Chapter 76: Their Cursed

Carson

I don’t know why I told her, but I did. When the words came out of my mouth, it lifted a small weight off my shoulders, but I was afraid to see her reaction. I couldn’t figure out why I cared about what my brothers’ mate thought for the life of me, but a part of me did. Some small part of me hoped that if she accepted me, then she could get my brothers to as well. I loathed those tiny flecks of hope. I finally turned my eyes to her and was shocked.

Remi was smiling at me tenderly like she was proud of me. I was lost for words. “Carson, you aren’t a blight because your gay,” she said softly. “You can love whoever you are meant to love. I get the feeling that you aren’t so angry simply because you don’t want to mate with Maya. I might be wrong, but I get the feeling that you don’t want to force her into a mate bond where you can’t possibly love her.”

Goddess, this brat was smart. I don’t know how she could read me like a book now that she had that one minor key. I clenched my fists involuntarily. “Yea,” I gritted out. “I could deal with being forced to be with someone I don’t love. I get it; I’m the son of an Alpha. But Maya is good and doesn't deserve it. She deserves to find her mate who will love her and treat her right.”

I was done with this conversation. I wanted to leave this pack the minute we got here, and it had only gotten worse all weekend. My only distraction was watching Remi put the other bitchy she-wolves in their place gracefully.

“Carson, let me help you,” Remi pleaded softly. I shook my head. I wasn’t going to ask that of her. I didn’t need to drag her in between my brothers and father.

“Let’s go. Cullen and Calder are going to wring my neck if we disappear too long,” I said, trying to turn to leave. Remi reached out and grabbed my hand.

“Does Maya know?” she asked. I sighed, then nodded slowly. “Dance with her tonight. Put up the charade for tonight. Your brothers need us to be perfect, so pretend that you are accepting this for one more night. I promise I will do everything I can to help you….”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I hated this feeling. This small flash of hope in my chest that she was going to hold true to her words, that I wasn’t going to be forced to mate Maya and take away her whole future. Growing up, Maya and I had gotten along whenever we had spent time together. But I could never love her like she wanted or deserved. She would always be a friend. I gripped Remi’s hand back and pulled her with me, heading back to the ballroom.

Calder

Carson and Remi entered the room. Remi’s face was scrunched up in thought while Carson was looking irritated. Arthur said they were coming to look for Cullen and me, but they had never found us. I was curious where they had gone and what was preoccupying Remi’s mind. I moved towards them; Carson caught sight of me and guided her towards me. I could be wrong, but he almost seemed to be relaxed around her, like her presence was no longer a burden to him.

“Hello,” I said when I finally got to her. She gave me a warm smile. “Everything alright?” I asked her. She nodded. “Would you like to dance?” Her face paled a little. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you fall,” I told her silently.

“I’d love to dance,” she said sweetly. I grabbed her hand and pulled her to my side before turning to Carson.

“It might be an opportune time to find Maya and ask her for a dance,” I told him pointedly. I saw Maya walking around with her parents. I understood Carson not wanting to have his mate chosen for him, but he still had a role to play right now. He gave me a curt nod and walked away. I looked down at Remi, who had a slight pout on her lips.

“Is something wrong?” I asked her softly.

“No,” she said thoughtfully. I led her towards the dance floor, where a few other pairs were dancing. I pulled her around to face me, holding her right hand up in my left and placing my other on her waist. She gave me a charming smile as we started to move. I kept my movements as fluid as possible, knowing that she was not very lithe on her heels.

The gown that mother chose for her was beyond perfect. She was an enigma amongst the crowd, and no one could measure up to her. It took her usual soft, charming appeal and made her into something sexy and confident. It had been hard trying to interact with others all night, having her next to me. I didn’t want her to change from her caring and gentle self, but aplomb suited her.

As we danced, I could tell something was bugging her. “What were you and Carson doing?” I asked her softly as I moved us with the music.

“Nothing,” she chimed, her eyes moving away from mine.

“Did something happen when we left?” I asked her. She chewed her lip but remained quiet. “Baby, what happened?” I linked her.

“Zane and Marie came over with Maya. They were pressuring him to dance with her, and he was getting frustrated. I had him take me out of there, so he didn’t have to dance with her, and you couldn’t be mad at him for leaving me alone…” she said.

There was something else. This alone wasn’t enough to upset her. “You two were gone for a while…” I tried to prompt her. Her eyes came up to mine, and she looked a little hurt.

“Calder, why are you making him accept Maya?” she asked me.

I was a little surprised by her question, but I didn’t let my face show it. I continued to move us along with the music. “If Cullen and I can take over as Alpha before they come of age, I will stop it. I was never on board with the plan, but it was hard to go against my father, Cullen, and the council when I was also resisting them on our chosen,” I told her. “I’m sure I can convince Cullen that it is in the best interest now that he has you, and we have made a move against Serenity Moon.”

“Please don’t make him,” she pleaded.

“Carson has been contemptible towards you since you arrived at the packhouse, and you care this much?” I questioned.

“He’s so angry, Calder. I don’t think this is about me,” she explained. Her eyes came up to meet mine. My mate was far too selfless for her own good. I leaned down, running my nose along hers gently. She closed her eyes as she leaned into my touch.

“I know he is. I’ll put everything off as long as I can so we can change the situation,” I promised. Remi smiled brightly at me, seemingly happy with my words. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Carson dancing with Maya. He looked more relaxed than usual, and they were murmuring about something. I had a feeling there was something more to his reluctance than being stripped of his choice and fated. He and Maya had always gotten along nicely, so if he was forced to mate with someone, he should at least be thankful that it was someone he got along with easily.

-

Remi

The rest of the evening went by simply fine. Cullen came to dance with me after Calder. He was much more rigid than Calder was on the dance floor. My feet were on fire by the time we finished, but I managed to grin and bear it. Calder and I didn’t talk about Carson anymore, and Cullen never asked. I didn’t see Carson after he and Maya left the dance floor. I began to worry about where Pip had gone after we finished dancing. I never saw her and Zeus come into the ballroom, and we had not seen them all night as we moved around talking to various people.

I was relieved when Cullen finally started making our excuses to retire for the night. I was reasonably sure I wasn’t going to be able to walk for a week after wearing these shoes so long. It took us a solid ten minutes to even get close to the doorway and escape the dying party. As we all walked arm in arm back towards the suite, I started to stumble over my own feet.

“Tired, baby?” Calder asked softly. I nodded, and he stopped us in the hallway. “Give me your shoes,” he said softly, bending down to lift my skirt. I helped raise it as well and picked up my aching feet one by one, so he could pull off my heels. Feet flat on the floor, my dress now dragged a bit, and I felt much shorter. I felt a fraction better without those torture devices on my feet.

“Can you walk back to the room?” Cullen asked.

“Yea,” I said, giving him a small smile. I tried to hold my dress up as we started walking again. Calder carried my shoes while Cullen held his arm around my waist. When we finally reached the door to our suite, I wanted to collapse. Calder swung the door open, but I stilled over the threshold. Pip was sitting on the couch with her knees curled to her chest, sobbing.

“Pip,” I said, quickly rushing over to her. “What happened?” I asked quickly, all thoughts about my aching feet and fatigue wholly gone.

She looked up at me with tear-streaked cheeks. “H-he stood me up,” she sobbed.

“Zeus never came? You never went to the ball?” I asked her. She shook her head, and she sucked in a shaky breath. “Pip, no…” I breathed. A new wave of tears started falling over her lashes.

“I-I tried calling him, Rem. He d-didn’t answer. It went t-to voicemail…” she cried. I looked over at Cullen and Calder. Cullen had a murderous glare on his face, and Calder looked worried. “What if something happened?” she continued.

“I’m sure everything is fine. Maybe something came up with Serenity Moon, and he hasn’t been able to contact you…” I tried reassuring her, although I wasn’t confident in my own words.

“What if he doesn’t like me anymore?” she asked with worried eyes.

I softly pushed her hair from her wet face, stroking it gently. “That cannot be it. Who wouldn’t love you, Pip?” I tried to calm her. “Let’s get out of this dress. We can try calling him again. I am sure we can find him,” I told her. I turned towards the twins and saw Cullen leaving through the door.

Pip didn’t seem to want to move at my words. Without prompt, Calder came over and picked her up from the couch, carrying her into her room. I followed behind him. When he set her down, I said, “Thanks. I got it.” and he left us.

After some cajoling, I managed to get Pip out of her dress and wipe the makeup and tears from her face. I tucked her in with the promise of checking on her and looking for Zeus. I closed her door softly and came back to the sitting room where Calder was sitting. He motioned for me to come sit with him. He pulled me down onto his lap when I got close enough, the layers of my skirt bunching around me.

“Why did he stand her up?” I asked him softly.

“I don’t know,” he said softly, pulling me against his chest. His hand began to lightly stroke my arm.

“Where is Cullen?” I asked, quite sure that I already knew the answer.

“Probably trying to find Zeus. Where did she get the dress?” he answered.

“From Zeus…” I sighed. “His note said to wait for him, so she didn’t come with us. I guess he just never showed.”

Calder lifted me slightly and moved me over to sit next to him with my legs over his lap. He lifted the skirt of my gown and started gently kneading my calves. I slumped against the couch at the soothing feeling of his gentle massage. The door opened, but it wasn’t Cullen who came through but Carson. He gave us a discerning look before silently moving toward the hallway.

I felt awful for Carson being trapped in his position. I knew all too well what it felt like to be a disappointment to your family. He shouldn’t have to feel that way simply because his father disagrees with who he chooses to love.

“Let’s get you out of this dress,” Calder said, breaking me from my thoughts. I whined a little, not wanting to stand back up and walk anymore. Calder laughed. He lifted my legs and slid off the couch. Before I could turn myself to stand up, he scooped me right up into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck quickly.

“Let’s get you naked, and I will rub away all your soreness,” he whispered with a devilish smirk.