Page 34 of Alpha's Rise

Glancing at the woman holding the little girl’s hand, Romi laughed when red bloomed on her cheeks. “It’s okay. My godson, Christopher, likes to say whatever his mind conjures up. It can be… embarrassing.”

“My apologies, Lady Romi. She heard about what happened the other night and now she’s obsessed with learning everything about you. It’s not enough for her that she has her own powers, but now she wants to sparkle and shoot lightening from her fingertips.” At the look on Romi’s face, the woman began to back pedal. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up. We-We should get going. Come on, Brittany. Let’s leave Lady Romi alone.”

It wasn’t that Romi was concerned that the little girl wanted to know more about Romi’s powers, it was the name the woman called her. Romi stood and reached out a hand toward the woman and child. “Wait. No need to leave. What’s your name?”

“Beth. Beth Myers. This is my daughter Brittany. She’s four.”

“But I’ll be five in two months,” the little girl interjected.

Romi smiled down at her. “Well, you’re definitely a big girl. Five is such an awesome age.” Looking back at Beth, she tried to soften her features. “It’s okay that your daughter wants to get to know me. Curiosity is a good thing for small children. Plus, I recognize that my situation is a little unique, so I’ll be careful with my words.”

“Thank you. I know we shouldn’t approach you this way. You know, with you being who you are and everything.”

Romi smiled softly. “What do you mean, who I am? And you called me Lady Romi. I’m a bit confused by that.”

The woman looked around again before facing Romi. “You’re our future Luna.”

Okay, so clearly, Tobias has been talking. Romi didn’t mind it so much, but with everything up in the air with her feelings for him and Nathan, she wasn’t sure if he should be advertising her status. She turned her attention back to Beth as the woman continued talking.

“Tobias has made it known that you are his mate. His true mate and future Queen. We’ve known since they were young that Nathan would be part of the Alpha Triad with Tobias. When you showed up and Nathan was drawn back home at the same time, word began to spread that something was happening. That your arrival meant a change for us.”

Glancing down at little Brittany, Romi smiled. She knew that little kids picked up everything they heard and carried those messages around, even if they weren’t sure of the message. “Beth, does anyone find it odd how the Alpha Triad happens? The current Alpha and his two mates, Maria and Brayden, seem loved and respected. No one… um… questions how three people can be…” Suddenly at a loss for words, Romi paused. Not only were little ears around, but it wasn’t right to be asking a member of the pack how they felt about the ruling family.

A smile came over Beth’s face. “Our Alpha loves his Luna. Our Luna loves her second husband. Our Alpha Supreme is stronger because of his Triad mates. Together, they keep us safe. They rule fairly. They have raised the next Alpha for our pack. To be part of the Alpha Triad is a blessing from the Goddess. Plus, when fate and destiny give us our mate, our true mate, that’s not something we take for granted. Some are blessed with just one mate. Others,” she smiled wider motioning to Romi, “are blessed with two.”

“I see.” And, she really did. The questions rolling around in her head, preventing her from jumping in with both feet, were focused on what others expected. Would they be looked at oddly? Did the members of the pack resent them? As the woman in the middle of a sexy man sandwich, would others judge her for loving two men? Based on what Beth was saying, that answer would be no.

“Good afternoon, Tobias.” Beth’s demeanor changed as soon as she greeted the Alpha Prince. She averted her gaze down, as did little Brittany. “Afternoon, Nathan.”

Romi was surprised she hadn’t felt them approaching. Then again, she’d been so focused on the thoughts running around in her head, she wasn’t paying attention to the things happening around her. That also wasn’t good, but she wasn’t overly concerned. Not with being inside one of the most protected cities. Plus, no one here could hurt her. She was too powerful, even if she didn’t show it.

“Beth. Little Brittany. Good afternoon.” Tobias greeted as he walked up on her right side.

“Hey Beth.” Nathan called out as he stood on the other side. “Hi Brittany. I like your dress,” he said with a smile at the little girl.

“Hi Nathan. Hi Prince Tobias. It’s new. Look at what happens when I do this.” Pulling away from her mother’s hand, Brittany twirled, showing how her dress billowed out.

“Well, that’s real nice. Brittany. When I have a little girl, I’ll make sure she gets a dress just like that.” Once he spoke the words, the adults all froze, even Beth. It was well known that as the second husband, he would never have children of his own. There’d only been one situation in known pack history where a child was born from the second husband. It hadn’t happened again in more than one-hundred years.

“Um… well, I’d better get her back home for her nap. It was nice speaking with you, Lady Romi. Alpha. Nathan.” She nodded her head to both men before turning to walk away.

“Bye, Ms. Romi!” Brittany waved as her mother pulled her away.

Looking over at Nathan, she watched him clench his jaw. His gaze was focused on a faraway spot.

“Nathan?” Grabbing his hand, she tried getting his attention. “Hey, look at me.”

It took a few moments, but he turned his eyes to her face. “Don’t, Romi. It’s fine.”

She glanced at Tobias. “Fix this,” she demanded.

The look he threw back at her would have made a lesser woman step back. “I thought I did. Nathan and I have come to an agreement and an understanding.”

Thinking back on her conversation with Maria earlier today, Romi knew that it was up to her to bridge the relationship between Tobias and Nathan. As their mate, neither of them would be willing to walk away. And when she thought about it, she wasn’t willing to give them up either. She wanted both of them and she was determined to have them.

Noticing that the three of them were gathering a crowd, she began walking back in the direction of their home. As the thought entered her mind, she had to smile. Yes, it was their home. She knew the decision had been made to stay with them, to mate with them, and to love them. Now she just needed them to put aside their animosity to come together. Not only for their Triad, but for the pack.

It may have taken her a moment to get here, but now that she’d gotten to this point, there was no going back.

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