Page 36 of Petals & Promises

The whole thing was over faster than I expected, and I noticed my blessing wasn’t just a simple red thread. In the center on the top of my finger was something that resembled a flower with five petals. Realization struck me—he’d made a petal to represent each of my Alphas. I flinched a little as he rubbed in an ointment, but soon it tingled and went numb.

“Petals and promises, good reminder when forget,” the man told me, his accent thick, but I understood what he was trying to say.

This blessing was a daily reminder of the promises we made to each other. It would be sitting here on my finger just in case I might ever forget.

“Thank you,” I whispered, clasping his hand in both of mine as I smiled. He smiled back and helped me to my feet.

Everyone else was done before me, then again, I was the only one with the flower so it made sense. Harta gestured for us to follow him, but I didn’t see Mitch anywhere and worried we’d be leaving him behind.

A soft touch on my arm pulled my attention back to Harta. “No worry, this for pack only.”

Trusting the man, I nodded, following after him as he led us into a garden. If we didn’t have a guide, I’m not sure we ever would have found the pavilion Harta brought us to. The air was sweet with all the flowers that bloomed around us, making this moment even more magical. Gauzy curtains fluttered in the breeze, and lanterns were lit, casting light as the sun started to descend. Inside, the pavilion was covered in a soft mat with various pillows scattered around, but in the center was a low table set up with a meal ready and waiting for us. Harta pressed his hands together, bowed, and offered us farewell before he turned back to the temple.

Warrick scooped me up and carried me into the pavilion, setting me down next to the middle spot. He nuzzled the side of my neck, kissing his way up until he reached his mark on my ear. Thankfully, he decided not to torture me and merely brushed his lips over it so I shivered in delight. “Well, Mrs. Bailey-Rose, I think it’s safe to say you are officially off the market and packed-up for life with us.”

Grinning, I twisted to give him a quick kiss, knowing anything else would escalate things, and none of us would be eating. “That same goes for you, mister. What will all the girls at The Fat Mule do now that you’re mine?”

Warrick let out a heavy sigh. “It’s a hard job letting them all down, but somehow, I feel like I got the better end of the deal.”

My cheeks started to hurt with how wide I was smiling as I settled cross-legged at the table. Yun-Sun sat to my right as Warrick claimed the seat on my left. However, the table was round, allowing me to easily see and talk to all my Alphas. Each of them seemed to have this glow about them as if the joy we all felt was bursting out, creating a physical difference.

Yun took his plate and started to fill it with a little bit of everything on the table, setting it before me. “Just tell me if you want more of anything, omae.”

Everything smelled amazing, but I was a little confused when there was only a spoon to use for the soup. Then I watched Vili using the flatbread to scoop things up along with his spoon. Not one to shy away from using my hands while eating, I dug in, humming and doing a little happy dance at the taste of the food. The guys followed suit, groaning as they ate. Each dish looked so simple, but the flavor and seasonings were out of this world.

“One thing we need to do when we get back home is find where we can get food like this,” I decided, shoving another spoonful of rice in my mouth.

“Or we could find a chef who knows how to make these dishes,” Yun reasoned. “While I’m sure there are restaurants out there, I doubt they will compare to it being home-cooked.”

“I like the way you think, Mr. Lee,” I agreed, wagging my spoon at him. He chuckled, sipping at the fruit juice they served with the meal.

As the meal started to wind down, I decided it was time to address the elephant looming in the background. “Vili,” I started, setting down my spoon and meeting his gaze. “Please know that I love you, and I want the best for you, so keep that in mind as I share my thoughts on a matter I don’t know much about.”

Vili smiled and nodded for me to go on, enveloping me in his reassurance.

“I think you need to see your mother,” I stated. “No matter how you feel about her, she is still the woman who gave you life. I realize my family is incredibly close, and I don’t know what it feels like to have parents who don’t love and support me or my choices. However, I do know what it feels like to lose a parent suddenly. I can’t remember the last thing I said to my papa or when I last told him I loved him. You might not have love for your mother, but having closure, good or bad, is a gift you shouldn’t dismiss lightly.”

Reaching across the table, Vili held his hand open, waiting for me to place my hand in his. Once he curled his fingers around mine, he brushed his thumb just under my new mark. “You speak with wisdom, kitten. There is no love in my heart for the pack who raised me. Yet, as you say, to close door for good is a gift.”

“It’s not like you’d be doing it alone,” Gareth pointed out. “As your family and pack, we will always have your back.”

Vili’s smile was as bright as the sun hearing Gareth’s words. I remember Ulysses once telling me just how important having a pack was to Vili, and now it made all the sense in the world. When the family you were born into fails you, there was always your pack to take their place. Or that’s the hope.

“Thank you. I will need my family with me,” Vili said, releasing my hand to clap Gareth on the back. “I have someone I can speak to who will be honest about Bianca’s health. Once I know how sick, we can choose when to go.”

Shortly after our conversation, temple attendants came and cleared away the meal as well as the table. A female attendant returned with a tray of steaming mugs full of a rich drink made from dark chocolate and spices. She also left a bowl of cookies covered in tiny little red petals that melted right on your tongue and paired with the drink perfectly. Arranging the pillows, we all cuddled up and enjoyed watching the stars in the cloudless sky until Mitch came to collect us.

As far as memories go, this was one night I would never forget.

nineteen

Vili

After talking with Perilla, my parents’ housekeeper and the woman who acted as my nanny growing up, I believed my mother was terminally ill. It seems Bianca was diagnosed shortly after I moved to Preidon but kept it quiet until a year ago when she couldn’t hide the fact she was sick any longer. When I explained what I knew to the others, we agreed to finish out the week in Prio Gria, and after those two days, we’d fly to Numoland.

Thankfully, it was still summer in my home country, or else we would need to go shopping for clothes the second we landed. While the tropical wardrobe we all packed wasn’t what I would have suggested, it would make do for the short time we would be there. Besides, there was plenty of shopping available since my parents lived in the metropolitan city of Tumie. The flight was long, but the benefit of having a private jet was plenty of space to stretch out.

I gazed at my kitten curled up on the plush sofa, her head in Yun’s lap, as he absently combed his fingers through her hair as he read. Every so often, she would start to purr in her sleep just like her namesake would. It had terrified me when we first bonded that she would see the ugly side of myself I kept buried deep. There was no way for me to escape having a bit of my parents’ poison in my personality, having been raised around it. Thankfully, we are all our own person and can choose to be different, better versions of what we grew up seeing.