Mates: Revenge

Prologue

The ceremony is drawing near, and the pack is buzzing with excitement. Everyone is stepping up to lend a hand so that the ceremony is the best it can be. Jayden’s parents have arrived to celebrate with him and meet his new family. Patty and Jordy have always been front and center for all of Jayden’s milestones, and this is no different. Once everyone was acquainted and settled in, they were ushered into Jayden’s office to talk about recent events.

“Mom, dad….there are some questions. There are some things that don’t seem to measure up.” Jayden is sitting in his chair with Kehlani sitting on the arm, rubbing his back with one hand. Patty and Jordy are sitting across from the couple. Jordy grabs Patty’s hand as he senses her emotional turmoil. Jordy clears his throat, ready to speak to his son, but Patty beats him to it.

“When I was young, I went on a trip with some friends. We went to Europe…..sort of backpacked through a couple of countries. When we passed through Spain, we decided to go to a party. We were young and intent on having fun before we found our mates. It’s why we went so far away; who expects to find their mate in a foreign country?” Patty takes a deep breath and lets it out. “Almost as soon as we got to the party, I was hit with the most amazing scent; coffee and cinnamon. Of all the places in the world, I found my mate in Spain. He wasn’t from there, he was just visiting like we were. We hung out at the party with our friends. When it got too late, we broke off from the group. We walked up and down the streets of Spain before returning to his hotel. We……we spent the night together.” Patty looks down at her lap, not wanting to relive that time in her past. She never really expected to tell her son all of this, but what other choice did she have?

Jordy knows this story and knows how hard it is for Patty to relive it. He places his hand on her back and draws circles, hoping to soothe his mate. “When I woke in the morning, he was already dressed. I asked where he was going and he gave me the coldest stare. He said he could never have a mate like me. He needed someone who looked better. He needed someone who was more mature and would be able to carry her own. He……” Patty’s voice broke, and a few tears escaped. “He rejected me right there. I was devastated. The pain was indescribable and my wolf howled in my head. I didn’t accept it right away. When I didn’t accept the rejection, he….he started to hit me. He said that he would beat me until I accepted the rejection. I eventually did and he left.” Patty starts to sob, and Jordy quickly wraps her up in a hug. He hates that she had to experience such pain before he came into her life. Patty embraces Jordy before pulling away and sitting up. She attempts to wipe the tears from her face before continuing.

“Not long after we returned home, I found out I was pregnant. That is the same day your father came to our pack to visit the Alpha. We realized that we were mates. Your father is my second chance mate. Even after telling him what happened, he accepted me and you as his own.” Patty looks at Jordy with love in her eyes. The best thing that could have ever happened to her was being mated to this man. He showed her unconditional love and accepted her through all of the mess.

Jayden clears his throat, not really knowing what to say about any of this. His parents have always been an example of true love, and he always wanted what they have. He would never have guessed they were second-chance mates. “Who is my biological dad?”

“His name is Fredrick Banes. He is an Alpha out in England.”

*THE NEXT MORNING*

~Kehlani~

My alarm goes off, but I quickly silence it. Jayden barely slept last night, and I don’t want to wake him. I turn to my side to face Jayden. He usually looks so peaceful when he sleeps, but now his brows are creased, and he is frowning. I wish I could ease his mind, but I know that he has to come to terms with all of this on his own. I almost wish we had kept our findings to ourselves and not decided that we needed to find out what was really going on. “Baby,” Jayden says in a husky voice. “You are going to burn a hole in my head with the way you are staring at me.” He doesn’t open his eyes but has a smile on his face. I lean in and kiss his lips before pulling back.

“I….I’m just worried about you. You barely slept last night.” I snuggle closer to Jayden, and he wraps his arms tight around me. “How are you feeling about everything?” Jayden sighs and kisses me on my forehead.

“What can I say? My mom’s mate rejected her. I know what that’s like. I’m grateful that she got my dad as her second chance mate. That is my dad in every sense. He has always been here for me and loved me. That other guy, I can’t concern myself with him. I just…..I’m just sad that my mom got hurt the way she did.” I bury my head in Jayden’s chest and breath in deeply.

“Well, I can say that I’m grateful to your bio-dad.” I can hear Jayden take in a sharp breath, and his hand stills on my back. I look up at him and smile. “Without him, I wouldn’t have you.” Jayden smiles as he leans down and captures my lips in a passionate kiss.