Chapter 75: Their Cursed

Pip

Carson, Remi, and the twins left the suite. I waited for Zeus like his note had said. Remi looked amazing when I was done with her. Luna Nicole did an awesome job of selecting her wardrobe. Her gown just made her ooze strength and capability. She had already grown so much in the little while I had been away from the pack house. She was more confident in herself and her bond was strengthening with the twins. Putting her in some killer clothes and makeup definitely made her an object of envy.

I wrung my hands nervously as I slowly paced around the room. I didn’t know how long it been because time seemed to move slower with anticipation. Part of me wished Zeus and the twins would bury whatever is between them for my sake. They were starting to just leave me with Zeus which I didn’t mind but it did make me feel a little weird.

I knew being mated to someone outside of our pack meant I would have to leave Blue Moon if I accepted him. I was still torn. I was having trouble wrapping my head around leaving my parents, Gen, the twins, and now Remi. I hadn’t even gotten to meet Gen’s mate yet. I knew almost no one in Serenity Moon so this would be a huge change. Zeus wanted to mark me last night after we had sex again, but I had asked him to wait.

I felt like I had been waiting too long so I went to my room to find my phone and check it. The ball had already begun for sure and there was no message from Zeus. I bit my lip nervously. Did something happen? I decided to send him a quick message and go back to the sitting room. I took my phone with me just in case.

Remi

The twins and I slowly wafted around the impressive ballroom as everyone drank and chatted. The Alphas that would be joining their packs with Blue Moon had all come over and introduced themselves to us. Most of them seemed to have some sense of relief about the situation. I realized that all of them had been mentioned in the documents that I had read with Cullen. Only one of them was younger. He seemed the surliest about the situation and I noticed he didn’t have a mate with him.

The twins seemed cool and confident with everything so far. I don’t know if they had planned this before we got here but they were definitely victorious in their efforts. I noticed that Pip and Zeus had not arrived yet and I wondered if I should try linking her. Zane and Marie also kept a good berth from us which struck me as interesting given the change in dynamic that was occurring.

Carson followed us around, only participating in conversation with borderline politeness when addressed. His eyes kept darting around the room like he was looking for someone or avoiding them.

It was finally time to take our seats and eat. I was so relieved as we moved over to our table because my feet were aching. This dress is gorgeous, but it was hard to move in and the heels were something I never wanted to experience again. To their credit, one of the twins kept their arm around me or allowed me to cling to them without break so far this evening. When my bottom connected with the chair, I could almost hear my feet sigh in relief.

Arthur, Luke, and Rachel joined us as well and I was a little mollified that they didn’t seemed concerned with our new status. Arthur greeted the twins warmly and Rachel me. Luke gave us a polite nod.

“Everything looks so beautiful this year,” Rachel commented.

“This hall is magnificent,” I agreed.

“I believe Marie had it redone since last year,” Arthur commented.

“She did a wonderful job,” I said. Our polite conversation continued as food was set in front of us. Carson sulked the whole time. I wondered if it would be best to leave him be or try to get him to participate.

While we ate and chatted, Arthur invited us to Luke’s Alpha ceremony. The twins told him we would have to check our schedule, but I hoped we could go. I really like Rachel and she seemed very fond of her mate. I didn’t know much about who we were supposed to align ourselves with, but I was fond of the Raging Waters group. Before we finished, Calder and Cullen locked eyes from either side of me. A strange look came of Calder’s face and he nodded. His attention turned to me and he leaned into whisper in my ear.

“Cullen and I will return momentarily. Stay with Carson,” he said seriously. He left no room for argument or debate and I didn’t intend to. I nodded my head and the twins stood, excusing themselves from the table.

“So, will Blue Moon be hosting the Summit next year?” Arthur asked causally, bringing my attention back to the table. Carson’s ears perked up at that.

“Oh, um, I’m not sure honestly,” I said. “There is still so much ahead of us.” Now that we were the largest pack, was it our job to host the Summit? There was an agreement for the packs to join us but from what I gathered it was not official yet. Not to mention we still needed to deal with the curse and the twins would need their own Alpha ceremony soon too.

“It has always been of tradition that the Summit is hosted by the largest pack in the Realm,” Arthur said.

“I guess that will be something we have to discuss. I certainly don’t think I could arrange anything as wonderful as this,” I said.

“Aren’t you too kind?” said someone from behind me. Arthur looked up and smiled.

“Luna Marie. Alpha Zane. Good evening,” he said.

“Enjoying the festivities?” Marie asked.

I turned towards them, noticing the terrified look on Carson’s face. I smiled at them, noticing there was a young girl with them. It was the same one that had found us in the garden yesterday and Carson had watched throughout the entertainment yesterday. I believe Marie called her Maya.

“It has been a lovely weekend,” Rachel commented.

“Yes, as always, a productive weekend,” Luke said.

“I hope your introduction to everything was smooth,” Alpha Zane commented towards me. The girl next to him was fidgeting and avoiding eye contact with everyone.

I plastered a pleasant smile on my face. “I have enjoyed my time here,” I said. “Thank you very much for hosting us.”

“I almost forgot. Remi, I should introduce you to our daughter, Maya. I am sure you already know that she will be young Carson’s chosen when they both come of age,” Nicole said, gesturing to her daughter.

I tried not to let the surprise cross my features. My eyes went to Carson really quick and I noticed he was paler and his eyes were on me to see what I was going to do. “Maya, it is lovely to meet you. Your dress is beautiful,” I complimented. There was something about this that Carson didn’t like and I wanted to know what it was. The girl gave me a shy smile and averted her eyes once more.

“Well how wonderful!” Arthur exclaimed. “Young love. Isn’t it great? Carson, you should escort your chosen onto the dance floor. Surely a lovely young lady like this should be shown a good time?” Arthur smiled at the two, completely oblivious to the tension. I didn’t know what was going on between Carson and Maya, but I knew that he didn’t want to go dance with her and that the twins would probably flay him for leaving me alone.

“Actually, if it would be alright, could Maya possibly wait just a few minutes? Carson was just about to help me locate my mates,” I said in the sweetest voice I could muster. I couldn’t get him out of dancing with her, but I could at least delay it. I stood, looking at Carson. He stood as well nodding at me.

“Excuse us,” he said as stepped to my side. His hand came to my lower back as he led me away from the table. He led us out of the ballroom and down the hallway, finally stopping where it seemed like we were alone. I turned my eyes to him to be met with fury. I was instantly angry at his reaction.

“Keep your mouth shut,” he warned.

“Who is Maya and what is this chosen stuff?” I challenged him.

“Mind your own business, Remi,” he growled.

“No, Carson! I clearly stopped whatever that was for both of our sake now spill!”

“It has nothing to do with you so stay out of it,” he said through gritted teeth.

“No Carson! I have tolerated your shitty attitude towards me so far. Tell me what is going on! How can Maya be your chosen? You aren’t even old enough to find your mate!” I was almost seething now at his attitude and refusal. His fist flew out and punched the wall next to me, giving me pause. My eyes went wide, and my breath left my body for a moment. He turned around, clenching his fists next to his sides.

I watched him for a moment, not sure what to do. This wasn’t some problem he had with me. This was something else. Something personal that he wasn’t getting a choice in. I stepped forward and gently placed my hand on the back of his shoulder. “Carson, I’m not your enemy. I haven’t been around long, but I hoped we could have a decent relationship. You are my family too, not just the twins. At least in my eyes. Whatever is going on, you can tell me. I will keep your secret,” I said softly.

“There is no point. You can’t do anything to stop it and my jack ass brothers won’t either. Just forget about it, okay?” he said, his anger was starting to subside, and I could hear his melancholy.

“What if I could help? Or I could get your brothers too? Carson, whatever this is, you shouldn’t keep it bottled up,” I said.

“Why do you even care? All I have done is be a dick to you,” he asked.

I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to turn and face me again. He looked sad and lost. “Carson, I grew up with humans. My perception of things is a little different. Humans don’t have mates, but they get married and when that happens, you become a part of a new family. For my own reasons, I take family very seriously. I didn’t have siblings growing up either. Even if you don’t like me now, I was hoping you would someday,” I told him.

He hung his head. “Your too damn nice…” he sighed. “Fine. But do not say a word to my brothers. This is my own problem to deal with,” he finally said. I nodded my head and patiently waited for him to explain.

“It’s not a secret that the twins were basically given a chosen mate. Well, when the council decided that they needed a mate they looked for the possibility of using the situation to create a bridge between us and Serenity Moon. The problem was that Serenity Moon’s Beta has 3 boys and the eldest of the Alpha is Zeus. That left Maya. There were no other significant unmated females to consider. But they knew it would be inappropriate to choose a candidate that was so far below the mating age when they were well over it,” he paused for a minute and I knew where this was going.

“The council wanted Maya and I to be mated, to create some healthier, stronger alliance between our packs,” he tone grew darker as he talked and his fists were clenching again. “So, two years ago, Maya and I were told we would be each other’s chosen. Our fathers were in love with the idea, going as far as locking us in a room together to ‘get acquainted’. After we both become of age, they are expecting us to mate and produce a pup, but I just can’t do that.”

“Carson, I’m so sorry. They aren’t changing their minds even after supporting the twins in finding their fated?” I asked. He shook his head.

“No, I’m too much of a shame for them,” he said looking away from me.

“Wait, how is that?” I asked. I knew Carson was frustrating his father and the twins, but I just assumed it had something to do with stupid teenage behavior. Carson may look like a grown man, but he was only 16.

“Remi, I can’t mate with Maya because the thought repulses me,” he said quietly. His eyes turned to me and there was some broken intensity inside. “My father thinks of me as a blight on our family because I’m gay.”