Page 92 of Depraved
Hovering in midair in front of the fireplace is Brittany May’s unfinished steel dragon. It’s a tribute to a girl who was brave enough to follow her own path and brave enough to speak up when asked. I send up a thought to her wherever she is, dancing amongst the stars.
After an hour of small talk, which I’m slowly and painfully improving at, my mother finds me. Her face is stretched into a tight smile, and while she’s perfectly made up, she looks stressed. “Elena, I need to speak with you, please.” She pulls me away from the group of betas I’m chatting with and heads toward one of the small side rooms for pack activities like crafts. She pulls the French glass doors open and gestures for me to follow her inside.
Normally, I’d avoid her, especially before a big speech like the one I’m about to give tonight. I don’t need her messing with my mood. But, after the incident at the bridal shop, I feel like I kind of owe her. I still haven’t gotten a chance to thank her. I open my mouth to do just that when she says, “People are saying you’re mated to Alpha Maddox and that beta.”
I stop short, and my thanks dies a quick death on my lips. Instead, my posture stiffens. “That’s right, I am.”
Her expression goes through a series of emotions, from shocked to disgusted. “You can’t have two mates.”
I give a dismissive shrug even though her words rankle me. “I can, andI do. Thanks for your help the other day at the shop.” I toss that in only because I’m trying to be the bigger person right now, and it keeps me from lashing out the way I want to. I take a step back toward the door. “Now, I need to get back to the party.”
“Elena, it’s scandalous! It’s wrong.”
“Mother. I’m an omega. My needs are different,” I reply. And then I leave her behind, because I can’t let her opinion, or the opinion of anyone like her, rule my life. If both of my mates are okay with sharing me, then who the fuck cares?
I know there will be people who think the way she does, pack members who don’t approve. But my mate marks aren’t going anywhere, and the three of us are here to stay. In fact, we all decided on the “omegas’ needs are different” together line so we’d have a quick response. Who can argue with that?
It still pisses me off. I have to work to keep an angry flush from my cheeks as I smile at some more members of the pack mingling just outside the craft room, reminding myself it’s not their fault my mother is an idiot.
Hopefully, I don’t give off an angry scent like an alpha does.
Jonah comes up to me then, his expression shy. “Um, hey. How are you?”
I force a smile. “Alright. Little nervous. You?”
“Um. Same.” He clears his throat. “My family is here … and I know we invited them to dinner next week, but they’d like to meet you.”
Shit. As if I needed something else to be nervous about. But Jonah’s face is so apologetic and hesitant, almost as if he’s worried about inconveniencing me. Fuck that. He’s never an inconvenience.
I straighten the collar of my white blouse and double-check that I haven’t spilled anything on my black pencil skirt, ensuring I look presentable. Then I take his hand, making a show of it so that everyone can see because fuck anyone who doesn’t like it. “Show me where.” I smile encouragingly and let my beta elite weave me through the crowd. As we walk, I spot Black talking to some elites. I interrupt them, tugging the arm of Black’s suit jacket. “Jonah’s family wants to meet us.”
I know they said me, but we’re a trio. A team. And I want every shifter in this room to know that Black supports Jonah and me, one thousand percent.
“We’ll continue this discussion later,” Black tells his team as he grabs my free hand. Of course, being who he is, Black starts leading us through the crowd. He just can’t stand to follow. But I absolutely adore that he’s going to stand behind us and make every fucker like my mother see that their judgment means nothing to us and won’t stop us.
He stops in front of an adorable middle-aged woman and man. I can instantly see where Jonah’s good looks come from. His mom has an adorable dimple and just gives off this motherly, huggable vibe.
I drop the guys’ hands so that I can shake hands to greet his parents, but his mother beats me to the punch when she steps forward and embraces me. “My boy is so lucky to have you.”
When she releases me, I shake my head. “Nope. I’m lucky to have him. He and Black are amazing. Complete opposites. But all together—”
“Ha! I told him that weeks ago. I said an omega needs protectionandattention.”
I glance over at Jonah, who blushes profusely. He told me no such thing. But I don’t out him in front of his mother. Instead, I turn back and nod at her. “Well, you’re a very wise woman. I can’t wait to have you over so we can have a real conversation.” My watch vibrates against my wrist with a timer warning me that my speech needs to start. “Aww … I hate to do this … but I need to go give a speech right now.” I hold up my watch alarm, which blinks with the awful wordSpeech.
“Go, go, we’ll see you soon.” Jonah’s dad waves us off with a happy grin, pride shining through him as he puts his hand on his wife’s shoulder.
Their obvious support and acceptance bolster me as we make our way to the podium. At least some people will be on our side about this unusual mating arrangement.
I walk to the stage with my shoulders thrown back, the way Black coached me. Inside, butterflies are battering to escape from my body, but outside, no one can tell. At least, I hope they can’t. My palms grow slick, and I feel almost as nervous as the day we went to the wedding shop. Almost.
I ascend the stage and wait as Black and Jonah join me. Even though there’s a pack hunt after this, we all chose to dress formally for the occasion since it’s so important. They’re both in suits and look devastatingly handsome.
Once each of them takes up a place on either side of me, I feel much calmer, more settled. I’m not certain if it has something to do with the mate bond, or with my status as an omega in a room full of shifters, but having the two men that I love flank me boosts my confidence.
I gaze out over the crowd and find Matthew. I need to start off looking at a friendly face. I force a smile as I say, “Welcome. I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am to be here tonight. I’m awed and amazed by all of you and your dedication to this pack and to proving that the Lobos are not just a force of nature. We’re beyond nature. We can’t be burned down or torn asunder. We cannot be destroyed. We are one pack under the moon goddess’s watchful eye, and we’re the strongest damn pack in the world!”
A cheer erupts, spreading from the back of the room to the front, and I have to stop talking in order to let the crowd have their say. They howl and clap and stamp their approval, and the noise rockets around the room and sends chills up my spine.
