Chapter 4

I knew that voice and my eyes started to tear up as I turned to look at him in the face. He was staring at me like I was the most beautiful human in the whole world, but he was waiting for my reaction. 

“Mate” I whispered. My hand came up and touched the side of his face. What felt like forever. He finally lowered his face and pressed his lips against mine. The kiss was the most magical thing I have ever experienced. His arms were wrapped around me, keeping my body pressed against his. 

He finally ended the kiss, but kept his forehead to mine. “I have searched for you for so long. After our first meeting, I just knew that you were mine, mine to keep forever.” His voice was like music to my ears.

“*Cough, Cough*” came from beside us. I turned to see my dad looking at us. 

“Dad, you know Alpha Jet, he is my mate!” I said as Alpha Jet moved me beside him as he kept his hand around my waist but was much more proper and respectful. 

“Good Evening again, Alpha Nathaniel. It is true that I am your daughter’s mate. Please know that I will take care of her and treat her with nothing but respect.” Alpha Jet stated as he held out his hand. I watched nervously to see if my dad was going to take it or not. My mom was looking between dad and Jet too. 

After a second, dad stepped forward and took Alpha Jet’s hand. “I appreciate the respect. I must insist on a meeting with both of you. At 7 am. I am not sure when you are leaving Alpha Jet, but I would appreciate giving Ivvy enough time to say goodbye and pack. Plus, having that meeting with myself.”

“Is this the kind of meeting my beta needs to attend?” Alpha Jet asked, slightly on the defense. 

“Oh, he probably should be there. Nothing bad on my part!” dad held up his hands to show he really meant nothing bad. “Just something that needs to be discussed and since you are her mate, you will need to be informed of what the future holds for her.” 

“What do you mean, dad?” I was slightly angry about that statement.

“Nothing that needs to be discussed here and now.” my mother chimed in. “Go enough your mate!” 

“No, you are not going to bypass what you just said. You made a comment earlier today and now this. I want to know now what is going on!” 

“I do apologize, but I must insist we discuss this now.” Alpha Jet stated. 

That rubbed me the wrong way. “I guess you should know who you are mated to, to decide if you will still want me!” I was pissed and hurt.

“That is not what I meant. I will accept you regardless of what your dad tells us, but I don’t enjoy waiting on important information.” Alpha Jet said more sweetly to me as he rubbed my bad. 

“Fine, let’s go to my office now.” Dad grumbled, and we followed him. I felt another presence beside me. Looking over, I saw the man that whispered in Jet’s ear earlier. 

“The name is Wade. I am Alpha Jet’s beta.” He had more of a southern accent but was just as tall as Jet with a light brown hair. 

“Ivory, but everyone calls me Ivvy.” I smiled at him as we walked into the office. 

Dad sat in his chair, and mom sat in his lap. Jet sat in the chair directly in front of dad and pulled me down on his lap. I was slightly uncomfortable, but this is what mates do. His hand rested on my thigh but not in a sexual way and the other was under his chin, waiting. 

“It is known that Ivory is not our biological daughter.” Dad started. Mom started fidgeting with her hands. Something she only does when nervous. “We found her in the forest, wrapped in a white silk blanket with a dove sewn into it. She had that necklace around her neck and it said Ivory, so we assume that was her name. Obviously, we picked her up and brought her home with the intention of finding her biological family. That night, Sabrina and Althea visited us in our dreams. The Moon Goddess and Mother Nature herself. They didn’t tell us why, but they told us that Ivory was their daughter and they placed her on this planet for its protection. They instructed us to raise her as our own. Once you turn 18, they said they would visit you and give you the rest of the information, but they instructed us to keep this knowledge to ourselves. So we did. We do not know why you were placed here.” Dad finished his story, and the room was silent.

“So, she is the daughter of the Moon Goddess and Mother Nature?” Alpha Jet asked to clarify it. 

“Yeah, I don’t know the situation, but she was a product of a spell that they cast on themselves, so part of each of them was used to create Ivory.” 

The room was silent as we absorbed the information. “If I was placed here for a reason by them personally, that means the world would be in danger and I am supposed to stop it?” I said it more to myself, but it was out loud for everyone to hear. 

Alpha Jet squeezed my thigh, and his eyes became slits. I felt his feelings go through me with fierce protectiveness. 

“So I did meet my real uncle then tonight…” I said, staring at my parents.

“I don’t know, Ivvy. I really don’t.” Mom said, shaking her head. She had tears coming down her face. “That changes nothing. We will always love you and accept you as our daughter. Hopefully, Alpha Jet can accept you as your mate.” 

“Was that the man you look scared of tonight?” Alpha Jet asked me, surprisingly gentle. 

“Yes, it was.” I looked at him as I answered. He nodded and leaned back in the chair.

“Will you still accept our daughter as your mate?” dad asked, squinting his eyes at Alpha Jet. 

“Again, I was never not going to accept her. I too had a dream when I was a little boy. The Moon Goddess told me to never stop looking for my mate and told me under no circumstances am I to reject her. That I was meant to help guide her and help her fulfill her destiny.” 

I was so shocked by this that I didn’t know how to feel. An hour ago, I was a normal teenager and now I am the daughter of Sabrina and Althea and I have this huge destiny that I need to fulfill. I barely registered the words that were being said around me. 

“Thank you for accepting her. She has meant the world to us, and I know of your reputation. You will protect her at all costs. Obviously, you will have our full support and this needs to stay between us. No one else can know. Especially until you are fully mated so she can’t be stolen away. That was the whole reason of the party was to find her mate so she will be safe.”

I felt like they slapped me across the face. “What?” 

“Everything we have done is to keep you safe, alive, and healthy. They sent you to us to protect you and raise you to be the best version of yourself, so when the time came to embark on this journey, you were ready.” My mother tried to reason with me. 

I stood up and started pacing. I felt all their eyes on me, but mine were too full of tears to fully see them. I was just told my whole life is a lie. Everyone was told to love me by the gods and for what? “My whole life…” I trailed off, not finding the words to express how I feel. 

I felt hands on my shoulders. The sparks told me who they belonged to. Turning me around, he pulled me into a deep hug. Burying my head into his chest, I let it all out. I am so pissed and hurt, but scared and confused about who I was. This can’t be real. The room was quiet as they just listened to me cry. 

Finally, I shed all the tears I could and relaxed into Jet. I realized he had picked me up and was holding me on the couch. Sitting up, I pulled away from him, but not off of him. His hands allowed me to move, but I felt the resistance in them. 

“I’m sorry. That was a lot of information to take in.” I said lamely. 

“Ivvy, honey. We have taught you to be strong and fearless. To show no emotions, but that wasn’t meant for your mate or for your parents. That is for your enemy. You are allowed to feel. You are allowed to feel angry about this and confused but what you need to focus on is that we will always love you and will see you through this, till the end.” my mom pleaded from my dad’s lap, making no motion to get up. I realized I was now supposed to turn to Alpha Jet for comfort, not my parents. It was time to leave the nest and fly. I was raised that when I find my mate, I will leave and start a new life. How true that statement was.

“I understand. I…” the room started spinning and everything went black.