Mated to the Alpha and His Beta (Lanie Stanton) novel Chapter 464

Chapter 464
Stella

My dad’s muscles tensed under my grip when I stepped forward to grip his shoulder.

Abba was at his side with Papa slightly behind them. My mom was tense, too, and I could tell she wanted to get up in front of the crowd to tell them to leave me alone, but she was holding herself back out of respect for the Alphas.

When my Abba turned to me, his eyes widened slightly. I knew that Daddy was my biological father—but Abba was the first father I’d ever known. Plus, we all shared the same blood through the grandfather I’d never met. My connection with all three of my fathers was strong, but there would always be something special between me and my Abba.

I gave him the slightest of nods, and he returned it. I could sense that he wanted to step between me and the front of the stage, but he stayed in place. Daddy, on the other hand, growled and half-turned. Before he could tell me to get back out of sight, I used our mind link to send him reassurance.

“It’s okay, Daddy. I’ve got this.”

I squeezed his shoulder again but didn’t try to send him any calming feelings. He’d know right away I was doing it, and he’d get angry with me for trying to soothe him when he felt—and not wrongly—that he needed to be on high alert. Even so, I needed him to back off, and I didn’t want to do it by reminding him that I was a Celestial.

I wanted him to remember that on his own.

After a second, his eyes blazing, my dad stepped back, too. I shot a quick glance at Papa Zane, then at my mom. Both of them gave me faint nods. We were all together on this. Pride and gratitude flooded me. We’d been to literal hell and back again. Nothing could break our family apart.

Now, if only I could convince the pack of the same thing.

“Hello, friends!” I called out. I tried to keep my voice light, not aggressive, but also firm. Authoritative without being overbearing.

They knew my adult figure was not usual. I was too grown up and also too young at the same time. I could feel their confusion rising.

“I’m Stella Constantine. You know my Dad, Xander. And my other fathers, Papa Zane and Abba Mason. I’m sure I’m quite a surprise to you all, but I assure you, nobody was more shocked than my papa the day he came to pick me up from school expecting to see a toddler and finding…well. Me.”

I waited, holding my breath, hoping I hadn’t completely bungled all of this. My senses had told me the crowd would respond to light humor, but as they all stared, some of them with the blazing eyes that showed their wolves were very close to the surface, I had to send up a prayer to the Moon Goddess that she’d been guiding me down the right path.