They wouldn’t have to wait for long.

  “Darla!” Gage’s mom appeared out of nowhere and gave my mom a hug, one she immediately returned. While my father didn’t realize it, I had a feeling the moms had been talking even during the intense tension between clans. Considering they’d been close through most of our childhood, I could hardly blame them.

  “This is beautiful,” my mom gushed uncharacteristically before seeming to catch herself. “But what is this about? If it’s my son’s mate, why are you hosting—”

  “Two minutes,” Celine said, offering an understanding look to my dad, clearly sensing his impatience. “Two minutes and everything will be answered. Please take a seat and relax at the front table; the Silvershades are already there with Leopold. Breaker, the other two are up front by the side door if you’d like to join them.”

  The side door that Bexley would be walking through.

  “On it.” I offered both my parents a look. “Like she said, two minutes.” I had no doubt they would be complaining for the entirety of those one hundred and twenty seconds.

  As I walked towards Gage and Jagger, my gaze strayed towards the pair of french doors that were currently closed. I could feel that Bexley was near, though, and I was so damn eager to see her. I hated being apart, even if it had been less than two hours.

  “How are they?” I asked Jagger, referring to his parents.

  “Reserved and waiting to see what’s happening,” he said dryly. “They are reacting exactly as you would expect.”

  “I think that my parents were right to do this as soon as possible,” Gage murmured. “Rumors spread so damn fast—this could have led to a much larger conflict if we’d waited.”

  I couldn’t have agreed more.

  When the ballroom doors closed and the music softened, my gaze moved towards Celine and Leopold standing at the front of the room.

  “Thank you all for coming!” Celine said with a welcoming smile. “I know many of you are confused about why we’ve asked you here tonight.”

  Murmured agreements reached our ears as I heard the side door open, and my chest constricted as a rumble left my throat.

  Bexley.

  My perfect fucking Bexley.

  She was a vision in an obsidian ball gown that was tucked at the waist and then went out in a skirt that turned gold where it brushed the floor. She looked ethereal, like something out of a fantasy, and when her eyes met mine, a blush rushed to her cheeks, making me know my expression was revealing exactly how I felt.

  And I knew the moment when guests began to notice her because an awed silence fell on the crowd.

  “Tonight,” Celine continued, “we celebrate three very important young men in our territory finding their mate—the lost heir of the Flash Clan, Bexley Blackforge.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Bexley Blackforge

  I had thought, especially after talking to Breaker, that I was somewhat prepared for what I would face walking into this event…but I was wrong. I was so wrong, and now I stood frozen, halfway towards my mates, looking over the giant ballroom in awe and a bit of fear.

  So many eyes were on me.

  In any normal circumstance, I would have been thrilled to be here. The room was beautiful, decorated in metallic tones that directly reminded me of my mates. The soft music in the background was renditions of some of my favorite classical pieces, and the familiar faces of the Bronzehearts and my mates made my chest squeeze with happiness.

  It was everything else that made me feel fear.

  The shock of everyone in the crowd, some faces familiar but most not, had my stomach feeling queasy. It felt like everyone was studying me, analyzing me, in response to the Bronzehearts’ words, and my biggest fear was that they found me…lacking. The breath whooshed out of me as I considered turning and walking out.

  “Bexley.”

  Gage’s voice had my heart slowing. Before he’d spoken, the furious beat had been distracting me from the fact that my mates had been trying to get my attention. Meeting his gaze and then looking towards Breaker and Jagger, I felt significantly better at the softness, affection, and understanding there. I knew I could trust them, and if they thought I would be okay in this situation, that I would be safe, then I would believe it.

  Celine continued speaking to the crowd, but I couldn’t hear her—not until I was wrapped in the embrace of my three mates. I walked toward them, trying not to rush, and Breaker immediately wrapped a large arm around my center, standing behind me, as Jagger intertwined the fingers of my right hand with his. Gage stood slightly in front of me and off to the side just enough that it wasn’t super obvious what he was doing.

  I knew, though. I knew he was shielding me from the eyes of everyone in the room. Although, I wasn’t positive that he needed to do that. Most of the people here were staring at me in surprise and awe, without an ounce of ridicule or anger. It went a long way to making me feel more secure about their acceptance.

  And I found that I did want them to accept me. If this was a gathering of community members that were important to my mates, then I wanted them to like me as well.

  “I don’t understand,” a man from the front circular table finally spoke up, drawing my attention. “I don’t understand how this is possible—the Blackforge family, including their daughter, were killed. We all saw the aftermath. Every single one of us laid witness to the betrayal that took place.”

  The woman next to him nodded fiercely, and a wave of grief ran over me, taking me off guard. Of course the idea of what happened to my family had always saddened me, but this felt different. This felt like the memory of an emotion I’d felt before, now uncovered and overwhelming everything for a split second.

  I blinked, trying to not overthink it, as I noticed the woman’s gaze had moved to me. There was a softness to her eyes that I wouldn’t have expected, although based on what Breaker had told me earlier, maybe I should have.

  It didn’t take me long at all to realize that they were Breaker’s parents. The man looked very similar to him, his light hair tied back and his formalwear looking far more like a suit of armor than anything else. The woman had gold eyes, and her brown hair was pulled up in an elegant twist, but her dress was simple—very different from most of the other women here and for sure different from myself. I didn’t think she minded, though. In fact, by the way they held themselves alone, I got the distinct impression that both of them took pride in their simplicity and the serious nature of their personalities.

  “A private discussion between the three families is needed following tonight,” Leopold agreed, looking at another couple that bore a striking resemblance to Jagger. Their expressions were reserved, staring at the Bronzehearts with a clinical and searching gaze.

  “But right now we are going to celebrate the fact that our three sons have been reunited with their fated mate,” Celine said with a steely expression, as if daring anyone to disagree with her. “Something that we all suspected when they were younger. So let’s welcome Bexley back into our community and take a moment to appreciate being all together once again after eight years.”

  Right on cue, the music picked up again and everyone in the crowd applauded, some standing and others talking animatedly with those at their table. They didn’t seem nearly as caught up or worried about the situation; in fact, they just seemed excited. They were taking Celine’s words at face value, and the only people who seemed truly confused and worried were the other two clan families. Not that I blamed them.

  A girl who was supposed to be dead shows up in the public eye after having been ‘missing’ for eight years and is now the joint mate to three of the most powerful shifters in Trabea? They had a right to be worried and suspicious, even if it made me a bit sad.

  “Come on.” Breaker squeezed my waist. “Better to get the reintroduction done now before my parents lose their minds.”

  Jagger hummed softly in agreement. “I have to admit, Gage, your parents are really good at managing both of our families.”

  Gage didn’t respond though, looking stressed while examining my face. I had a feeling that the only thing upsetting Gage was the prospect of me being upset—I don’t think he gave a flying fate whether or not the parents were upset.

  “I’m good,” I promised him, not wanting him to be distressed over my state. “Just trying to sort through how I feel about all of this.”

  He nodded in understanding, and as we walked over towards the parents, Breaker’s father was the first to turn at our approach.

  “No warning. No warning at all,” his father bit out towards his son, making me tense.

  “Stop. Now,” Breaker warned in a sudden flare of dominance. “Do not use that tone around her.”

  His father’s eyes darkened in surprise before his gaze moved to me, analyzing my face and looking for something. I stood there, frozen, not knowing exactly how to react.

  Unlike the other shifters at our school, it was clear he was a dragon and a very strong one, so my normal confidence was lacking a bit. I also cared about my mates, and I didn’t want to risk their parents not liking me since we were going to be in each other’s lives for…well, hopefully forever. That concept once again had me feeling that giddy sense of nervousness that had hit me when Celine brought up marriage.

  “It is her,” Breaker’s father grunted and looked at his wife, who was offering me a soft smile.

  “Of course it is, Trek,” the woman said, her hardened features softening. “Bexley is perfectly unique. Always has been. There is no mistaking her.”

  “It’s nice to meet both of you.” I kept my voice soft, both of them staring at me in surprise and confusion. I didn’t understand why until Breaker spoke up.

  “She has no memories from before being found by the Bronzehearts,” he explained. “In fact, until she shifted this weekend, she couldn’t think of anything about her previous life without extreme pain, so she doesn’t remember any of you.”

  The shock on their faces was echoed by another voice that held a surprising amount of emotion. “I don’t understand how that’s possible, how any of this happened. We thought…we thought we’d lost her.” It was Jagger’s mom who was talking, her face contorted in concern as the Bronzehearts joined the conversation.

  “My husband and son found her in an alleyway in the city near our border,” Celine said. “We thought it best to bring her back with us because we still had no idea what had happened and who was to blame. When we realized that she not only had no memories but that she would black out in pain if any topic related to her past or her being a dragon was brought up, we decided to keep her existence quiet until we could figure out how to fix it. We didn’t want to cause her any unnecessary pain.”

  She wasn’t wrong—the time or two that the other families had been brought up over the years had sent me reeling, so seeing them in person would have most likely been excruciating.

  “So it wasn’t because you didn’t trust us,” Jagger’s father said dryly, his silver hair and dark eyes a direct contrast to his wife. The two were a perfect pair, and the combination was literally Jagger. They were a stunning family.

  “I think we were all confused on who to trust,” Leopold reminded them, “but I suggest we save this conversation for later since we still don’t know who attacked the Blackforges that night. There could be a traitor in one of our clans, and until we know…”

  Everyone seemed to agree on that measure, and I took the moment to explain from my perspective. “I’m slowly gaining memories back, so I apologize for not remembering any of you. I know this is probably confusing—”

  “Do not apologize,” Jagger said gently, placing a reassuring hand on the small of my back.

  “He’s right,” Jagger’s mom said. “You have no need to apologize. I’m sorry our reactions are causing you distress. My name is Marilyn, and this is my husband Arnold. It’s wonderful to see you again, Bexley.”

  “You as well,” I whispered, unable to help the emotion that swept through me.

  Something tugged on the back of my mind, telling me that these people were important to me, and despite feeling like I was meeting them anew, there was also a sense of comfort around them that reminded me a lot of how I felt around the Bronzehearts when I’d first arrived at their estate.

  It also told me one important thing—they hadn’t been the ones to attack my family. I just knew it. I didn’t know how I knew, but I knew without a doubt that it wasn’t one of the other clans. But then who was it? My chest squeezed with the reminder that there was a very possible threat to my mates and my life, which was only now right on the cusp of truly starting.

  “If all of you don’t mind,” Gage spoke up, clearly realizing I was caught up in my thoughts, “I would like to get Bexley some fresh air. We’ll be back shortly for dinner.”

  Without waiting for a response, my mates led me away from the cluster of parents. I exhaled in relief, only now realizing the extent of the tension that had been running through me since entering the room. We stepped through a set of side doors, the cold autumn breeze running over my skin, before turning a corner and moving us out of sight. I buried my face against Gage’s chest as the warmth from my mates’ large frames kept me comfortable and insulated.

  “You did amazing,” he murmured.

  I pulled back and spoke honestly. “It’s…it’s just a lot, and I hate seeing the surprise and hurt on people’s faces when they realize I don’t remember them. I feel horrible.”

  “The minute you want to leave, we can,” Jagger said quietly. I loved that he was willing to walk away from all of this. I knew it wasn’t the solution, though.

  “But I don’t think anyone minds once they’re told about the situation,” Breaker assured me. “In fact, my parents have handled all of this surprisingly well. They don’t like surprises,” he added. I’d caught on to that pretty quickly.

  “Okay.” I exhaled and then nodded. “I’m ready to go back inside…” My stomach suddenly rumbled, making me flush. “Plus, I’m hungry. Those little sandwiches I ate while getting ready didn’t do much.”

  “I should have brought you more,” Breaker grumbled.

  “They thought it would get on my dress or mess up my makeup,” I explained.

  “Fucking ridiculous.” Jagger frowned. “Makeup can be redone, and a dress can be fixed—”

  “But a hungry Bexley cannot.”

  I snorted at Gage’s words, and as we walked in, the servers for dinner began to make their rounds. I was so eager to eat that I didn’t overthink the fact that all the parents would be sitting at the same table with us for dinner.

  When we got to the table, there was much less tension than before, and when I looked over at Celine, she offered me a knowing wink. I had no idea what she had said or done, but clearly something had been fixed.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Bexley Blackforge

  “I can’t dance anymore, my feet will fall off!” I insisted. Breaker chuckled, easily lifting me. We waltzed across the floor, his easy and practiced movements making me know that he had his fair share of dance lessons, much like Gage and myself.

  I normally loved dancing, at least with Gage who always managed to catch me before I tripped over my own two feet, but I wasn’t lying when I said I was absolutely danced out.

  In what I was pretty sure was an effort to prevent me being approached by party guests, my mates had kept me busy on the dance floor, the other two always fielding anyone trying to be too invasive with their questioning.

  Which there had been a fair amount of. I don’t think it had been with evil or malicious intent, I think people were sort of busybodies. And to be fair, this entire event was centered around the public announcement that I was…well, alive.

  Questions weren’t that surprising.

  “I can’t let you off this dance floor unless you’re ready to leave the party,” Breaker rumbled. “I’m too worried I’ll end up snapping someone’s wrist.”

  “The hair touching was unsettling,” I agreed. At least three people had tried to touch my hair tonight. I mean, I may have been sheltered, but even I knew that was inappropriate behavior, especially with someone you’ve only just met.

  “Honestly, I’m pretty tired,” I said, answering his question. “I wouldn’t mind going back to the room.”

  “I can assist with that.” Jagger appeared out of thin air, telling Breaker, “You should go with Gage. The dads are going to have a talk, and the moms disappeared about twenty minutes ago. I’ve got Bexley.”

  “Maybe I wanted to be part of the”—I stifled a yawn—“talks.”

  Before, I would have been worried he saw me as a burden to watch, but I knew differently now. I knew that was the farthest thought from Jagger’s mind.

  “Boring shit,” Breaker assured before kissing me lightly. “We’re sleeping in your room tonight, even if we have to sneak out in the morning.”

  “Sounds perfect to me,” I sang out as Jagger pulled me into his arms. I let out a happy hum at the embrace he wrapped me in.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked softly, tilting my jaw up.

  “Like I want to go back to the room, take a long bath, and cuddle,” I answered honestly, letting out a small giggle as he swept me up into his arms. Luckily, we didn’t run into anyone wanting to talk on the way out, everyone seeming to have gotten the message that we were leaving. I buried my head against his neck as he held me in a bridal hold, his grip secure and comforting.

  I would love to say that I didn’t almost doze off while in his arms, but that would be a lie. The emotional turmoil of the past few hours, paired with the excitement and nervousness, would be enough to exhaust anyone.

 

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