“I know…so either the agency got it wrong or…”
“It can’t be done,” Norm said, excitedly. “Look at Theo…both of his parents have black fur but he was born white.”
“True, but he’s an Omega which could explain why it happened,” Smokey said.
“Yes, but I’m an Alpha and I have white fur so maybe it has nothing to do with Theo being an Omega.”
“Maybe…” Smokey muttered, trying to remember more from the report, but nothing useful came to mind. Giving up on that, something else occurred to him. “Did your parents ever express anger over you being a Ghost bear?”
Shrugging, Norm replied, “Not that I recall…wait, there was one time. It happened when I told them Theo was my Fated Mate. For some reason, that made them very angry.”
“Both of them…even your mother?” asked Smokey.
“I…I…I think so,” Norm said softly, his brow furrowed. “But I can’t say for sure because my father was in my face, yelling at me that I was a disgrace to the Alpha.”
“Did he explain why he thought that?”
“Not really… but when I ended up at Arald’s, I figured it was because my mate was male instead of female.”
“How did Theo’s parents react?”
Finally unable to keep quiet anymore, Theo opened his eyes, grinning at his mates. “They were happy for me.”
Looking down at his mate, Smokey asked, “How long have you been awake?”
“For a while…it was kinda hard to sleep with you guys talking. Next time, if you don’t want to wake me up, maybe you should use the mind link more.”
“I’ll do that,” Smokey said, returning Theo’s grin. “Tell me more about your parents.”
“What do you want to know?” asked Theo.
“Did they ever complain about you being a Ghost bear?”
“Never…they always said I was their miracle,” Theo said, smiling at the memory, but then, remembering their betrayal, a veil of sorrow clouded his face. “That’s what makes what they did to me so hard to understand. My parents were always there for me, supporting me, and making me feel so loved. It’s what helped me get through the bullying…well until pooh bear put the fear of the gods into my bully.”
Sitting up, Theo scootched back until he was leaning against the head board. It was confession time. “No matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t figure out why my parents gave me away. I know pooh bear thought it was because we were gay but my parents already knew that about me, long before I told them Norm was my Fated Mate. Heck, they knew I was gay before I did. When I was thirteen and finally found the courage to come out to them, they were so happy they cried. And never once did they say or do anything that would lead me to think I was a disappointment because of it. In fact, it was the opposite.
“When my mom received an invitation for us to join Norm and his parents for dinner, they jumped at the chance to get to know them better since we would all be family. On the way over, my mom lectured me on my manners to make sure I made a positive impression on my future in-laws. Nothing they said or did that night ever indicated they had changed their minds about me mating with Norm. Waking up in chains was the last thing I ever expected and, for the longest time, I was sure it was a mistake.
“It took me almost a year to finally accept they weren’t going to rescue me. It was a year that nearly cost me my life and if it wasn’t for pooh bear, I don’t think I’d be here today.”
“Theo…Shining Star…you don’t have to relive this for me,” Smokey murmured.
“And I know all this,” Norm said softly. “It’s the past…remember?”
“But I have to tell you what I did,” Theo whispered.
“Did what?” asked Smokey.
“I called my parents,” Theo cried.
Norm’s eyes widened in surprise. “When?”
“Remember when I asked you if we could visit my parents?” After seeing Norm’s nod, Theo continued. “It was just before that.”
“Why then?” asked Smokey.
“Because of Ki,” Theo whispered. “We were going over the plans for the wedding and he asked who I wanted to walk me down the aisle and…and…”
