Page 112 of Brutal Reign
“Oh, you have no idea,” Mom snickers.
“Hey, Dad,” Ace greets, still composed as ever in the face of this absolute clusterfuck unfolding.
“Did I just hear my boy?” Nessa gushes as she breezes into the room behind Cal.
Oh goody, the whole gang’s here.
“What’s going on?” Cal asks, picking up on the uncomfortable vibe. “Don’t tell me you three got into some sort of trouble at training camp…”
“Fate bonded both of our boys to River,” Dad states with a proud lift of his chin. “They’re mates.”
“What?!” Nessa squeals, making a mad dash for us.
I’ve never been a big hugger, but when they all come rushing our way, it’s unavoidable. Both Ace’s parents and my own are over the fucking moon that we found our fated mate, and the fact that it’s the same girl doesn’t seem to dampen their excitement in the least. After they finish doling out congratulatory hugs and remarks and the initial shock wears off, we all settle onto the couches in the living room, Ace and I reclining on the same one with our girl sandwiched between us.
At first, I wasn’t sure what his play was in telling our parents the truth, but now I’m beginning to understand. It feels like a weight has been lifted from our shoulders, the positive reactions of our parents reinforcing the belief that maybe this double bond isn’t as insane as it seems. That maybe it’s a blessing, not a curse.
“It’s been weeks since the last full moon,” Mom points out. “Why’d you wait so long to tell us?”
“We were still trying to make sense of everything, see if it could even work,” Ace replies, always two steps ahead when it comes to smoothing things over. “I mean, it’s not exactly a traditional mate bond.”
“Maybe not, but you still could’ve told us,” Nessa pouts.
“It was my fault,” River admits, aiming apologetic glances at Mom and Nessa. “I asked the guys to keep it under wraps because I didn’t want it getting back to my dad until we knew what we were gonna do.”
“You mean Theo doesn’t know?” Mom questions, blinking back at her.
Riv shakes her head with a frown. “Not yet. I told my mom, though.”
“You did?” I blurt, turning to look at her.
“Well yeah, I had to talk to someone,” she scoffs.
“But you swore us to secrecy.”
“Yeah, becauseyouwould’ve just gone around telling everyone,” she fires back.
“Is it so wrong to want everyone to know you’re mine?” I growl.
“Ours,” Ace corrects, shooting me a pointed look.
“Ours,” I amend.
“Hey, I’m just glad I’m not the last to know,” Dad laughs in an attempt to diffuse the tension, cracking his knuckles as he leans back against the sofa. “Can’t wait to rub that in Theo’s face.”
My dad’s always had some sort of unspoken rivalry with River’s. Honestly, I think it’s because they’re more alike than either of them care to admit.
Mom frowns, whacking him on the arm. “You want him to pummel your son?”
“Ah, c’mon, Seb’s in his prime,” Dad chuckles. “Theo’s an old man now, I doubt he could inflict much damage.”
“I wouldn’t bet on that,” Cal muses, aiming a smirk my dad’s way.
“I would, and my money’s on Seb,” he remarks with a smug grin.
“Oh, so now you’ll bet on me?” I scoff, narrowing my eyes on my old man. “What bet did you have going with Miles about River and Ace?”
He rolls his eyes, waving me off. “I didn’t betagainstyou, I just thought Ace was a more likely match for River than Micah was.”