Page 29 of Curvy Alpha Bride
I shake my head. “Nothing worth mentioning. We were both on the council at Cyan Lock. We were friends.”
Ivan’s gaze flicks over to Mabel, then back to me. “Well, us old-timers have a sense for this kind of thing, and I’d say she’s got a soft spot for you, for sure.”
I chuckle softly. “Well, it must be a small one, because I’m having trouble finding it.”
Ivan laughs. “Newlyweds always have issues to iron out at the start, especially when it’s a marriage of duty. But I’ve seen the way you look at her, and trust me, she’s sneaking the same looks right back.”
I’m pretty sure Ivan is lying to make me feel better, so I just nod and smile in agreement. “Thank you, Ivan. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Don’t forget to woo her, young man,” Ivan says, waggling a finger at me. “Never stop courting her, even if she falls into your arms. Remind her—constantly—how special she is, and how lucky you are.”
The words seem to hit me like a blow to the chest. I’m right where I am now because I didn’t respect her or understand how lucky I was.
I can’t expect forgiveness. Not ever.
“It’s been so long since we had a luna,” Ivan says, watching Mabel and the other women. “I can feel new life in the pack already. We’re whole and complete.”
“How long has it been since my mother died?”
“She died almost straight after you were born, son,” Ivan answers. “Your father and aunts immediately devised a plan to get you out of here—it was the only way to save your life. We shut down the town, put up massive defenses, and hunkered down in fear. After losing our luna in such terrible circumstances, we had no choice.”
“What circumstances?” I ask, my voice tight with tension. “No one will tell me how my mother died.”
“Better you don’t know,” Ivan says. “She wandered too far, and your father went to great lengths to make sure no one else died as a result of her mistake.”
“Ivan—”
“No,” he says firmly. “Don’t ask me any more questions. It’s better if you don’t know. The past is past, and we have a new future now. With Mabel, and with you.”
Ivan moves away, and I can feel frustration itching in my blood. I’ve asked a lot of people about what happened to my mother, and so far, they can’t—or won’t—answer me.
And how will the pack feel when Mabel leaves them? They seem to be pinning all their hopes on her. It will devastate them.
“Are you alright?” Finnah asks, putting an arm around me and giving me a quick squeeze. “It looks like that was a tense conversation.”
“Yeah,” I say. “I asked him about my mother.”
Immediately, Finnah’s face freezes up, and her eyes go cold. “You shouldn’t ask, honey,” she says gently.
“Why not?” I retort, a harsh edge creeping into my voice. “She was my mother. Don’t I deserve to know?”
“Usually, yes. But there are things you just don’tneedto know. Things that we left in the past that can’t hurt us anymore. I took you away to protect you, and all of us are still doing that. Please, trust us.”
Finnah takes my hands and squeezes them hard as she looks into my eyes, imploring me to understand.
“What are we talking about over here?” Serra asks, sidling up to Finnah. “The serious business should be all done with for today. Why don’t you relax and enjoy yourself, Xavier?”
Seeing Serra and Finnah together is a bit of a trip for me. I grew up thinking that Finnah was my mother and believing that I had no family except her. Even though the most mind-blowing detail I learned about my past was that I’m an alpha’s first son, finding out my mother was my aunt and she has an identical twin was high on the shock list as well.
Both are very tall and slender, with long, wavy white hair; they always wear loose. Their pale blue eyes are exactly the same shade, but Finnah’s are a little softer. Even though they favor the same style of full-length wool dress, they usually wear different colors. It’s the only way to really tell them apart.
“My mother,” I answer, challenging her.
Serra smiles, meeting my eyes with an even, confident gaze. “I’ve discussed this with you already,” she says firmly. “Please don’t ask questions about this anymore. We are doing this for your protection.”
“But was she killed by warriors from Gryphon Eyrie?” I press on. “Were they coming for me as well? Is that why you hid me away?”
“Xavier,” Serra says, still smiling, though the warmth drains out of her eyes. “It’s done now, and can’t be changed. We all want to forget. Leave it.”
