Twice Tempted: Between Two Alphas (Mia and Cameron) novel Chapter 82

Chapter Eighty-Two

The ceremony is a somber one.

Eric is in shock I think.

He avoids glancing at Ashley. He doesn’t take her hand. He doesn’t kiss the bride.

He stands ramrod straight and I surmise that he sees this solely as a temporary solution. I have no doubt he’s going to look for an alternative to this…’arrangement’. My only worry is if he and Ashley will kill each other before they find it.

I’m standing behind them, like a friggin’ bridesmaid.

When the ceremony concludes, the Seers clap politely.

Then everyone moves off to fill their plates and sit at the tables at the front of the tent.

I stand here, speechless.

“Betcha didn’t see this coming,” the Priestess moves beside me.

“Is that some kind of Seer joke?”

She laughs heartily.

Eric storms off with his cell phone pressed against his ear.

The young Seer that met us at the dock slings her arm through Ashley’s and guides her toward the tables. “You need to eat,” she tells my half-sister.

I’m left beneath the trellis with the Priestess. “I’m called Valaria,” she informs me.

Normally, I’d say something like, “It’s nice to meet you.” But that sentiment doesn’t feel right after the way things unfolded. I feel like a pawn.

I cut to the chase. “I want to understand my mother and my lineage. I don’t know what it means to be a Seer or what it will mean for my daughter.”

“It is a great gift.”

“Is it though?” My mother is dead. She deserted both her children. These women are…what? In some cult pack stuck on an isolated island?

It’s a pretty prison, don’t get me wrong. But…

“With great power comes great responsibility,” she says.

“You sound like a fortune cookie.”

She smiles wide. “You’re a lot like your mom, Mia.”

We move to the edge of the reception tables.

The Priestess stacks her plate with an assortment of charcuterie. There are iced platters with lobster tails and shucked oysters, shrimp and crab legs. She loads up like she might never see the ocean again.

She gestures for us to sit and I walk toward an open table at the back of the tent. I’m not trying to be rude, but my goodness, it’s been a day. I need a little time to process.

She starts eating and I wait a few seconds. I see Ashley seated toward the front of the tent. Several ‘sisters’ surround her.

“There is more to this existence than this one life, you know that, right?”

I know it. It’s what we are taught.

But sometimes, it can be hard to believe. Like if there is something so much better beyond this life…then why are we here in the first place?

“Your mother is at peace.”

I want to believe that. Hearing her say it gives me hope.

“This is all pretty overwhelming,” I say.

She laughs. She leans forward conspiratorially. “I’m gonna let you in on a little secret.” She inclines her chin toward the other sisters. “Your story isn’t even the most fucked up one here.”