Their Mate Between

CHAPTER 4.

“You’re hiding something from me.”

Ravyn knew it was only a matter of time before her brother picked up on her unusual behavior. What she hadn’t expected was that it’d take him less than five hours.

Call it twin tuition—or the fact that she kept smiling at her phone—but her brother was now staring down at her with a puzzled expression on his face.

“Why do you keep giggling?” He asked, less vague. “What happened while you were out on a run this morning? And don’t tell me nothing, I smelt something different on you.”

Damn.

Curse their werewolf genes. She bit her lower lip nervously, trying to think up a lie to avoid a lecture. Should I tell him the truth or tweak it a little?

She sighed. In the past, she never needed to lie to Rion. They shared everything, no matter how hard it was. She already left out the drama at the club, but now she needed to come clean before it was too late.

He’ll find out anyway.

Because somehow, the truth always finds a way to reveal itself. No matter how long it takes.

“Okay, don’t freak out, alright?”

“Why would you start that way?” Rion began to panic instantly, pacing like he always did when his nerves got the better of him. “I’m already cooking up a thousand scenarios in my head. Is it bad? Did something happen? f**k! I knew this town was too good to be true.”

Ravyn rolled her eyes. “Will you calm down? It’s not what you think.”

“Then what is it?”

“I wasn’t entirely honest about the other night,” she said, avoiding his eyes.

“The other night?” he repeated, deep in thought. Ravyn watched as the pieces came together in his head. “At the club?”

She nodded. “There was this guy—”

“What guy?”

“Well… there was a fight—”

“A fight?”

She shot him a warning look to stop the interruptions. “Two guys were fighting and one of them kind of fell into me, that’s all. Then this morning, during my run, I met another guy.”

Rion stopped. His eyes narrowed, sharpening in that way that always made her feel like she was back under his big-brother spotlight—even though they were born only six minutes apart.

“Another guy?” His tone dropped. “What are you on about? What exactly are you trying to say to me?”

This was the part she’d been dreading. She wished she could laugh it off, claim it was nothing, but there was no point in dodging. He already smelt something on her. Wolves couldn’t lie to each other easily, their bodies usually gave everything away.

Except you were skilled enough to mask it. But that was no easy task, especially when it isn’t your scent you’re trying to hide.

“I think… I think I met… my mates.”

There was silence.

For a long time, Rion just stared at her. He didn’t blink or move. It was as if her words had frozen him in time.

Finally, he said, very quietly, “Mates? As in, plural?”

Ravyn’s throat went dry. “Yeah.”

His nostrils flared, eyes flashing that dangerous molten gold that meant his wolf was fighting to be released. “Two mates? Two men you barely know? Ravyn, are you out of your mind?”

“Goddes, It’s not like I asked for it!” she shot back, her voice rising. “I didn’t go sniffing around looking for soul bonding partners, Rion. It just… happened.”

“I knew I shouldn’t have let you leave the house,” he growled, fists clenched at his sides.

She shook her head, her eyes going moist. “That’s not fair.”

“Mates complicate everything. They lash onto you, and bind you forever. They make you vulnerable. And we—” He jabbed a finger at the space between them. “We cannot afford vulnerability. No weaknesses, Rae!”

“We’re already each other’s weakness,” she snapped.

“You know what I mean!” He sighed. “Rae—”

“Don’t. Please don’t.”

“I need a plan. I need to make this right.” Again, Rion began to pace, making her uneasy.

Ravyn’s chest ached. She hated when he used the word ‘I’ like that—like she hadn’t spent the last two years sacrificing everything right beside him.

“I know this is bad. I know better than anyone, but maybe—”

“Reject them.”

It was as if her world came crumbling down the moment the words left his lips. Her breath seized and for a minute she forgot how to breathe.

“What?”

“You heard me.” His voice was hard. “Reject them. Both of them. End it before it starts. Don’t let them in, don’t let them close. That’s the only way we survive this.”

Her heart squeezed painfully. The idea of rejecting either of them was a thought she couldn’t bear. How could she let go of Kade’s reckless grin, his maddening charm… or Sebastian’s steady intensity, the way he looked at her like she was worth everything?

It already hurt, like tearing her own soul in half.

“I can’t,” she whispered.

“You can.” His glare cut into her. “You have to. Ravyn, think! It’s not safe, we can’t trust anyone else. What if Alpha Dorian comes sniffing around? Mates fight for what’s theirs. You’ll be putting them in danger or they could expose us without even meaning to.”

Ravyn shook her head fiercely. “Maybe they’ll understand. Maybe they could help. Maybe—”

“You don’t know what they’re like,” Rion snapped. “You don’t know them at all. You’ve seen them, what, once? And you’re ready to gamble everything on a pair of strangers?”

“They’re not strangers,” she insisted. “You didn’t feel what I felt—”

“I don’t need to,” he cut in sharply. “I’m not risking it. I’m not risking our safety. You know the danger we’re in, you know what he’s like. It’s just not happening.”

Ravyn thought about the two men she’d met only for a brief period of time, then rested her gaze on her brother. Although she was furious, she knew he was right.

But she just couldn’t let it go without a fight.

“So what? I’m just supposed to live my life like a ghost forever? Hide, run, keep my head down, pretend I don’t want anything? You don’t get to control every part of me, Rion.”

“I’m not controlling you,” his voice was softer now. “I’m protecting you. There’s a difference.”

Ravyn let out a bitter laugh. “It feels the same from where I’m standing.”

Finally, Rion rubbed a hand over his face, looking suddenly older, worn down. “Ravyn… if you let them in, you won’t be able to let them go. And when Dorian comes—and he will—we’ll lose everything. Including them. You’ll be broken. And I can’t watch that happen to you.”

Her heart cracked, because beneath all his stubbornness, all his paranoia, she knew it came from love. Love he’d shown her their entire life.

If they conversation continued this way, she was going to crack.

She decided to change the topic. “Calvin says he’ll come look over some job vacancies with me tomorrow, maybe even drive me to some places to ask if they’re hiring.”

Rion’s brows furrowed. “You’re looking for a job now?”

“We can’t survive on just your income, Rion.”

“Fine,” he sighed. “You can get a job after you’ve concluded the mate bond thing.”

She should have known there was nothing she could say to steer his mind from her mates. Eager to not get into it again, she nodded in agreement.

Even as her wolf lamented and thrashed within her, Ravyn couldn’t help but think maybe it was the right decision after all.

She could put an end to it and focus on her new life.

At least he’s letting me leave the house.