BONUS

"Hi, Storm, what’s up? You’ve been strangely quiet these last couple of days…" Nate’s voice carried a slightly impatient edge.

"Yeah, a lot has happened. One thing is for sure—Damien is my True Mate. I went off suppressants, and ta-da! It’s him, Nate. I found my perfect match."

There was a moment of silence, and all I could hear was his shaky breath.

"Oh, Storm, I’m so happy for you. I—I truly believed, deep down, it was real. Despite my doubts, I hoped for it."

"I know, Nate. You were just… yourself. And thanks. Maybe I needed those doubts of yours—they made me more determined and focused on what I needed to do."

He sighed. "I'm so glad it worked out. Did you tell your parents yet?"

"I did. They were overjoyed, but they have a lot on their plate right now. The situation with Sun—you’ve heard about it, I’m sure."

"Yeah, that was a shocker. And Skye moved out, chasing after that beta guy? Did you hear too?"

"Yeah, finally. He should’ve done it ages ago; it would’ve saved everyone the drama. The guy is his True Mate—I’m more than sure about it."

"Are you?" His tone slipped into that annoyingly doubtful edge again.

"Yeah, Nate. I see things more clearly now, after the Joining with Damien. My power… has grown."

Another long pause on the line. Nate, ever the pessimist, was clinging to his skepticism. I could just feel it.

"Okay, anyway, I called to ask you to come to the fair."

And… that tense silence again.

"Nate, please. I believe—"

"Storm, why are you doing this? I can’t handle disappointment—do you understand? And I’m sorry if I still approach the whole ‘purple alpha intuition’ thing cautiously but—"

"It’s fine. You don’t have to come because of the possible TM thing. Just come because I’ll be there with Damien, the whole two days. He and I are shareholders now, and he wants to observe me at work during the fair. But there will be moments when I can’t be with him—in the crazy crowd, thousands of people coming and going. I could use your assistance. You could stay by his side. He’s shy and hates crowds. I’m asking you, as family, to come and help."

Nathaniel’s breathing grew heavier, shaky.

"You know, I’m a lot like Damien. I don’t like crowds. People stare."

This time I didn’t respond, and he snorted.

"Also… I can tell this is a trick to lure me there. I’m not that stupid, Storm."

"Are you going to refuse me, Nate?" I asked in a low tone. "I really need you there to help protect Damien. Have you seen the rush when the gates open? People shove, push, and trample—it’s chaos. A madhouse. He's a short omega, he needs your help, Nate. I can’t always be by his side."

It was a low blow, but it worked. Finally, Nate made a long growl.

"Fine! Okay, Storm. I still think it’s a trick, but I can’t say no. He’s your True, and I want to help you protect him, so—"

"Thanks, man! I appreciate it—I owe you!"

He growled louder in frustration, and I quickly ended the call before he could come up with another excuse.

Damien, sitting beside me, shook his head in amusement. "You know I’m not afraid of those crazy crowds, right? I could zap them into oblivion."

"I know, my cute redhead zapper could evaporate those losers, but I had to make you the ‘helpless omega in distress’ for a good cause. Nate has to come."

He leaned in and kissed my cheek. "I know, I know. I’m happy you managed to lure him in. But what about your other cousin? Nate’s older brother, Hunter?"

I sighed, squeezing my phone. "I’ll try, but he’s a tougher case. Ever since his husband died on a military mission, he’s been a ghost. He’s isolated himself from the family. Even Nate barely talks to him."

"Then he needs this even more, Storm. He has to come!"

I nodded slowly. "Agreed."

Biting my lip, I dialed Hunter’s number.

He picked up after five rings.

"Hello?" His voice was hoarse, as though he’d been asleep.

I cleared my throat. The last time I’d spoken to him was a year ago, at his husband’s funeral.

"Hey, Hunter. How are you?"

"Storm. Oh."

He didn’t say anything else, so I swallowed and exchanged meaningful glances with Damien.

"Yeah, it’s me. I’m calling about something. As you may know, I work at a matchmaking agency, and I also found my True Mate recently."

Hunter made a noncommittal sound and muttered, "Well, congrats. Looks like you’re next in line. Your brothers have had a good streak lately with finding Trues."

"Yeah, about that. You know I’m a purple?"

"Hard to miss, Storm."

Damien rolled his eyes, and I stopped myself from chuckling.

"Right, so… I need to tell you something that might sound strange."

Hunter didn’t respond.

"I think I know who your True Mate is."

Still silence.

Damien gave me a panicked look and shook his head, then grabbed his phone and started typing something on the display.

"Tell him you work with Blue! Genetic markers! Science, not magic!"

I blinked, realizing he had a point.

"Well, the company I have shares in, Fate’s Choice, now collaborates with a renowned scientist. They’ve made breakthroughs in identifying matches based on genetic markers, and, incredible as it sounds, we may have found yours."

Hunter coughed. "And how exactly did you match me? Do you have my blood sample?"

Damien typed again: "As a military member, your genetic data was included in a publicly accessible research database. Blue Lowen utilized this database for scientific studies aimed at benefiting the public good."

It was probably nonsense, but whatever. I repeated what Damien wrote.

Hunter was silent for a few seconds, then huffed. "Interesting."

"The guy doesn’t know about you yet, but he’s actively searching for his True. He’ll be at the fair we’re hosting at the expo center. I can give you his details, and you can decide if you want to show up."

A long silence followed.

When he spoke, it sounded a bit choked, as if some strong emotions were rising inside him. "Send me the details. I’m in another city for a business meeting, but I might make it back in time."

"Don’t be late. The guy is… pretty attractive. Some other alphas may—"

"Well, if he’s my True Mate, even if someone buys his contract, it’ll be nullified, right? So, no worries."

"Yeah, that’s true."

"Okay, send me the details. I’ll try to make it."

And he suddenly hung up.

Damien and I exchanged long looks. He made a theatrical gesture of wiping his forehead with the back of his hand and muttered, "Phew!"

"That. Was. Absolutely. Brilliant!" I emphasized every word, then quickly jumped up, grabbed Damien, and spun him around as he giggled.

"Haha, I had this strange feeling he wouldn’t buy the ‘purple alpha magic’ spiel. The science thing felt like the right move!" He breathed out as I put him on the floor again.

"Our power is just… so fun, since the Joining, isn’t it?" I murmured, skimming my fingers over his birthmark.

Damien chuckled and lightly bit my finger. " No man can be our equal? "

"You said it! Aliens are coming!"

We fell onto the bed, laughing and rolling as I teased and tickled him. This weekend was going to be very interesting.

THE END