Mated to the Alpha and His Beta 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.

Then, someone chuckled.

The negative mood didn't completely break and dissolve, but it got a lot better. People took deep breaths. They smiled. Some murmured to each other about times when their own pups surprised them. "I realize that you all are likely to have a lot of questions. So, like my dad and abba both have said already, I want you to be able to come to me with them. Please just understand that, although I'll be as honest as I can be with you, there are many things about myself that I don't even know. So...I hope you'll all help me discover what I can about myself."

I paused again, hoping that my appeal for their help had also been the right choice. People liked to feel connected to their Alpha and his family. I wanted them to feel that connection to me. A willingness to accept and help me, instead of being afraid.

"We heard that you destroyed the High Council!" a voice called out hesitantly.

More whispers circulated.

"Yes. That's true. The Moon Goddess granted me the blessings of her vision and guidance, to let me know that the High Council planned to eliminate me and my family."

I took a soft breath and tried to meet the gazes of as many people as I could. I wanted to sound confident, even though I didn't entirely feel that way.

"The High Council lied to you and betrayed you. I didn't want to hurt them. I don't want to hurt anyone. But they refused to stop their attack, and they lost their lives because of their hatred."

"How could you take out the entire High Council all on your own?" another voice cried out. "You're just a girl!"

"She's not a girl!" someone else shouted out. "She's something else!"

"Tell us the truth!" another voice shouted out. "We're tired of being lied to!"

I could feel all four of my parents urging me to find a way to keep my secret just a tiny bit longer, until they could find a way to spin it. But I knew there was no more hiding. Not if I wanted this pack to accept me I sent up one more prayer to the Moon Goddess.

"Please don't let them tear me apart."

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