Her Brother, Her Mate

2 years later….

“They’re going to be mates,” Carli stubbornly states. She has been insisting that Maurice Thomas, her son, would be mated to Karina, my daughter, who was born just a few weeks after Maurice.

“You need to quit saying that,” I laughed at her, “You are going to be disappointed if they aren’t.”

“They are. I know they are,” she sticks her nose up in the air. I sighed, shaking my head. Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn. That will never change.

“Where is Rosie?” I asked, sitting back in the lounge chair, settling in while my parents floated Karina around the pool. Maurice, the little terror in a lifejacket, kicking furiously to catch up with her. Tommy was cheering him on, ready to help if his little limbs got tired.

“She went with my mom and Elena to help Trevor and Carlos.”

That was a HUGE surprise. Trevor, after everything was resolved with fucktard, Aiden, took Carlos back to the packhouse, announcing that Carlos was his mate. His mom almost passed out from the shock. He was scared of what his parents or pack would think about their Beta having not only a vampire, but a man as his mate, but everyone was very supportive and excited. Even his mom came around eventually.

After nearly two years, Trevor and Carlos are finally tying the knot, and Mary is planning the entire wedding.

“What are they doing?”

“Cake tasting,” Carli clicked on her phone, showing me a picture of 3-year-old Rosie covered in frosting. “Mom sent this to me about five minutes ago.”

Mary and Carli’s relationship has improved vastly over the last few years. It wasn’t until Mary grew closer to Elena that Carli started to really accept her. Elena, as Lady Delilah’s best friend, soon became Mary’s best friend too. Elena was taken back at first by Mary’s behavior, but she embraced it, like the boss b***h she had always been.

Mary would go out of her way to make Elena happy because she felt through the sire bond that it would also be making Lady Delilah happy too. It’s weird to see, but being sired by a vampire myself, I understand.

Jared was ecstatic to learn that Mary didn’t have any lingering l**t for Lady Delilah, just this desire to please her that would come to the surface throughout the day. Lady Delilah made it clear that they wouldn’t cross that line, and she just wanted Mary to live a happy long life with her mate.

It doesn’t stop Mary from reacting to the sire bond, but it’s a relief for Jared, as well as Parker and Carli, that Mary isn’t having s*x with the leader of the vampires. I don’t even want to think about what that would have done to Jared’s mate bond with her.

My sire bond with Vincent isn’t much different from the mate bond. We don’t fight, which can be strange to others, but we both always put the other before ourselves, so it works for us. If I was mated to a selfish vampire, it probably wouldn’t have worked out as well as it has. We are both happy with our relationship and how all-consuming it is.

***

“Ready for burgers?” Alpha Jared calls out from the grill.

“I told you I wanted brats,” Tommy gave Jared a dirty look.

“I told you to go make them yourself,” Jared mutters, passing a tray full of burgers to Parker to put on the table with the rest of the food.

“You’re just jealous you don’t have any grandchildren named after you yet, damn baby,” Tommy taunts him.

Jared just shrugs off the comment, “They both have my last name,” he says with a smirk.

Tommy rolled his eyes, lifting Maurice from the pool and wrapping a towel around the squirming mess before setting him in his high chair. I took Karina from my mom and buckled her into the chair beside his. My parents settled in the seat next to her, thanking Parker as he passed the tray of burgers to them.

Carli goes to make kid’s plates for the toddlers, passing Rosie to her mom. I smile to myself, watching as Jared helps Carli, carrying the plates for her and then kissing her on the forehead when she thanks him.

“What are you smiling at, Love?” Vincent asks, snaking his arms around my waist from behind.

“Our family,” I tilted my head back and smiled at him.

“We do have a great family,” he hums against my neck. Carlos and Trevor even joined us today, heads dipped together sitting at the table. Trevor whispered something in Carlos’s ear, and by the expression on his face I knew he would blush if he had the ability. They’re so cute together.

Parker pulls Carli into his lap, nuzzling her hair as she sinks her teeth into a burger. Elena smacks the back of Tommy’s head when he tells Maurice to ‘not throw his f*****g food’, making Tommy curse more and Maurice repeats the word. Parker and Jared growl, but Carli and Mary laugh. Mary has her hand draped over Jared’s lap, sipping on a glass of wine I know is laced with Lady Delilah’s b***d.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

“We had quite the journey getting here,” I murmured, crossing my arms over his.

“We did, but I wouldn’t change a thing.”