Page 28 of Miles's Pact
"All over. I thought you were dead. That's why I never came back. I'm sorry."
Mom shook her head, then kissed my cheek. "It's not your fault, sweetie. You were so young. I can't imagine how horrible it must've been for you to... to witness that."
I swallowed hard. The memories of that night were burned into my mind, but I didn't want to think about that night. Not now.
Shaking her head, she cleared her throat, then turned her attention to my mates, who'd been quiet this whole time.
"How do you two know my Duckie?" she asked, and Mateo's eyes flicked to me.
"You know, I thought Duckie was just a name you told us because you're a duck shifter," he teased, and I winced, knowing what Mom would say next.
"Actually, his name is Mallard," Mom said, shooting me a smile. "But when he was five, he declared that his name was 'stupid' when I explained to him why I'd named him that. By that point he knew he wasn't supposed to tell anyone about being a shifter, and he said I might as well have named him Duckie if I wanted to be that obvious. So I did."
I groaned as I covered my face with my hands as my mates laughed, but I couldn't bring myself to be annoyed by Mom. I knew it would wear off at some point, but for now, I was sure I'd let her get away with anything.
"You never answered my question, boys. How do you know my son?"
Miles raised a brow at me, and I nodded, loving that he was asking my permission before telling her.
"Mateo and I are his mates, ma'am."
Mom was silent for so long I wondered if she hadn't heard them, but then she cleared her throat. "How long have you been together?"
"We met two weeks ago," I answered, and she turned to look at me, her brows furrowed.
"So your bond hasn't fully formed yet?"
I shook my head, and she sighed. What was that about?
Before I could ask her, she turned to my mates. Giving them a smile, she said, "Would you two mind giving us some privacy? I need to talk to my son about something."
Mateo's brows furrowed, but Miles glanced over at me. I didn't know what she wanted to talk about, but she was mymom. I could spend some time alone with her. It would be nice.
I nodded, and Miles regarded me for a moment, then got to his feet. "Come on, Mat. We'll drive around town for a bit."
Walking over to me, he handed me his phone. "Call Mateo's phone when you're ready for us to come back."
The unlock pin is 1609, he added through the bond, and I nodded as I stuck the phone in my pocket.
"Thank you," I said, knowing they'd understand I was thanking him for more than the phone.
Miles nodded as Mateo winked at me, and Mom stayed quiet as they left, but it wasn't until they'd driven away that she spoke. "You need to break up with them."
