom fell out of my stomach. “What happened?”
The baby.
“I’m not sure,” Creed replied. “But that something she wanted him to keep was the baby. After discovering what had happened, Dad was crushed–and mad at Mom and Mumsy, who realized that they’d fucked up, badly. Especially Mom, who did most of it, but Mumsy didn’t stop it. Dad was so upset that he actually went to file to have the mate bonds dissolved. The Center stepped in, and with some heavy-duty counseling, they eventually made it work.”
“For years Dad searched for the baby, hoping he could fix their massive fuckup. He never found her.” Verity’s shoulders slumped.
“Wow.” I exhaled heavily. “Thatisa massive fuckup. Though I’m glad he never stopped looking for her.” More than my dad ever did.
That poor baby. I wished that she had a happy, wonderful life. Hopefully, he never found her, because that story would fuck her up. They were all idiots, and I was surprised that he was able to forgive his mates.
Verity frowned. “He only knew two things about her, her birth date, and that her name wasGrace. Dad has a thing for virtue names, and I guess he and his girlfriend had talked about it. They were apparently pretty serious, like wanting to bond, but waiting a little because they were only twenty and her alpha hadn’t awakened yet. It’s a little late, but it happens sometimes.”
Shit.
“I… I’m not the girl you’re looking for, Verity. I’m not your missing Grace.” All these emotions whirled inside of me and part of me wanted to run out of the coffee shop.
My phone buzzed.
Evan
Are you okay?
I took a deep breath and replied.
