The Gold Fin main packhouse, the following evening...

"Marithe?"

The Omega merman in question turned from his reflection to see Chance and Chace, both of them wearing form-fitting dress pants and black muscle T-shirts, standing in the doorway of his temporary bedroom. "Oh, hi," he said uneasily as he put down his garment bag on the bed. "I was about to get dressed for tonight's engagement party."

"That we can tell," Chace hummed, though his face was full of concern. "Look, Marithe, my brother and I both know that you still have a bit of history regarding your old life as an Alpha werewolf and how you wished things were different. But the fact still remains, love. The moment that you accepted Druscilla's offer for a second chance of redemption was when you signed up to be an Omega merman with Lachlan, Chance, and myself as your destined mates."

"Not only that, this is when you learn what it means to have lost everything and have to start over from scratch," Chance commented, crossing his arms as he and his twin stepped into the room. "Just like Thierry did when he lost his parents and unborn pups. His life was upended when you reneged on the vow that you made to do right by him when you were Matt and had him at the palm of your hand alongside Lachlan when he was Luciane. This is the night when you can learn to let go of the past and move on towards the future."

Marithe sighed heavily. "It's not that simple," he replied, emotion thick in his voice. "There are some things that-"

"You can't think about what could've been or what should've been," Chance cut him off. "Yeah, you'd wished that you hadn't met Thierry in the first place and that he never came to Sammons Falls Academy. But it's by Druscilla's designs that it came to pass. Thierry was bound to know the truth about everything sooner or later."

I'd prefer later. Like "when he's dead and buried after dying in the wars" kind of later, Marithe wanted to say out loud but decided against it. "Wouldn't it be best if he'd stayed in Texas and learned to be a man by his late uncle and parents' rules?" he asked instead.

"Marithe," Chance groaned.

"I'm sorry," the Omega said, raising his hands as a gesture of peace. "Maybe I said that wrong. But I guessed it's because I'm still bitter over all of this."

Chace shook his head. "You need to let go, Marithe," he said, his Alpha tone clear and strong. "Thierry is living his new life now and you need to live yours with my brother, Lachlan, and myself. And tonight is the start of you doing just that. You'll be on your best behavior and will greet the guests as if your life depended on it."

Marithe inhaled, knowing the punishment if he dared to refuse. He lowered his head in submission. "Yes, Alpha."

"Good," Chance smirked. "There may be hope for you yet. Now, shower and dress up. The guests will be arriving soon enough." With that, he and Chace took their leave and shut the door behind them.

Marithe felt frustrated as he reached for his phone, grateful to see a text message from Ceceillia. I have the potion, she had texted. Mix it with the wine that you'll be drinking when the twins make their celebratory toast tonight. Remember to be discreet as we can't be seen together. By the end of tonight, you and I will have what we've been desiring.

Gotcha, Marithe texted back. Good luck to you, Mendez.

Same to you, cutie pie.

Marithe hummed as he turned off his phone before stripping out of his plain clothes and making a beeline for the en-suite bathroom. "There's no going back after tonight," he hummed to himself. "Once I drink this potion, I'll get back my Alpha status and disown myself from this town once and for all. Ceceillia will claim the twins after doing away with Lachlan, and all will be made right."

Grateful for the absence of the magic-induced pain, he turned on the shower and began making preparations.

**************

Meanwhile...

"Everything is coming into place," Ceceillia crooned as she sat in the limousine, sipping on a small bottle of club soda with the potion she had claimed from her contact the night before. "Once Marithe becomes Matt Rosseaux-Yanez again and breaks the bond with the twink and the twins, I'll end St. Martin myself and force the Alpha twins to make me theirs. And then I'll finally be on the road to fame so I can get rid of all the Omegas once and for all!"

Setting the club soda aside, she reached for her clutch purse and grabbed her compact mirror to check her makeup. "All set," she crowed as the limousine reached the gates of the Gold Fin pack entryway. "Tonight is going to be a night to remember."

She was sure of it.

*************

At the Black Lily Diner...

Taranna and Arianna didn't just enjoy formal parties. They reveled in them, seeing any party held by an Alpha or a leader of a witch coven as an excuse to make new alliances and sever those who wronged or offended them, a time to be seen by anyone and see everyone, and even make arrangements for formal visits and even lunch dates.

However, the engagement party that was to be held at the Gold Fin coven would be mandatory since Ceceillia Mendez would give Marithe the potion that they made and watch him let go of the last remaining traces of his former Alpha aura while unlocking his full submissive Omega aura.

"Are the others at the main packhouse?" Arianna asked her cousin, she sliding on her favorite Dior heels.

"Craven's two minutes away, he picking up Electrique and the twins," Taranna replied as she reapplied her lipstick. "Everyone else is already there."

"All we need now is ourselves to be there, and we'll be set to watch the magic go down," Arianna commented. "Miss Mendez thinks that she has the upper hand, but she's in for a rude awakening, as is Marithe Deinos."

"And our potion that we gifted the disgraced Alpha femme fatale would make sure of that," her twin cousin drawled. "Let's she how they like our little ploy."

The two coven leaders sized themselves up as they were dressed in matching floor-length Reem Acra evening gowns in shades of rose gold with their hair in braided up-dos and their makeup on pointe.

After making minor adjustments, they were ready to go as a waiting limousine arrived to take them to the party.

******************

Back at Gold Fin, several minutes later...

"People are talking already and it looks like a total hit!" Snow crooned to a bashful Lachlan as they were with Chance and Chace while greeting more and more guests who were dressed in their finest to celebrate the engagement of the Gold Fin Four: Marithe Deinos, Lachlan St. Martin, and the Nguyen Alpha twins. Sure enough, the large ballroom was full of guests as they were laughing, chatting, and dancing with some enjoying the outside view of the merfolk coven grounds while the upper level floors were being guarded and off-limits. "I can't believe that it took Arianna and Taranna days to get everything arranged!"

"That's the Vivacious twins for you," a newly-arrived Thierry replied, he and Lyle being dressed in matching Armani tuxedoes joining the fray. To Lachlan, "And how are you getting along?"

Lachlan, feeling confident in his Givenchy tuxedo, smiled tiredly. "It's all a bit overwhelming," he replied truthfully. "I never knew that everyone came to wish me and my mates the best of luck in our pending mating."

"Well, believe it," commented Chace, granting him a small and comforting smile. "Everyone in this pack as well as the citizens of this town and state has invested in you and Marithe's journey as much as my brother and I have. You are keeping your word and have put in the efforts to prove yourself, Lachlan. Marithe, on the other hand...well, let's just say that tonight is when things are going to be settled once and for all."

"Let's hope so," Lyle said, frowning slightly as he caught the leery gaze of Ceceillia Mendez, who was chatting animatedly with a few athletes. "If things do go off the rails, Mendez might be getting her way."

"Not if we can help it," Arianna said as she and Taranna came over with their respective coven members following suit. "Anita just saw her giving Marithe the potion we concocted not too long ago and they were all smiles. If only they knew what's about to go down."

"Chance and I need to talk with her," Chace said, his tone full of contempt.

"See that you do," Taranna replied. "And where's Marithe, I'd like to know?"

Summertyme pointed to the other Omega merman in question as he was standing at the veranda looking up at the twilight sky.

Lachlan huffed. "The moment he drinks that potion is when things will get real for him," he said. "I almost feel sorry for him."

"Almost," everyone agreed before the Nguyen twins excused themselves.

***************

"Chance! Chace!" Ceceillia crooned as she saw the glaring twins in question approach her. "How are you two?"

"Save it," Chance snapped, eyes glowing in power. "We know why you're here, Mendez, and we told you over and over again that we're not interested in you."

"Not yet," Ceceillia drawled, not caring that her parents or some of the other Alphas were glaring her down. "You'll see that you two made a mistake in letting Druscilla pair you two with two runts who should've remained in prison. And then, I'll make sure that I'll take good care of you."

"Ceceillia!" Mr. Mendez barked, anger lacing in his accented voice. "Enough of this!"

"No, papa! I know who I want, and I want the Nguyen twins! And no one's going to stop me," Ceceillia declared as everyone was soon glaring at her as if she had lost her mind. "Deinos knows of this as will St. Martin!"

Chace snapped his fingers, finally having enough of the she-wolf's delusions. "Guards! Escort Ceceillia Mendez out of this packhouse and off the property lands!" he boomed as two beefy male guards came with swiftness.

"No need," the female Alpha sneered as she shot a scathing look of her own. "I'll leave on my own. But know that once Marithe makes his move, I'll soon make mine! And once I do, I'll finally get what I deserve!"

Everyone watched her saunter out of the ballroom before the music resumed playing. "We're so sorry for what our daughter has pulled," Mrs. Mendez said to the twin Alphas. "I promise you that she will be dealt with."

"I'm actually glad that she rejected me as her mate," Mark said as he and Eric (the latter seemingly sporting a pregnant belly) joined them. "If she hadn't, I wouldn't have been blessed with my second-chance mate."

"True," agreed the former head Beta as he snuggled in his Alpha mate's embrace. "Mendez didn't know how good she had it."

"That's her loss," Chance remarked. "She wants something she can never have. And as for Marithe, he'll soon see the error of his ways."

************

Meanwhile...

Marithe soon caught the departing Ceceillia before warily approaching her. "What happened?" he asked.

"No need to fret about me, Deinos," she assured him, though there was an edge of her voice. "Just make sure to mix that potion into your glass of wine and drink it all to make sure it works. By the time the lights go out at my command, I'll make sure that the pack knows who I am."

Marithe nodded. "Be careful," he warned. "Something tells me that we're being watched."

"Again, no need to fret over me. I can handle myself." With that, she sauntered away as a waiting limousine arrived to take her away. "Good luck, Deinos!"

Marithe waved goodbye just as a waiter arrived with a glass of champagne on hand. "Sir, you're expected inside," he said in a formal accent. "It's almost time for the toast and the following banquet."

"Thank you," he replied, accepting the glass of wine before taking out the potion and mixing it in. "Tell no one."

"My lips are sealed, sir," the waited promised, smiling thinly. "Now, the guests are expecting you."

Marithe nodded as he let the waiter escort him back inside. No going back now, he thought. It's all-in or none at all.

**************

"Fellow supernaturals, pack members, and esteemed guests. On behalf of my brother and our mates, I thank you all for joining me in celebrating our engagement to each other," Chance said as he, Chace, Lachlan, and Marithe gathered at the middle of the staircase with their glasses of wine on hand while everyone else was eagerly standing with their beverages on hand (the teens drinking sodas and wine while the younger ones were already in bed for the night). "Tonight is when we seal our engagement as a four-way mated bond. Although one dares to try and break us up, Chace and I have made sure that we kept our vow to remain faithful to our Omega pair as well as each other."

"Things haven't been easy for our chosen Omegas, but they are still learning," Chace added. "They still have much to learn about what it means to start over as well as their lives as Omega mermen, but my brother and I will make sure that they settle into their new lives while being trained to be the best Lunas ever."

All eyes turned to Marithe as he fought the urge to roll his eyes at the arrival of Druscilla, the Moon Goddess smirking as if she had a secret.

"Everyone, please help us raise a toast to our incoming mating ceremony, which will be held on the same day as Thierry and Lyle's as part of a joint ceremony," Chance announced. "May tonight be the first of what will be the start of something new!"

"Cheers to the Nguyen Alpha twins and to their mates Marithe Deinos and Lachlan St. Denis!" Arianna declared, raising her glass high. "Long may their bond reign!"

"Cheers!" everyone else cheered.

Marithe took a deep breath and swallowed his entire glass in several sips before it was completely drained. "Cheers to you all..."

That was all he got out before he fell to his feet just as the lights went out.

There was a loud explosion before the room was briefly full of smoke before the lights came back on.

"Oh, Goddess!" a blonde-haired Beta mermaid exclaimed, pointing to the staircase. "They're gone!"

"At ease!" Druscilla's voice rang as she soon emerged onto the staircase with Anias (the patron goddess of the merfolk) and Amalia (the goddess of the underworld) following suit. "They are in safe hands as Miss Mendez will soon learn that her wicked intentions will not go through as she expects. She will be dealt with in due time."

"For now, enjoy yourselves as Marithe Deinos will be undergoing one final transformation of his own to ensure that he will embrace his submissive side," Anias intoned. "He will soon see the error of his ways and lets go of the last remnants of his former Alpha life."

"Mother," came Thierry's voice as he joined the goddess with Lyle at his side. "What of Mendez?"

"As we've said, Thierry, she will soon learn that pride will be her downfall," Amalia promised. "But she will still go against what's been prophesized. Only after the final confrontation takes place is when she'll meet her end."

Thierry and Lyle bowed low in submission. "May it be," the former replied.

The goddesses snapped their fingers as they vanished.

Gentle readers, if you made it this far in this story, then you might want to prepare yourselves for what's to come in the following chapters. As it's been said, there's more than what meets the eye and there will be more revelations and surprises lurking at every corner. And by the time this story comes to an end, you'll be amazed how it all plays out for everyone in Covington Springs, South Carolina as well as our Omegas known as Marithe Deinos and Lachlan St. Martin.

END OF ACT TWO

Folks, this story is going to get more twisted than the soap operas that I grew up watching, and I've written "Good Boys Never Lie" that was more complicated than this! Anyway, there will be more surprises as act three rolls along, especially when it comes to Marithe Deinos himself. All I can tell you is that you're going to be gagged all over when you read act three. Hell, I'm thinking about making this novella into a full-length novel with more than 30 chapters that I've originally planned! All the same, you're going to love how it all plays out by the time we get to the joint mating ceremony! I guarantee it!

Dedication: Cavespider_17. Song: "Themata" by Karnivool.

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