Destin POV
Raven and I sit silently at the kitchen table. We have never been alone before. Her overbearing mates have always prevented it, but I can't blame them. I haven't always conducted myself in a manner that is appropriate.
She pulls a stack of letters out of her purse and slides them across the table. "Wren wrote these to you while she was in South America."
I don't touch the letters. If I am going to read them, it isn't going to be in the presence of her mother. Raven waits for a few moments before speaking again.
"Your life has never been easy, and I am sorry for my daughter's current attitude. I am afraid she gets it from one of her fathers."
"Leo," I growl. "She gets it from Leo."
I expect Raven to be angry, but she throws her head back and laughs. "You are not wrong."
"Why are you here?"
She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, and it reminds me of what Wren does when she is nervous. I actually find my heart aching for my kitten, even though she has been a massive pain in my ass as of late.
"Leo and Oliver shared a complicated relationship in the beginning. They hated each other, to be exact, but eventually, they grew to love one another. Not in the way that they each love me, but a sort of love nonetheless."
"I already care for Charlie," I interrupt her. "This conversation is not necessary."
Raven reaches across the table and touches my hand. "It is necessary. Eventually, the bond between the three of us wasn't enough. It felt empty. It wasn't until Leo and Oliver marked each other that it became everything it was supposed to be."
"You think I should mark Charlie?"
She pulls her hand away and gets to her feet. "I am only here to tell you about my experience and to give you my daughter's letters."
I finally rest my hand on the stack of paper. "I don't need these. Wren is with me now. I am sure she has told me everything that is in these."
"Keep them," she whispers. "Like you said. Wren is too much like Leo. Sometimes she expresses herself better through written words."
My fingers curl around the envelope. "Why do I get the feeling that you have read these?"
Raven glances over her shoulder. "They are sealed."
She closes the door behind her, leaving me alone with Wren's letters. Against my better judgment, I open the first one. I devour her words, reading each of the letters like they are the last words I will ever hear from her. That's when I realize, this is what they were meant to be. Once she realized the twins power was hiding her and Charlie, she assumed we would never be together again.
The pages are full of heartbreak and sorrow, but also joy. She tried her best to remain upbeat about her situation, but the sadness broke through. Toward the end of the stack, Charlie's words accompanied Wren's, and suddenly I understood what Raven was talking about. Without my mark on Charlie's neck and his mark on mine, the bond between the three of us will never be complete. Wren is enough to hold us together, but not enough to make us strong.
By the time I finish the last one, the sun is setting over the trees. I can hear shuffling outside the cabin door. Wren and Charlie are trying to keep their voices down as they argue over who is going to approach me first and apologize.
'What are you going to do?' Nyx asks.
'What I should have done as soon as you claimed Charlie,' I sigh.
Tired of waiting for them to come inside, I fling the door open. They both meet my gaze with wide eyes and open their mouths to speak, but I interrupt them.
"Where are the twins?"
"Staying with Macy," Wren whispers.
Charlie steps forward, and I wrap my hand around his neck. The scent of his fear fills the air, and Wren tries to pull me off him. "We are here to apologize."
I tilt his head to the side and sink my fangs into the flesh of his neck. Wren gasps and takes a step back. I expect Charlie to fight, but the moan that leaves his mouth tells me he is enjoying it. When I pull away and swipe my tongue over my mark, I can feel the bond snap partially into place.
He places his hand over his neck and struggles to find his voice. I turn my back, not needing to explain myself, and walk back into the cabin.
Suddenly, someone jumps on my back. I know it isn't my kitten, because Charlie's weight almost pulls me to the ground. He buries his face in my neck and hesitates. The sting of the rejection stirs under my skin, but disappears when his fangs sink into my muscle.
"Shit," I moan. It feels better than it should.
He holds on longer than I did, but I don't try to fight him off. Our bond fully snaps into place, and he hops off my back. Our power merges together like nothing I have felt before, and laughter bubbles in my chest.
Wren's face is flushed, and the scent of her arousal is thick in the air. "That was hot."
Charlie rolls his eyes. "Don't get too excited, Princess. We were just completing the bond."
She pushes her lip out in a little pout and crosses her arms over her chest. "A girl can dream."
'Destin,' Nyx whispers weakly in my mind.
Concern crosses my mind. 'What is it?'
I can feel her smile. 'I have served my purpose.'
Pain sears through my back, and fire bursts through my wounds. I drop to the ground, landing on my hands and knees. Blood drips onto the floor around me, and gray feathers molt around me. At the same time, I can feel Nyx disappearing from my mind.
'Thank you, Nyx,' I whisper before she entirely disappears.
I get to my feet and spread my new wings out behind me. They aren't black like my old ones, but slate gray. I peer over my shoulder and look at them. Tears drip down my cheeks as I turn back to my mates.
"Nyx has earned her place among the stars," I whisper, not wanting to explain more.