Page 138 of Game of Destiny
“James didn’t take the rejection well. I tried talking to him a couple of weeks back. I had hoped we could end it on good terms, but I wasn’t able to get through to him. When we met yesterday, he still thought he could persuade me to accept him.” I felt Finlay’s grip tighten around my waist. I rubbed his arm. “I’m afraid he will try and get revenge by making sure we can’t see each other,” I confessed. James knew how much my parents meant to me. It would be easy for him to just not allow them to travel to see me, or to forbid me to come to them.
“It will be okay, pumpkin,” my dad told me.
“He is right, love. We will make sure you get to see your parents. If nothing else works, we will recruit them,” Finlay suggested. I giggled at the idea and my dad laughed.
“That is better,” my mom said. She looked approvingly at Finlay.
“James might be upset right now. Anyone would be after losing my daughter. But your brother will calm him down and tell him the news about you finding your mate. After that, he has no choice but to accept facts. When they get home, his father and I will have a talk with him. I might not be as close to Mark as I once was, but we are still friends. We will make sure he doesn't do anything foolish,” my dad told me.
“Do you think he will challenge your mating?” my mother asked.
“The thought has crossed my mind, or that my brother will do it,” Finlay said. “That’s why we talked to the council this morning and had it verified.” My dad looked pleased.
“It’s always better to be proactive,” he agreed. “So, Livia read you and approved?” my dad then asked. I shouldn’t be surprisedhe knew the councilwoman. He had connections all over the werewolf world.
“She did. Apparently we have an unusually strong bond. We have both a fated and chosen bond that has intertwined in each other,” I explained. Both my parents looked happy.
“Now that is excellent news. No need for you to look so worried, pumpkin. It’s a happy day.” My smile returned as I took in Finlay’s scent and my dad’s words.
“You are right. It is a happy day,” I agreed. We added Elder and Becky to the call and we all spent some time talking and laughing. Before we ended the call, my parents told us all how proud they were of us. It was heartwarming that they included both Finlay and Becky and my good mood was back.
“What do you want to do for the rest of the afternoon?” Finlay asked.
“I would like to stay just like this,” I told him.
“Good idea, we haven’t had sex in a lounge chair yet,” he agreed and started kissing my neck. I giggled and pushed on his forehead.
“Has mating turned you into a sex maniac?” I asked. He chuckled against my skin.
“I have always been a sex maniac around you. I have just been hiding it well.” I was no better myself and I was curious about what he was planning.
A little while later, we had showered, and was back on the sundeck with a big bowl of ice cream. I altered between scooping it into my own and Finlay’s mouth.
“You should ask your mother if we can meet her somewhere,” I told him. He frowned.
“I had forgotten about her,” he admitted.
“She would like to know you have mated,” I insisted.
“The rumour will reach them sooner or later.” I poked him in his side.
“Be nice. She is your mother and she went out of her way to tell you about the state of your brother’s pack.”
“Fine,” he said and took out his phone. I continued to feed him ice cream. After a while, he showed me the phone. It was a message from his mother telling him she couldn’t make it as his brother needed her.
“I’m sorry,” I said and kissed him.
“I’m not surprised.” Maybe not, I thought, but it could still hurt.
“We’ll call her instead,” I told him. He nodded and dialled her. I could hear her answering.
“Hi mother, I won’t keep you long. I have some news I thought you might want to know,” Finlay said. I could hear he had gone back to the more formal way of speaking.
“Is it about the ranking?” she asked. I almost flinched. Did she really think he would call just to tell her what she already knew? And why hadn’t she congratulated him on his good work?
“No, it’s not about the ranking. I found my true mate yesterday. We have mated and it is official,” he said.
“Oh, that is wonderful news,” his mother said. I didn’t think she sounded too happy. There was a pause. “But what about Amie?” she then asked. I think Finlay was as surprised by the question as I was. But then he got a big smile on his face.
