Chapter 3

For the rest of the afternoon Cleo stayed upstairs in her childhood room she shared with Piper. Her eyes scanned the shelves, posters, framed photos and stuffed animals as her mind began to wonder how Sebastian would see everything for the first time. Laying in bed, she hugged her pillow tightly to her chest as she curled up into a ball, listening to the laughter coming from downstairs.

With a few minutes left until dinner, Owen stopped by to let Cleo know Ella and Max had arrived. He paused in the doorway with concern in his eyes, wondering why his beautiful lively daughter was hiding out in her room.

"I'll be down in a few minutes," Cleo said.

"Can I sit with you until then?" Owen asked.

Cleo picked up her head and nodded. She heard the floorboards creak as Owen walked over to the bed and sat down beside her. His warm gentle hand landed in her hair as he began to run it through her locks.

"Something on your mind?" Owen asked.

Cleo shook her head, unable to meet her father's eyes.

"You never lie to me," Owen reminded her.

"I'm just...." Cleo slowly sat up and shrugged. She folded her legs in front of herself and tugged at her long sleeves. "I don't know, dad. I just don't feel like being around everyone right now."

"That's perfectly okay," Owen smiled. "Would you like for me to leave?"

"No," Cleo shook her head. "Can I ask you a question?"

"What's up?"

"When mom came to visit you in Juniper..." Cleo began with caution, making sure to keep the questions vague. "You two clearly had feelings for each other. But what if ... what if Uncle Alec had been the one to save her at the lake and he was the one who kissed her and he was the one who she fell in love with and it wasn't you even though you were meant to be with her."

The words rushed out of Cleo's lips like a broken dam gate. Her eyes stung from the tears she refused to cry as her throat tightened. She bit down on her bottom lip as the stretch of silence in the room grew heavy.

"Actually," Cleo shook her head. "Never mind I asked that. It was a dumb question."

"Cleo," Owen looked for the right words. "When two people are meant to be together, it will always work out."

"No, it won't," Cleo said stubbornly.

"The moon goddess does not leave everything up to chance," Owen laughed. "There's a road map...a plan for everything."

"I don't know about that," Cleo muttered.

"Why are you asking me these questio-"

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Cleo stilled as she recognized the agonizing scent of her mate. The door opened and Sebastian stood in the doorway with a bag.

"Sorry for the intrusion," he said, playfully. "Just need to drop off our bags. Mrs. Radacovick Pip and I would be sharing the room."

A burning ball of scolding lava bubbled inside of Cleo. Her eyes narrowed and her lips twitched.

"No worries," Owen invited the young man inside as he rose from the bed. "Settle in. You must be tired from your flight. Cleo, why don't you help Sebastian unpa-"

"Piper can do it," Cleo said, jumping off the bed and glaring at the men. "And tell her to leave my stuff alone. If I find anything out of place tomorrow she will have hell to pay for."

"Cleo," Owen was stunned.

"I'll let her know..." Sebastian said awkwardly. "Mr. Radacovick, I know the whole family is here. If it's alright with you, Piper and I can stay at the hotel in town."

"No, no," Owen shook his head. "There's plenty of space here."

"Maybe they should stay at the hotel," Cleo said, shocking her father once more. "I'm sure they want their own space and privacy."

"No one is going anywhere," Owen said, his eyes firmly on his daughter.

What is going on with you, young lady? He asked her though his mind-link. This is not how we treat guests in this house.

Cleo did not reply. She stood by the bed as Sebastian waited for Owen to tell him what to do.

"Settle in Sebastian," Owen turned for the door. "Cleo would love to help you."

"Cleo would not," Cleo said.

"Don't make me send mom upstairs," Owen warned. "Behave."

"I'm not a little kid anymore, dad."

"Really?" Owen laughed. "You're acting like one. Don't be jealous. He's not taking Pip away from you."

"Ha ha ha," Cleo yanked off the blanket on the bed and rumpled it up to toss it into the laundry bin.

Sebastian waited until Owen headed downstairs to set down the bags he was holding. His eyes followed Cleo around the room as she changed the bed sheets and muttered under her breath.

"Do you need some help?" He cleared his throat.

"No," Cleo said.

"You look like you need some help."

"Then why are you asking? Just help if it's so obvious."

"Piper never mentioned you were like this."

"Like what?" Cleo stopped and looked back at the boy, her heart clenching when she found the look of amusement in his eyes.

"She said you were sweet and kind."

Cleo rolled her eyes and went back to work. She heard Sebastian start to move around and pick up the sheets she had dropped on the floor. Anytime he moved near her, her whole body lit up with tingles she could not push away. Her pulse was sky high, making her hands shake.

"Just to let you know," she cleared her throat when she could no longer keep her thoughts in her head. "You're in a house full of werewolves."

"I am aware of that," Sebastian pushed a pillow into a pillow case.

"Werewolves are different from humans," Cleo explained. "We have....heightened senses. Like hearing..."

"Yes, I know," Sebastian nodded.

"If you and Pip do anything....everyone will hear it," Cleo said. "Save us all the awkward breakfast tomorrow morning. And Maksim is here. He's very over protective of Piper. Dad might be easy to please but not Maksim. He's going to chop your ba-"

"I have met Maksim," Sebastian smiled. "We had drinks together the other day and Piper and I go out for dinner all the time with Ella and Maksim."

"Oh..." Cleo felt her heart break a little bit more. "That's nice."

"Cleo," Sebastian looked up. "I might be totally wrong. But I am getting the sense that you don't like me."

Cleo shrugged.

"I'm not going to hurt Pip," Sebastian said. "I know you are her best friend and her sister. Your approval of me matters a lot to her. She values your input and thinks about you before any decision she makes."

As if his words had physically ripped her heart out of her chest, Cleo began to cry standing on the opposite side of the bed facing Sebastian. She couldn't breathe as the weight of Sebastian's words choked her.

"Cleo," Sebastian's eyes widened.

"I'm fine," Cleo lied. "I'm just....a little emotional right now."

"Can I get you anything?"

"No."

"Did I say something wrong?" Sebastian asked with worry.

"No," Cleo shook her head.

"Why are you crying?"

"Because!" Cleo clicked her tongue. "My life is a big joke."

"Should I get Pip? Or your mom?"

"No," Cleo shook her head and wiped her eyes. "I'm okay. I'm okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Cleo nodded, sniffling. "We should head downstai-"

"He's upstairs with Cleo," Piper's voice came from downstairs as footsteps marched up the stairs.

Sebastian and Cleo both turned towards the door as it opened once more and Clare walked in with a bright smile on her face.

"Hello-" She stilled immediately and gasped. Her big gray eyes widened as her mouth hung open.

"Hello," Sebastian walked around the bed to shake Clare's hand. "You must be Clare. I'm Sebastian."

"Oh my god," Clare looked at Cleo and then back at Sebastian.

"Is everything okay?" Sebastian asked in confusion as he watched the look of panic fly across Clare's face.

Please don't say anything, Cleo begged her sister through their mind-link.

Cleo! Does Piper know?

No, of course not!

Do mom and dad know?

Cleo's eyes began to tear up once more. She looked at Sebastian who stared back at her with worry. She could see him turned towards her and knew it was their pull that was making him want to be near her.

"Ares," Clare called to her husband downstairs. "Could you come here..."

"Sebastian," Cleo looked at the boy.

"Yes," Sebastian took a step towards her.

"I think you should go downstairs," Cleo took a small step back.

"It's so nice to meet you," Clare smiled. "I've heard so much about you."

Sebastian couldn't look away from Cleo. he knew Clare was waiting for him but all he wanted to do was walk over to Cleo and make sure she was okay. But after a few seconds when he realized she was not going to look at him, he turned towards Clare with a polite smile.

"I'll be downstairs," he said.

"My husband is dying to meet you," Clare announced.

She held the door open and waited for Sebastian to leave before closing it and mind-linking Maksim.

Cleo's room. Now. Don't tell Ella.

"Cleo?" Clare turned towards her sister.

Cleo tried to hold herself together before she broke down and ran into Clare's arms. She shook with shoves as Clare held her tightly and stroked her hair.

"What am I going to do?" She asked. "I don't know what to do."

"It's okay, It's okay," Clare said. "Calm down. We're going to solve this."

"It just had to be him!" Cleo laughed bitterly as she pulled back and sat down on the bed.

"This is a mess," Clare confessed. "Let's wait for Mackey and se-"

"No," Cleo shook her head. "Don't tell Mackey. He can't know."

"Tell me what?" Maksim asked from the doorway.

Clare and Cleo turned towards their brother.

"Close the door," Clare said.

Cleo groaned as Maksim stepped inside and closed the door behind himself. His eyes looked at his sisters with suspicion as he waited for someone to explain to him what was happening.

"So...Sebastian," Clare started.

"Yeah," Maksim said. "What about him?"

"He's a nice guy?"

"Yeah, he is," Maksim said, still confused. "He's from a good family. Has a good job. He makes Piper happy. I think they look great together."

"He's Cleo's mate."

"What?" Maksim arched his brow.

Cleo and Clare waited for the news to sink into their brother's mind.

"Are you two pranking me right now?" Maksim asked.

"Why would we joke about this?" Clare asked.

"I don't know! You two have a weird sense of humor sometimes."

"This isn't a joke," Cleo sniffled, her nose right read and her eyes teary.

"Oh no," Maksim's shoulders dropped. "Oh no, no, no."

"Maksim, what are we going to do?" Clare asked as the king began to pace the floor.

"We obviously need to tell everyone," Maksim rubbed his head.

"No," Cleo shook her head. "Pip loves him. I can't do that to her."

"Pip will be heartbroken if you don't tell her and she finds out from someone else or by something else," Clare said.

"How will she know?" Cleo asked. "How will anyone know?"

"Either you will do something to tip her off or Sebastian will," Maksim said. "He's human. He doesn't feel the bond yet but it will grow stronger by the hours and days. You need to tell him otherwise he won't know what's happening to him or why he's so drawn to you."

"I agree with Mackey," Clare said. "You need to tell Sebastian. And then we can all talk to Piper."

"I can't," Cleo shook her head.

"Cleo," Clare moved near her sister and took her hand. "I know you're scared. I can feel it but babe you can't run from this. You saw him and he saw you. The pull will drive you two mad if you try to run from it."

"I can't," Cleo said once more, her heart shrinking with fear. "Pip will hate me."

"It's not your fault," Maksim pointed out.

"She's in love with him!" Cleo said.

"But he's your soulmate," Maksim sighed. "No matter how much she loves him, it won't work out between them."

Cleo looked at Clare and then back at Maksim. Her heart twisted as she backed away from wanting to tell Sebastian.

"I can't do this now," she said. "I need time to think about it."

"Yes, that's a good idea," Clare nodded. "You need to calm down and do this at your own pace."

"Just remember, the bond and pull is growing as we speak," Maksim said.

"I get it," Cleo said. "But all I want to do now is just get through dinner."

"Will you be able to?" Maksim asked. "I mean seeing Pip and Bash together?"

Clare and Maksim looked at each other with worry. They both knew how strong the mate bond was. It would be torture for them to watch their mates with other people.

"I can fake a stomach ache," Cleo said.

"Mom is not going to fall for that," Maksim rolled his eyes.

"She will just make me heal you," Clare said.

"I can run away," Cleo suggested.

Clare and Maksim turned towards the girl with annoyance.

"Stop that," Maksim said. "No one is going anywhere."

"Then what do I do?" Cleo asked in frustration.

"Just come down to dinner," Clare said. "Mackey, make sure Pip and Bash don't sit beside one another."

"You want me to sit between them?" Maksim asked.

"Yes," Clare said. "And if you can't then I'll tell Ares."

"This is not going to be good," Cleo groaned.

"Oh childreeeeen," Mavi called from downstairs. "Dinner is ready."

Cleo, Maksim, and Clare all looked at one another. Everyone held their breath, counting down in their head.

"Ready?" Maksim asked.

"Yes," Clare said, just as Cleo said, "No."

"We can do this," Maksim reminded them. "We're Radacovicks. Head high, shoulder back."

"I'm going to throw up," Cleo said as her brother opened the door and Clare took her hand.

Together they made their way downstairs, trying to appear as casual as possible. Owen held baby Annabelle in his arms while Manya rocked Elian in her's. Piper and Ella set the table with Eden as Mavi and Ares brought out the food.

Be cool, be cool , be cool, Cleo said to her siblings.

"I'll take her," Maksim walked over to Owen and lifted his daughter up.

"Are you sure?" Owen asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Maksim nodded.

"Grandma, I'll take Elian," Piper moved closer to Manya.

She avoided looking at Sebastian, who's eyes followed her around the room. She could feel his gaze on her like the warmth of sunshine. Her back shivered and her feet begged to move towards him.

"Let's go everyone," Mavi said, calling the family over to the large table.

As people began to move, Maksim and Clare started to shuffle everyone around. They all moved around the small dining room in confusion as people grabbed whatever seats they could.

In the chaos, Piper ended up sitting between Clare and Ares while Sebastian was directed towards the other end of the table. Mavi and Owen peered at their children with questioning eyes as Maksim avoided eye contact and Clare hid her face in Ares' shoulder. Piper fussed with Elian in her arms as someone took her by the elbow and guided her into a seat. When she looked up, she was met with the concerned eyes of Sebastian.

"Thanks," Cleo said as Sebastian pulled the chair out for her.

"Of course," Sebastian said.

Across the table Ares stared at the two as he sipped his wine. He was about to open his mind-link to Clare and ask her what the story was when he found her looking at them too.

You can't tell anyone, Clare said, looking at her husband with desperate eyes.

Ares gasped, making himself cough on the wine he had just sipped. Everyone looked at him as Mavi passed him napkins and Clare rubbed his back. Maksim distracted Ella and Piper as Ares turned to look at his wife with disbelief.

"Cleo?" Sebastian's soft voice startled Cleo.

"Huh?" She turned to look at him, praying Clare will be able to handle Ares.

"I asked if you were feeling okay," Sebastian said.

"I..." Cleo felt her heart start to pound. "I'm okay."

Sebastian looked unconvinced. He stared at the girl for a while as everyone around the table passed around the food and began to chatter away. After a few minutes, Ella put the twins in the cribs and Owen stood to make a toast.

Cleo barely heard her father's words. All she could pay attention to was the way Sebastian's knees brushed her leg every time he shifted in his seat. Her whole body would spark up and she knew he felt it too from the way his eyes would find her.

Stop looking at him, Clare reminded Cleo from across the table. Let's just get through dinner. 

How will Bash react to the news?