~Kade’s POV~
”Packing a bag usually means one’s going somewhere,” Mason remarked as he leaned against the doorframe.
”I am.”
”Where?” I zipped up the bag and tossed it down by the door. I brought out another black leather bag and placed it on the bed, packing it with various items I might need including weapons.
The bag was snatched from under my hands, and Mason threw it behind him.
”This is stupid, and you know it. There’s no way you’re going up against a pack of Emberwolves and survive.” I growled and walked up to him.
”I have to try. I’m the reason she’s gone-”
”Yes! You’re the fucking reason she left, but you don’t think that we all take the blows for it? We all were equally shitty when it came to how we handled the situation, and Layla was nothing but compliant and understanding at first. Get your head out of your ass and think for a second!” With his last words, his hands hit my chest and I fell back a step.
”You’re upset that she’s gone, I get it, but dying won’t bring her back. You want her back safely, don’t you? I know I do. So we need a plan. One that doesn’t involve a bag full of knives.” I ran a hand through my hair and looked at the unmade bed. I hadn’t been able to sleep in it since Layla left. I hadn’t slept at all, for that matter. Danielle was constantly on my tail about talking and starting over, but I was still unsure of her true motive for coming here.
I didn’t like being kept in the dark about things, and when it came to Danielle, you never knew what the truth was. In a way, I had kept my distance with Layla because of the same reason—I didn’t trust that she wouldn’t use her powers to hurt me or my pack.
”You know they’re not the same, right?” Mason said and watched me staring out into the hallway. My head turned, and I faced him. He slumped down on the futon in front of the bed and sighed. ”Danielle and Layla, they’re not the same. Danielle knew what she was doing; Layla was just as scared of her powers as you were. We should’ve helped her, guided her, not treated her like the enemy.” He looked at me with a knowing gaze.
”Did you think you were the only one?” He asked and smiled.
I shrugged my shoulders, and sat on the chair.
It never occurred to me that my siblings had their reservations as well because of who Layla was. ”I was blessed with two mates, and both of them were Emberclaws. Why?” Mason tossed his head, so his hair flew away from his face, and he shook his head.
”Beats me, like you said, it’s a blessing. We’re the ones that turned it into a curse.” He wasn’t wrong.
Anna and Cara were downstairs, and Mason and I joined them in the living room.
”How are you holding up?” Cara asked, and no matter how much I tried to focus on the answer, all I felt was the disdain from Anna. She was watching the tv, but I knew that if she turned her head, the hate in her eyes would be visibly evident.
”Anna, can we talk?” I asked. She clenched her jaw and slowly turned her head.
Her eyes were pitch black when she finally looked at me. Anna was a nice girl, and she had integrated into the pack unlike anything I had seen. Everyone loved her, and I had driven away the person she loved the most.
”I’m sorry, Anna,” I said. she scoffed and bit down on her lip. Her head shook back and forth, and she was staring at me with heavy eyes and a dumbfounded gaze.
”You don’t even know what you’re sorry for,” Anna furrowed her brows and straightened up, turning her body to face me.
Anna sighed, and I recognized that sigh because I had heard it many times from my sister. ”You don’t deserve her, Kade.” Cara tensed and turned away. she looked down at the floor, and my brother stared intensely at Anna.
”I know what I did—”
”Do you?” Her voice rose, and her previously saddened expression turned angry in an instant. ”Because I don’t think you do. You invited your ex to stay with you, thinking it was no problem at all, while your current girl and mate sat idly by and watched you two take a stroll down memory lane. That’s not just a dick move; that move doesn’t have a name! Layla has done nothing but try and fit in and be a part of the pack and a part of you two, even though the mate bond didn’t feel all too strong.”
”Wait, what?” Why hadn’t she told me?
”The mate bond, it wasn’t what it was supposed to be, but I told her to not mind that. I told her that if she loves you, then the bond is just a bonus. And now you’ve made me regret every single word I said to her. She should’ve left sooner.” Anna seethed.
”Layla didn’t feel the bond?” I asked. Her eyes narrowed, and if this was a cartoon, a lightbulb would go off over her head. Something snapped in her mind—I could see it in her eyes, how deep in thought she was.
”You didn’t either, did you?” I leaned back and bit down on my inner cheek. Only when I started tasting blood did I stop and stretch my jaw.
”I felt it,” I said.
”But not as strongly, not like the one you had with Danielle. Am I right?” Anna’s blonde hair fell over her shoulder, and her cheeks turned red from the blood rushing through her head. Her baby pink lips pressed tighter together the longer I stayed quiet. Her eyes narrowed until she was squinting, and the parts of her I could see turned obsidian.
”I don’t-”
”Don’t lie to me!” She flew to her feet.
”DO NOT RAISE YOUR VOICE. I AM STILL YOUR ALPHA!” I stood in front of her, with only a few mere inches between us, and my sister slowly got up and placed her hand on my shoulder, pressing me back.
”That’s enough, Kade.” She said calmly, but I heard the warning in her voice.
I looked past her and into Anna’s eyes. Her chest was pushed out, her shoulders rolled back, and with her head held high, she stood her ground in front of me.
”Yes,” I said.
”You’re right. I didn’t feel it as strongly either.” A light chuckle left her lips, and Mason winced. ”Then by all means, Alpha Kade, go and be with your mate.” She turned around. My hand shot out and grabbed her arm.
”There’s a reason for that,” I seethed. Anna’s lips parted, and her eyes widened. ”You never rejected each other.” She whispered.
