Chapter 3

Three

ARES

Days have passed since the incident. I've had enough time that I don’t expect Knox to appear around every corner anymore. After rationalizing that I’m being ridiculous—they rejected me after all—why would he search for me? Unless he recognized Evie’s eyes, realizing they had a baby together. That could be enough for them to seek me out, if only for her, which is why I continue to be overly cautious. Anytime we leave the house, hats and sunglasses are necessary, making us look like twin divas as we stroll around.

Evie is now zooming all over the house, eager to explore the world at this new level. Her favorite part of walking is being able to push the cart in the store with me, holding my finger with one hand and gripping the shopping cart with the other. She usually tires after the first aisle, and then I’ll plop her in the seat of the cart where she can babble the rest of the trip.

Once we're home and unpacked from our weekly shopping trip, we assemble our cookie ingredients as we wait for our dinner delivery. Instead of cooking dinner on shopping nights, we make dessert and order out.

Evie plays with her juice cup, babbling and occasionally throwing in a 'dada' here and there, gouging my heart with a tiny spoon. I wish things had turned out differently, Moonbeam. Dwelling on my rejection was never an option. Evie made her presence known early on in my pregnancy, not allowing me time to work, since I was constantly sick. Luckily, I’d started a diary. Within those pages was a story waiting to be told. Of course, I rewrote history, creating the happily ever after I’d always dreamed of. Creating stories is where I can fantasize about scenarios of pack life, love, babies, and being a family.

Weakness has tried to cripple me, but being my daughter’s support is where my focus derives. Now, we’re living comfortably and only gaining ground. Evie has all the love I’ll ever need.

The doorbell jerks me back to reality, reminding me that cheesy goodness in the form of pizza is on the other side of my front door, waiting to lift my mood.

Evie complains when I snag the last cracker off her plate, so she’s not eating without me in the room. I promise over my shoulder that I’ll give her a piece of cookie when they’re done instead. She may only be ten months old, but her mouth snaps shut, opting to watch me open the door quietly.

Her reaction causes laughter to vibrate in my chest as I open the door, ready to greet the delivery person with a cheerful "Hi!" But instantly, the good humor and smile slip from my face, replaced quickly with panic.

Maddock.

While my laughter wilts, his chest rumbles with a growl meant to melt panties. The bond snaps like a whip, tearing an unwilling gasp from my lungs. His eyes dilate, homing in like he’s assessing prey.

"Mate." The word almost sounds accusatory, which snaps the greedy bitch between my legs to heel. He doesn’t get to call me that after they rejected me because of my shiftless nature.

"Not mate." I growl back, my bark rougher than intended.

Maddock clears his throat and blinks tightly, as gut-wrenching sorrow brightens his already unreal eyes. The emotion is so potent that I can sense it in the air, through our bond, even though it’s not consummated. The intense reaction radiating off him begins seeping into the air, into my skin, causing my heart to pound as if trying to leap from my chest to connect our souls. The sensation is as powerful and tempting as the last time I’ve felt it. His gaze latches to mine, seeing directly into my depths, and sensing where my thoughts have gone.

"Ares." His alpha may be the biggest of the brothers, but in that moment, his voice cracks, revealing the softer side of him.

I open my mouth—to bitch him out or beg him to stay, I’m not sure—because several things happen all at once. Evie screams like her life is ending, which is derived from her throwing her favorite cup on the floor, and I’m not there to play her pick-up game. The real pizza delivery guy appears out of nowhere over Maddock’s shoulder with a friendly smile, because yes, I order pizza weekly.

Maddock growls menacingly, snatching the pizza from Darren’s hands, tucking me to his side with his other hand, and effectively slamming the door in his face. Then he’s hustling towards the kitchen, a fire lighting his strides.

The skin-to-skin contact short-circuits my brain momentarily, but in seconds I’m storming after him. "What the hell do you think you’re doing? Get the fuck out of my house."

Maddock sets the pizza on the table, standing next to Evie’s cup on the floor, and staring at our daughter. A shuddering breath heaves his next words so quietly, I don’t think he meant to say them aloud. "She’s beautiful."

Evie is motionless, wide-eyed, and staring just as hard. But then she bursts into squeals, pointing at her cup, and repeats 'dada' over and over until Maddock picks it up, and places it back on her tray.

She happily puts it to her lips and sucks, while rubbing her eyes with her tiny fist. She’s a little past bedtime, so I expect her to pass out soon. She’s already had her dinner and bath, leaving cleanup for last.

But first, I needed to deal with one of her fathers. "Maddock. What is this? Why are you here?"

He visibly shivers when I say his name for the first time in years, closing his eyes to savor the sound. "Say it again?"

Confused, I tilt my head. "Maddock, seriously, what are you doing here? You can’t have her, you know. None of you can. She became mine and only mine when your brother fucked me and then left me naked in a barn."

He flinches, as if the words physically struck him. "We need to talk about that."

My body’s vibrating, as I shake my head in denial. "No. There’s nothing left to say. I was rejected." No matter how hard I try, my voice still cracks on the last word.

Maddock turns his attention to me, but continues glancing at Evie, as if checking on her now and then. "We didn’t reject you."

"Bullshit!" I growl, clenching fists at my sides, ready to do battle. He may be twice my size, but I’d be a force to reckon with if I attacked like a spider monkey and tried to claw his fucking eyes out. "Don’t you fucking dare stand there and say that to me. I was there! I had my heart ripped out to the point of numbness… for weeks. She’s the only thing that saved me," I punctuate my point by stabbing my finger in Evie’s direction. "And I’ll be damned if you come in here and confuse her."

Maddock raises his hands in a surrendering pose. "You’re entitled to be pissed. But please, just listen to me for a minute. Let me explain."

"Explain?" The word huffs in exasperation, but the stupid mate bond whispers to me. Maybe there’s a reasonable explanation. Maybe we should listen. To give myself something to do, I start to clean Evie’s hands. "I don’t have time for this. It’s Evie’s bedtime." This solidified when she yawns big and rubs her eyes again.

"I’ll help. Then we’ll talk." He confirms without waiting for a choice.

Unclicking Evie’s chair, she reaches for me, and instantly pats my back once she’s in my arms. The tell-tale sign that she’s almost asleep. "Fine." I agree, knowing he’ll never leave until we’ve had this out. I honestly don’t know what they could want after almost two years. "Her room is down the hall." I don’t wait to see if he’s following, his dominance lingers directly behind me. Not to mention the body heat coming off of him in waves. He’s silent but watches intently as I prepare our daughter for bed with one of her fathers for the first time. My heart is expanding and contracting into a tight fist with every breath and from the transparency that the bond allows, a rainbow of emotions plagues Maddock too.

After Evie’s baby duck pajamas are on and her diaper changed, she’s out like a light as soon as she hits the mattress. I watch her for a moment, brushing her silver hair from her forehead, and memorizing her tiny face. “Sweet dreams, Moonbeam.”

Maddock watches her just as intently and as silently as the night—his phone flashing quickly as he captures her sleeping form. As soon as her door clicks closed behind us, Maddock’s cornering me against the wall, his alpha riding him hard. “She’s beautiful. Just like her mother.”

His words suck the next breath away from me, as I squirm under his scrutiny. “Don’t say those types of things to me.” Brushing the compliment off is easier than accepting it—opening my heart after what happened isn’t in the cards. “Let’s talk in the living room and then you need to leave. We don’t need you or your pack. We’re doing fine on our own.”

He steps back, clearing the way as his calculating gaze shifts around the house, no doubt memorizing every inch. “You’ve done extremely well, mate. Our daughter is lucky to have you as a mother.”

Heart-stopping. Damn him! Playing into my omega’s need for praise. "Stop," I growl, struggling to cling to my anger. The thing is, Maddock wasn’t there that night. "Stop saying those things." My hands gesture wildly at his giant, toned, and extremely tempting body.

A smirk tilts his tantalizing lips. Bastard . “Come sit with me, mate. Let me speak to you."

A growl vibrates in my throat, but I shuffle toward the couch. He does the same, closer than needed, but I'm secretly enjoying the warmth his body offers.

Silence surrounds us as we appraise each other. Finally, I sigh. "Maddock, can we please get this over with? I’d like to head to bed soon."

His eyes flare, likely thinking of nighttime routines and less clothing. "Knox told us about seeing you and Evie at the library. You took off before he could catch you." He’s pointed when he says the last bit, knowing I ran like a scared rabbit. "Now that I see her for myself, his claims are true. The scent of my kin is easy enough to distinguish, along with the scent of my mate." Another growl accompanies his appreciative gaze over my body.

"Get to the point." Rushing him is the only way I’ll stay sane through this conversation. My omega knows he's her mate. Fight. Fuck. Knot. Yes, that one.

His body stiffens, sensing the pheromones that spiked when my mind drifted to knots. "My point is, we had no idea you were our mate until that moment. Only a handful of days. Hendrix never mentioned your night together, nor that he knew you were our mate."

My breathing quickens as the information sinks in. "How is that possible?" Since the bond provides the avenue to sense his truth, the question is metaphorical.

His gaze locks with mine, sincerity shining through his icy eyes. "We’re figuring it out." He clears his throat to continue, sensing my attention. "Drix told us everything he remembers, which isn’t much unfortunately. Up until last week, he thought... well, hoped that what he did remember was only a dream. Now we know it wasn’t. But if you share your side of the night, it will help tremendously."

Confusion furrows my brows, curiosity tilting my head. "It sure as hell wasn’t a dream to me when he called me shiftless, dressed, and then left me naked without another word, alone and vulnerable in a barn."

Maddock flinches with each punctuated word, our bond amplifying my pain. His eyes fill with shame and heartache. "I’m sorry, mate. This should never have happened. If you’ll let us, we’ll spend the rest of our lives begging for your forgiveness." When fire lights my eyes, he sees the rejection on the tip of my tongue. "Wait... don’t answer right now. Tell me what happened—let me help figure this out. Something happened to Drix that night. I don’t expect you to forgive us without thought, but let’s get all the facts on the table. Right now, we both only have partial pieces. Help me fit them together."

I’m torn. My brain screams for self-respect, not to be swayed by kind placations, but my heart tantrums to give him a chance, even though he wasn’t there.

They’re my mates. What Maddock says is true. Honesty has resonated through our connection the entire time he’s been here. So, I do what’s right for Evie, for them, and for myself. Especially for Hendrix. When I think back to that night, he did seem out of it, but I chalked it up to pheromones and mate bonds, which can induce a drug-like state. But what if something else was wrong? When he left me there, pain was the only emotion; seeing anything else was impossible. If I had to describe it now, I’d say he was robotic when he dressed and walked away.

The small clarity in the worst moment of my life brings curiosity back to the forefront. "Yes. Okay."

Maddock’s eyes widen, clearly surprised by my quick agreement. I appreciate knowing he planned to fight for me, evident by the relieved breath he released. "That’s great, my Moon."

Though I despise pet names, shivers of pleasure trail my spine when it slips off his tongue. "This is going to be a tough conversation. I’ve not mentioned a word about it since that night." My throat tightens as I extend the first lifeline to one of my daughter’s fathers—a fact I never would have predicted. "Let me put on a pot of coffee. It’s going to be a long night."

Shell-shocked.

That’s the best way to describe our exchange over the last few hours, resulting in us slumping against the back of the couch with exhaustion after divulging my deepest shame.

My entire world has flipped on its axis. I knew the Carver brothers were all potentially my mates, being a pack, but having it confirmed is an entirely different experience. The picture’s clear for the first time, and my heart aches for Hendrix because something did happen to him. We weren’t super close over the years, but he was always kind to me, and his crude behavior when he walked away seemed out of character. Only I couldn’t see it then, buried in my own despair.

When I was young, no one taught me about our nature—like the fact that there’s a chance I’m not shiftless. Hendrix discovered me almost immediately after I revealed as their omega, turning biology against one another. My wolf wanted to shift for the first time but also prepared for a pup after coupling with her mate. His presence sent me into a small heat, ending quickly because of the unknown conception.

We were the perfect storm—our connection strong enough to engage prior to my first shift—resulting in its block. Since I’m Evie’s only support, my omega disposition keeps my wolf dormant to protect my cub.

When I asked why the rest of them hadn’t claimed me when they presented as alphas, he explained that my designation had to present for them to sense our connection.

"Come here, Moon. Let me tuck you into bed. You’re exhausted." Maddock doesn’t wait for affirmation before his strong arms wrap around me, cuddling me close to his chest, ignoring my nose burrowing into his neck. Instead, his chest rumbles, constricting my heart. No one’s ever purred for me.

Tears prick my eyes as a tsunami of emotions unleash, engulfing me. An embarrassing keening whine slips through my lips, navigating the shoulda-coulda-woulda's of our situation. My daughters never met her father because of Hendrix's manipulation, the why and who unknown, stealing a moment we’ll never get back or experience again. Tainted . That’s our current status.

A giant hand cradles the back of my head, pressing my face firmly against his skin, his forearm supporting me. My fingers cling tighter to his shirt as he leads us to my king-sized bed. "Shh… sweetheart. Your alpha has you. Your mate has you." The punctuated words crack my reserve.

He cuddles me the rest of the night, whispering sweet words and promises. For the first time in a long while, hope courses through my veins, urging me to embrace the thrumming bond. My hands find skin under his shirt, burning yet calming, coating me with drowsiness. Every moment with him cracks my cold, dark heart, bleeding pain, and reconstructing with stolen love.

With my face against his neck, relaxing to his soothing purr, the best sleep of my life pulls me under.