Leo wasn't sure what Milo meant when he talked about 'messages', and he guessed it wasn't the time to ask. He could see his Alpha starting to break down, letting tears fall down his cheeks as he kept his eyes on Katarina. Whatever was going on between them was none of his business now, except that he was responsible for keeping them both safe. And to do that, he needed answers.
He left the Alpha's suite and headed downstairs to the formal living room where Josanna was glued to the window, waiting on the arrival of her father. He had yet to leave his work and he needed to go home, make some sort of drink for Katarina before he could join them. That would give him enough time to find out the truth.
Leo smiled as he walked into the living to find Josanna looking tired and staring at the TV as if it wasn't even there. Something happened to him since he started being around her and he was beginning to understand why Milo was acting so crazy.
The Alpha usually felt things more deeply than the others of his pack. It was what made him the Alpha, after all. There was no doubt that he was starting to feel some semblance of what the Alpha shared with his unlikely mate.
"Josanna," he spoke quietly so as not to surprise her too much.
She lifted her head listlessly and stared at him with tired eyes.
"Katarina's awake. But she's feeling a bit delicate so she needs to rest tonight. She'll see you and your father in the morning." He explained gently, trying not to be the bearer of bad news.
Josanna's eyes lit up as soon as she heard that her sister was awake. But some of that light died when he said she wouldn't see Katarina until morning.
Leo felt guilty for that sad look. It wasn't really his fault, but he felt responsible all the same. He walked over and took his seat beside her on the sofa, pretty sure that she would try to shuffle away from him. Instead, Josanna moved closer.
"This hasn't happened to her before. I'm really worried. But I understand...she'll be upset and have to think about things. It's best she does that with Milo." She mused with a quietly contented sigh.
Leo was a little stunned when she curled up next to him and leaned her head on his arm, as if about to go to sleep. He wouldn't object, obviously, since he had a bit of a crush on her, but he was also confused. Shifters didn't have crushes. They had mates and he didn't get that strong feeling that said Josanna was his.
"Why? Shouldn't she be better off recuperating with her family?" He wondered, a little curious as to why everyone was suddenly so accepting of Milo and Katarina having a romance together. He had heard from his own Alpha that he thought Katarina was his true mate, but he didn't see how it was possible. He had spent so long believing his true mate was somewhere else, just out of reach, that Leo was sure Milo had to be lying to himself, to validate his new found love for Katarina.
"Nope. Milo's her mate." Josanna smiled, announcing it proudly, as if that answered all his questions.
"I know, but..."
"No Leo. Milo is Kat's true mate. She's known that since she was ten years old." Josanna looked up at Leo and frowned. "She told my father, who told our grandfather and Milo's father. They've all known since she was around twelve or thirteen." She argued, heatedly. "It's the reason she didn't want to take a mate. She thought she wasn't good enough."
Normally mates didn't know or recognize each other for what they were until they were eighteen and ready to accept the heady responsibility such a connection was. Apparently Katarina's special gifts made that time line obsolete.
"Well," Leo looked away and contemplated how to say what he was thinking. But he didn't have to say it.
Josanna pushed herself into a sitting position, angry with him. "Beta, don't you dare. That's my sister you're talking about." She warned him furiously.
"She is not useless or worthless or weak. You just happen to see Kat when she is suffering or recovering from suffering." She argued. "This is the worst experience she's ever had. Even if you divide the chaos this event caused by half, you still can't appreciate the effect it has on her." Josanna wasn't aware of shouting. She was on her feet now, fuming mad and curling her hands into fists at her side.
"The reason she's weak and tired and unable to keep up with the pack on a hunt, is because she's exhausted from dealing with these episodes." She ranted, going on to berate him even more. "And the reason she can't stand violence or fighting is because she sees enough of it in her dreams to last her a lifetime."
Leo sat there, speechless, not knowing what to do or think. But strangely, all he could do was wonder why Josanna was so mad at him. He wasn't the only one who thought Katarina unworthy of the Alpha. He wasn't the only one who talked about her in a less than flattering matter.
"Why are you mad at me, Josanna?" He asked, wondering why it hurt so much to see her so angry with him.
"Because...because you're a blind fool. You can't see what should be obvious and you're selfish." She shouted back, struggling to maintain her composure. "So help me, Beta or no Beta, I'm going to show you that you're wrong." She promised, before storming out of the room and heading upstairs.
Leo was left, sitting there in the living room, frozen. He had opened his big mouth and hurt a girl he liked. Not to mention that those very same comments that had made her mad at him, had made his Alpha furious with him too. It seemed like he couldn't do anything right.