Betrayed By My Mate (Book 1 of the Complicated Mates series) Currently Editing

Epilogue

17 years later…

Ariana

“Ariana, I know it’s your last day of Summer but that doesn’t mean you can stay in bed all day. We’ve got some last minute shopping to do before you start your senior year.” I heard my mom say from just outside my bedroom door.

I snuggled deeper into my pillows hoping she’d go away and let me sleep the day away like I planned, but knowing how persistent my mother was I knew I was out of luck.

Right on cue she warned, “Don’t make me send Adam in there to get you up for me.” 

Remembering the way Adam got me up the last time, with a bucket full of ice cold water, had me jumping out of bed as fast as I could and shouting, “I’m up mom, geez, why do you always have to play the best friend card on me?”

Adam was uncle Travis and aunt Jennifer's son, four months younger than me, my best friend, and a major kiss ass when it came to my mom. He always did her dirty work if it involved me, probably because he enjoys causing me so much trouble. He’s the brother I never had nor wanted. I love him to death though, even if he has that whole pretty boy thing going for him. I mean come on, brown hair kissed with streaks of blonde and light brown eyes, with a killer smile. No girl can resist, except me that is. Not only because we’re practically family and I feel nothing for him besides brotherly affection, but because I’ve sworn off love, mates, and marriage. That stuff is definitely not for me.

Just then I heard giggling in the hallway, my mother’s to be exact, followed by the deep timber of my dad’s voice. They were obviously making out, and didn’t quite make it to their bedroom, again.

“Devin, stop. I need to make breakfast. Go watch some tv or something till I’m done, and make sure your daughter doesn’t go back to sleep or I’m calling Adam.” my mom said.

“Fine, but hurry so I can have a private dining with you after.” I heard my dad reply.

Gag-o-rama!

Don’t get me wrong, I love both my parents to death, and I’m happy that they’re happy. I don’t even feel that they disrespected the memory of my other father Tristan because they didn’t actually get together until 2 years after he passed away.

That was a hard time for my mother and I. I always thought of daddy Tristan as the strongest human I knew, but no matter how strong he was, there was no beating a brain aneurism. It happened so suddenly that no one saw it coming. I was ten at the time, and those were ten of the best years of my mother’s and my life. She was always just as happy as she is now, but when he died, a part of her died as well. She wouldn’t eat, hardly slept, and was wasting away to practically nothing, almost as if her werewolf mate had died. She always told me that she believed Tristan was her human soul mate, so that’s probably why she took his loss so hard.

That’s where my dad Devin came in. He had to break her out of her depression and help her live life again. She was very resistant to it at first, but my dad is ten times more stubborn than my mother, and when he sets out to do something, he gets it done.

Through the tragedy and loss of my father Tristan, my mother and dad Devin reconnected, falling back in love with each other. Actually I don’t think they ever fell out of love with each other, but that’s just my opinion.

My mother made me aware of the story behind her and my fathers mating and separating, and for awhile I was really upset with my dad. For him to treat my mother that way, and cause her so much pain, it was unthinkable, but my mom would always remind me that it was in the past, and they had both grown from it and moved forward, and that I shouldn’t dwell on the past either.

I accepted what she was saying, and eased up on my dad.

After two years of dating and getting to know each other again, they re-mated and re-married and have been in honeymoon mode ever since. Five years of constant mom and dad PDA is enough to turn anyone into nun mode, but that’s not the reason I’ve sworn off love, it’s knowing what my mother went through after my dad’s betrayal. If someone as awesome as my dad, who was meant to be with my mother and only my mother, could hurt her in such a way, who’s to say the same thing won’t happen to me. I don’t want to risk putting my heart out there for someone to step all over it. I plan on being independent no matter how lonely Adam always tells me it could be.

I’m not against love for other people, if they’re brave enough to risk it, and end up having a happily ever after, then that’s great for them. I just don’t want any part of the whole mate, love, and bond stuff.

I hope I never find my mate, because I’ll never accept him, no matter how hard he might try to make me, if he even wanted to try at all.

“Ariana honey, if you take any longer you know your mother doesn’t do idle threats and Adam will be here quick as a flash to do her dirty work.” my dad’s voice brought me out of my musings and had me hustling to get in the shower.

“I know dad, I’m heading to the shower now and I’ll be down.” I let him know.

“Ok, try to make it a fast one because the sooner everyone eats, the sooner I get your mother alone.” he teased, knowing very well the ick factor it would cause.

“Eeew dad, gross! I think I just lost my appetite!” I teased back.

“Haha, very funny Ari, now hurry up and get a move on!”

See how stubborn he is. If I ever do find my mate, I hope he’s the total opposite of my dad so it will be easy to get rid of him, because if he puts up even half the fight my dad did to win my mom, I could be in big trouble.

No matter what happens, I won’t give in, because mates are not for me, not now, and not ever.

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Authors Note 12/09/19

It's been awhile since I've touched this story, but after seeing endless comments of readers disappointed with the ending I felt I needed to address it.

Not every ending is going to be the one you want. This is where my story led me and this ending is the result. People cheat. It's reality. Cheaters are often forgiven and taken back. It happens. It did in my story, the only difference is my character learned from his mistakes and it took a good amount of time for the two of them to get together. He was there for the heroine when she needed him and that counts for something in my eyes.

I'm sorry if the ending ruined the story for you, but thanks for at least giving it a try:)