Page 96 of Unforgivable

I hold my breath, watching the emotions flit across Ted's face. I see his face fall and feel my shoulders sag.

"I don't know," he says. "She never had a male. Friends only. Mostly, just that little prick, Liam. But it was obvious that Lyri didn't love him, just as much as it was obvious that Liam loved her."

"A male shouldn't be allowed to get so close to a female he's in love with unless he's her mate," Rhet says blandly.

I want to kick him for making Ted feel more guilty, but Ted just scoffs.

"I don't know how badly this shit has affected my daughter, but let me be the first to tell you all that my Lyri is a first-class-stubborn, she-wolf. She wasn't going to go down without a fight. Rejection? She would have made that male squirm, somehow. Liam never stood a chance, and he knew it."

"She is a bitch," I say with absolute fondness, only realizing what I just said when Ted levels me with a hard glare.

"Don't think I don't scent you all over my female," he snaps.

Rhet stiffens, then, very softly, "our female, Ted. She's ours now."

Ted blanches, but I see the same intelligence swimming in his eyes that his daughter always has. Finally, he nods and opens a cooler next to him.

"Here ya go. That shit tastes like piss." He hands us the dark beer.

---

Lyri

"Are they treating you well, pumpkin?" mom squeezes me in a hug for the fifth time since we entered the kitchen.

"Very well," I assure her. "They... they're good males, mom."

Mom nods, her face still worried. "Three males, Lyri? I'm not judging, but that's a lot to handle, even for you."

I blush. Mom always told me that I was amazing, that any male would be over-the-moon to be mated to me. But then, isn't that what moms are supposed to tell their daughters? She says the same thing to Penny. Of course, I agree that Penny should have the best. Too bad for us Song females. We clearly have no luck when it comes to mates.

"I love them all, mom," I tell her quietly.

She immediately tears up. "Well, that's... OK. The Moon Ceremony will be strange with three males. You're supposed to stand on the male's right, but I suppose I can have Bea look into the archives to figure out what to do if there are three males. Do you have three separate ceremonies? Oh!" she lights up, "we can have three separate themes for the party!"

"Mom!" I shout, completely aghast. "Are you out of your mind? They're not going to have a Moon Ceremony?! I'm not... I'm in exile, mom. Who would even come?" Oh my goodness, feelings aside, my males and I have a deal, and having some sort of mating ceremony is not part of that deal.

"So, just one ceremony and a smaller party? Only a couple hundred people need to come," she muses. "I can trim the guest list."

"You're certifiable," I tell her flatly.

She looks at me then, really looks at me. It's the 'mom' look, the look that says 'I know more than you do, and I probably know you better than you do, too, which means I know more than you know about yourself, little wolf.'

"Those males love you, pumpkin. They have to, because you're worth it."

I burst into tears. Buckets and buckets of sobbing that mom does nothing to help stop when she hugs me, crying herself.

"Aw, beautiful," a slurred voice meets my ears, "don't cry." Ezra encloses both my mom and me in his arms. A sloppy, beer kiss lands on my cheek. I grimace, but the half-lidded look on a drunk Ezra's face makes my tears stop. "Your dad is scary, sexy."

"Ez, you're drunk, bro," Thjis hauls him away from us with one arm and locks him underneath his armpit.

I look past Bear to find Dad and Rhet studiously looking at the beer bottles in their hands. I know that Dad hates tears. Hates. Tears. Especially when it's my mom who's crying. I'm guessing Rhet isn't too fond of crying, either.

"You never cry," Dad mumbles, looking at me sadly.

Yup. That's all I need to start sobbing pathetically again. I feel a deep embrace, huge arms, a thick chest. I let Bear carry me into the living room, a deep, steady rumble from his wolf soothing me more than any words can.

"All I do is cry," I tell him. He sits on the couch with me in his lap and wipes at my tears.

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