LANA
“That’s impossible,” my mother insists, struggling to accept the truth. “My daughter went to Havenville with Apollo, and they both
returned without their mates.”
I knew that lying to my mother would come back to haunt me..
Apollo glances at me, and I can see the regret in his eyes. He hates that I have to endure this scrutiny because of our bond.
“Apollo isn’t lying,” Isabella asserts. “Lana confided in me about the truth. She didn’t want anyone to know that her stepbrother was her mate after coming back from Havenville. As you can imagine, discovering that your stepbrother is your mate is not exactly
quiet, especially since Apollo wasn’t ready to accept it either.”
something to be celebrated. She opted to ke
I can feel everyone’s gaze on me, waiting for me to validate what my sister just said.
“I lied,” I finally manage to say, my voice steadying.
Turning to my mother, I gather my courage to face her. “If you remember, I was truly devastated after leaving Havenville.” I take a deep breath before continuing, “I wasn’t heartbroken because I didn’t find my mate. I was crushed because, during the ritual, I learned that Apollo was my mate. The water pointed to him, and his water pointed to me.”
My mother looks frozen in shock. I can imagine how difficult it is to accept this truth.
“Is this true?” my stepfather asks Apollo.
He nods, appearing annoyed that his father needed him to confirm what I just said. “I’ve known for a while that we were mates but didn’t tell Lana. I thought I could ignore it. I believed that if I treated her like she didn’t exist, when she eventually found out, it wouldn’t matter. But I was naive to think I could pretend my mate didn’t matter. I was foolish to believe that I could ignore her when she was constantly on my mind by simply existing.”
His father runs a hand down his face, looking like he’s on the verge of losing it, much like my
mother.
While I was focused on my mother’s reaction, it dawns on me that Ms. Reign looked equally taken aback. Her face has drained of color, and disbelief fills her expression. She seemed to know everything just a few minutes ago. However, from her reaction, it is clear that she didn’t know we were mates until now.
She strides over to Apollo, furrowing her brows as she asks, “Lana is your mate?”
He confirms with a nod, “She is.”
The moment he reveals that he wasn’t telling a lie, her expression shifts dramatically. The initial look of disbelief on her face quickly morphs into a seething anger that seems to radiate from her very being.
I watch as her eyes flash with intensity, a storm of emotions swirling within them.
She looks as though she’s grappling with betrayal. How could she even consider it as betrayal? What had Apollo done that was so wrong?
It’s as if the confession has pulled back a curtain, exposing her raw emotions. In the past, she always seemed to be hiding behind a wall, this time, she wasn’t. She didn’t have time to prepare to mask how she truly felt.
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Chapter 113
“How could you keep this from me?” she demands, her voice strained. “You’ve always shared everything with me. You promised would be the first to know If you found your mate. All this time, I was sure that you hadn’t found her.
Her eyes brim with disbelief as she repeats, “You’ve known all these years and never said a word? How could you, Apolke? It feel like I’ve been living a lie this entire time. My own son! The son I’ve trusted for so long has been deceiving me all along
Deceiving her? By not telling her that he found his mate?
Apollo looks conflicted, clearly bothered by his mother’s disappointment. He has always been tightly bound to her, I can tell that he hates causing her pain. Coming forward with the truth must be much harder on him than it was for me.
“I just knew that telling you wouldn’t end well,” he admits. “You wanted me to marry Jada, and revealing the truth about Lana would mean you’d drag me back home.”
She gasps, “Of course I would have brought you back home! It is your real home, the place where you truly belong. I envisioned your entire future, Apollo! Everything I’ve done has been with your best interests at heart. When I chose someone for you to marry, it’s because I believed she was perfect for you.” Her eyes widen as an alarming thought hits her, “Your wish to stay with your father wasn’t really about the academy, was it? It was about her all along?”
I glance at Apollo, surprised he’d been making choices just to stay close to me. I had misjudged him for years thinking that he disliked me while all along he wanted to be near me.
“I don’t see the point in rehashing my past decisions,” he replies. “We need to focus on the present.”
His father nods in agreement. “You’re right. The present is what we need to be dealing with now that everything is out in the open. Since we know Lana is your mate, we need to discuss some important rules!”
Important rules? Did they not see that we wanted to be together? What other discussions or rules could there possibly be?
“I never agreed to have a conversation about this,” Apollo interrupts.
“Excuse me?” His mother is taken aback. “You don’t get to decide, Apollo. You chose to hide a crucial detail from your father and me. As an adult, you have responsibilities to us!”
Apollo stiffens in response. “Responsibilities?”
“Yes,” she narrows her eyes. “I refuse to let you throw your life away over someone who doesn’t have a future. I chose Jada because believed you would find happiness with her. I’m never wrong about these things. You made a commitment to me and to Jada. The engagement ceremony is still happening. All the guests are waiting for you both to finish what was started. I need you back in there with your future wife. I am not taking no for an answer.”
I immediately push forward despite Apollo’s attempt to keep me hidden behind him, creating space between him and his mother. I glare at her as I say flatly, “He’s not going back in there.”
Ms. Reign looks both shocked and furious at my interruption.
“Excuse me?” she snaps. “How dare you dictate what my son can or cannot do? Do not think that you can suddenly appear in my son’s life and-”
Without warning, Apollo wraps his arm around my waist. “I’ve had enough of this. We’re leaving.”
His mother steps in front of us. “You aren’t going anywhere until you complete the ceremony with Jada!”
“Mother,” Apollo growls, “it is over. This isn’t happening. You need to accept it.”
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2013, THO–13
Chapter 113
Her eyes widen in disbelief. “No, I won’t accept this! You made a promise, and you’ve never broken a promise of this mag
“Are you going to step aside?” he asks, frustration lacing his tone.
She narrows her eyes at him. “What if I don’t? Are you really going to hurt your own mother over a girl you barely know
A girt he hardly knows? He has been a part of my life for years, and if I had my way. ! moment we find ourselves alone again.
would discover every inch about me the
Apollo turns away, only to find Jada blocking his path now. “You promised to marry me Apollo! You can’t just break that promise. will not be humiliated like this in front of our family and friends!”
AD
