Everyone knows that all wolves have soulmates, but some don't know that nymphs are blessed with mates as well. When a nymph meets its mate, its wings sprout for the first time; it's the tell-tale sign for all nymphs.
Except Clarestonia.
Clare's wi...
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I watch as my mate disappears down a hallway until I can't see her bright red hair anymore. It appears I wasn't the only one waiting for her to leave, because the moment she is gone, the teenagers in the room all start speaking at once.
"Why the heck is she named after Grandma Stonia?" the younger of the two girls asks.
"She was pretty, whoever she was," the guy says. I force myself to contain my growl.
"Do you think she's dad's daughter?" the older girl whispers so quietly I almost didn't catch it.
"Enough!" Galan's mate shouts, causing her three kids to all look at her simultaneously. "Where are your manners?" She turns to face us and smiles broadly. "I'm sorry about them. I'm Galan's mate, Emerald." She reaches her hand towards me first. "You must be Clarestonia's mate."
I take her hand and smile politely, "Yes, Maverick."
The rest of my company takes turns introducing themselves before Emerald focuses her attention back to her children.
"This is my son, Castian," she introduces, "and my daughters Jade," she gestures to the younger girl and hesitates before placing her hand on her elder daughter's shoulder, "and Estonia."
I feel as though I mask my shock fairly well when the name is dropped. Wyatt, however, makes a strangled noise of confusion.
"Were you and Clare named after the same person?" he asks, pointing at the girl. Narissa hisses something about how pointing is rude and smacks his hand down. She then whispers something else to him and while I can't hear it, I'm sure she is scolding him for asking such a blatantly invasive question.
The three kids exchange looks before looking to their mother. She pinches her nose and sighs before dropping a seemingly large bombshell.
"Your father suspected that he may have gotten another woman pregnant before he met me."
Our little party sits here in a comfortable silence, seeing as we already know this bit of information. Her three children, though, start talking over each other, asking all sorts of questions and glancing down the hallway that their father disappeared into. Their mother lets them go on for a few moments before she raises her hand silently. It only takes another couple moments for them to all settle down.
"Look, we had no idea if she really existed, so that's why we didn't say anything. I don't know anything about her or where she came from. Your father tried finding her mother a long time ago, but it was like she disappeared," Emerald tells them, answering most of their questions with those few sentences.
It may not be my place to step in, but something compels me to share the story with them.
"Her mother died," I tell them softly, "when she gave birth." Emerald furrows her eyebrows at me.
"Why didn't she tell Galan she was even pregnant?" she asks me. "Do you know?"
I hesitate, not exactly sure how to tell her without making it seem like I'm blaming her. Luckily, Wyatt intervenes.
