Wren POV
We are late, and if there is anything my parents hate more than being late, I haven't found it yet. My palms are sweating, and I can't seem to catch my breath. After the disaster yesterday, I don't know what to expect.
Destin opens the door to the conference room, and it falls silent. There are more people here than I would like, but like always, I don't have a choice. My parents are sitting at the head of the table, and Macy and my brothers are next to Dad. Charlie is sitting by himself, and he looks pale.
I smile at him, but he doesn't return it. I would worry he is mad at me, but I can smell alcohol on him from here. The idiot is hungover. My fathers will have a field day with this.
Destin slides into the seat next to Charlie and pulls me into his lap. I flush with embarrassment and try to get up, but Destin holds me close. He has no intention of letting me up.
Dad is scowling at us. "There are enough seats for everyone."
"She likes to sit..." Destin begins, but I squeeze his leg, letting my claws dig into his flesh. Smartly, he shuts up.
A snort of laughter comes from the other end of the table. Macy is trying to suppress her amusement, but she sucks at it. We are all looking in her direction, and she bursts into a fit of giggles.
"Come on," she laughs. "I can't be the only one pleased that Destin took his head out of his ass. One down, one to go."
Charlie is looking at Macy and my brothers. He is not blinking, and I get the feeling I am missing something. My parents look equally confused.
"Why are we all here?" I pull the attention away from Macy.
"I am sure you are aware the Moon Goddess has not carried through with her threat of removing fated mates," Mom begins.
I shift uncomfortably on Destin's lap. "I am, but what can we do about it?"
"I was hoping your mate could help me with that," she smiles.
"Which one?" I ask.
"What do you mean?" She replies.
"Alpha Charlie is my mate as well," I inform the room. "I assumed Destin told you."
Dad growls. "He failed to mention it."
"I assume you want to know how I can see mate bonds," Destin saves me.
"Yes, please," Mom whispers.
He holds up my arm. "These symbols match the ones on my arm. I can also see the faint outline between Wren and Charlie. Macy noticed it as well. I also saw the same runes on one of Alpha Charlie's pack members."
Macy shrinks down in her chair. Dad's face is bright red, and I know he is about to explode.
"Before you lose your temper; it wasn't my place to tell you," she whispers.
"No one is angry," Mom assures her. "But why are the runes showing up now? It has never happened before."
"I think I can answer that," someone says from the corner of the room.
I don't know how I missed her when we walked in. She tucks her gray hair behind a pointed ear and gets to her feet. I haven't seen Nyx since the end of the war. She used to look severe and tired, but now that she is standing in front of me, she is breathtaking.
Everyone's eyes are on her, and jealousy rears its ugly head. I reach out for Charlie. I need her to know he is mine as well.
"You remember Nyx," Father gestures to her.
She smiles gently before continuing. "Werewolf magic and Fae magic are not so different from each other. Before, your wolves were able to recognize your other half, but I can only assume that call is silent now.
"If I had to guess, the magic of the mate bond is morphing and changing out of necessity. Mates will always be desperate to find their other half."
"But why can only Fae see it?" I question. "If it is meant to help us find our other half, shouldn't we all be able to see it?"
"Because it isn't perfected," Nyx shrugs. "Just like biology, magic needs time to evolve. It could be centuries before werewolves are able to see it."
"That doesn't help us now," Mom sighs. "From what I understand, wolves are already feeling the betrayal of the bond they didn't know existed."
"And I doubt anyone is willing to stop partying until they find their mates," Dad groans.
"How much time have you spent with Alpha Charlie?" Father asks.
I can't look him in the eyes. "A fair amount of time."
Edward strides across the room, lifts me from Destin's lap, and sets me on Charlie's. We are both stunned. Charlie turns a bright shade of red and swallows hard.
"Let's give them some time together and see how long until the marks show up," Edward smirks.
"I am not a science experiment," I snarl at him.
"Wren," Mom sighs. "You and Charlie might be our only hope to figure this out."
I scoff loudly. "So, my personal relationships are going to be studied, and I have no choice in this decision."
"I agree with Wren," Charlie finally speaks. "Our personal relationship is not to be studied."
"Wren," Mom begs. "Please."
"No," I shout. "I have lived my whole life under the eyes of the werewolf world. I won't do that to Charlie and Destin. They deserve better."
I hop to my feet and look at my mates. Destin holds out a hand for me. "Come on, Kitten. Let's go to the cabin."
I hold out my other hand for Charlie. "I know you have a pack to run, but I think you should come with us."
Charlie takes my hand and gets to his feet. "Let me speak with my Beta. She can run things while we figure this out."
Standing on my tiptoes, I press my lips to his. "Thank you," I whisper as we pull apart.
"Anything for you," he smiles.
Destin leads us out of the conference room and pauses outside of the door. "Pack what you need. I don't know how long we will be at the cabin."
I turn to Charlie. "Are you okay to leave the pack indefinitely?"
He presses his forehead to mine. "The Moon Goddess herself couldn't pry me away from you."
"Good," I sigh. "Because she might try."