Fate Mate

Chapter 23

I blinked, as if this was some sort of dream that would disappear if I pinched myself. And yet, when my eyes reopened, the four figures still stood in front of me: my mate, his brother, and two dark-skinned goddesses that observed me with frightening interest...

"What's happening?" I managed, having recovered from the initial shock of seeing both Nolan and Dominic together with no signs of violence. They looked more identical than ever, in almost matching black suits for the occasion.

"So this is Charlotte?" One of the women took a step toward me, and I instinctively took a step back. She emanated power. Her dark hair spiraled into ringlets around her head, bouncing with every movement she made.

"Dominic didn't tell me that you would be here..." She smiled, eyes flashing momentarily to the Rogue Alpha, but her friendly expression did nothing to calm my unease.

"I didn't know," Dominic admitted in a quiet grumble, and, although he spoke to this woman, his dark blue eyes remained on me.

I, for one, didn't know who to look at. The wild-haired female still approached me with curiosity teeming in her eyes. As she crept closer, I realized that she must have been at least twenty-years older than myself. Her companion, on the other hand, seemed to be around my age.

The younger girl had long black hair tied back into a braid, mocha skin glowing in the balcony's torchlight. They both wore dark dresses, although I couldn't make out the exact color. I decided that they must have been a mother-daughter pair... But who were they?

The mother-figure stopped a few feet away, amusement dancing in her almond-shaped eyes. I felt like some sort of specimen under careful, microscopic investigation, until Nolan brushed past the female's shoulder.

"You were upset?" He questioned, concern clouding his blue orbs as he approached. Soon, only his broad frame filled my vision.

"It was nothing..." I lied, but Nolan must have been unconvinced. His brows furrowed and his muscles tensed as he looked toward the balcony doors, as if he planned on confronting whoever had upset me.

"Really," I insisted, placing a hand on his forearm, "I handled it."

Nolan let out a bit of a huff, but visibly relaxed after a moment or two. I might have taken some time to appreciate the fact that my head-strong Alpha actually listened to me, but my thoughts immediately drifted back to the two foreign women standing behind him.

"I want to know what is going on," I peeked over his shoulder, leveling a hard stare at the trio behind him.

To my surprise, my monstrous mate stepped aside so that I could face every figure on the balcony. I had half-expected Nolan to usher me back into the dancing hall... Maybe our previous conversation actually did some good?

I crossed my bare arms, now covered in a fine layer of goose-bumps, against my chest. I wanted some sort of explanation.

Dominic stepped forward first, the scarred side of his face hidden in the shadows of the night. "Look, Charlie... This doesn't involve you. Go back inside and--"

"Yes it does," Nolan interjected, although he didn't look too pleased about it. He mirrored my positioning, arms crossed tight against his massive chest, and he kept an unreadable gaze on his twin. "It involves Charlie more than any one of us. She deserves to hear everything."

I took a deep breath, "This is about the hybrids and the prophecy, isn't it?"

Dominic froze, eyes narrowed as he glared between Nolan and me. A dangerous calm slithered into his voice, "You told her?"