"I also thought it was ridiculous at first," Cooper chimed in. "I didn't believe the general at first either, but his words turned out to be true. We're mated to her, Mom. It's the truth, Mom," he said.
"No, I'm sure that man did something. Five of his sons cannot be mated to the same woman for no reason. There must be a reason. This has never happened before. He might be manipulating you or something; I don't believe that this is real," Celine argued.
"We already checked, and we aren't being manipulated; we're not babies, Mom. Just accept it; we've long accepted it. You have to accept it," Cooper said again.
"No, I refuse to accept it. Why must it be her? What if they're in this together? What if your father—" she began, but Bryce didn't allow her to finish.
"Drop whatever suspicions you have of her. She's also clueless about all this. She's innocent," he said.
