Page 74

Scarlett

Not even an hour after passing her driver’s test, Scarlett pulled through the gates of their property. After returning home from the Black Ridge Mountains, she’d spent as much time as she could practicing, and felt prouder than ever having passed both the provisional and the road test right away.

Ezra and Mateo stood on the porch with a bouquet of red roses and a pack of chocolates bigger than their heads. They both tugged her door open and pulled her into a hug the second her feet touched the ground.

“Well done,” Mateo praised, kissing her cheek.

Ezra handed her the roses, giving her the same affection on her other side. “I expected nothing less.”

“Thank you, I feel very proud too.”

They ushered her inside, where Ezra spoiled her with a foot massage while Vince and Mateo got dinner started.

Life had settled quite a lot over the past few weeks, with all of them settling into their own routines.

She still worked out with all three of them, and while Mateo usually cooked dinner, she was usually the one to prepare breakfast. In a few weeks, she would start her first semester at a proper university, and Mateo had planned a trip for the two of them to an all-inclusive resort.

Just as they finished up dinner, Scarlett’s phone rang. The image of Maximilian’s name on the screen had her heart racing—though she wasn’t sure whether it was excitement or fear. “Hi.”

“Hello,” he sounded soft and sweet, nothing like the last call they’d shared when Luna Kaya passed.

“How are you?”

“I’m well, but it can be quite lonely in the penthouse.”

“You’re alpha now?” she asked excitedly, though she already knew the answer. There was no other reason for him to be all alone in the penthouse.

“For a little over a week now and I’m about to piss Father off by making my first decisions that won’t be influenced by him.” There was a pause in which he cleared his throat. “I was hoping you and your mates would join me for Sunday brunch if you have returned from your world’s travel.”

Tears of joy filled her eyes, and Scarlett reached out to grab the counter for support. “I’m allowed to see you?”

“Yes, though I must warn you that our parents might not give you the same welcome.”

“You want me to have brunch with you.”

“And your mates, as long as they follow certain rules.”

“I’ll be sure of it.”

“No fights, no weapons, no wandering off, and no disrespect.”

“They’ll behave.”

“I’ll see you all at ten.”

Maximilian ended the call, leaving her feeling rather lightheaded. Strong arms wrapped around her as Vince held her upright. “You are going to be nice, right?” she asked, targeting Ezra in particular.

“Yes, princess. I know how to behave, and I will do so if you ask me.”

“I do.”

“Then I will behave.”

“No—”

“Fights, weapons, wandering off, or disrespect,” Ezra finished for her. “I know.”

“I’m sorry.”

Ezra took her hand, brushing a kiss across her knuckles. “Wait here.”

She watched him disappear up the stairs, hearing him rummaging for something before he returned with a black satin bag. He nudged her towards the couch, dropping to his knees once she sat down. Curious, Mateo and Vince sat to either side of her.

“I have kept this for quite some time, but I haven’t found the right words to give it to you. Until now.”

Ezra opened the bag and revealed a cup that had once been shattered, mended with filigree golden elements. Upon closer inspection, Scarlett recognised it as the mug she’d smashed in the sink. Even the initial chip in the ceramic ceased to exist.

“I will be nice. Not because I particularly like your family, but because they mean a lot to you. If I were to disrupt your relationship with them a second time, I’m not sure it would be able to be mended back together again.

This is important to you, and therefore it is important to me .

Your relationship with your brother is fragile and I will treat it as such. ”

“That is very sweet of you.” Scarlett graced him with a kiss to his forehead before spinning the mug in her lap and running her fingers along the thin gold lines. “Thank you.”

When her childhood home came into view, Scarlett nervously fidgeted with the hem of her dress. By the time Vince approached the visitor parking, she could already see Maximilian standing by the entrance—with Kurt by his side.

Oh no. She hadn’t mentally prepared to see him, nor did she know how she should act. She’d left him, heartbroken and shunned by his former alpha.

Helping her out of the truck, Mateo gently squeezed her hand. “It’s all going to be alright.”

“I feel sick,” she whispered.

“Breathe,” Mateo hummed, gently leading her towards the entrance to the building.

As she approached, she could tell that Kurt was trying to hide his excitement. Though Scarlett knew those little crinkles under his eyes far too well.

Vince was the first to break the ice, reaching his hand out to greet Maximilian. “It’s nice to meet you, Alpha. I’m Vince.”

Mateo was next, introducing himself.

“And the last one must be Ezra,” Maximilian guessed correctly, also shaking Ezra’s hand before he spread his arms and grinned down at her. “Come here.”

The moment his arms wrapped around her, and he planted a kiss to her hair, Scarlett felt like she could finally breathe again. The hug was brief, with Maximilian giving her a gentle push towards Kurt.

“This one hasn’t stopped chewing my ear off since he heard you’re visiting.”

Kurt rolled his eyes and tugged her closer. “I disagree— politely .”

Before they stepped over the threshold, Maximilian eyed the three men. “I don’t allow weapons past this point.”

Without her having to say a word, Ezra revealed the small dagger strapped to his hip and handed it over.

Then he dropped to his knee and pulled out the small knife he kept hidden in his boot.

Straightening to his full height, he attempted to walk past Scarlett—only for her to stop him with a hand on his chest. Defeated, Ezra sighed and handed over the small bag in his back pocket.

He flashed a quick, mischievous grin towards Kurt. “I wouldn’t open that.”

“Thin line, Ezra,” Scarlett warned.

Though Ezra tried to keep up his tough demeanour, he faltered under her glare. “Noted, princess.”

When Kurt entered the elevator with them, she beamed up at him. “Are you coming with us?”

“He insisted,” Maximilian answered for him, using his key to unlock the button for the penthouse.

“I thought you were alpha now?” Scarlett teased.

“A very lenient one, apparently.”

“You’re still trying to find your style.” When they got to the penthouse and she noticed the buffet-style breakfast, she frowned. “I could’ve brought something.”

“I told you,” Kurt sing-sang.

Maximilian ignored his warrior. “You can bring muffins next time.”

Her heart leapt. There would be a next time, and she couldn’t even express how much that meant to her.

“So, Scarlett, what have you been up to?” Maximilian asked once everyone had sat down with their overflowing plates.

“I got my driver’s license this week.”

Her brother’s brows hit his hairline. “You did?”

“I did, and I’ve enrolled in a few university classes for the next semester too.”

“What did you choose as your major?”

“Fine arts.”

Maximilian’s true smile could light up a room, and it warmed her heart. “It suits you. Did you spend all summer hiking the Black Ridge Mountains?”

“We did. There was a beautiful village nearby and it was the perfect place to get some drawing done.”

Maximilian smiled, so soft and proud that she could barely look at him before his gaze rested on Vince. “I saw that you were a carpenter. But I assume hunting is your main business.”

“Yes. It was actually the reason for our travels to Black Ridge. We suspected lycans to be hiding out in the mountains.”

“And you took Scarlett with you?” Kurt snapped. “Fucking gr—”

Kurt snapped his mouth shut with a single look from his alpha.

“She was no where near our hunting grounds,” Mateo assured. “Nor will she ever be.”

“I have no doubt you have her best interests in mind. You are her mates after all. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be sitting at this table. But the most important question is: did you find the lycans? Because I always thought they were extinct these days.”

“We did. Five in fact,” Mateo confirmed.

“Interesting. I assume they are all dead now.”

“Sure thing,” Ezra bragged. “Killed, gutted, and sold.”

Kurt was trying hard to hide his feelings, but he struggled to keep an open mind. The fact that Ezra attacked him probably wasn’t helping.

Maximilian, however, was better at keeping his cool. “Was it your first lycan encounter?”

“Yes,” Mateo answered. “Like you, we thought they were extinct. We usually hunt vampires. During our last hunt we found evidence that lycans might still exist after all.”

“Interesting.” Then her brother’s gaze turned to Ezra. “And how did the warlock become a hunter?”

“Too greedy to pay someone for what I needed.”

That made Maximilian grin. “So, what is your story Mateo? Did you grow up a hunter?”

“Yes, but my family has the tradition to give the eldest heir everything. I happen to not be the eldest, so I decided to forge my own wealth.”

“And ended up with the carpenter and the warlock.”

Mateo chuckled. “I lured them in with my charm—and cooking skills.”

Maximilian was the one to keep up the conversation through breakfast. Mateo was the most talkative while she could feel Ezra’s facade wear off slowly.

She had her hand on his thigh, trying to soothe him through touch.

She knew how hard it was for him to be so tame, and appreciated it more than words could say.

Maximilian finally turned to Scarlett again. “When we cleared everything for me to take over, we found a few of your belongings. I packed them up and set them into your room.”

“Thank you.” She stood from the table, taking Ezra’s hand in hers. “C’mon I need some muscles to grab them.”

“You just want to babysit me.”

“I also know how nosy you are.”

Ezra shrugged, and they both followed Maximilian down the hallway towards her room. Ezra peeked into the rooms, snorting when he saw the entertainment room, the library, and then finally broke his silence when he saw the main bathroom with jetted tub and gold accents.

“Fucking golden cage,” he mumbled under his breath.

Maximilian’s jaw tightened, but he bit his tongue, pushing her bedroom door open. “I didn’t touch any of it. I couldn’t.”

“But it’s yours now.”

Her brother sighed and looked at his feet. “No one warned me how lonely it would feel once it was mine.”

She sat on her old bed, patting the mattress beside her. Maximilian accepted her invitation while Ezra took in the rest of the room. “How are you feeling besides that?”

“Good, I guess.”

“Have you decided to keep Jake as your beta?”

“Yes, but I think he’s having trouble adjusting.”

“He has been Father’s beta for all his life. It will take time.”

“I know, but I have a feeling he goes back to Father and reports everything.”

“ You are alpha, Maximilian. You are in command now and what you say is law. If you don’t want him to do that, put a stop to it.”

“Just what I needed: a kick to the guts by my little sister.”

“Am I wrong?”

“No.” He sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. “No, you aren’t.”

“This is your pack now. Of course, keeping certain things as they were might make your reign easier, but you can’t have people walk all over you.”

“Why does it sound so easy when you say it?”

Scarlett flashed her brother her best ‘I told you so’ grin.

“Because you’re not as ruthless as you may seem.

You’ve always wanted people to like you.

But being the leader is not about being loved by everyone.

It’s about making the right calls and putting your foot down.

If Jake continues to go behind your back, you have every reason to appoint a new beta. ”

Maximilian’s face softened. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too. I hope we can have more Sunday brunches like this.”

“We will.”

“Now we just need to find you a luna to fill this house with screaming babies and lots of mischief.”

“Let’s take it one step at a time.” Changing the subject, Maximilian said, “You still need your mating ceremony.”

She sighed and dropped her gaze to her lap. “We’re still figuring that out.”

“I assume it’s because it’s four of you and that’s a whole different ballpark.”

“It’s also because through me they will be connected.” She looked over her shoulder for Ezra’s help since she wasn’t sure how much they wanted to share of their own bond.

“The other two would prefer that I stay out of their head,” Ezra revealed freely, walking over to cup Scarlett’s cheek.

Maximilian crooked his brow at his new brother-in-law. “Because you’re a little crazy?”

“I bonded us all with a spell years ago,” Ezra offered. “It wasn’t supposed to share anything more than our location, but it went far deeper than that. Since we feel each others’ emotions, they would prefer to keep it at that, but Scarlett’s bond would change everything.”

“I see.”

Footsteps sounded down the hall, and there was a knock at the door before Mateo poked his head inside. “Ah, I was hoping we would be able to see your old room.” He stepped in, followed by Vince.

She looked around and felt something tug at her heart. “The drawings and pictures are missing from the walls.”

“The ones that are now in your room?” Mateo asked.

“Mmhmm.”

Kurt stepped in, seeming rather surprised. “ Your room? By yourself?”

She looked up at him, unsure of why that was a problem. Mateo though knew and was more than happy to share his insight. “I think Kurt would like to know why you don’t share a bedroom with your mates.”

Though Ezra was the one to answer, and the look in his eyes only spelled trouble. “Because she wouldn’t get any sleep, would she? And a princess needs her beauty sleep.”

She took his hand, redirecting his attention. “Ezra, be a sweet pup and carry the last of my things out.”

“As you wish.”

She followed everyone out of her room and with one last look back she said, “You should give it a clean slate. One day, your children will be in there.”

“First I need to find my luna,” Maximilian chuckled, laying his arm around her shoulders.

Scarlett giggled, admiring her three men. “I’ve learned that our mates often come to us when we least expect it.”

Kurt and Maximilian followed them down to the main entrance, where they shared their goodbyes and Ezra’s weapons were returned.

“I’ll see you all again on Sunday?”

Scarlett didn’t hesitate to answer for all four of them. “We can’t wait.”