Chapter 6

Six

Four hours of cuddling, being fed lunch, and four more hours of cuddling later, I finally felt a little closer to normal.

Jolie told me the hole in my chest, the numbness there, would not disappear until we formed mating bonds. At least that had been her experience.

Luckily for me, today was our anniversary. So, if things went according to plan, I would be mated to them by this evening.

Since the H.E. was still at large, we opted to hold our anniversary celebration at our pack house instead of risking going out in public.

Nico and the guys had spent half the day creating and reinforcing wards around our land and the house specifically.

I spent the day getting the bloodstones from Leona's, getting my hair and makeup done, and trying to stop freaking out.

Shaking my hands out, I paced around in my room, watching the clock and counting down the minutes until I would leave.

Ezio was picking me up and driving me to the pack house since the guys were there, preparing things.

Looking back at the mirror, I admired the red dress Leona had given me for my birthday. It hugged my curves, was lowcut down the front to show off my cleavage, and had an open back.

Jolie had given me a diamond necklace that was a long chain of diamonds and hung down the center of my chest, which added a bit of sparkle to the outfit. I had spent an hour curling my hair and pinning the front back so it wouldn't fall into my face. My makeup was pretty simple, since I wasn't very good at it yet, but I'd added eyeliner, red eyeshadow, and mascara.

I had opted for low red heels since we wouldn't be walking much and I could take them off at any time while we were in the house.

Grabbing the black velvet box, I inspected the bloodstones. They were clear crystal gems the size of a grain of rice each. They would put a bit of their power and a drop of blood into each one and I would then place against my skin and they would permanently embed there. Jolie had combined two of her mates into one, so she only had two bloodstones, but I wasn't going to try that since hybrids were unknown and we didn't know if that would make them explode or not, something she'd dealt with. So, I would place them into a diamond shape on one side of my face. Leona had suggested two under each eye, but I liked how they looked in a diamond shape on the one side. I had already put some of my power and a drop of blood onto four bloodstones that the guys would put on themselves for me as well, but I wasn't sure where they would place them, as that was their decision. Some put them on their wrist, behind their ears, or on their face.

I had four boxes, each with two bloodstones, one for me and one for them, and the plan was to have them open the boxes simultaneously.

A horn honked outside, letting me know Ezio was here. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the bag with the gifts and my change of clothes, grabbed the side of my dress, and walked down the stairs to the foyer.

Jolie, Deryn, Fox, Rhys, and Nico were in the living room playing videogames. When I walked by, Jolie whistled and all turned to look at me. "Do a spin," she ordered and made a circle with her finger.

I did a spin, and they all clapped.

"You have all the items you need?" she asked, knowing my plan for tonight.

I held up my bag. "All in here."

"Okay, one more thing," she said.

"Okay?" What else could there be?

"Take a deep breath and relax. You're going to see your boyfriends, not a firing squad." She smiled wide, and it gave me the break in tension I needed.

My shoulders relaxed as I laughed. "Thank you. Wish me luck!"

"You don't need luck," she said and shook her head. "Have fun!"

Ezio waited beside the passenger door, and when I walked out, he opened it for me and bowed. "Good evening."

"Hello, Ezio. Thanks for driving me." I tried to climb up into the SUV, but the dress made it a bit difficult.

He scooped me up and set me on the seat, tucking my dress inside carefully to avoid soiling it or it getting stuck in the door. "You are welcome. Beats hunting people down or being on babysitting duty."

Once he climbed in, I turned and asked, "Why aren't you mated? You can't tell me there aren't women at your door constantly." He was very handsome, kind, and a powerful alpha.

He shrugged. "Just wasn't in the cards for me, it seems. I've had several girlfriends, was in love twice, but neither time worked out." Glancing over at me as we drove, he said, "For what it's worth, I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that those four love you. I know things have been rough lately, especially with Caleb, but being an alpha makes love more difficult than it does for non-alphas."

"How so?" I asked, curious.

"An alpha's job is to protect. It sings through our veins and minds constantly. So, when someone gets hurt on our watch, it upsets us, but when someone we love gets hurt, it's a stab to our soul. When Caleb was a child, I failed to protect him. Thankfully, he wasn't injured. That talented brat actually kept me safe that day, but that failure ate at me for years. It still does sometimes, to be honest, and is part of why I don't mind being on guard duty for you all. I heard about what you did when you were trapped, how you rescued them and sacrificed yourself. I won't say whether what you did was right or wrong, but it reminded me of Jolie. She put herself in danger a few times and it ate at the princes. When Jolie's bonds were cut, I was there with the princes. I saw the fear, the pain, the sheer panic in them as the one they were meant to protect was hurt. I know you all went through something similar recently."

I nodded and clutched at my chest.

"My point in all this is to say that I can tell you five are meant for each other, but being meant for each other and it being easy ain't the same thing. You've been through a lot this year and so have they. You've all also grown a lot this year. I'm excited to see where you all go from here. You are a very special woman, Rubyhare Ember."

I blinked rapidly and looked up at the roof of the car. "You're going to make me cry, Ezio."

He chuckled. "Okay, I'll stop being the sentimental old man now."

"Thank you," I whispered. "For everything you've said. There are still so many things I don't understand about the shifter communities, how you act and think, and how alphas are different than others."

"You'll get used to it eventually. Look at Jolie. She was once viewed as a strange human woman and now she's one of the most integral members of our societies. I think you'll be just as vital once you fully find your place."

I sighed and leaned my elbow on the door. "You mean as a queen? Acorns, it's weird to say out loud."

He laughed. "One day at a time, right? That's the only way any of us can handle these chaotic lives among royalty."

Joining his laugh, I nodded. That was for sure.

At the gate, he punched in the code and drove us up to the house. Once there, he opened the door and helped me get out, then winked and said, "Go get ‘em, Ember."

"Thanks, Ezio."

He nodded and drove away.

Taking a deep breath, I looked up at the house … our house … and squared my shoulders. Time for my first ever anniversary celebration.

Man, that made me sound so pathetic.

Snorting at myself, I walked up the steps and tried the door, but it was locked.

"What?" I didn't have a key on me.

I knocked twice, and the door was pulled open.

Triston smiled down at me, wearing a nice midnight blue silk button-up shirt. "Good evening, beautiful."