Page 37 of Brutal Reign (Shadowed Heirs #5)

37

“ H ow much longer?” I ask, darting a nervous glance toward the front door of the packhouse.

“Any minute, now honey,” my mom replies with an encouraging smile.

I blow out a slow breath, my knee bouncing anxiously as I stare down at the coffee table, wringing my hands in my lap. All that courage I had when I came here has slowly evaporated with every minute that’s ticked by since we walked through the door. Of all the times for my dad to be out handling pack business…

“Can I get you guys anything?” Mom asks, swinging her gaze between the three of us seated on the couch opposite her. “A snack or something?”

I shake my head. If I tried to eat something right now, it’d probably come right back up.

“No thanks, Mrs. Jacobsen,” Ace replies politely.

“Unless you’ve got whiskey?” Seb drawls, waggling his brows.

Mom rolls her eyes, snorting a laugh. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a spitting image of your father when he was your age?”

Seb smirks and shrugs a shoulder. “Once or twice.”

I flinch at the sound of a motorcycle engine roaring outside, jerking my head up and glancing toward the door again while my pulse takes off at a gallop.

“Sounds like he’s here,” Mom quips, pointing out the obvious. “You ready, sweetie?”

I turn to look at her, drawing a deep breath and exhaling with a nod. “No going back now, right?”

“Right,” Ace agrees, clamping his hand down on my bouncing knee to stop the movement.

My breath hitches as my eyes ping over to meet his.

“We’ve got you,” he murmurs, flexing his fingers against my leg.

I bite my lip, nodding. We’re in this together.

Ace flickers his gaze to Seb’s knee bouncing on my opposite side, and I reach over to do the same thing Ace just did, slapping my palm onto Seb’s thigh. His leg stops moving, eyes coming to mine as he covers my hand with his. Then we hear the front door swing open and we all yank our hands back to our own laps as my dad storms inside the packhouse, boots clomping against the floor and the door banging shut behind him.

“What’s going on?” he barks out as he makes his way over to us, eyes narrowing when his gaze hooks on the boys seated on either side of me. “And what are they doing here?”

When my mom called him to say I was here and needed to talk, she might’ve left out the fact I brought company.

“Why don’t you just come sit down,” Mom suggests, reaching over to pat the couch cushion beside her.

A scowl pulls at my dad’s lips as he turns her way. “Why don’t you tell me what these two are doing in my packhouse?”

“ Theo ,” she snaps, frowning.

He heaves a sigh, dragging his hands down his face and stomping across the room in her direction, dropping down onto the sofa beside her with a discontented grunt.

“Our daughter has something to tell us, and we’re going to listen respectfully and reserve judgment until she’s finished,” she says calmly, sliding a hand onto his thigh and giving him a pointed look. “ Right? ”

“Right,” Dad grumbles, turning his gaze back on me. “But you’d better hurry up and get on with it, because I’m two seconds from losing my shit here. What’s this about, Riv? Are you in some kind of trouble?”

Patience has never been my dad’s strong suit, so I know that dragging this on won’t do me any favors. I just have to rip off the metaphorical band-aid and come right out with it.

“I’m not in any trouble,” I say, hoping that at least puts him at ease. “But I have something to tell you, and I need you not to freak out when you hear it.”

His own knee starts bouncing as he stares back at me, and for a second, I wonder which of us is more nervous. Luckily, we’ve both got our mates here to anchor us. Mom’s fingers flex against his thigh in a little squeeze of support and his leg stops jumping, his hazel-eyed stare imploring me to continue.

“Last full moon, after Jake announced his challenge, I ran to Goldenleaf,” I say, reciting the speech I rehearsed in my head the whole way here.

“I already know that,” Dad snaps, quickly reaching the end of his patience.

“ Theo ,” Mom admonishes, whacking him on the chest with the back of a hand.

“Sorry,” he grumbles, shooting my mom an apologetic look, then turning back to me with a nod. “Go on.”

Twisting my fingers together, I draw a deep, steadying breath, shoring up my confidence to continue. “Seb and Ace were in Goldenleaf for the run. When I was headed for the packhouse, I felt a pull, and it led me to them. We’re fated mates.”

I hold my breath in anticipation for his reaction, but it doesn’t come. My father doesn’t even so much as flinch at my admission, he just stares back at me unblinkingly.

“Dad, did you hear me?” I ask anxiously, needing him to say something.

“I’m waiting for you to tell me this is a joke,” he deadpans.

I shake my head, brows drawing together. “No, it’s…”

He shoots to his feet, upper lip curling back from his teeth in a snarl. “Which one of you thinks he’s mated to my daughter?” he demands, his furious glare bouncing back and forth between Seb and Ace.

“We both are,” Ace replies calmly.

Dad folds his arms across his chest, shaking his head in adamant refusal. “Impossible.”

“It’s true,” I insist, sitting up straighter. “I know it sounds crazy, but I felt both bonds snap in that night. Fate bonded me to both of them, Dad. They’re both my mates.”

“You’re too young for a mate,” he replies curtly.

“Actually,” Mom cuts in, “she’s not much younger than I was when we…”

“Brooke, don’t even go there,” Dad growls, whipping his glare in her direction.

“Then don’t be a hypocrite!” she exclaims, slapping a hand against the cushion beside her. “Sit your ass down and listen to what your daughter has to say. She needs our support right now, not you yelling at her.”

My parents stare at one another for a long moment, some silent conversation passing between them. Then Dad flops back down on the couch next to her with a heavy sigh, stabbing his fingers through his hair as his hazel eyes meet mine again.

“I mean, that was pretty much it,” I mumble.

Mom beams me a supportive smile, while Dad just stares at me, his shoulders bunched with tension and his wolf shimmering in his irises.

“Then my answer’s no,” he growls.

“What?” I scoff, brow furrowing as I flinch back in disbelief.

“No, you can’t mate with them,” he deadpans.

“That’s not for you to decide!” I shout, throwing up my hands.

Ace clears his throat, shifting his weight on the couch beside me and straightening his posture. “Sir, with all due respect, we care about River, and we…”

“You care so much about my daughter that you ditched her three years ago?” Dad interrupts, narrowing his eyes on Ace menacingly.

“That was a mistake,” Seb puts in.

Dad’s threatening gaze snaps over to Seb. “Damn right it was a mistake,” he snarls.

“I think we can all agree that this is unexpected, but I, for one, trust fate,” Mom declares loudly, turning to my dad and giving him a hard look. “If I didn’t, then we wouldn’t even be here right now having this conversation.”

I’ve gotta hand it to her, she’s come through with some solid points to help make my dad see reason. Their own mating wasn’t smooth sailing, but nobody can argue with the fact that they’re perfect for one another.

Dad heaves a resigned sigh, dropping his face into his hands. “This is fate punishing me for all the bullshit I got into when I was young, isn’t it?” he mumbles behind his palms.

Mom rolls her eyes, shifting closer to him and reaching for his hand, pulling it from his face. “Fated mates aren’t a punishment,” she sighs as she twines her fingers with his. “They’re a gift . They should be celebrated.”

“Well sorry if I’m not popping the champagne just yet,” he mutters.

I exhale slowly, leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees. “Dad, I’m not a little kid anymore,” I say softly. “I’m a grown woman, and the future leader of this pack. I didn’t ask for this, and I don’t need you to like it, but I really need your support. Everything I’ve been dealing with lately is hard enough, I don’t wanna be at odds with you, too…” my voice breaks as I trail off, shaking my head.

Seb and Ace immediately scooch closer, one rubbing my back soothingly while the other grabs for my hand. My father watches the whole interaction with a frown, but his eyes soften when my own lift to meet them, some semblance of understanding surfacing in their hazel depths.

“You always have my support, River,” he rasps. “No matter what. But you’ll always be my little girl, and I’ll always want to protect you.”

“But you can’t protect me from everything,” I reply, swallowing thickly. “Jake’s challenge only proves that. There are things I can only do on my own, and I need you to trust me to make my own decisions. I need you to trust that I can protect myself.”

“And she’s got us now, too,” Seb interjects, lifting his chin. “It hasn’t been easy to back off and let River handle her own shit, but we’re always behind her. And once everyone knows we’re mated, I bet they’ll think twice about fucking with her.”

“Too bad we weren’t bonded before Jake declared his challenge,” I grumble.

“Well, we are now, and you’re gonna win,” Ace states confidently, taking my hand in his. He sweeps his thumb over the back of my palm, his ocean eyes wide with sincerity. “I know you’re nervous about how strong your wolf is, but maybe that’s why fate gave you two bonds instead of one. Maybe with both of us there lending our support and calming her down, you’ll be able to control her, especially if we bind our wolves together by sealing our bonds.”

“Over my dead body,” Dad scoffs, glaring at Ace. “I know what sealing the bond entails.”

“Respectfully, sir, it wouldn’t be the first time,” Seb snorts.

Oh fuck.

Dad leaps up from the sofa with a roar of rage, launching himself across the room in Seb’s direction. My inner wolf shoves forward with a surge of protectiveness as Seb springs to his feet, and when I jump in front of him, I’m not able to hold back the beast within. She plows through my mental barriers, my clothes shredding away from my body as she bursts through my skin with a feral growl.

My paws hit the ground and my wolf bares her teeth in a snarl, my dad skidding to a stop before she can take a bite out of him.

“River…” he breathes, holding up his hands and slinking back a step.

I’m not in control. I’m trapped somewhere in the back of my mind, watching all of this unfold while powerless to stop it.

“Theo, I need you,” my mom whines, her hands trembling in her lap and her eyes glowing silver as she fights to keep her own wolf at bay.

My muscles coil tightly, ready to pounce. He threatened my mate.

“Riv, shift back!” Seb snaps, the powerful tone behind his voice giving my wolf momentary pause.

“Alpha command doesn’t work,” Dad growls as he rushes over to my mom, pulling her up from the couch and wrapping his arms around her.

Ace approaches my wolf cautiously, reaching down to sink his fingers into my fur. “Babygirl…” he coos, and something about his voice and touch penetrates my wolf’s mental barriers, almost enough to allow me back in...

Seb circles around in front of me, crouching down and reaching out to stroke my neck. “River, we need you to shift back,” he says firmly, holding eye contact with my wild wolf.

She whines as I claw my way back through my own mind, yanking on the tethers of my mate bonds to pull myself out of the abyss. The moment I have a solid foothold, I kick my wolf to the curb, the air shimmering around my body as I shove her back to the recesses of my consciousness and retake my human form.

My chest heaves with the effort of forcing my shift, leaving me panting on all fours when it’s finally complete. Seb immediately whips his shirt off over his head, helping me into it as Ace pulls me up to my feet.

As soon as I meet my dad’s eyes across the room, I burst into tears, Seb and Ace closing in on either side and wrapping me in their arms, whispering words of comfort in my ears.

“I’m sorry,” I choke, swiping the tears from my cheeks as I stare at my father’s shocked face. “I’m so sorry…”

“They pulled you back,” he mutters incredulously, his wide-eyed gaze swinging between Seb and Ace.

My head bobs up and down with a nod, tears still streaming down my face and obscuring my vision.

Mom rushes over, stealing me from Seb and Ace’s arms and pulling me into her own. “It’s okay, sweetie,” she whispers, squeezing me tight and pressing a kiss to my hair. “It’s okay…”

Dad looks over at Seb and Ace, raking a hand through his hair and shaking his head. “Sit down, boys. We have a lot to talk about.”