Chapter 120: ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY

Author’s POV

Nicholas knew immediately that lying would not work.

His mother had spent too many years watching him, and even though he had tried to keep his expression calm, she noticed the hesitation before he could come up with an answer.

She leaned slightly closer across the table, studying his face with concern. "You’ve found your mate. Haven’t you?"

His heart jumped again and he started to feel uncomfortable. He couldn’t answer. How could he tell her?

"Is it one of your stepbrothers?" she asked carefully. "Is one of them your mate?"

Nicholas remained quiet, his eyes squeezed shut.

His mother stared at him for a few seconds before slowly sitting back in her chair. "Nicholas, I asked you a question. If you’re not answering because you’re afraid to tell me, you don’t have to be afraid. I just need to know whether one of those boys is your mate."

Nicholas swallowed hard. There was no way around it anymore. She had already figured out part of the truth, and continuing to lie would only make things worse. He lowered his eyes to their joined hands before finally speaking. "Not one."

His mother frowned. "What do you mean?"

"All four." He finally revealed.

For a moment, she didn’t react. Then her eyebrows rose, and she stared at him as though she had genuinely wondered whether she had heard him correctly. "All four of them?"

Nicholas nodded.

"You’re telling me that all four of your stepbrothers are your mates?" She asked again.

"I know how it sounds."

"I don’t think you do." She looked completely stunned, her fingers loosening around his hand as she tried to process what he had just told her. "Nicholas, I’ve lived long enough to know that strange things happen with bonds, but I’ve never heard of anything like this happening to someone I know. Four people? All four of them?"

Nicholas gave a nervous nod.

His mother remained quiet for a while, and then she slowly rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand. The shock hadn’t completely disappeared from her face, but she was making an effort to control it. "Then you need to be careful," she finally said.

Nicholas looked up.

"I’m not going to— say this isn’t shocking, but I’m going to put you first. You are my son. And I know you trust them. I trust them too, but you must also put yourself first and be careful. I don’t want to lose you. This is complicated."

"I know." Nicholas sighed.

"Do you?" she asked, her voice softer. "Because you’ve always had this habit of putting yourself last. Your father was like that too, and I don’t want you making the same mistakes he did."

Nicholas looked down again.. "I just want to finish what he started."

His mother’s expression changed immediately.

They had finished their meal by then, and the plates were being cleared from the table. Nicholas pushed his chair back, but before standing, he looked directly at her. "I’m serious, Mom. Whatever Dad was trying to do before he died, I’m going to continue it. I don’t know exactly where it’s going to lead me yet, but I’m not going to walk away from it."

She stared at him. "Nicholas, do you understand what you’re saying?"

"Yes." He nodded.

She shook her head. "You’ve already put yourself in danger enough."

Nicholas sighed. "Mum—"

"And you’re still determined to do this?"

He nodded without hesitation. "I am."

His mother looked at him for a long moment. There was fear in her eyes, but there was also something else there. She knew that expression. She had seen it in his father years ago.

He had already made up his mind.

She slowly stood from the table. "I can’t stop you, can I?"

Nicholas shook his head. "No."

"No," she admitted quietly. "I don’t think I can."

They walked toward the entrance together, and his mother kept one hand around his arm as though she could somehow make sure he remained safe simply by keeping him close.

Nicholas glanced outside as they reached the door, and the sight of Adrian’s car waiting across the street reminded him that he couldn’t stay much longer.

His mother followed his gaze. "He’s waiting for you?"

"Yes."

She nodded, then looked back at him. "Be careful, Nicholas. Whatever you’re looking for, don’t let it consume you. Your father spent too much of his life believing he could do that. You don’t have to do that."

Nicholas gave her a small smile. "I won’t."

She pulled him into another hug before finally letting him go.

He stepped outside, but before walking away, he turned back. "I meant what I said. I’m going to find out what happened to Dad."

His mother looked at him with worry written plainly across her face, but she didn’t try to argue again. Instead, she reached out and touched his cheek. "Then come back to me when you do."

Nicholas nodded before walking toward Adrian’s car.

Adrian unlocked the door as he approached, and Nicholas climbed inside. The moment the door closed, Adrian looked over at him. "How did it go?"

"Fine."

Adrian studied him for a second. "That’s all you’re giving me?"

Nicholas fastened his seat belt and looked through the windshield. "She asked a lot of questions. I answered some of them, but I didn’t tell her everything."

Adrian started the car. "Did she find out about the bond?"

Nicholas hesitated before nodding. "Yes."

Adrian glanced at him. "How much does she know?"

He sighed. "That we’re bonded."

Adrian paused. "All of us?"

Nicholas nodded again. "I told her."

Adrian didn’t immediately respond. He simply turned his attention back to the road and pulled away from the café. Nicholas could tell there were questions he wanted to ask, but he didn’t press him.

The drive back was quiet, and by the time they reached the penthouse, Nicholas had already pushed the conversation with his mother to the back of his mind.

He didn’t know that she was having a very different evening.

When Nicholas’s mother returned home, the first thing she noticed was the car parked outside.

She slowed down as she approached the house, immediately recognizing it.

Gareth Blackthorne was home.

She stood outside for a moment, staring at the vehicle in disbelief. He had told her he would be away on his trip for several more days. He wasn’t supposed to be back yet.

She entered the house cautiously, and the sight of him sitting at the dining table confirmed what she had already realized. Dinner had been prepared, and two places had been set.

Blackthorne looked up when she entered. "You’ve been out for a while."

She forced herself to smile as she removed her coat. "I didn’t know you were back."

"I decided to return earlier than planned." He gestured toward the chair opposite him. "Come and eat. The food is getting cold."

She sat down, still trying to understand why he had returned so suddenly.

As they began eating, Blackthorne watched her across the table. "Where were you?"

She paused. "I went out."

"I can see that." His voice remained calm. "Where did you go?"

She hesitated, then decided there was no reason to hide it from him. Blackthorne was her husband. Whatever else was happening around them, she still believed he was someone who could protect her and Nicholas. If Nicholas was putting himself in danger, then perhaps Blackthorne needed to know what was happening. "I met Nicholas."

Blackthorne’s hand stopped halfway to his glass. "You met Nicholas?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"When?"

She paused. "Tonight. He asked me to meet him at the café."

Blackthorne placed the glass down and looked at her carefully. "Why didn’t you tell me he contacted you?"

"I didn’t know whether I should. Nicholas has been avoiding calls, and when I finally got him to meet me, I didn’t want to turn the conversation into an argument." Her voice was quiet.

"What did he say?"

She took a breath. "He told me why he left. He said he needed to figure some things out before coming back home. He wouldn’t tell me everything, but he made it clear that he has been investigating his father’s death."

Blackthorne’s expression remained controlled. "His father’s death?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes. He believes there was more to it than what we were told. He thinks his father was murdered."

There was a brief silence before Blackthorne leaned back slightly. "Did he tell you why he believes that?"

"Not everything. He said he had found information that made him question what happened. I tried to convince him to leave it alone, but he was determined. He told me he intends to continue from where his father stopped."

Blackthorne’s eyes remained fixed on her. "What else did you discuss?"

His wife hesitated. "There was something else."

"What?"

She looked down at her plate before answering. "Nicholas has found his mates."

Blackthorne didn’t move. "Go on."

"He told me that all four of them are his mates. His step brothers. Your boys."

The room became completely silent. She continued eating, unaware of the change in his expression as she explained how shocked she had been, how she had warned Nicholas to be careful, and how determined he seemed to be about investigating his father’s past.

She told him Nicholas was staying with the four brothers, that they were getting along, and that Nicholas seemed to trust them. She also mentioned that Nicholas had promised to come home, although she admitted that she wasn’t certain he meant it.

When she finally finished, Blackthorne leaned back in his chair and he said nothing.

His fingers rested against the edge of the table, and after several seconds, he began tapping one finger against the wood.

Then his lips twitched. "Interesting."