CATRINA
Fenris is the first one to break the tension that's rocketed up to sky-high in the room. He just chuckles then turns to look at me with a very warm welcoming smile.
"You are my sister, Catrina. That mate of yours had a very ancient type of upbringing which sometimes seeps into our conversation. He was a better friend when we didn't know that I am the next King of werewolves. Please excuse his foolish behaviour and you can continue with whatever you wanted to tell me," explains Fenris studiously ignoring Connor who has stiffened and now feels like a rock beside me.
Before I open my mouth to tell Fenris about my meeting with Xan, Connor shakes out of his stupor and leans forward while speaking.
"I am sorry for chastising you, Cat," Connor tells me while squeezing my shoulder and I just shrug, more than a little confused about this conversation.
"I am sorry for bringing our status in between our friendship. I just don't want to offend you or any of your pack because of our friendship," says Connor and Fenris lift a brow in confusion.
So, what Alpha Conan said was true. Being in Fenris's good books is important to Connor.
"Why would anyone say that?" replies Fenris breaking my thought process.
"Because my father has insulted your every time and still hates you."
"Connor, your father is the last person that I am bothered about. I have my family which seems to be growing," Fenris pauses to look at me and smirks before continuing, "I have my friends. I don't think I need anyone else's opinion here."
"Thanks, man."
"Connor you remember that you were banished because of me. You have already proved your friendship to me," declares Fenris softly.
"Banishment it was but it was the best time of my life," murmurs Connor while looking at me letting me know what or who he's talking about.
"That's good. The last of Recrania's Alphas is finally getting claimed!" exclaims Fenris happily and Sierra smiles broadly but then she looks at my hesitant expression and her smile slips.
Goosebumps make their way on my skin at the thought of disclosing my rejection of Connor's claim.
"No, unfortunately, your sister doesn't want to be with me. She has decided to move on and live here with you all." Now all eyes turn on me while my mom and Cayden appear to be confused, Fenris appears to be having a neutral expression and Sierra looks concerned.
Connor says all those words so calmly and smoothly even smiling a bit which confuses me. The thought of living away from Connor automatically brings tears to my eyes and here he is sitting beside me and appears to be quite happy to go home alone and move on.
The thought of him being happy without me makes me angrier this time so instead of feeling dejected, I nod along with Connor and look at Fenris in the eyes and continue.
"I do not wish to remain mated or in a relationship or whatever word it is that you all use to address the mates. I want to live with my mother and my brother and you all, if there's a place here for me," I take a deep breath before continuing, "also, I have resigned from the job in Blue Moon town and wish to pursue my career in this region or any local hospital."
As soon as those words fall out of my mouth, Connor turns his head to look at me sharply but I keep my eyes trained on Fenris, ignoring Connor. If I look at him now, my resolve will surely break and all this decision making that I did on the flight would go to the dustbin.
"Whatever makes you happy as long as Connor doesn't bang on my door at midnight to take you out of my pack?" says Fenris and then looks at Connor who replies that he's agreed to my decision and will be waiting for me. I don't comment knowing that I won't be going back and that Alpha Conan will immediately start sending potential brides Connor's way for sampling. Soon the waiting time would be over for Connor and he'll move on.
I sigh and watch Fenris as he thinks about it for a moment and then turns to look at Sierra who nods her head at him. I don't understand what's going on between them but wait patiently for them to reply.
Finally, they both look at me and then Sierra gets up, offering her hand for me to take. I look at Fenris and then at Connor. When they both smile in encouragement, I put my hand in Sierra's and let her pull me towards one of the spare bedrooms on the ground floor of their house.
We both settle on the couch and Sierra turns to look at me with her undivided attention, clearly expecting me to start talking and that's what I do.
"I don't want to live there anymore. Don't try and make me understand how mates are and all. I just can't, please," I plead desperately wanting her to support me. I somehow think that Fenris sent her and me here so that Sierra can talk me out of this rejection thing. But what she tells me completely shocks me.
"Yes, I understand. I rejected Fenris when we met so I can relate," she says and it's clear from her face that it's one of those things that she isn't proud of.
"What? How? But you both are so love in with each other!" I exclaim.
Sierra chuckles sadly and then shakes her head while saying, "I am not happy with the earlier me. I was very immature in certain aspects of my life but when Fenris walked into my life and claimed me, I called him a lunatic."
I gasp involuntarily at the images of Sierra calling Fenris a lunatic and then giggle which makes her giggle in return.
"Later, I initiated to take back my rejection but Fenris was dealing with other duties of his that he didn't respond to me. I thought he didn't want me back anymore and then I met Xanthos," she says and then shudders.
"It's okay. You don't need to tell me the rest," I say, not wanting to hear how she suffered at the hands of my father and step-brother. Sierra looks at me and then nods her head in understanding.
"Fenris has been searching for Xanthos for quite a while now," says Sierra after some time and I feel myself getting defensive for my brother.
"I know what he did was wrong, Sierra but can't a person regret it? He might have changed into a better person. That's what I felt when I met him."
"How did he approach you regarding you being his sister?" she asks and I immediately know what she's asking me.
"He came to my place and introduced himself. When I didn't believe him, he told me that my mother didn't accept him and since Xan's mom's dead, my father left my mom and Cayden to go live with Xan," I explain but Sierra's already shaking her head, he eyes shining with so much despair.
"No, Catrina. He lied. He's a very bad wolf. Please believe me. Christine was raped by Xavier and then you both, Cayden and you were born. Christine gave you away so that Xavier wouldn't get his hands on you," she says her voice soft but wavering at the end as she continues, "Goddess only knows what would have happened to you if Xavier had his eyes set on you. You would have been the perfect tool for him. He would've used you."
"No, I don't think so. Connor told me the same thing and I agree that whatever my dad did was wrong. He might have been wrong but I don't think that's the same with Xan. He's changed."
I don't know why I am saying this but it's like I can't believe them when they say Xan's a bad guy. Surely, he's a criminal but he needs someone to understand his side of things. What if he did all that just because he felt indebted to dad? He might have done those things to prove to dad that he was worthy of his love.
I know that feeling because a few years ago even I did the same. I did everything to show my adoptive parents that I was not useless that I was worthy of their love. I did the same for Connor and what did I get in return? A miscarriage. Losing my twins, that's what I got in return.
Maybe Xan must have changed and needed someone to give him a chance so that he could prove himself and I want to be that someone. I want my family to give him a chance and let him prove himself.
"He's not changed, Catrina. He's still an evil wolf."
"No..."
"Enough!" We both startle in our seats to watch Fenris march into the room and haul Sierra up from her seat. She lets Fenris pull her up and then frowns at him. I turn to look at Connor who's entering the room now and makes his way to me. His green eyes are sparkling which tells me that his wolf is close to the surface.
"What happened?" I ask Connor not sure whether they are unhappy with me or if there's something else they are worried about.
"Where did Xanthos take you for this meeting?" he asks, making me frown deeper. Why is he asking this all of sudden?
"Um... It was an abandoned place with only one house on the street. There were lots of trees around the house but they were all probably dead, as only the skeletons of the trees were there," I say while recalling.
"Who was there in the house with him?" he asks while walking closer to me and looking at me in the eyes. I have to crane my neck up to look into his eyes. The way he speaks to me suddenly sounds like an interrogation.
"Only me, Xan and one maid," I say, trying to recollect but all I can remember after that hot-chocolate drink is darkness.
"Try to recollect, Cat," commands Connor.
"I told you what I remember," I snap not liking his tone.
"How did you leave his place and how did you reach my pack territory?" he asks, his eyes shining fiercely, the warm-loving look completely gone.
"I don't remember. I don't remember anything after I drank the hot chocolate," I say and immediately Connor's eyes narrow.
"Do you think you were drugged?"
"What? No, definitely not. Why would Xan drug me?"
"Why not?" Connor smirks evilly and I don't like to be at the receiving end of it. It reminds me of the day he broke up with me and left me on the footpath in the rain.
"But why would he?" I ask, unable to believe any of this.
"Catrina. He took you to the rogue territory outside of my land. We tracked the house where he took you and found two women's dead bodies there."
"What? How do you know that it's the same house?"
"The women were raped by a werewolf in his wolf form. The women were werewolves who were trapped in Xavier's dungeon and whom Xanthos managed to kidnap when Fenris attacked their hideout almost a year ago."
With each word that falls off from Connor's mouth, I feel the blood drain from my face. I hear a whimper in the background and then a growl from the same person but I don't pay attention to Sierra at the moment. She's blinded by rage. Everyone here is blinded by rage and definitely, it might be some other wolf.
"How can you point it on Xanthos?" I ask, my voice wavering a bit showing that I am scared of this news. Those women didn't deserve it. I can't believe my brother would be so cruel as to kidnap women and then rape them.
Connor hears me and laughs. He turns to Fenris and we both see that Sierra and Fenris both are looking quite enraged about the news. Fenris's eyes are black, like completely black which shocks me and I take a step back in fear.
"She says how can we point it to Xanthos!" laughs Connor and then turns to look at me, narrowing his eyes, his eyes are totally golden at this point.
"Because he is the only one to disrespect women. There's no other wolf, other than your father on this planet who'll rape a woman in his wolf form. Do you know what else we found there? The bodies were mangled as if the wolf ate half of the flesh on the women's bodies...."
"Stop. Stop Connor. Please don't say anymore," I whisper, covering my ears with my hands as I fall to my knees and let the tears fall. The image of a wolf raping a human and then eating her body, terrorise me.
"I am sorry, Catrina but you need to understand that your brother is a rogue. A very filthy malicious rogue." Connor's low voice soothes me a bit.
"No, it must be someone else," I whisper, my head aching as the words fall out of my mouth that's when Connor roars and the fear for my life slips in for the first time.
"Blyad! Woman! What will it take to fit in that head of yours that Xanthos is a rogue," yells Connor and I flinch at the tone of his voice.
He's never yelled at me. I cower a bit, leaning away from him still on my knees as he takes an offensive step towards me. His body language screams that his anger is paramount at this moment and I fear that he would say or do something that would hurt me.
A whimper leaves me when I see the rage in Connor's eyes. He immediately stops, closes his eyes. His nostrils are flared and I watch as his canines descend, his hands turning into claws.
He looks at me one last time and then turns on his heels to walk out of the room. I feel stupid for not listening to him and get up on trembling legs to run behind him.
"It's of no use. He's out in the woods," says Fenris who I only now remember is standing with Sierra in the same room. I feel embarrassed that Fenris and Sierra got to see how bad our relationship is. Our thoughts don't match. He doesn't listen to me and I am not ready to listen to him.
"I am–"
"Catrina. Can you please tell me what happened that day? Every single detail" Fenris cuts me off with his eyes narrowed and those black eyes shining at me with mistrust. The feeling of being on the other side of my family and letting things go to pieces with my family because of Xan seeps in and I desperately try to hang on to one thing.
I need to sort out my feelings. If everyone is telling me that Xan's a bad wolf and if there's proof that Xan really did something bad then why can't I believe it?
Not wanting to lose Fenris's remaining trust in me, I tell him every single detail of how I met Xan and everything after it. Well, everything that I remember.
~~~~~~
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