Thankfully, when I got home my brothers weren't yet home either. I suspected Reece had been out with Jarred and Emmet was losing himself in a book somewhere.
It didn't take long however until Reece did come. Keeping today's events to myself, I greeted him as if nothing were amiss and started helping him in the kitchen. When the front door soared open and someone, out of breath, came running to where we were cooking, both Reece and I instantly stopped chopping fruit.
I would have needed an activity like cooking to process everything Reagan had said and the fact I'd spoken to him in the first place... Yet there was little to no time at all now.
We stared at the fear-stricken beta that stood before us, curly blond hair in a sticky mess.
His green eyes were large and his rather round face void of any colour. He looked like he'd seen a ghost and as if he were to vomit any second.
"What's wrong?" Reece demanded, his voice laced with authority that mixed with fear and adrenaline.
I noticed Reece's shoulders tense. The atmosphere—which had been so peaceful and calm—changed drastically. Whatever happened was bad. Jarred was more than just panicked. He shook.
Reece was clearly alarmed by his distraught beta, grabbing his arm and sitting him down onto the bench that stood against the wall. I remained standing there, not knowing what to do.
Jarred swallowed hard and steadied himself as he wrapped his hands around the edge of the table.
Reece folded his arms and squared his shoulders.
Closing my eyes, I tried to suck out the strained emotions swirling in the air like a thick cloud of heavy smoke.
My strength slowly drained, especially as I tried to soak the panic into myself like a sponge and release it into oblivion. Jarred relaxed at least.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Reece glaring at me and throwing me a look that gave me the clear message that he disapproved.
Sighing, I took a seat at the little round kitchen-table and watched as Reece followed, taking the chair beside mine. Jarred folded his hands as he struggled to find the right words. Impatience arose in Reece, his knees bouncing up and down.
"I was doing my usual check up on the families, to see if they're doing good, have any complaints or wishes. And then I—I just found the Frey household on their porch," he finally said, calmer and more collected than when he arrived.
"There was blood everywhere. They... They were all dead. All of them."
Both Reece's and my eyes widened in shock.
This time, I didn't interfere in the emotions that began to fill up the kitchen. I concentrated on dimming the impact of my own. Everything in my body ran cold instantly.
Cautiously, I glanced at my brother, silently asking for his permission. He nodded shortly.
"How?" My words came out as a whisper.
Jarred closed his eyes, probably replaying the scene in his mind. He reopened them and looked to Reece.
"May I?" Reece said, asking for his permission.
I frowned but didn't speak. Wait—was he talking about using his gift on his beta?
I gasped.
He knows about our gifts?
Jarred nodded, closing his eyes again and bracing himself for Reece's presence. I watched intently as a grey veil set over his eyes, turning them almost entirely grey. Once it completely covered his eyes, Reece took control over Jarred's mind.
Jarred's natural eye-colour was only barely visible behind the thick layer. His entire body posture changed until it copied the stiffness of a statue. Not a single muscle in his body moved or even twitched. Reece mirrored Jarred.
I waited patiently, wondering what Jarred was letting Reece see, while still being shocked that Reece had told him about us.
Then again, I'd told Kendra—and Jarred was Reece's beta.
It was probably easier to have one's second in command know about something like that.
Technically, Reece could show me what Jarred was letting him see now, but knowing Reece and his brotherly protectiveness, he wouldn't allow it. I didn't even bother asking, although I was dying to know.
I heard Reece's heart beat faster, his muscles stiffening more. What he was seeing must have been really, really bad.
After a few more moments of absolute silence, the grey veil over both their eyes slowly disappeared again like mist when the temperature changed or was blown away by the wind. Slowly—but then it was suddenly just gone.
Reece let out a strangled gasp.
Both of them breathed heavily, even more than before, ignoring my presence altogether. Dread built up inside me. What?
What had he seen?
"What... what do we do?" Jarred squeaked, his voice failing him.
A rumble went through Reece's throat—one that made me jump in my seat—and a dark growl escaped his lips.
"We find out who the hell is responsible for killing six people these past two months," he deadpanned with anger leaking out of his voice.
The hairs on my neck froze as a coldness ran down my spine that made my body go rigid. I needed to find something to change the subject.
I was going to burst again if I didn't. This was all just too much.
"I found my promised," I blurted.
Way to go.
"You what?" Reece gasped again, staring straight at me.
Definitely didn't think that one through.
Jarred choked on his spit by the sound of his continuous coughing.
I looked down at my hands, suddenly amazed by the tiny lines on my palms, flowing into one another. One prominent line reached from one side of my palm to—"Catherine. What the hell are you talking about?"
Suddenly embarrassed, my cheeks flamed red. I never thought this would be so uncomfortable, but I couldn't help myself. Something about this all made me extremely fidgety.
I could have banged my head against the wall.
Maybe I'd be able to knock some sense into me, as it seemed I had lost all my functioning brain cells. If I ever had any to begin with. It felt like I had been making one mistake after the other with no hope in mending them.
As soon as I thought I had one thing in my life sorted out, something else came my way and I had to restart. Like I had broken a glass and glued it together, just to drop it again. And glue it together again. And again. And again.
I should stop exaggerating.
Gathering all my courage, I tried to follow my own advice. I shouldn't make such a big deal out of it. I was bound to find my promised sooner or later. Reece knew this, and so did I. It actually really wasn't such a big deal.
Of course there was the part that the man was human and had shown me even stranger things in a place that was strictly forbidden... At least, I thought he was human, since he most definitely wasn't of the other two races. And the other issue was him being an outsider.
As it went, in Everett Valley, if one was fortunate enough to find their promised within our borders, the union was celebrated. All others happened to be out of luck.
Kendra's aunt was one of them, working as a teacher.
And there had been at least three people who I'd heard had gone missing after the rumour circled that they'd been with someone they weren't promised to.
"That family that arrived a couple of weeks ag—," I started, but Reece cut in before I could continue.
"Those five guys?"
"Four, I think," I corrected.
"Kendra is promised to one of them," I continued, watching both Reece's and Jarred's faces twist into shock.
Reece mouth gaped open. "And this happened without us knowing?" His nostrils flared, anger rising within him.
This time, I rolled my eyes.
"You don't need to know absolutely everything about everyone, Reece," I muttered and ignored the faint growl that he made.
"Of course I do!"
He could be such a brute sometimes.
"Anyway, I've been seeing this man in the woods and knew that there was some connection. A few hours ago we locked eyes and I kinda' lost—"
"Lost what?" he interrupted again.
"My consciousness. Emotional stuff," I explained cryptically but quickly continued so he couldn't ask any further questions, "and then I woke up in his house, we met I guess and we accidentally touched and—"
"You what?"
Reece didn't even try to contain the anger—or was it shock?—anymore. I was scared he'd react like this. Overprotective as he was. But the main thing that bothered him wasn't that it happened—more that it happened and he didn't know about it the second it did.
"We touch—"
"I heard what you said!"
"Then what is your—"
"I can't believe it!" he shouted. Jarred, the poor guy, was looking from me, to his alpha. He probably had no clue what to do. I guess one could say I was successful in changing the subject...
"Reece, it's not—"
And again, the oaf interrupted me for the fifth time. "I just can't believe you let it get to the second stage!"
Now he was starting to piss me off.
"Let me speak!" I shouted.
Their shocked faces satisfied me—especially Reece's. Taking a short breath, I spoke quickly. "Wait until you find your promised and we'll see how easy it is not to let the first two stages get the better of you. It happens a lot quicker than you'd expect, even if it's not your intention!" I said, finally managing to actually finish my sentence.
He sat there, stunned and fuming while I slowly began to realise how little I had truly understood Kendra.
"Do you think I wanted this?" I asked him, anger boiling in my veins.
I purposely left out the part that I nearly fainted in the woods because I'd attempted to break through the mantle. I wasn't even quite sure it had worked properly—I could still feel an invisible force pull me towards him. Oh and going to the ocean...
That was definitely for another day.
I took a deep breath, trying to come to terms with what had occurred in the past few days. My promised had to be human, the strangest one that existed probably. I would never be able to change that. And rejecting him only because of his race was neither fair nor would it be acceptable.
Downright rejecting a promised in general, no matter the reason, was not right.
"I just wanted you to know. I don't know him and I don't know his family. Maybe whatever is going on is connected to them. I just thought you should know," I said, my voice finally controlled again as I had finally regained my composure.
I felt so much better when I managed to keep my emotional side at bay. Everything was easier when the mind and heart were intact, no emotions clouding any judgement.
Reece nodded, taking a deep breath.
I was glad we had calmed ourselves down, and he did it without my assistance too, which for him, was an improvement. Jarred relaxed as well, letting out a relieved huff of air.
Then, all three of us simultaneously started chuckling.
And that was when Emmet entered the house and stepped into the kitchen, furrowing his brows at us.
"What is wrong with all of you?" he asked incredulously, and we burst out laughing.
Once the laughter died down, I sighed deeply. We all glanced at each other, slowly letting today's events sink in.
Chapter Question: Do you think Catherine blurting that out was smart? What do you think of Reece's reaction to it?
Reader Question: What are you passionate about?
I'm passionate about way too much, lol, because I have so many interests it's hard to focus on just one. I obviously am passionate about books, reading and writing them. I also am fascinated by volcanoes and how they work, I'm super into medicine and biology along with history. And psychology too!