would you please pass me my ring?

"I want to go to school." Easton repeated again, but this time with courage. His parents can't coddle him any longer than this.

"Sweet pea, you know it-" Iris tried to reason, eyes sending urgent messages to Gabrielle to help her convince the boy otherwise.

"Please forgive me for saying this," Easton took a deep breath and sat up making sure to face them eye to eye. "One day the two of you will leave me forever and I'll be all alone."

Iris and Gabrielle gasped, aghast. Unfilial son! Talking about their imminent deaths in front of them!

"If you love me, you'll allow me to be independent." Easton said this with conviction. Hi clear unwavering eyes never faltered for even a split second.

Both of his parents were shocked. They had never thought to that extent. The fear that the Lab instilled in both had run so deep and only grew over the years. The more peaceful things went, the more anxious they became.

"I'll have to talk it over with your mother." Gabrielle was the first to speak up. "Good night."

The farewell was curt, short, and concise. Like soldier Gabrielle came up to the surface. She pulled along a still shocked Iris before closing the door.

When the door clicked in to place, Easton collapsed back onto his bed. Cold sweat had beaded up at the top of his forehead.

He has no idea where all that courage came from, but immensely glad that it did show up uninvited.

"I'm glad that's over with." Easton said aloud, calming his palpitating heart. He got up and entered the bathroom, walking directly to the loose tile. He pried it open and took a long look at the contents inside.

Then he carefully picked up the pristine card. He was surprised to find that his hands were no longer shaking.

"I've decided to trust you M." Easton said to the card, as if it had ears. Gingerly he put the loose tile back in place.

He placed the card under his pillow. Somehow having it near him made him warm. As though there was a fluffy blanket wrapped comfortably around him. Easton had gotten accustomed to the scent rather quickly.

Now the scent was soothing a drastic change when Easton first encountered it. All of his senses went haywire...

As Easton nestled his head on his pillow, drowsiness overcame him. Soon he fell into a deep sleep filled with dreams of a meadowy cliff accompanied by a delightful salty breeze from the ocean below.

In the distance there was a tall figure watching...

~Master Bedroom of the Oaks' Residence~

Iris and Gabrielle's bedroom was purposely located on the first floor. So they'd be close to Easton. It was only until Gabrielle shut the door for privacy, Iris burst into tears.

"I'm not," She sobbed. "Ready to let him go."

Gabrielle could only take her in her arms. "Let it out darling, shhh shhh. Everything will be alright..."

"We've always known...*hic*...this day would come," Iris was now hiccuping. The tears had ceased. "But it's still too soon..."

"But the Lab," Gabrielle tried to counter her. Anything to make Easton stay inside. Hidden, safe, where he belongs.

Suddenly she sat up and faced her swollen eyes to Gabrielle. "Don't you find it most perplexing?"

Gabrielle furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

From what she knows, there's nothing "perplexing" about the Lab being after their son. Especially since they bothered to go such lengths to kidnap Easton when he was just a newborn babe. That's why Easton has to stay hidden, so the Lab won't have a second chance to touch him.

"For eighteen years, what've we've been waiting for?" Iris asked.

"We weren't waiting for anything. Just on the lookout for them." Gabrielle corrected.

"Yes, but don't you remember the decade policy?" Iris excitedly asked. The decade policy the Lab implemented was basically to describe their impatience. Many times cases involving traitorous employees were dropped after ten years of unsuccessful attempts to find and put them on trial.

It'd definitely been over ten years since the kidnapping...

"Easton is the special case, which the decade policy exempts." Gabrielle flatly explained. She had the exact same thought, but never voiced it aloud. She didn't want to give Iris any cruel false hope.

"Oh..." Iris looked downcast. "But still..."

"He's not going anywhere and that's final." Gabrielle snapped.

"And what grounds do you have to rob a human of normal life in society?" Iris shot back. In his younger years, yes it was crucial that Easton be kept hidden. The albino never expected that this would last this long. The pair did avoid the subject of Easton's circumstances. Now it was time to face it.

"Its for his own good." Gabrielle rebutted stubbornly.

Iris sighed and could only lean on her mate. "Darling I know how hard it is for you to let him go. But think about what the isolation will do to him."

Gabrielle was silent. She knows she's basically imprisoning Easton. Forcefully confining him. For once the guilt of that knowledge gnawed at her heart. When Iris saw that Gabrielle wasn't budged she decided to pull her last card.

"I'm afraid if you don't do this..." Iris stood up and turned around.

On her ring finger was a custom made cream colored Tab. Iris took the RingTab off with ease and set it on the dresser. She always two accessories at a time, today she has an anklet on.

"Iris what are you doing?" Gabrielle didn't like where this was going. Iris NEVER took off her RingTab.

"You leave me with no choice." Iris sadly looked at her mate. The parent that births the child usually has a stronger connection than the impregnator. Iris was especially close to Easton, given his and her own circumstances.

After all those failed pregnancies as a surrogate for the Lab, Iris never thought she'd ever be able to conceive again. Easton is their miracle secret love child. Iris would be lying if she stated she doesn't have a favorite child. She'd also be lying if she stated that she loved her mate more than her favorite child.

"I will severe all ties to you Gabrielle Oaks."

Gabrielle's world spun, immediately the strong alpha crumpled. She couldn't comprehend anything that was going on. There was only a single thought in her mind: don't let her go.

"No, you can't do this to me!" Gabrielle shamelessly begged. She had gotten up and imobolized the omega in her arms.

Iris is one of the very few who can break off a fated mates relationships. Gabrielle knows that, because Iris belonged to someone else before she became hers.

"I don't want to." Tears streamed down her cheeks. The first time she broke off a fated mates relationship was a very painful experience. If Gabrielle wasn't there with her, Iris might've done something crazy to herself. "But you leave me with no choice."

Gabrielle's heart was broken into an infinite amount of pieces. The knowledge that between Easton and her, Iris would unhesitatingly choose Easton.

As for Gabrielle, between Easton and Iris, she would unhesitatingly choose Iris.

That's the difference between them.

Gabrielle tightened her grip on her mate, burying her head in Iris's neck and hair. "Anything if you won't leave me."

Her voice was hoarse. Iris felt guilty for doing this. Of course she wouldn't actually severe the mate tie. It was only a bluff to get her alpha to agree. And for the record this was the second and last time she used this threat.

The first was with her previous mate.

Iris leaned into Gabrielle's embrace.

"Thank you so, so much darling." Iris whispered. "Now would you please pass me my ring?"