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Isabella's eyes darted to my mother. "She has?"
"Have you met my Uncle Pierre, my mother's twin brother?" I asked quickly as I waved to the man sitting next to my father.
"I have, but it's been a few years."
Pierre's smile was friendly. "Twenty-five years at least."
Which made a lot of sense since I was twenty-five years old.
"Turns out, Mother is Father's mate, but Pierre is his true mate." Isabella stared with her mouth hanging open, so I continued. "We think the Fates messed up because they are twins."
"It's true, Bella," my mother said as she stood. "Armando and Pierre have been together for almost twenty years now. Yes, I am alpha mate of Armando's clan, but Pierre lives with us as Armando's mate."
"But...but..." Isabella looked around at all of us as if she was having a hard time grasping what we were all saying.
"Armando and I did our duty and produced a son, and now the three of us travel and enjoy life, living it the way we should instead of the way our parents demanded."
"Honestly," I added in, "we hardly ever see any of our family. They don't approve of our family dynamics."
"I'm not...sure what is going on here," she said.
"My mate looked into your background before he contacted you," I said. "You're widowed now, correct?"
"Yes, the man my family bonded to me passed away about five years after we were married." Tears welled up in her eyes as she turned to look at my mother. "I came to look for you, but you were with Alpha Castellano and I...I..." She just sadly shook her head. "I just couldn't."
"Oh, Bella." My mother grabbed her hand and then reached over to brush a stray strand of hair from her face. "I wish you had come to me then. Alessandro and I are just friends. Granted, we're close friends, but he's mated to Pierre. I would never come between them."
"I didn't want to come between you and your...mate?" She seemed confused on that point.
"You're not," my father assured her as he walked over and settled a hand on Isabella's shoulder. "Pierre is my true mate. He is the one that stands at my side and sleeps beside me every night. Antoinette and I do not have that kind of relationship." He smiled as he glanced at my mother. "She is my best friend, and she gave me a son who I adore. I love her, but we are not in love."
Pierre walked over to stand on the other side of her. His smile was kind, but that was just who Pierre was. "I know it's a bit of an unusual arrangement, but I don't know what I'd do if I was denied my right to be with Alessandro. I'm sure you know what that is like."
Isabella sniffled as she glanced at Antoinette. "I do."
"So, don't you think it's time for you and Antoinette to be happy together?" Pierre asked.
"We're all here to support you," I added. "My father and Pierre are very happy together. I want my mother to be happy, too."
"This is our chance, Bella."
"You know our families won't like this. They've been pressuring me for ages to bond with someone else. They keep bringing in men that they think are good candidates, but they're all old, smelly men that work with my father."
Antoinette patted her cheek. "You don't have to worry about that anymore."
I wagged my eyebrows again. "We have a plan."
I just hoped it didn't blow up in our faces.
Chapter Twenty-Three
~ Alessandro ~
"You let go of my hand and I'm throwing you to the wolves."
I chuckled as I broughtRené's hand up and pressed a kiss to it. "I won't,gattino. I promise. And they are gryphons. Not wolves."
René rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
