RHOGON ||
Mateo and Zayne decided to cook instead of all of us going out for dinner. It was a welcomed thing. I much preferred my mates' cooking to only Goddess knows what, takes place in the kitchens of those restaurants.
I find myself smiling as I float around the kitchen, watching Mateo and Zayne adore each other and their fated bond. They were the only ones in the house that had been blessed enough to find their fated and it brought me great joy to see them interact.
I couldn't wait to have that for Hendrix and Jett. Me, on the other hand, I was ok with not having my fated. I had enough chosen mates. This was good for me.
"Drix, Jetty, can you set the table?" Zayne asks from his position by the stove as he starts to plate up the steaks.
My eyes shift to Hendrix and Jett in the livingroom, sprawled across the sectional as they fight over a serious battle of something on their gaming system. I never understood their obsession with it. I wasn't a big gamer but to them, that thing was better than air sometimes.
"Aww come on, just let us finish this game." Hendrix gripes, his fingers still working on the controller.
"We're almost done. We can set it after I beat Henny's butt." Jett laughs and my eyes widen when I see Mateo's head turn around so fast, I thought he would get whiplash.
Taking off his shoe, I do a combination of a snort and a yelp as I duck along with Zayne when Mateo throws the weaponized shoe in the livingroom, perfectly hitting both of our defiant mates.
"Ow! Tayo, Goddess!" Hendrix growls, rubbing the back of his head.
"That one hurt!" Jett whimpers, rubbing his shoulder and I snort when Mateo sends them a look that meant either his other shoe was coming off or he was going to grab his wooden spoon.
"You two better do what he said before that other shoe comes off." I laugh, picking myself up and off the floor just as Zayne gets back to his feet as well.
"Better yet, do what he said before my baby grabs that damn spoon." Zayne's boisterous laugh fills the room.
"Tayo, no throwing in the house." Jett giggles and when Mateo sends him a look, he grabs the wooden spoon right after.
"No me hagas azotarte." Mateo threatens, waving the wooden spoon towards Jett and all that does is make Jett giggle a little more.
"Don't threaten me with a good time, I like spankings, Papi." Jett whispers seductively, doing a little shimmy with his shoulders and I shake my head before addressing my crazy men.
"Let's get the food on the table before there's a problem in this kitchen." I instruct, grabbing the salad bowl from Zayne.
"Si." Mateo mumbles, putting the rice in a bowl and asparagus on a plate.
"You're all just a bunch of dumbasses." Hendrix chuckles, now walking right behind Mateo with the bowl of mashed potatoes.
"Wouldn't want another incident like that food fight when we took Jett right here in this kitchen." Zayne growls and then there's a chorus of whoops and hollers from Hendrix and Jett alike.
Horny beasts.
"That's enough out of you." I scold playfully, nudging Zayne with my shoulder.
When we all finally get settled around the table, it's loud voices, boisterous laughs and food being devoured as usual. The only one who had any couth about themselves while having a meal was Mateo, but that was ok. These were my men - my family - and this is what I've come accustomed to.
Mateo with his sweet heart and shoe wielding talent. Jett with his goofball ways. Zayne and Hendrix with their obsession for "roasting" one another and the rest of us. . . with foul mouths to match.
These are my men. The ones who keep me going.
After losing my parents to that fire four years ago, I didn't think I would ever have this kind of thing again. The house full of love and laughter. Sitting down at the table as one big unit, enjoying a meal.
I'm not an only child, but I haven't heard from my older brother since our parents died, so who knows if he's even alive at this point.
Mateo lost his parents too. His siblings. Majority of his pack. Hendrix lost his entire family and his entire pack. Zayne lost an uncle and while Jett hadn't lost anyone to the devastation, he knew what loss was and that was the defining factor for all of us.
To stay together. To love one another. To fight through everything and refuse to lose this - what we have right here.
It's not just a bond. It's a family. Our family. One that nothing and no one could break.
Which is why it's so hard for me to mention what I must. They don't know and that's my fault but they have to. They're involved. This affects them too and if convicted, this would break what we've all worked so hard to build.
And being their Alpha of Alphas, it was my job to protect them. To love them. To protect our pack and that started with being truthful about this.
"I received a letter from the Council."
It's only seven words. They shouldn't weight as heavy as they do, but they do. My mates' silence and food no longer being eaten tell me that.
I swallow nervously when all of their eyes fall on me.
"What?" Mateo asks, his eyes narrowing as he sets his fork down.
My eyes find his. "I received a letter from the Council."
Jett frowns deeply. "What did it say?"
I sigh heavily, painfully. "My presence is required for a hearing."
"A hearing?" Zayne asks with a slight growl to his voice as he sits upright in his chair. "About what?"
This was harder than it seemed. I pull the folded piece of paper from my slacks pocket and slide it across the table. Zayne is the first one to grab it and the rest of my mates huddle around him to read it.
There's growls heard from the other side of the table and then heads whip up to face me again. All but Jett's, my sweet pup was still reading the letter as if it had some hidden meaning that could be found between the obvious words.
"And you didn't think to tell us this?" Hendrix asks first, with an upturned lip. "We're your mates, Rho. We're family. This affects us too."
"I know that, baby." I scratch my head, my skin suddenly feeling prickly. "I didn't want to ruin the good day we've had, but watching you all just now, I couldn't keep it from you any longer."
"You shouldn't have kept it from us at all, you fuck," Zayne snarls, getting up from his chair. His temper rivaled my own and usually I was the one to put him down, but now, I just let him go. "You're supposed to be in front of the Council in seven days. What the fuck, Rho?!"
"You're our Alpha," Jett whispers, a saddened look to his eyes. "Our mate, our Alpha," he repeats, I knew the meaning behind it. "If they choose to prosecute you, what are we supposed to do without you?"
I can't look into those pretty blue-green eyes anymore. Not with the tears quickly forming there. This was hard. I know they're scared. I'm scared too. Kano can't get me out of this one.
"This says there's been anonymous reports of our breaking the Law," Hendrix growls, chucking the letter on the table. "Who the fuck in their right mind would report us? What would they get out of that?"
"More importantly how did they know?" Mateo asks, looking around. He even pulls my attention. "An accusation like this would have to have evidence to support their claims or the Council wouldn't hear it. How did they know? How did they get evidence on this? We're very careful in public."
I hadn't thought about that but it's true. We don't interact like mates would in public. We all have even made sure not to mark one another on the neck, where we should, because we couldn't show more than one mark or people would get suspicious.
Especially at Alpha meetings when all of us are in one space. Sure the other Alphas thought I was unorthodox having two acting Betas and two acting Gammas, but that's what I've had to tell people to make sure our secret stayed hidden.
We didn't hug. We didn't kiss. We barely touched in public. Yeah we would talk and joke around and be us as much as we could be, but we wouldn't give anything away.
So how did someone get evidence for this kind of crime?
"Can we come with you?" Hendrix asks, pulling me back. My eyes find his dark brown ones. "This affects us too. Our names are mentioned too. So can we come with you?"
I find myself nodding. I needed them there with me even if the Council didn't want it.
"Of course," I answer honestly, holding his gaze until he nods but then Hendrix is on his feet too and storming off towards the stairs.
I don't move to stop him but Jett does run after him. Hendrix has always had a temper too but he usually took that anger out on something else before trying to challenge one of us. I appreciated that.
When I'm left with just Zateo and Mateo, I gnaw on my bottom lip, hating the way they were looking at me. I could see the tears swimming there. Zayne's beautiful hazel eyes and Mateo's chocolate gaze hold mine, watching, waiting.
I didn't have anything else to say. The letter spoke for itself. The Council wanted me in seven days from now and if they chose to prosecute, I would lose everything. We would lose everything.
It was a heavy blow to our slice of happiness. We've had enough of those over the past year since forming this wonderful bond and this. . . It was heavy.
I'm on my feet before I know it, walking around the table and engulfing my remaining mates in a much needed hug that they don't hesitate in reciprocating.
"If you go down without a fight," Zayne whispers against my shoulder, his voice as shaky as he felt. "I'll fucking rip you a new one."
A chuckle escapes me even through my own tears that were easily forcing their way up. I didn't put it past Zayne. Even though we've had our fair share of scuffles over the years we've been together and I've always won, Zayne would most definitely try.
"I love you, Bebe." Mateo whispers next, his voice as uncharacteristically quiet. "So much."
I tighten my grip around them both. "I love you too, baby. Both of you. All of you and no matter what happens, it's always us. Ok?"
They knew what it meant. What those words held. That no matter what happened, no matter where we all ended up, no matter what we lost, we would always find a way back to one another. Only death could keep us from this kind of love.
"It's always us." They say in unison and I nod against them.
We stay like that for some time, my arms wrapped around my guys and theirs around me until we finally sort after having shed some much needed tears. Then we found our way upstairs to join Jett and Hendrix in my bedroom. We all usually slept together in my room, but tonight we really needed that. To stay with one another, scents mingling and bodies entangled.
It would probably be one of the last nights we ever could. And that's what terrified me the most.