Katelyn entered the living room, slightly out of breath, carrying two bags in her hands as she hurried toward the center of the room. Her eyes scanned the familiar faces, surprise flickering across them.
"Kate? What are you doing here?" Dominick asked, rising slightly from his seat, caught off guard by her sudden appearance.
"I should be the one asking that," Katelyn replied, trying to sound playful, though her voice wavered slightly with emotion.
She had imagined this mont differently, thinking Alie would greet her with excitent, and that she’d have ti to settle in quietly.
But instead, she walked into a room filled with nearly the entire family... except her own parents.
Still, she forced a smile, her gaze shifting from one face to another, silently hoping her presence wouldn’t feel out of place.
"Kate! Oh my God!" Alie exclaid, her voice echoing with excitent as she rushed forward and embraced Katelyn warmly. "Maids, please serve drinks and snacks," she instructed, without taking her eyes off her friend.
They shared an affectionate hug, both holding on for a mont longer than usual.
"I heard from Gabriel earlier that you’re moving to San Ravendale," Alie said, her smile radiant.
Katelyn’s expression faltered. "What? How did my brother find out? I wanted it to be a surprise for you." Her enthusiasm dimd slightly.
"Karn told him," Alie replied with a soft laugh.
"Ugh, she spoiled everything," Katelyn muttered, though her tone was more disappointed than angry.
"Where’s your luggage? Is it still outside?" Alie asked curiously.
"It’s in my apartnt," Katelyn replied.
"Apartnt?" Alie echoed, surprised.
Before either could say more, Gabriel stepped in. "Why don’t you both sit down first?" he suggested, glancing at Alie. "You’ve been standing for too long, don’t forget, you need to rest."
Alie nodded and sat on the couch while Katelyn followed, still holding onto one of the bags.
"But why are both my brothers here... with their mates?" Katelyn asked, raising a brow as her gaze shifted from Casaio to Dominick, clearly surprised by their unannounced visit.
"I ca to see Gabriel," Casaio replied calmly. "After everything that happened, I thought I could be of so help to him."
Dominick nodded in agreent. "We also heard a mage had been sent to the palace on Gabriel’s orders. That concerned us," he added. "So Juniper and I ca to check if everything’s alright."
Alie turned her head slightly to glance at Gabriel, then gently mindlinked with him, ’See? Everyone cares for you.’
’I can see that,’ Gabriel responded, his tone softer now.
"So," Casaio turned his attention back to their sister, "why exactly have you rented an apartnt here?"
Katelyn let out a small sigh and answered honestly, "Dad wants to work and learn the value of money of hard work. He thinks it’s important for to experience life independently."
She smiled as her eyes settled on Alie. "And honestly, I agreed imdiately because I knew Alie was here. That made the decision easy."
"Then shouldn’t you be staying here with us?" Alie asked gently.
Katelyn shook her head with a small smile. "I don’t want to intrude on you or Gabriel. Besides, if I’m ant to grow on my own, I think renting an apartnt was the right move. It’s close to the company, so commuting won’t be a hassle either."
"Where will you be working?" Dominick asked, his interest piqued.
"It’s a firm called Velmora & Co.," Katelyn replied confidently.
Gabriel’s expression shifted slightly, his brows drawing together. He recognized that na. It was the sa company where Sage had just taken over as the new Director. Still, he chose to stay silent, deciding not to voice his thoughts just yet.
"That’s a good move," Dominick responded. "At least you’re safe from Mom’s matchmaking sches. Wasn’t she fixated on getting you mated to soone recently?"
"Seriously?" Casaio cut in, raising an eyebrow to confirm.
"Yeah. Mom wanted to get mated and settled down," Katelyn admitted, letting out a sigh.
"You all are forgetting sothing, my dear siblings," Gabriel interjected, his tone calm but pointed. "Mom will eventually push Katelyn to mate with an Alpha of her choosing. This freedom she has now is temporary. And Mom’s punishnt won’t last forever. Our father isn’t strict with our mother. Sooner or later, things will shift again. You’d all do well to rember that."
A mont of silence followed before Alie gently cut in to ease the tension. "Let’s not ruin the atmosphere by talking about that," she said kindly. "None of you has even touched the snacks."
"We’re eating now," Casaio chuckled, reaching forward to grab a cookie. He took a bite, liking the taste of it.
"Alie, what are those rings?" Zilia asked curiously, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You and Gabriel have the exact sa design. Did you get them customized together?"
As soon as she spoke, everyone’s attention shifted to their hands, noticing the matching rings.
"Yes," Gabriel replied smoothly, choosing not to reveal the truth. "We had them customized."
His tone left no room for further questioning, and Alie didn’t object to the explanation. Gabriel knew that the more people got involved in what was truly happening, the ssier it would beco.
He had no intention of pulling his brothers or their mates into the complexity surrounding them right now. Sotis, a simple lie was the safest shield.
"We’ve prepared the guest rooms," Albus inford respectfully.
"Good. We’d like to rest for a while," Dominick said as he stood up, stretching slightly from the long journey.
Alie offered a warm smile. "What would you all like to have for dinner?"
"Anything you think would be best," Dominick replied casually. "We trust your taste."
Then, holding Juniper’s hand, Dominick followed Albus out of the room, leading the way toward the guest quarters.
"Alie, I should leave too," Katelyn said as she stood up. "I still need to unpack and organize things in the apartnt. Oh, and I brought a few gifts for you and Brother. Check them out later."
"You’re leaving already?" Alie asked, a little disappointed.
"I know, but I’m not far anymore," Katelyn reassured her with a smile. "I promise I’ll visit again tomorrow."
Alie rose from her seat and embraced her warmly. "I’ll walk you out."
"Sure," Katelyn replied, and the two won quietly exited the living room together.
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