Intertwined: her three mates

26. Confrontation

Liv

I went to Elric's office to confront him about my mother's situation. We have avoided this conversation for too long already. I knock on the door.

“Come in my dear.” He says. When I enter the office, he is already walking towards me and in no time, he engulfs me in an embrace and cups my cheeks gently. But I can let his warmth and his caresses distract me, doesn't matter how good it feels. I pull away and flash him my very serious look. He hesitantly let me out of his arms. 

“Elric, we have a lot to talk, to clarify many, many things.” 

“I know dear.” He answers, sighing and running his fingers through his silver hair. I can see how much he dreads having this conversation, but well, he couldn´t avoid it anymore. We can't avoid it anymore. Every day that passes without having this confrontation is more time that my mom's situation goes unchanged. Well, I also need answers and I'm not a very patient person. Not at all. 

“So, tell me why. Why no one can know who my father is? Why my mom can't know?” I ask, crossing my arms on my chest 

“Long ago, the Goddess made me her ambassador and confined me the mission to restore peace between the species. As I told you, Elves can have a very diverse range of powers and I am a seer. I receive revelations through dreams. Prophetic dreams. 

More than 300 years ago I had a dream about a coupling, a mating, that could finally bring peace among the species. As you are aware, we had been in a centuries-long war. The Goddess wasn't happy with any of us, any of the species. But she would give us a chance to fix it and be who she intended us, the supernatural beings, to be. In my dream, the Goddess revealed that this mating would be that chance, the key for long-lasting peace and that it had something to do with my mate.” 

“That makes no sense, the species signed a Peace Treaty a few months ago, your dream came true already and no special mating was needed,” I reply.  

“The peace that was reached now is fragile, unstable. It can be easily broken. The Vampires, Wolves, and Demons were quite unwilling to sign the Treaty and there are still many conflicts and situations unsettled. 

Since I’m her ambassador and you are my mate, I believe we are this couple, Liv. And I had to guard you against those who don’t want the peace. Believe me, many groups among the realms want war, they gain power through war, they profit and revelled in it.  

They could target you, knowing that you would bring the peace or only because you are a hybrid. As you know hybrids are not common. And possessing something, someone, so rare would bring their captor power. So, we had to protect you, by not letting anyone know about your real identity.”

“I don't understand, this whole secrecy about my father started even before I was born. How can it be about me? To protect me?” I ask.

“I’ve also dreamed about you decades after receiving the visit from the Goddess. I dreamed about my mate, a hybrid, the first of her kind. I saw you with the eyes of my mind before you came to be. 

So, when my relative, second in command and best friend realised his mate was a powerful Enchantress, we concluded that a child of him and his enchantress mate could probably be the hybrid female of my dreams. 

They were the first mate between two species that weren’t Fae and Elves. Thus, I’ve asked Maximus to not reveal his identity to your mother in the first place. We couldn´t allow this secret to leak, it would endanger the Goddess Peace, it would endanger you. Maximus knew what was at stake. He is also a peace paladin, so he agreed with it immediately. 

It was all done for the greater good. Sometimes for something great to be achieved, we need to make sacrifices." Elric says. 

“Oh, how generous and selfless!” I mock and furrow my brows. “You had so many better ways to save the supernatural worlds. You just can’t sacrifice other people without their consent. That’s not sacrificing, that’s playing with other people’s lives. The only one that you can sacrifice is yourself, that’s the whole idea of the sacrifice thing.” I sigh, I was furious. “You are so old, and you don’t get it” I mutter under my breath.

“Dear, please try to understand, I did what had to be done to fulfil my duty with the Goddess and bring peace among the species. If it would be another way to do it, to protect you and ensure our mating, without compromising your parents’ relationship, Maximus and I would do it.” 

“That is total bushtit! You are the worst of them all! I can't even look at you Elric, let alone mate with you. No, it won't ever happen!” saying those words made my heart clench. Damnit! It's not what I want, but how could I be with him after what he did? 

“Liv, it's necessary to achieve peace and besides that, I’m waiting for a mate for more than 900 years. I can’t go on without a mate, I can’t go on without you.” I could see a glimpse of pain and even desperation cross his normally serene eyes. But it wouldn't make me change my mind. 

“You are so damn selfish! Due to your ´I need a woman´ you compromised my mother’s and even your best friends’ happiness. Besides mine and Lea’s chance to grow up having a real family! 

You are not the nice and reasonable elf dude! You are just a hypocritical, careless asshole! At least embrace who you are!” I burst out enraged. 

“Maximus supposed to meet your mother just to conceive, at least until the right moment come in which he could reveal the truth. He is just meeting her as often as he is because he can’t stay away from her.” 

I sigh deeply, I am flushed with anger, I need to hold back furious tears and put myself together. This man, my mate, is the reason for all my mother's suffering, of all her heartbreak. 

“Of course, he can't! he’s her bloody mate!!” I practically yell.  He kept himself pretty much calm and collected, even though he was more aggravated than all the other times I saw him, but well, calm and collected isn´t my thing. I don't even try to pretend it is, I know that I can be sometimes impulsive, fiery, explosive. 

“Moreover, I didn’t do it because I wanted ´a woman´ as you put. You know that mates are essential for supernatural beings, it’s not only a woman, but it’s also the other part of...” 

“It doesn’t justify anything! …. what did you do to improve my mother's situation like you promised, hum?” 

“I absolutely lament what happened and continues happening to her, dear. I honestly want to improve her situation Liv, but as for now there is nothing I can do.” 

I just shake my head and bring my hands to my face in disbelieve. He is such a hypocrite! 

“If your mother gets to know who your father is and how to find him. She will want to be with him…” Elric tries to argue, but I cut him off. 

“Like mates should! That actually was part of everyone's argument when you all insisted that I give our bond a chance.” I raise a single brow at him.  

Elric sighs. “Nothing would prevent Mel to be with him and he wouldn't be able to say no to it either. Everyone would know that they are mates and that consequently you and Lea are a part elf. They will put it together, mysterious father, slightly different scent, mother's mate is an Elf…” 

“You are such a hypocrite!” I lash out as tears of rage well up in my eyes, fighting to escape and roll down my eyelashes. “It’s my mother and she’s suffering!”

“I’m sorry Liv, I can’t do anything about it!” he says rubbing the nape of his neck. I can see the guilt in his eyes, but I don't want his apologies, I don't want his guilt, I want him to do something about it. 

“Heck, I can't accept it!! You must do something about it, King!” I say, as my tears breakout down my cheeks. He comes closer and opens his arms to hold me in an embrace, but I go towards his bulky chest and punch it lightly many times, not to hurt him just to relieve my irk. The truth is I couldn´t harm him even if I tried, his chest is so hard that my fists are hurting now, damnit! 

Freaking heck, I think I have never been this angry before. I do it for a couple of minutes, let all the warm tears of anger fall as I keep punching him, not bothering about my sore knuckles. When I recover my bearings from this little meltdown, I notice that I'm in his embrace, my arms are even around him. He soothes me by running his fingers across my back and I bury my face in his chest snuggling further. What is wrong with me? I am beyond angry with this man! Why I let myself being in his arms now? Why do I let him come even close to me? 

But everything in me is calling, aching to remain in his arms and melt in his comfort, in the safety and peace of his hold. Damnit! In a blink of an eye, I changed from punching the man who hurt my family and me the most, to sob in his arms. 

“I am still angry with you. Very freaking angry.” I say, my voice doesn't sound as I mean to. It is just a bit louder than a whisper.

“I know my dear and you have all the right to be.” He replies calmly. 

Heck! Why does he have to be this understanding, reasonable and calm? That would be irritating if it wouldn't simply make me feel good. Two words: Mate Pull. But with this behaviour, he also makes it hard to be angry with him. 

“As soon as I can do it Liv, I will do whatever is possible to help Melinda and Maximus. They deserve to be happy.” He says tilting my chin to look up at him.  

“Elric, I can't just let her keep suffering. I can't see her suffering and Lea not having the family that she needs and deserves, it kills me.” I say. I see my pain reflected in his eyes. 

“My dear, it hurts me to see you hurting. It afflicts me to see their pain as well.” He says as he cups my face gently.

“I am not sure I can overcome that, Elric, what you did and keep doing. I know that you want peace. I also want it. But I don't know how I can be with the man who ruined my mother's mating life. Of course, my father is also to blame, he agreed with doing it.” I say. 

He clenches his eyes and tightened his hold around me. 

“I hope you can forgive me one day, Liv.” 

“I don't really know… I need to tell Laius and Avalon that I am a hybrid. But I can't because of the blood oath, the secret about it is also somehow included in the oath, right?” I ask, as I finally find in myself to pull away from his embrace. 

“Yes, it is. They shouldn't know. It could compromise your safety.” Elric says.

“They are my mates, they won't put me in harm's ways. But I can't tell them the truth, so you should say the words that I can't.”

“Liv, please.” He asks.

“No, Elric. We have to tell them that.”

“Fine.” He sighs.  

I breathe deeply to try and calm myself; I still have questions to ask, “Can you unblock my Elf powers?” 

Elric sighs. “I can open the blockage only a tad and I’ll be able to mind link your father, just as Lea can. Otherwise, others will be able to scent that you're a hybrid and feel the power that emanates from your aura.”  

“How about mind-linking you?” I ask.  

“You’ll be able to do so once we mate, anyway. Thus, there is no need for me to enable it now.” 

“If we mate,” I reply, looking intently at him. He glares at me, pain clear in his eyes.

I don't know if I can do it. But I know I need to let Avalon and Laius know about what I truly am soon.  

* Quick question, do you guys prefer more s*x scenes or fewer s*x scenes? *