Page 14 of Chosen: The Lenkov Journals

Theo

He could do this. It was no big deal really. Theo had overcome a lot in his short life and there was nothing that he couldn’t do now that he had his mates by his side. He squeezed Wylder’s fingers until Wylder winced. Okay, maybe Theo was a tad bit nervous. It wasn’t every day that he met the five men that had birthed one of his mates. Hellcats! He couldn’t believe he had to do this.

Turning his head, Theo seriously contemplated how hurt he’d get if he jumped out of the moving vehicle.

“You’d have to get through Aleksander or Mitch, and I don’t think they’ll let you jump.” Wylder leaned close to whisper in Theo’s ear.

“The windows could at least roll down back here,” Theo complained. He could totally fit through a window. He was small.

“Relax,” Wylder encouraged. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

Slowly Theo panned toward Wylder. “Did…did you just say that?”

“What?” Wylder slouched back into the seat.

Hellcats! “You can’t say things like that!” Theo screeched.

“Everything okay back there?” Mitch looked over his shoulder to the third row of seats to peer at them.

“Fine!” Theo lied through his teeth.

It was probably a good thing that he and Wylder had been given the third row of the large SUV that was part of Dario’s elite vehicle collection. Furguson drove with Dario in the passenger seat, Aleksander and Mitch in the middle, and Theo and Wylder had climbed into the third row since they were the smallest. Since his windows didn’t roll down and he couldn’t crawl over Aleksander or Mitch, he was stuck. Stuck in an expensive suit that probably cost more than his entire college education. And he was having dinner with all of Aleksander’s fathers and possibly his brothers as well.

“The house is just up ahead on the right,” Aleksander said to Furguson. “Pull up to the gate.”

Wylder practically crawled into Theo’s lap to get a better look as the house came into view. Theo grunted but before he could shove Wylder away, his own breath caught. The black and stone structure that towered from behind the iron gate was not a house. Theo didn’t know what word to use to describe the massive residence. It was too big to even call it a mansion.

“That’s where we’re going?” Theo whispered in horror. This was even worse than he’d thought. There was no way that he belonged in a house that big.

“It’s huge!” Wylder exclaimed.

“This is actually the smallest house my fathers own. You should see the one in the—” Aleksander cut off sharply with a groan as Mitch elbowed him.

“Not helping,” Mitch grumbled.

“What?” Aleksander turned to look at him and Wylder over his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Theo mumbled.

Wylder immediately moved off him. “Don’t throw up on me!”

After sending Wylder his best glare, Theo dropped his head back on the lush leather seat. It was probably too late to back out now. Right? He couldn’t talk Ferguson into taking him home? Or hey, maybe Mitch would use that portal thing.

“I don’t get it.” Aleksander wasn’t keeping his voice as low as Mitch as they argued.

Theo knew it was his fault. Aleksander just didn’t understand why Theo was so uncomfortable with meeting his family or being around someone with this kind of money.

“That’s ridiculous!” Aleksander snapped. “Dario is literally a billionaire.”

Mitch groaned, Wylder laughed, but Theo wanted to hide away. He knew he was acting childishly. It just wasn’t his fault. Theo was really trying. He just didn’t know how to handle all the changes at once.

Furguson pulled up to the closed iron gate and followed directions as Aleksander talked him through putting in the code. The gates opened without a sound, surprising Theo as he really expected some creepy squeak or something. Not that the house was spooky but come on! It was like entering a vampire’s lair. Actually, Hellcats! He was sort of entering a vampire’s lair! Aleksander and one of his fathers were vampires, part demon—Theo was still not one hundred percent sure—so Theo wasn’t far off from his assumptions.

Furguson put the SUV back in drive and they crept forward.

The grounds were massive, well maintained, and gorgeous. Even the sculptured bushes and scrubs screamed that these people had money. Aleksander’s people, his parents.

Theo didn’t belong here. He’d just been getting comfortable in Dario’s residence, and if he didn’t think about the money, he was okay. Dario didn’t act like a billionaire or anything like that. He acted…normal. Okay, Theo didn’t know what a billionaire acted like, but Dario was just so caring. Loving. Dario had never made Theo feel like he was less just because Theo didn’t have any money. Theo didn’t know what Aleksander’s fathers would think of him though. His mates were meant to be his. Call it fate, destiny, or whatever. Aleksander’s fathers had no ties or reasons to like Theo.

“It’s going to be okay,” Wylder told him. “I’m right by your side.”

Theo nodded but he was at a loss for words.

Aleksander reached back while beckoning Theo forward. Theo undid his seat belt before leaning against the seat in front of him. “I know you’re worried, Theo, but I promise that my fathers are merely concerned about us. It doesn’t help that I didn’t tell them that I found any of you, so it looks like I was hiding things from them. My parents are…protective.”

“You were trying to give me time,” Theo reminded him. Yep, Aleksander’s parents were totally going to blame him.

“It doesn’t matter why I didn’t tell them,” Aleksander said. “That’s our business. What matters now is coming up with a plan to keep us all safe while we train.”

“Train,” Theo said.

“Learn what being the chosen mean.”

“Protecting people,” Theo said.

“That’s one aspect,” Aleksander agreed. “It’s not all my parents do though.”

Theo had read about that. Legends, stories, and accomplishments filled the pages, but Theo liked the more personal entries. He liked knowing how Tate felt when they were doing their tasks. He loved to know how they met, their matings, when they decided to have children. Theo wanted to talk to Tate about the journals but was embarrassed by how obsessed he was.

Furguson turned off the vehicle before opening the car door and closing it softly behind him. Dario turned in his seat. “Fergie is going to give us a few minutes.”

Because of Theo. He was making this hard on everyone else. “I’m fine. We can go inside.” Theo just needed to get through this. Soon he would be back in his dorm room and could lock himself away from the world for a little bit.

“No,” Mitch barked. “Don’t do that, wildcat. Don’t put on a brave face just to make us feel better. Your concerns are valid.”

He blushed as Mitch called him out on exactly what he was thinking.

“It’s not hard to see,” Mitch told him, lowering his voice. “Let us help you, Theo. We’re mates for a reason.”

“Can you tell me what is really wrong?” Aleksander questioned. “If you say that you do not want to go inside, I will have Furguson drive us back to Dario’s right now.”

“What about your fathers?” Theo asked.

“I’ll deal with them later. You are my priority.”

Theo wanted to ask Aleksander to take him back to Dario’s but knew that wasn’t the right decision. He needed to be brave. “I just don’t want them to hate me.”

“They won’t.” Aleksander stressed the last word. “But unless they get to meet you and can show you, I don’t know how to reassure you.”

“So what if they do,” Wylder stated. “If they’re blind enough to not fall in love with you the second they spot you, then we won’t spend time around them. We’ll leave and not come back. They aren’t mated to you. We are, and we think you’re great.”

His other mates nodded, including Aleksander.

Theo took a deep breath. He could never do that. Aleksander loved his family. Not having a family sucked. He could never do that to one of his mates. Theo did want to meet them too, especially Tate, he was just scared. Maybe he could concentrate on something else. Like his rumbling belly. “Let’s do this. I am hungry.”

Aleksander’s smile was blinding white.

* * * * *

Aleksander

He kept Theo’s hand in his as they entered the house. Theo was tense beside him, Dario close behind, with Mitch and Wylder bringing up the rear. Aleksander knew that his fathers were aware of their arrival. When they’d opened the gate, his fathers would have been notified. Aleksander appreciated that none of his fathers were hovering at the entrance.

Aleksander had done his best to explain his mates’ backgrounds and that Theo and Wylder were nervous, but sometimes his fathers could be pushy. They meant the best, but it was hard for them to see anyone hurting. Theo’s pain was obvious.

“We’re here!” Aleksander called as he guided Theo toward the front entertaining room.

“Come in! Come in!” His human father, Tate, stepped from the room with a smile. The perfect one to greet them.

Aleksander smiled at his dad. Tate was small like Theo. Barely five-foot four, with wavy blond hair and bright blue eyes. He wore wired framed glasses but it was the constant smile that drew people to him. Tate managed to keep a positive outlook on everything and dealt with the strong personalities of his mates and children with amusement and humor.

“Wow,” Tate exclaimed. “What a very nice-looking group.” Love shone from his eyes. “I am so excited to meet all of you.” He rushed forward and Aleksander had to drop Theo’s hand to catch his dad.

They hugged before Tate whispered in his ear. “They’re so handsome.” It was said loud enough that all his mates would hear.

Aleksander laughed before drawing back. “Dad, let me introduce you to my mates.” He reached back for Theo’s hand. “This is Theo Bailey.”

“Hello,” Theo said quietly. “Thank you so much for inviting us to dinner.”

His dad’s eyes practically had hearts in them as he beamed at Theo. “You are so very welcome. I am so happy right now.” He even danced a little in place.

Aleksander shook his head. His dad was always the excitable one. It was sometimes hard for him to keep all that energy balled up inside. “Wylder…” He waved the man forward. “Dario and Mitch.”

“Hello! Hello!” His dad danced. “I am trying so hard not to drag you into hugs.”

Theo surprised Aleksander by stepping forward and holding out his arms. “Can I have a hug?”

Tate’s eyes widened before he practically crushed Theo into his arms. Tate wasn’t much taller than Theo but had a lot more girth to him. Still Tate gave the best hugs, and Theo was smiling. “You can have all the hugs!” Tate declared.

“Hey!” Wylder complained. “What about me? I like hugs.”

Delighted, Tate laughed and grabbed Wylder to yank him forward into a three-person hug. The boys had no idea how much they’d just endeared themselves to Tate. And by making Tate happy all of Tate’s mates would be very pleased.

“Can anyone get in on these hugs or are you special, Tate?”

Aleksander had to tear his gaze from his dad and two mates as his mage father, Sebastian, joined them.

“All mine!” Tate claimed.

“I believe they belong to our son.” His pa drew him into a quick hug before holding his hand out to Dario.

Aleksander made the introductions, Sebastian shaking Dario’s and Mitch’s hands before hugging both Theo and Wylder, when Tate finally let them go.

“Please call me Sebastian, Seb, or Pa like Aleksander does. Tate is Dad to our boys.” Seb waved toward the back of the house where the kitchen was located. “Our other mates should be down—”

“We’re here!” His angel father and shifter father both hurried from the direction of the kitchen. “We were just checking on dinner,” Mahah, his angel father, said.

More introductions, but this time there were no hugs. Tate and Seb were definitely the more touchy-feely of his fathers.

“You can call me Mahah or Mah as the boys do,” Mahah offered. “Carson usually goes by Papa or Papa Bear.”

Carson chuckled. “Papa Bear is sort of a given.”

Theo laughed. “I like it and it’s easy to remember.”

“Oh! A shifter!” Carson crowed. He sniffed. “Feline?”

“Maine coon,” Theo supplied with a little blush.

“You must be just as adorable in shifted form!” Carson said. Aleksander could already see that his fathers were going to love Theo. The little shifter never had anything to worry about.

“Come, let’s get drinks before dinner,” Tate said. His arm around Theo’s shoulder, he led them into the front entertainment room.

The bar was set up to the side of the room, and Aleksander followed his Mah and his Pa over with Mitch trailing behind. His dad was directing his other mates where to sit, with Wylder staying close to Theo and Dario hovering around the little shifter as well.

They managed to pass out drinks to everyone, non-alcohol for Theo and Wylder as neither liked to drink, before his vampire father strolled in.

Aleksander heard Theo suck in a breath and pressed his lips together to keep from smiling. He did resemble his father Vadir more than any other parent. Vadir could, and had, passed as his older brother at times. They were that similar except Vadir had straight silky black hair and dark eyes.

“Father,” Aleksander greeted and was hugged.

“Son, I can’t tell you how worried I was,” Vadir stated low and close to his ear.

Aleksander nodded against Vadir’s shoulder. Vadir was the worrier of the group. He worried about all his sons and had probably been going crazy when he couldn’t reach Aleksander. “Let me introduce you to my mates.”

He pulled Vadir across the room where his mates had all risen.

“Theo, Wylder, Dario, and Mitch,” Aleksander said touching each mate’s shoulder as he spoke their name.

“Welcome.” Vadir dipped his head. “Please call me Vadir or Father. I am pleased to meet you all.”

“Hello,” his mates murmured together.

Admittedly Vadir was quite the presence to be around and while Vadir didn’t give off the same open and friendly vibes, he loved all his children.

“Sit! Everyone sit!” Tate clapped his hands. “I have to hear the story of how you all met.”

“Oh, me! Me, me, me!” Wylder waved his hand around. “I want to tell the story. Please!”

“Go ahead,” Aleksander responded. “We’ll be sure to correct whatever exaggerations you come up with.”

Wylder waved his words off. “So there I was desperate to get away from the loud rock music down the hall from my dorm room and decided to go for a walk. Little did I know how it would end up being the most awesome night of my life.”

Theo snorted. “Liar, we didn’t even talk!”

More laughter.

“Now, Theo, you totally talked to me in your kitty form.” Wylder waved a finger in front of Theo’s nose. “It was adorable.”

Theo smacked at Wylder’s hand but was smiling.

Aleksander moved to sit on the arm of the couch next to Theo. Theo immediately leaned into him as they listened to Wylder’s outrageous story.

He looked around in wonder as he took in his mates talking and laughing with his fathers. Any time that Theo added or corrected a point of Wylder’s story, the little shifter relaxed more and more. He was such a sweet and likeable guy that Aleksander had no doubts that his family would love him, would love all his mates. Vadir caught his eyes from across the room where he sat with Tate on his lap and gave a small nod. Approval. Aleksander hadn’t needed the approval but the worry that had been squeezing his heart eased.

* * * * *

Wylder

Once dinner was ready, Wylder thought he’d done a pretty good job of keeping the attention on him and letting Theo get comfortable. They moved into a large dining room and Wylder expected to have a formal setting but was pleasantly pleased to see the casual set-up.

“We decided to have our family Mexican night,” Mah said as he pulled out a chair. “It was always easier to have the boys make up their own plates and there was always something for everyone.”

“Tacos!” Wylder declared happily.

There were hard shells, soft shells, taco bowls, chips, dips, meat, beans, cheese. And all the fixings that went along with tacos set up in the middle of the table.

Even Theo’s shoulders relaxed when he saw the food. Wylder was really happy that he didn’t have to sit through a fancy five-course dinner. He was not a fancy-dinner type of guy. Sure, it was fine to dress up and go to a nice restaurant, but this had been the perfect idea. Wylder wasn’t sure how much about their past and lives that Aleksander shared with his fathers, but the older men were definitely trying to put them at ease.

Wylder ended up sitting next to Papa Bear Carson with Mitch on his other side. Theo was between Dario and Tate as Aleksander was already speaking with Vadir about something. Damn, but did Aleksander take after his vampire father. Other than the hair and eyes, they could be twins. Which meant that Aleksander was going to age just as attractively as his father.

He tried not to let being surrounded by such attractive men bother him. No one had even looked twice at the long scar down his cheek.

The platters started to be passed around the table, and Wylder filled his plate. Carson nudged his arm.

“You eat like a shifter,” Carson teased.

Wylder grinned. “Enhanced appetite. It comes with all my other special gifts.” He tried to joke about what had been done to him.

Carson nodded. “I do love when my boys enjoy their food.” He looked over at Mah’s plate and frowned. “Even though some insist to continue eating like a bird.”

Mah rolled his eyes as he looked over at him. “This again?”

Carson shrugged but turned to wink at Wylder.

Wylder turned his laugh into a cough as Mah glowered at the big shifter. It was interesting, watching men that had been mated for so very long tease and play around with each other. He’d enjoyed watching how they interacted earlier as they sat around and talked. It reminded Wylder that they were mates first, then fathers, then the chosen responsibilities came. They were men that loved each other and had shared many years together.

He hoped to have the same ease with his own mates soon.

Their relationship was still new enough that they were still on their best behavior as they learned how to be around each other. Fuck, they didn’t even live together yet, and Wylder wondered if the others were thinking about their living arrangements. He wanted to be around his mates all the time. He didn’t have to live in the dorms. It seemed like such a waste to have to go back. His dorm mates were not quiet. Wylder had no intention of quitting school but that didn’t mean he wanted to keep sleeping in his miserable dorm room.

Theo was going to be the one that would probably have to be talked into moving in together. Would Wylder be pushing his little mate if he brought it up that weekend? He knew that this was just supposed to be getting to know one another, but they were mated now. Wylder would have to think on it.

He turned back into the conversations round the table, answering questions when they were addressed to him, and filling his belly. Damn, the food was good and the company even better.

Luckily no one had brought up the dark elves yet so the atmosphere was still laid-back, but Wylder knew that the conversation needed to happen.

Dinner was filled with laughter and lively conversation, just the way family dinners should go. Both Theo and Wylder jumped up to help Tate and Carson clear the table. Returning from the kitchen, Wylder wanted to grumble when Vadir brought up the topic Wylder hoped to avoid just a little longer.

“We do need to discuss the attack on Theo,” Vadir said.

Theo had been returning to his seat, but he froze as Vadir spoke.

Dario moved quickly and pulled Theo into his lap. Wylder retook his seat and folded his hands in front of him as Mitch explained what had drawn him to the university and how he’d found Theo. He skipped over a lot of the details about his battle with the dark elves, probably to spare Theo from reliving it, but said enough to get the story across.

“If he’s been found once, we have to assume there might be more trouble,” Vadir stated with a frown.

“But…” Theo shook his head. “I’m mated now. I thought they went after me to stop that from happening?” He lifted his right arm off the table. Even with the suit jacket covering the mark, they all knew it was there.

“We are assuming that was their goal,” Aleksander told him. “But even though we’re mated, the dark elves are known for their attacks on the chosen.”

“We have battled many in our time. They aren’t the most common enemies we fight, but they do show up from time to time,” Mahah said. “They’re like little gnats that just won’t go away.”

“They are dangerous,” Vadir declared. “Especially for the untrained.”

Mahan nodded. “I know. Sorry, they irritate me.” He looked at Theo. “They will kill you. Even if you’re mated. It’s best we start training you all as soon as possible.”

Theo paled. “I’m not much of a fighter.”

Tate shook his head. “It won’t be all defensive training. Not every job will be a physical fight. Most of the time you won’t have to. A lot of what we do is help other species with issues that they have with a different species. Sometimes it’s like being parents to all the supernatural.”

Huh, Wylder hadn’t expected that. He’d been picturing battles and wars that had to be fought by them.

“As the world evolves, times have changed,” Vadir stated. “My fathers were the chosen before me. They did have more fights as the different supernatural species battled for supremacy. They wrote most of the treaties that are in place today to ensure that the supernatural secret remains. I believe that is why we are more diplomats than anything else.”

Theo nodded. “I did get that impression from the journals. A lot of traveling to different realms and attending ceremonies, from what I read.”

“Exactly,” Tate said proudly. “When we talk about training, we really mean you all learning about how to handle certain circumstances. There are some protective spells and materials we’ll want you to learn to use, but we’ll leave the fighting to the warriors in your mating.”

Wylder wasn’t the only one that relaxed. This was valuable information. He might be an enhanced human, but Wylder had never actually been active in any kind of conflict while he served in the military. Although, he was getting him a sword. He totally was.

“While on campus, we’ll have Evian keep an eye on the boys,” Vadir stated. “He can be a fresh pair of eyes.”

“Have you met Evian yet?” Tate questioned.

“Yes, he stopped by this weekend to borrow one of the journals,” Aleksander supplied. “He’s also one of Theo’s professors.”

“I can’t believe Evian knew before we did,” Mahah grumbled.

Tate cleared his throat. “You did kidnap me from my home when you found me. I can see why Aleksander didn’t tell us before he’d spent time with his mates on his own.”

Sebastian laughed. “He’s never forgiven me for that.”

“I thought I was going to die!” Tate threw his arms up in the air.

Wylder had only read of this story but he would love to hear more than just Tate’s point of view. “Oh please, this I have to hear.”

Sebastian groaned as Tate grinned.

“What do you know about portals?” Tate asked.

“Mitch portals in and out,” Theo said. “That’s about it.”

“Well, when tricky little mages get tired of watching their unsuspecting mate, they might portal into the bedroom and scare the shit out of said mate,” Tate said.

“In my defense,” Sebastian stated. “Vadir didn’t tell me not to.”

Vadir snorted. “In my defense, you were a grown adult and should have known popping in out of nowhere would freak him out.”

“But he was so cute! I couldn’t help it!”

Wylder began to laugh and didn’t stop until tears were running down his face.