I am devastated by this news. My sister is leaving. She is leaving the Treat for good, because I know that you can’t belong to two packs. So she leaves me too, at the same time. I let myself fall on the ground and I only wish one thing, loneliness.
— Sam, understand me. I don’t have a choice.
I’m raising my head vigorously. What do you mean, no choice? Is someone pressuring her? Is Nathan still picking on her?
— Is Nathan still pressuring you to flee?
— No. Nathan is dead, my companion killed him.
My blood runs cold. Ashley immediately puts her hand over her mouth, but her revelation did not escape me, far from it.
— Your companion?
My sister rocks from one foot to the other, uncomfortable. I suspect what will follow, a foreboding creeps into me and fear exudes from every pore of my skin. I reach out to hear and pull off her scarf. I instantly see the bite mark on her neck. I knew it. Ashley never wears scarfs, never. I could swear she struggled. It’s a nasty wound that must have made her suffer in agony. Rage fights inside me with incomprehension and a sense of betrayal.
After all we’ve been through, she has surrendered and thrown herself into the lion’s den. I clench my fists so hard that my nails dig into my palms.
— Sam, calm down.
My sister has tears in her eyes while her friend has a nosebleed. I can’t stand to see them being manipulated like this. My sister deserves better.
— Bring your companion.
This word literally tears my mouth off.
— It is normal that I meet him since he is part of the family.
My sweet tone doesn’t fool anyone and they both shake their heads in denial.
— Not as long as you’re in that state of mind.
I feel her magic rubbing against me, trying to get into my head to soothe me, but I’ve been able to stay sealed off from her power for a long time and she should know better.
— Stop it.
I don’t want to hurt her. She is my sister, half of my heart, however, I am wary of her today. It’s an unpleasant feeling. I always thought that she would be the only one I could loosen my attention with and now, there is nothing more wrong.
— We’re in love, Sam.
— Open your eyes. This is nothing like a love mark.
I point to the deep tooth marks on her skin.
— That’s a nasty wound you were forced to accept.
— Sam, let me show you and explain. I beg of you.
Her tears are as much hers as mine, and I hate myself for making her suffer like this.
— Don’t ask me to choose. I wouldn’t be able to.
Wouldn’t she prefer me to her torturer? Why? I take a deep breath to control my storm of emotions, but remain on the alert.
— What do you want to show me?
She pulls her shirt a little and I see a second, sharper bite.
— It’s the union mark that Sean made for me. You’re right, the other is a wound and I was against it.
My anger spikes. Is this how she thinks she can calm me down?
— Nathan did it to me. He betrayed the Treat and tried to claim me by force. He had me kidnapped by a dissident alpha, Sam. Sean came to rescue me with Sevana and her mate.
My sister was missing and I was not informed of anything. It’s worse than being the last wheel, it’s being insignificant.
— Sean killed Nathan to protect me. And he didn’t force me of anything. He was ready to wait to claim me. He was very protective with me, and he will never ever bite me. He’s not with me for my blood.
I am a little lost. Dissidents don’t fight with themselves. On the contrary, they shared fatels blood so that other packs owe them.
— I want to see him.
— And you have the right to. I just want you to calm down. He’s a part of me, of my soul, and if you hurt him, I would suffer a lot.
I nod to show her that I understand. Sevana grabs a tissue to mop up the dried blood under her nose that has stopped flowing.
— I leave you with the family, I need to rest and Connor is anxious.
— You’re part of the family Sevana.
They smile at each other and I feel a twinge of sadness that they are so close.
— I know, but I came to your rescue when he wouldn’t let me be on the front lines, and I had to fight him to come see Sam with you.
She looks at me with a shrug.
— He didn’t want me near you.
I get it. I have a certain reputation among the Treat that certainly doesn’t inspire much confidence.
— I have to take it easy on him or I’ll make him crazy.
With that, she leaves the room and my house.
— Is she acting against her alpha’s wishes?
Ashley shakes her head.
— She’s standing up to her mate, that’s different.
Maybe it is. Or not. Actually, I don’t know.
Three sharp knocks on my door startle me.
— Easy Sam. It’s Sean, my companion. Before opening him, I must warn you.
I squint my eyes, suspicious, waiting for the next part.
— He’s bossy. And stubborn. He’s a beta, you know. A beta shifter.
And that suits her? She who can’t take orders?
— I understand your doubts, but he’s my soul mate. I fell in love with him at first sight. Which doesn’t mean he doesn’t get on my nerves sometimes!
— Go open the door for him. He’s waiting and I wouldn’t want him to break down my door.
Indeed, he started banging on it again, with more intensity.
— True. He blew mine up when Nathan attacked me and I wouldn’t open. He’s quite capable of that.
And I’m the one who’s judged unbalanced?
Chapter 3
Sam
The man who walks through my door is a shifter, no doubt about it. He is tall, taller than Ashley, whom he hugs as if his life depended on it. He’s a tall blond man with piercing golden eyes, sizing me up as I do. And grunting.
At me? Or at Ashley? I’m not sure, but I can confirm, this guy is as unstable as I am and I know how an uncontrollable animorph can get. My sister elbows him in the ribs to get his attention.
— Stop grunting!
He stops instantly, obeying at once, which does not fail to amaze me.
— I’m sorry. Reflex.
He looks at her and his eyes change from golden to molten gold. I am blown away by the intensity of his gaze, filled with adoration for my sister. I never paid attention to the couple in the pack. I never paid attention to the pack in general, to tell the truth.
So, I don’t know the ins and outs of the bonding and soul mates. But whether I like it or not, whether I accept it or not, the depth of his feelings for Ashley is obvious. There’s no need to fool myself, he’s not with her for her gift or her blood, he’s with her as a person, and I certainly would never have believed it if I hadn’t seen them together.
My kind—hearted sister looks at him in exactly the same way. It’s sickening. I think they’ve forgotten I’m there.
They are in their world, in their bubble. I am a little jealous. I, who often feel alone and misunderstood, can only dream of experiencing such harmony with someone one day. I could be mean and make him bleed to remind them that I am there, only my sister would surely reproach me.
— You’ll have plenty of time to look at yourself later. And especially, somewhere else, outside my house.
Ashley blushed to her ears as she looked at me, looking contrite.
— Hello. I’m Sean, Ashley’s companion.
He takes a step forward without letting go of my sister and holds out his hand. I don’t like to be touched and the fact that he is more than a head taller than me makes me nervous. His powerful shifter aura dominates and disturbs me.
In front of my sister’s pleading eyes, I make the effort to grab his hand for a thousandth of a second out of politeness.
— Sam.
He tilts his head to the side and takes a deep breath. It’s a shifter thing. He smells my scent. He can also pick up my emotions through this and I don’t appreciate it. A little trickery never killed anyone. Didn’t it? Sean frowns, pinches the bridge of his nose, and starts grunting again.
— Sean, you’re doing it again.
He doesn’t stop despite my sister’s comment. He keeps staring at me.
— You have an interesting gift. Very rare too.
I can’t believe my sister told him. Traitress. He knows I played a trick on him.
— Don’t look at your sister with that dark look. She didn’t say anything. I just put the pieces together. You have fun making people’s noses bleed and you just took away my sense of smell. I take it that you manipulate the atoms of the human body to your liking.
My wide—open eyes, as well as Ashley’s, confirm these words. No one has ever guessed before.
— Don’t be so surprised. I know very well fatels powers. Now, please, if you could give me back my abilities.
He knows very well fatels powers? How is it possible? He must approximately have Ashley’s age and fatels don’t mix with other peoples. Simple courtesy visits on occasion, but that was the end of it. He couldn’t have known much with a few visits.
Unless, of course, he was the child of a splinter pack that held fatels prisoner to wrest their knowledge and their lives.
— I hate nosebleeds.
He holds his nasal appendage dripping red between his fingers.
— Stop it, Sam.
I hear the anguish in Ashley’s voice, but a veil of pure rage darkens my mind. He was one of the dissidents, I am sure of it. I increase the pressure and my power grows. His eyes are now crying tears of blood. Yet the shifter remains calm, no sign of panic on his face, and he doesn’t move a muscle. My sister, on the other hand, is in a tizzy. She should know that I would never hurt her.
The reverse is not true. I feel an intense pain in my hand, where she hit me. She didn’t hit me hard, but the pain is burning, and when I lift my hand, I see my skin reddened, as if burned. I lose my focus and at the same time my hold on Sean, who rushes towards Ash.
— Shhh. Everything’s fine. I have nothing serious.
He takes her against him, in his arms, and cradles her like a child, staining her beautiful blond hair and pale skin with red. This scarlet color on her alabaster skin makes me nauseous and I instinctively lean forward.
