Hey Rebels, Enjoy! Also want to clarify this Charity chapter is happening on the same day as Matt/Fletcher visit to Ohio ;) Thank you for the gems, comments, and reviews! XOXO Emma Taylor P.S Due to the holidays, updates will be sporadic but I will do my best to keep up. Thank you for your patience, I appreciate the kindness. Wishing you and your families the best this holiday season.
MATT POV“What in the actual fuck?” My tongue is dry, the world spinning out from under my feet as I try to make sense of what I’m witnessing.My mind races to process what Fletcher has said. His fathers. Plural. He has two fathers. Two. And they’re both mated to his mother? I blink, my gaze whipping between the two males. No matter how long I stare my brain cannot compute what the hell I’m seeing, none of it registering.They wear matching smirks, one leaning over to the other, “I think we broke him, so pay up.” His hand is outstretched, waiting for the money to be passed over.Aurora rolls her eyes, not impressed with their childish antics. “Must you turn everything into a bet, Atlas? No wonder Fletcher is so bad.” She scolds the blonde-haired man, who softens kissing her head.“Sorry, my love.” Atlas, or Roman, says? My brain is failing to catch up, coherent sentences forming and yet nothing intelligent comes up. Instead, the only thing I can think to say is a bunch of expletives,
CHARITY POV My eyes flutter open, a groan escaping my lips, my neck stiff and achy from laying in an awkward position for too long. Light peaks through the muslin cloth over my head, my hands tied behind my back, my wrists rubbed raw from the rope tying them together. Muffled voices are heard in the distance, but I cannot make out specifics, like the owners, but there is a familiarity to them. I adjust myself against the stone floor, shivering from the cold. Water drips in the distance, letting me know we are in some cave or cavern. Fire light lights dance beyond the fabric covering my face. My tongue darts over my lips, my mouth dry, begging for water. Anything to quench this thirst. I wiggle my wrists, trying to loosen the knot, keeping them together. The friction is uncomfortable, but I continue moving slightly, hoping no one notices. The rope loosens, but not enough to slip my hands through. Whoever tied this wanted to make sure I couldn’t escape, and yet the panic still hasn’t
CHARITY POV Is Lachlan blind? What woman? Did he not see the beautiful blonde speaking in tongues? Was she a figment of my imagination? What the hell is it about this place. “Are you talking about Chrys?” Alfie asks, shifting my attention to him. “Yeah, Chrys.” I relax with the knowledge I wasn’t hallucinating her presence. “What’s her deal?” “She’s a powerful witch.” Brodie answers, as we walk through the decapitated house, until we reach the field outside. “Her family has held the position for centuries.” “She preforms all the magical ceremonies for the school, including The Society.” Lachlan answers, leading us through the field to their SUVs, while I climb in the back squished between the gamma brothers. “How’s your tattoo feel by the way?” Confusion licks at me, the ceremony itself a blur of pain and images. Finlay holds out his wrist, pulling up the sleeve of his robes to reveal the triple moon on his wrist, a key sitting in the full moon. “Uh, fine.” I pull up my sleeve,
FLETCHER POV “He is precious, isn’t he?” My mom coos, looking over my shoulder as I feed Enzo his bottle. Matt is still outside, talking with my dad, Roman. “He is.” Burden makes my chest heavy, as I stare at the bundle in my arms. “Mom, I need to talk to you about something.” She pauses, glancing up at me with concern. “What’s wrong, honey?” “It’s about Enzo.” I whisper, knowing there are too many ears in this house, with their damn wolf hearing. “Where are the twins?” “Brynn and Briar are napping.” She answers, sitting on the couch across from me. “Chase and Cooper are in their shed, building some wacky invention or another. I swear, those two will unintentionally blow something up one day with their science projects.” “Should we worry about the human feds busting down our door?” “Oh, please don’t put that energy into the hair.” My father, Atlas, answers, his chuckle dry with little energy. “What about the older twins?” I fret, not needing them to overhear what I am about to
MATT POV“They’ll come for him.” The pervasive thought invading my mind like a cannonball. “The council, other alphas, witches. They will all come for him and won’t stop.”“Have you told your parents yet?” Aurora responds, not afraid to hit with the hard questions.“No.” Guilt riddles me, keeping this secret from them, not running to them when Enzo entered my life. “I’m not sure it’s safe to tell them anything until things calm down.”“Until you have a handle on the power surges?” Roman asks, cutting into the conversation. Goddess. This family is one massive think tank, bouncing off each other without hesitation. Do they share everything? Like Andrew’s family?“And how the hell do I do that?” I word vomit, pushing the empty beer bottle between my knees, my arms waving around like a maniac. They must think real highly of me. “It’s not like I’m able to call a witch up and ask for help.”Aurora throws Fletcher a look, a private conversation happening between them in a matter of seconds.
CHARITY POV “A fucking dragon?!” I squeal, stumbling backwards, tripping over the rug, gravity pulling me downward. “Ow!” My ass lands on the concrete floor, my palms catching me. My neck strains, my head tilted backward, staring at Chrys in awe. Her gold scales shimmering in the firelight, like she’s been covered in glitter. Her gold eyes pierce into my soul, the honey colored flecks, particularly hypnotizing. “You’re breathtaking.” I whisper, unable to look away, shocked by the beauty of her. “Thank you.” Her voice sings through my conscious reminding me she can do that. She nods, sitting back in her hindquarters, amusement in the smirk above her chin. “I didn’t think Dragons existed outside of fairytales.” I whisper, picking myself off the floor, standing until we are at eye level. “We don’t. Not anymore.” She responds, misery and pain lingering in her statements. “Not on this realm at least.” “So, they used to live here?” I ask, my fingers itch to reach out and touch her, but
MATT POV“Let’s see what you got, Ezra.” I taunt from the center of the ring.“I don’t know why you sound so cocky.” He returns, stepping over the line, and into the center. “I’m the alpha in this fight.”“Then you have nothing to fear.” My shoulders raise in a shrug, arms up, preparing for the fight. He smirks, throwing a glance at his brothers and sisters, who watch from the sidelines. Anticipation clings to the atmosphere, the little monsters whispering from the sidelines, all of them betting on their brother. An alpha. No wonder he’s such a pompous jackass.Unlike other families, each child has a different rank, a rarity among our kind. Ezra, is a confirmed alpha, his twin, Emerson, a beta. Dakota, who has also shifted is a Beta. Everyone else is too young or hasn’t shifted yet to know for certain.Snow falls in heavy sheets, covering the glass dome shielding us from the wetness. Ezra doesn’t wait, launching himself, and I sidestep, keeping my movements frantic and unpredictable.
FLETCHER POV Matt’s music plays through the speakers as the car rolls through the mountains. His voice singing along to the tunes, while Enzo is asleep in the back seat. “We’re almost there.” I interrupt, growing more uncomfortable the closer we get to the Blue Ridge territory. “You should probably drop me off outside the gates.” “No.” He growls, his face turning to me, forgetting the road or that he’s driving on windy roads. “You are family now, and my family needs to get used to that.” “Yeah,” I groan, not liking the idea of being the sole rogue at an unknown pack, where the alpha is an unknown entity. “But it’s still risky to just show up without warning. I’ll be dead before you have the chance to explain. Most pack wolves kill rogues first and ask questions later.” He remains silent, thinking it over before nodding, understanding my side of things. He leans over, grabbing his phone from the center console. “Here.” He hands it to me, “unlock it, and search for “twin” in my cont