Natala (Emerald) POV:
Nine pairs of eyes stared at me with nothing but rage and fear; however, I could see hurt swirling in the quadâs eyes as well. The feelings I felt coming from them were hitting me like a ton of bricks. They thought I couldnât trust them enough to tell them sooner; uneasiness also radiated off them, scared that they might lose me and angry that someone had hurt me and tried taking me away from them.
I gulped, looking at all of them. I knew I had screwed up and bad. I shouldâve told them earlier, but I didnât want to ruin the moment. I and the quads had finally recognized one another as mates, and we marked each other; I didnât want to taint such an amazing memory by mentioning my deranged uncle. Afterwards, they all seemed so excited about the party; I just didnât have it in me. But, from the way my brothers and mates were fisting their knuckles and breathing, I was second-guessing my decision, big time.
âWhat the f**k, Natala. What the f**k!â¦â yelled Tristan, then suddenly realization flickered through his eyes, and his gaze zeroed in on me, ââ¦thatâs why you wanted to know what he looked like, you wanted to identify the guy from the woods, and you didnât bother telling us about him then and there when we told you how f****d in the head he was and what he did to you.â He finished all but yelling.
I looked down, tears gathering in my eyes. I was ashamed. He was right. I shouldâve told them at that moment, but I hid it.
âWhy, Natala, why? Why take such a big risk? Why not tell us.â Said, Josiah.
âHe couldâve struck again in these few hours, and we wouldnât even have a f*****g clue what happened or how it happened!â Said Isaiah.
âAnswer us, Natala.â Said Hayden in a stern voice.
Not once did I lift my head. I couldnât make eye contact with any of them. It had only been a few hours since we got to know about our relationship, and I had already disappointed them. Hannah was right; I shouldâve told them as early as possible. They probably thought I didnât trust them or that I thought they couldnât protect me.
âDid you not think worthy enough to tell, little wolf? Granted, we just found out about our relationship but didnât we tell you how much it hurt us when that motherfucker had kidnapped you, and we thought you died. But you hid the fact that the fucker knew you were here and tried kidnapping you. Do we mean that little to you that you couldnât confide in us?â Said Lucas; even though he was mad, I could hear how hurt he was from his voice.
âAnswer us, Natala. Why not tell usâ Said Isaiah, his voice strained with hurt.
I whimpered. It was the last straw; my tears fell down from my eyes and down my cheeks as I hiccupped. I looked up at my brothers and mates, my eyes clouded with tears as I tried saying something, but nothing but sobs rang out. I saw Tristan about to say something from the corner of my eye when four defensive growls rang in the air. Suddenly I was surrounded by my mates, with Sam and Zeke on either side of me, each holding my hand and interlacing our fingers, Azreal behind me as he held my shoulder, giving them a reassuring squeeze and Ezekiel in front of me shielding my view of my brothers, every touch sending a wave of calm down my body, helping me control my ragging cries. I knew the quads were still pissed at me, but that didnât mean they wanted to see me cry. It was in an alphaâs nature to nurture their mate, to never let them be sad, so with me crying, their wolves must have been acting up, forcing the quads to calm me down and reassure me of their support. However, no matter how much the gesture touched my heart, I felt like I didnât deserve it; I had done them wrong too by hiding it. I just pray to the goddess when I tell them about what Edward did and his intentions; they wouldnât blow a gasket: them and my brothers.
âLycan king or not, you do not have a right to make our mate cry, and by the goddess, will we care about the fact your our kings if you make our mate cry again.â Ezekiel snarled as all three of his brothers left my side and stood beside their older brothers showing their support.
I couldnât believe my ear and eyes; my tears dried up instantly, my eyes holding fear now, fear for my mates. Were they out of their goddess-forsaken minds? They were challenging our kings, brothers or not, their beasts would ripe them to shreds, and by how the tripletâs eyes were flickering golden, I knew that I wasnât far off from my assumptions. Panicking, I went around my mates and stood in front of them, hoping that my brothers wouldnât end up attacking me.
âPlease stop! I know I made a mistake, and Iâm sorry. I didnât mean to hurt any of you by hiding this. To be honest, I donât even know why I hid it; first, I told myself that it was because we had just found one another and I was newly marked by the quads and the effort you all put into the party, I didnât want to ruin the happy vibe going around, but honestly, I think it was more with the fact how you would all react and put me under lock and key.â I said, being honest with myself too. Even though it was true that I didnât want to spoil the vibe going around, I knew deep down that wasnât the main reason; I didnât want to be caged down; it would genuinely suffocate me.
âThat is no excuse, little wolf; even if we put you under surveillance, it wouldâve been for your own good, f**k, at least we would know there was a threat around then walking around fine and dandy with the thought that you were safe.â Said Tristan.
I looked down, embarrassed. They were right. I heard the quads sigh behind me and then felt myself being turned around and my chin being gripped by Azreal, making me look straight into his grey orbs.
âMy love, as much as we donât want to agree with your brothers, they arenât wrong. Even though we might have cut his highness off, but that doesnât mean whatever he said isnât true. You canât do this, Luna; youâre our life, our world; itâs our job to protect you, but if you donât even let us do that, what good are we.â He said.
âAngel, without you, there is no us. We understand why you did it, but thatâs no justification. You canât only think about yourself. Think what would happen to us, your brothers and your biological parents that you have yet to meet, if something happened during this time and the goddess forbid that bastard got to you again, we would be clueless of your kidnapper.â Said Zeke.
âJust like we talked about how you wanted us to tone down our possessiveness, you couldâve talked to us about how you didnât want to be sprawled with guards regarding the matter. We could have come up with a solution, baby. Hiding wasnât the right one.â Said Sam.
âLittle Luna, we understand we truly do, but you need to be careful. If not for yourself, do it for the people that love you and trust me, my luna; thereâs a long list of people who adore you.â Said Ezekiel.
I couldnât help but let tears run down my cheeks again. I had screwed up badly. Zeke was right. I needed to talk to them, and I knew if I put forth logical facts, my brothers and mates wouldnât argue. Seeing me cry, the quads squished me into a bear hug, whispering sweet nothings in my ear and patting my back till I calmed down. After calming myself down, I kissed each quad and apologized; then, I faced my brothers, who I knew were still in the room and looking between my mates and me.
I sighed and stepped close to them and said.
âIâm sorry! Iâm sorry for not telling you earlier, for hiding it. For making you believe that I didnât trust you enough to tell you. That wasnât why I hid it, regardless of the reason. I know what I did was stupid, and I promise not to do it again.â I meeked out, looking straight at my brothers, so they knew I meant every word. I didnât mean to hurt them and never wanted to hurt them.
They all looked at me, exhaled a breath and came forth one by one to hug me: drying my tears, kissing my cheeks and rubbing my back in assurance. They all apologized for their outbursts and for hurting my feelings. But they didnât need to; if I was in their position, I wouldâve reacted the same way. When they all sat down on the sofas or bed, my mates and brothers all looked at me, trying their best to hide the fear in their eyes for me and keep the lingering anger at bay.
âTell us everything, little wolf, from the beginning.â Said Tristan.
I took a deep breath and prayed that they wouldnât go crazy again once they knew the whole thing, and my mates would stay true to their word and not cage me in a tower like rapunzel when they got to know my deranged uncle wanted to marry me.