Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers

Evaline:

I knew Mallory well enough to expect a dramatic reaction, but even so, her shriek nearly made me spill the tea in my hand.

"You are what?" she half-whispered, half-yelled, her eyes going impossibly wide as if I had just told her I was moving to the moon.

I winced, quickly setting my mug down on the bedside table and reaching over to press my hand over her mouth. "Sshhh! Do you want the entire estate to know?" I hissed.

She mumbled something against my palm, still looking at me like I had sprouted a second head. I narrowed my eyes before slowly pulling my hand away. "Mallory, lower your voice. The door's locked and the room's soundproof, but still... you are loud enough to make my ears ring."

"Sorry," she said automatically, though her tone suggested she was anything but sorry. "But you can't just drop a bomb like that and expect me to stay calm. River? Out of all people, River is your mate too?"

Her disbelief was so palpable that I almost laughed. Almost. "Yes," I admitted, running a hand through my long silver locks.

We were perched cross-legged on my bed, with pillows scattered around us and a lazy afternoon sunlight spilling in from the window. Jasper had picked up Lily earlier, and Mallory had come with him but stayed behind while he left with his daughter. I had been holding this in for days now, and she was one of those few people I could trust to hear it without the situation spiraling.

At least… that's what I thought.

"Have you told Oscar and Draven?" she asked finally, all traces of playfulness gone from her voice.

I exhaled heavily, shaking my head. "No. But I'm planning to tell them after dinner tonight."

"Eva…"

"I know," I interrupted, holding up a hand. "I know. I just… I'm scared, Mal. Things have only just started getting better between us, and now this happens. What if it ruins everything? What if they think I have been keeping secrets from them again?"

Her hand came to rest on my shoulder, and she gave me a warm squeeze that grounded me. "Eva, you have to trust them. Mate bonds are gifts from the Moon Goddess. We don't control who they are with. If the Moon Goddess tied you to more than one person, it's because she decided that's your fate. No one should hold you responsible for that."

I looked at her skeptically, but she continued firmly. "If I can understand this, they can too. And besides… River is their brother. That might actually make it easier for them to accept him as your mate. Think about it - there's no stranger here. They know him. They trust him. Just like they did with each other."

I sat in silence for a moment, mulling over her words. Maybe she was right… or maybe she was being overly optimistic for my sake.

She broke the quiet with the one question I had been hoping she wouldn't ask. "So… how do you feel about River?"

I opened my mouth, but she immediately raised a hand. "And be honest. Think before you answer."

Her tone was light but serious enough to make me pause. I dropped my gaze to the patterned quilt beneath us, my fingers tracing an absent line. "Our relationship started on a bad note," I admitted slowly. "I didn't hate him, but I disliked him for a long time. Even after becoming his assistant, I kept my distance."

I hesitated before continuing. "But… I have come to know him better these past couple of months. He's rich, powerful, strong, and a businessman through and through. The cold, intimidating side everyone sees... that's because his identity and position demands it. I have seen other sides too. Sides you wouldn't expect. He can be… cute, in his own strange way. Out of control sometimes. And… kind, when he wants to be."

I took a deep breath. "And yes, he's… attractive. But then, which of the brothers isn't?"

Mallory's grin had been growing the entire time I spoke. "Oh my god, you have already fallen for him, haven't you?"

"What? No!" I said quickly, my head snapping up. "Whatever I feel for River is… it's not like that. It's respect. And maybe a little fear. But romantic? No."

She tilted her head, unconvinced.

"I mean it," I insisted. "Even if I do find him attractive, I have never let myself think about him that way. I already had mates. It would have been wrong. So I kept a wall up between us."

Mallory leaned back, resting her elbows on a pillow. "That wall," she said knowingly, "is exactly why you have never considered him that way. But now? He's your mate too. There's no reason to keep that guard up anymore. You can… explore whatever this is."

I rolled my eyes, not wanting to admit she might have a point.

"And honestly," she added with a wicked grin, "at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if one day Kieran turned out to be your mate too. Can you imagine? Three out of four brothers already, and the poor fourth left out? That would be a cruel joke from the Moon Goddess."

I groaned, grabbing a pillow and smacking her lightly with it. "Don't even joke about that!"

She laughed, falling back dramatically onto the bed. "Oh, come on, you would secretly love it. After all, it's the Professor Kieran we are talking about."

I snorted, though my lips twitched in amusement. "You are impossible."

"And you are in deep," she teased again, earning another pillow smack.

We both ended up laughing, the tension easing between us. But even as we joked, a knot of anxiety remained in my stomach. Tonight, I would have to tell Oscar and Draven. And no matter what Mallory said, there was no guarantee how they would react.

Still, I kept faith in the bond we had been building... and their love for me.