“Well,” she continued without missing a beat, “I want to meet them. That’s all that matters now.”
The weight of introducing Dominic and Lucas to this volatile mix pressed heavily on me, but seeing the earnest plea in my mother’s eyes, I knew I couldn’t deny her. “Okay, Mom. I’ll bring them here.”
She smiled a soft smile. Her relaxed expression stood in stark contrast to the rest of the tension-filled room. “Thank you, Talon. That means a lot to me.”
Fuck, what did I just agree to? Fate, help me.
Bondar Confrontation
Lucas
Shit,weshouldn’thavecome. I thought for the millionth time as we pulled into my parent’s drive. I shifted in my seat and glanced over at Dominic, who appeared to be oblivious to my internal discomfort. My family wouldn’t take to meeting him easily. In truth, they were a bit prejudiced. They had lost their shit when Brian had told them he mated a predator shifter. It didn’t matter that the shifter was the king of a lion pride and all-powerful mega-rich CEO Edward Satchel. He was a predator, and they hated that. The only one that took it was my nana. Thankfully, they had come around, but not after putting Brian through a lot of shit.
“Relax, tiger. They’re going to love me,” Dominic said, his voice breaking through my spiral of worry. He had noticed my tension, after all.
“I just think we should have gone with Talon. We should all be meeting my family together. They can wait one more day, especially after the hurricane,” I argued, trying to stall.
Dominic chuckled. “That excuse kind of fell apart when Brian told your parents you were safe at his place and your home was untouched.”
“Damn Brian and his big mouth,” I muttered. “Still, we could say something came up. I really think we should wait for Talon.”
Dominic put the car in park and turned off the ignition before shifting in his seat to face me. “Tiger. First, Talon told us to go ahead. He said it would be best that he go to his parents by himself, and given what he’s told us about his past, I trust his judgment.”
“But what if they’re mean to him? You heard the story he told; we should be there with him,” I interrupted. I was still pissed at how Talon’s parents treated him. He was twelve damn years old—treating him like a sexual predator—bastards.
“Lucas, I know how you’re feeling. I feel the same way. After he told us, I wanted to kick their asses, but my duša, our mate, asked us to let him handle it,” Dominic said softly.
I crossed my arms. “Fine, but we still don’t have to rush into meeting my family.”
“That brings me to my second point: we’re already here.” He pointed out the windshield. “It’d look pretty strange if we just drove away now.”
I exhaled sharply and slumped back, defeated by the logic. Dominic was right. It was too late to turn around now. “I just don’t want them to be mean to you. I want them to like you.”
Dominic gave me a reassuring smile. “Tiger, it’ll be fine. I promise.”
Though I rolled my eyes at his endearment, it warmed me more than I wanted to admit. “But I know they’re gonna have a hard time with this. I mean, things got bad when Brian brought home a predator shifter. My mom and sister, Olivia, can be pretty bigoted.”
“I’ve got pretty thick skin. I can handle it. Besides, I’ve got my fierce tiger to protect me,” Dominic teased, lightening the mood.
His confidence made me chuckle, easing some of my nerves. “Okay, let’s get this over with.”
I reached for the handle, but Dominic stopped me. I glanced back at him, and he smiled before leaning forward and giving me a soft kiss.
“Everything will be fine,” he repeated.
Grinning, I felt a new sense of calm wash over me. So long as I had my mates, everything would indeed be okay. We stepped out of the car and approached the house. The driveway was bustling, lined with cars, and the sound of lively chatter spilled out from the open windows.
“They having a party?” Dominic asked as we reached the door.
I shook my head. “No, that’s just my family. In fact, looking at the cars, we may be missing a sibling or two. I know Brian isn’t here, so that leaves about eight or nine, plus their partners and kids.”
Dominic paused, placing his hand on my shoulder to stop me. “Wait, you have nine brothers and sisters?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his astonished expression. “Yeah, but like you said, it’ll be fine.”
His expression still registered shock as I pushed open the door. “Hey, everyone!”
The response was immediate; my family swarmed us with warm welcomes, engulfing me in hugs. As they each greeted me, I introduced Dominic with a quick, “This is Dominic.” The room buzzed with cautious curiosity as each member met Dominic.At least they didn’t freak immediately like they did when Brian brought a predator shifter home.
