My eyes flew open. “You didwhat?!” Heat blasted through me as I glared at his guilty, shifting eyes.
“Enough.” Ezra’s voice cut through everything. She inhaled, steadying herself, then fully turned to me with full focus. A shiver crawled down my spine.
“Nova,” her voice tightened. “Tell us what is going on.”
Giving Calix a final glare, I took a breath and answered her as honestly as I could. “I’ve known Zeth was my mate for a while. We just… had some miscommunication… for a while.” I winced. Understatement of the century.
Ezra’s expression didn’t move.
“It wasn’t until I met Conrad Mecariee and Nick Cordova that my tattoo reacted. I was already neck-deep in this substancemess, so I put all of them off. Then Deslen arrived… and the tattoo became visible.”
I lifted my arm and showed them the wolfsbane blooms. All four of them went still.
“I know it’s strange,” I rushed out. “Trust me, I thought I’d lost my opportunity for a mate bond a long time ago, but life… changed.” I didn’t explain the pain or the guilt or the quiet hope. They didn’t need to know that part.
“This won’t affect my work,” I continued, readjusting in my seat, folding my hands in front of me. “The Syndicate has always come first. They know that and respect it. Conrad even offered me his turned-supe fighting ring, but I told him to keep running it. I’m focused on other ventures.” I hoped that would let them know my mates were ready to be a part of and pull their weight in the Syndicate.
“Good,” Calix muttered, slumping in his seat. “If they weren’t worshipping the ground you walk on, I’d kill them myself then find you new ones. Better ones.”
The threat was real. So was the warmth behind it. Gods, my siblings were feral, and I shouldn't encourage it, but the edges of my mouth creeped up into a smile.
“I want to announce it to the Rossey clan,” I said. Their eyebrows shot up, but I pushed through. “But, first, I want you all to meet them…” I looked away as heat rose up my neck, “get your approval of sorts.”
“Ofcourse,we’re meeting them!” Aniyah squealed, clapping like she’d been handed front-row tickets to a murder-circus.
Calix punched his fist into his palm. “Yeah. I need to look these guys in the eyes and set the law down.”
Riot nodded slowly, a rock of reassurance. “Anything you need.”
Ezra… didn’t answer. Her mouth tightened, eyes drifting sideways like she was weighing something heavy. The quiet stretched until Calix, brave fool that he was, ventured, “Uh… E? You coming to Montana with us?”
Her head snapped back to me. Something flickered in her eyes, too fast for me to catch, before her expression smoothed into something soft and unreadable.
“Yes. Of course I want to meet Nova’s mates. I’ll arrange the transportation.”
Her fingers flew across her keyboard, already commanding Arion through her speaker to prepare the planes and solidify times with everyone while they were on the line.
And suddenly, my stomach dipped. Hard.
What if they don’t like my mates?
What if Zeth and Calix go for each other’s throats?
What if this all explodes before it even starts?
A small tug came from the bond, a reminder of who was on the other side and I shook those thoughts off. Overthinking had already cost me enough.
Whatever happened next, I’d handle it—hopefully without too much blood.
But with my family? That was never a guarantee.
EPILOGUE - DESLEN
“I’m beginning to think Aniyah did that on purpose.” Conrad collapsed onto the sofa, huffing like a man who just came back from a battlefield.
I didn’t blame him. I’d watched Nova’s little sister Aniyah and her grandfather corner him. She kept firing off explicit questions with enthusiasm as Syris nodded solemnly, urging him to “speak freely, boy,” while giving him a look that promised judgment if he did and judgment if he didn’t. Conrad tried to keep his cool and remain unflustered, but the red on his neck was a dead giveaway.
I’d been too nervous to jump in those waters. If anyone could wade through that shark tank with all limbs intact, it was Conrad. He had a way of smiling through awkwardness, so I left him to it.
