“You raised a phenomenal man,” I say quietly. “I still can’t believe I get to be mated to him.”
“You see why we’d do anything to protect him and those he loves, then. You’re our family now, too. All of you.”
My own father couldn’t even pretend to love me and had only words of disdain for me when signing me away to my new mate. I’m ashamed I ever felt any sense of duty toward him. Not when there are fathers out there like Cassian’s, who love their children the way children should be loved.
“Oh my gosh!” Cassian says, looking at his watch. “It’s almost midnight. Who’s going to count down with me?”
Midnight? It’s half past eight. I shoot Simon a look, gesture to the slim golden watch Cassian got me for Yule and mouth “What the hell?”
Still, I count down with the children and we all cheer and shout “Happy New Year!” right as my watch strikes 8:32.
It all becomes clear after Cass helps his cousins get the little ones down in the guest rooms.
The moment they return, Roman pops the cork on the first bottle of champagne of the night, and the party really begins.
Instead of circulating around the room making soft, polite conversation with each other as would befit a Rose party, Bethany busts out the party games right away, and we all pair off for charades.
“Oh, princess,” Luca says as he passes me a flute of champagne and drops down on the couch beside me. “We are going to be so damn good at this. So, what are the rules?”
We arenotso damn good at it.
It’s clear within seconds that Luca has never played charades before and saints, he’shorribleat it. At the end of our time, I have no clue if he’s trying to get me to guess a book title or the name of a song. But he’s laughing as he comes back to the couch to cuddle up with me and isn’t sore about losing whatsoever. Like me, he’s happy just being included in this merry mayhem.
Simon and Cassian put our paltry performance to utter shame. Simon nails guess after guess, and Cassian pantomimes to perfection. They’re so in sync, and my heart swells just watching them.
Finally, after many more pairs have gone, I kindly kick Luca off my team and invite Marcus up to play.
He grumbles, but eventually joins me.
And wedominate.
We know each other so well that he’s able to act out things that only I would get, skillfully weaving references together to lead me to the correct answer, every single time. We’re lightning quick, and by the end of our turn, I’m on the very edge of my seat, and when we finish, I run over to him and hug him tightly, laughing and jubilant.
I tell myself the butterflies in my stomach are just too much champagne.
I tell myself that again when the clock strikes midnight for real this time, and I catch his eye across the room, because it can’t be longing I’m seeing in his river-rock eyes. Itcan’tbe. And yet, my heart is in my throat, and my pulse rushes in my ears.
And then Cassian, Simon and Luca are absolutely covering me in kisses as we ring in the new year.
A year ago, I had a kiss forced on me by the most repulsive alpha I know, and this year… this year begins with me in my amazing mate’s arms, surrounded by the men I love.
* * *
For the firsttime since my designation revealed, I don’t feel like I’m running out of time. I spend the rest of break with my friends or staying in out of the snow with my men. There’s time for leisurely meals together, for sipping coffee under the twinkle lights in my nest, for reading and for goofing around, for taste testing all the Yule candies Simon stuffed my stocking with and then sharing sugar-sweet kisses.
There are no classes taking up our time and attention, no lessons for Ian to prepare or papers to grade.
Just time for us, for all of us. Days and days that would be the most peaceful in my life if not for one nagging thing. I haven’t been able to get my mind off Rad.
I wake each day, wondering if it’s the day he’ll finally retaliate. I field interview requests with Cassian and wonder if this article will be the piece that triggers his sinister revenge.
Just as Cassian and I provide statements and a few more interviews, Rad also speaks to the press, and he plays the part of a scorned, broken-hearted alpha well.
I spend too much of my free time searching out new clips, listening to the interviews over and over, trying to uncover the meaning behind his words. Rad has never watched his language with me, but on global broadcast media, he is more circumspect. He’s cultured and behaves like an alpha of his station should—how he never behaved around me, not during our time together at Fairhaven Academy and not during any part of our courtship.
He tells interviewers how he admired my spirit and determination. Saints, he praises me for the very things he wanted to beat out of me. The media doesn’t vilify him, because he gives them nothing to vilify.
Still, I’m vindicated by some of the blogs and social posts I see reacting to his interviews. Some see through the facade of the forlorn alpha he perpetuates, and I cling to the quotes and posts I find online.
