Page 15 of Grand Romantic Delusions and the Madness of Mirth, Part Two

“Yes.” Mirth is calm despite the energy pouring off my mother now. Off all of us. She looks at me, those purple eyes feeding my soul even as they pin me in place. “He’s mine. Like Bolan is mine.”

I can tell she expects me to protest. To demand that she choose between us.

I’m not that fucking stupid. “Yeah,” I say, grinning like the cocky asshole I am. “Catching you straddling him in bed, all naked, made that crystal fucking clear.”

Livi’s mouth drops.

My mother’s cheeks flush. In disapproval.

Some pieces of our past family dynamics start clicking together for me. Like why we were never sworn to a shifter pack.

“There was nothing to catch,” Mirth says coolly. “I’m not hiding any of you.”

“Any of you?” Livi echoes. “How, um, I mean … you mean there’s more than just Bolan and this Rian?”

“That is also none of your business, Livi,” my mother snaps. Her head tilts, listening.

I catch the murmured strains of Sophia and Emily arguing from the front hall a moment later.

“It’s called a bond group,” I say to Livi, gleefully defying my mother now. Normally, I’m just an absent asshole, literally not around. But apparently, claiming Mirth has already changed me. Because I’m here, and I’m fighting for the family I want now. Whether or not they’re blood related to me.

“Not a pack?”

“Nope. Only three of us are shifters.”

“And … all of you are together? But, um … isn’t Rian …”

“My long-lost brother? Yep. I’m not obligated to get anywhere near his dick, if that’s what’s bothering you.”

Livi slaps me on the shoulder. Hard.

“That’s enough,” my mother hisses. “The girls don’t need to hear this!”

Looking my mother dead in the eye, I add, “It’s Mirth who has to juggle us all. Well, as many of us as she wants.”

Livi’s mouth opens and closes a couple of times. Then a big fucking grin swamps her face, and she giggles. “Right fucking on, Mirth!”

Mirth’s face, already a little flushed, goes up in flames.

My younger sisters, Sophia and Emily, chattering excitedly, choose that moment to pretty much tumble into the kitchen. All long limbs and blazing smiles, they rush me, both jostling each other to be first.

They’re within reach when their senses catch up to their impulses and they realize that Mirth is in the kitchen as well.

They stumble to a halt, shriek in unison, and slam their hands over their mouths. Then they bow. Deeply.

Livi cackles. Loudly, and as mockingly as only an older sibling can be without saying a word.

Practically panicking, Emily, the elder of the two at fourteen, realizes her mistake first. She quickly curtsies instead and tries to tug Sophia to follow her lead. Instead, Sophia collapses on top of her sister, and they go down in a tangle of arms and legs.

I side-eye Mirth, noting that she’s actually struggling to maintain a straight face.

My mother slams the hot plate of pancakes down on the kitchen island so hard the plate cracks in two. A few pancakes slide onto the floor, tumbling to land at Mirth’s feet.

Silence settles over the kitchen. The girls peer up at all of us, slowly straightening.

“What’s wrong?” Sophia asks.

“What’s going on?” Emily says, overlapping her sister’s question.

Livi crosses her arms, abruptly irate though she was laughing her ass off a moment before.

She leans against the kitchen island and all but snarls, “Mirth and Bolan are soul bound. They’re part of a bond group that includes our half-brother, Bolan and my dad’s kid, who Mom knew all about and hid from us all. ”

Emily and Sophia turn wide eyes from Mirth and me to Livi, and then to our mother. A look of utter betrayal filters across Sophia’s face even as Emily’s energy shifts to match Livi’s.

“A brother!” Emily explodes.

My mother throws her oven mitts on the counter, one at a time, then she sweeps a look over us all. Her voice is cold and full of vitriol when she finally speaks.

“Bond groups are unnatural. A true commitment can only happen between one man and one woman. James wanted to bring another, younger woman here. He insisted she belonged with us. That she was his chosen, like I should be. When she was really just another wolf willing to whore herself out for position. It’s her own fault she cheated and got herself pregnant. ”

Every word that falls from my mother’s lips completely alters my perception of her, of my childhood.

A terrible, heavy silence threads through the room. It’s full of confusion and a deep sadness. Mostly from Mirth, I think, because it’s my darling perfect princess who speaks first.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Adeline.”

My mother swallows, her icy demeanor faltering a little. As if it’s okay to spew that shit to her children, but not to Her Royal Highness. “I … I understand that you are awry, Mirth. The rules are different for you.”

“Different how?” Livi asks. “Lots of wolves are polyamorous.”

My mother clenches her teeth. “The awry are … different than us.”

“Different? As in somehow incapable of making true commitments?” Livi says disdainfully. “You think Armin and Mirth haven’t cared for us all these years?”

“They’ve done their duty to you both,” my mother says stiffly. “Their friendship is very valuable.”

“Valuable,” Livi mockingly echoes.

“That’s not what I —”

“And …” Sophia interrupts our mother with a firm whisper, “I don’t understand the man-and-woman thing? Some people don’t identify with a singular gender or even the gender they were born with. You … Mom … you think nonbinary people aren’t capable of making a true commitment?”

“What about queer people?” Emily asks, her tone harsher than her sister’s. “Where do they fit into your tidy little world view?”

“That’s …” My mother clenches her hands into fists at her sides, looking between all of us — except for Mirth. “That’s not what I meant. Don’t twist my words.”

Emily and Sophia glance at each other. Some silent communication passes between them, and they nod practically in unison.

“We’re heading over to our dad’s,” Sophia says.

“Don’t be silly,” my mother says. “Bolan just got home —”

I open my mouth, but Livi interrupts me.

“I’ll drive you.” My older sister eyes our mother pointedly, then says, “Just in case anyone is wondering where I stand on all of this, I’m currently fucking three people.

My dance instructor, a mage friend from school, and the woman who runs the fucking dance academy.

Yep, not only is she a woman, but she’s fifteen fucking years older than me. ”

My mother’s mouth drops open.

Livi continues, “And after I drop the girls to their dad’s, I’m going to introduce them all in a group text and see if they all want to fuck me at the same time.”

My mother turns on her heel and walks out of the room.

After a moment, the front door opens, then slams closed. A beat later, a car engine engages.

Roz, Mirth’s royal guard, pokes her head into the kitchen from the direction of the mudroom. “Everything okay in here?”

No one answers her, so she nods, then retreats back the way she came.

Livi glances at me. “Did that go the way you thought it would?”

“Not remotely. But you don’t seem all that surprised. About the discriminatory shit.”

Livi sighs, opening her arms toward Emily and Sophia. They both lurch forward to be enfolded in her embrace. “There’s a reason I haven’t mentioned who I’m dating.”

“I had no idea.”

“You haven’t been here, Bolan,” my sister says. “I’m not blaming you, but …” Her eyes flick to Mirth for a moment. “You found your soul family at age nine.”

“You’ve barely lived here yourself,” I say defensively.

“Yeah, I missed it until I moved back. After I finally ditched Edward.”

Emily peers up at Livi, then over toward Mirth and me. “How cold do you think the pancakes are?”

“Do you care?” Sophia asks.

“Nope!”

Trust a wolf to default to the yearnings of her stomach in the middle of a family crisis.

Emily and Sophia grab a stack of plates from the cupboard, then start serving themselves.

“I’m so sorry,” Mirth whispers to me.

“I’m shocked.” I press a kiss to her forehead, then tug her toward the breakfast to see what we can salvage. “But I’m not sorry.”