The truth revealed

Alex sat curled up in the corner of his bed, his sketchbook forgotten on the floor. The house was quiet, except for the distant hum of the dryer and the occasional creak from the old hallway floorboards. His lips still tingled from Brian’s kiss, and his thoughts spun like a storm.

He wasn’t angry. He was confused, sure, but mostly… terrified. Of what the kiss meant. Of the bond that felt too real. Of the fact that the only person who made his heart race was the one person he wasn’t supposed to want.

A soft knock at his door pulled him out of his thoughts. Rachel peeked in. “Sweetheart? Can we talk?”

Alex nodded silently.

She entered slowly, eyes gentle. “I’ve been meaning to ask. Are you… okay? You’ve seemed… distant.”

Alex’s voice cracked. “Do you believe in fate?”

Rachel raised an eyebrow, then slowly nodded. “I do. It’s how I found Daniel. Why?”

Alex hesitated. “If… If someone you weren’t supposed to love turned out to be the person fate chose for you, what would you do?”

Rachel studied him. “Is this about Brian?”

His breath caught.

She smiled softly. “I’m your mother. I’ve seen the way you look at him. And I’ve seen how he looks at you.”

Alex’s eyes widened. “You knew?”

“I suspected. But I also knew that both of you would need to figure it out on your own. The bond doesn’t always come in a neat little package, Alex.”

He swallowed. “We’re mates. We felt it. At the Moon Festival.”

Rachel sat beside him, wrapping her arms around his trembling body. “I’m not mad. I’m not scared. I just want you to be safe—and happy.”

He buried his face in her shoulder, tears falling freely now. “It’s wrong. He’s my stepbrother.”

Rachel held him tighter. “You’re not blood. And the bond doesn’t care about the titles humans created. All that matters is what’s real.”

Across the house, Brian sat with his father in the study, his hands clenched into fists.

Daniel poured a drink, eyeing his son carefully. “So. You kissed him?”

Brian didn’t deny it.

Daniel sat back. “Is he your mate?”

Brian nodded.

Daniel sighed, rubbing his temples. “I knew this might happen. You’ve been circling each other like wolves since the wedding.”

“I didn’t want this,” Brian said. “I tried to fight it.”

“And now?”

“I want him. But I also want to be good for him.”

Daniel finally looked up, his voice quiet but firm. “Then be. Protect him. Honor him. Don’t make the same mistakes I did with Rachel in the early days.”

Brian met his father’s gaze. “You’re… not angry?”

“I was raised by the old rules. But I also know love when I see it. Just don’t break him. Omegas don’t heal easily.”

That night, for the first time in weeks, the Carter-Monroe house felt quiet in a different way.

“Like everyone had finally stopped running from the undeniable, unshakable truth they feared for so long.

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