Nate

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.

That’s when I see fire on Ashley’s hands. There are fucking flames on her fingertips, and these two think it’s normal! Sean meets my eyes and explains.

— Your sister acquired pyrokinesis through our union, only she doesn’t have good control over her new gift yet. She didn’t mean to hurt you.

My sister is playing with fire? In every sense of the world! I finally understand Sevana’s words. The bond of union gives the fatels an undeniable advantage over their shifter partners.

My sister is perfectly capable of defending herself against Sean if he had the bad idea of hurting her, something he knew when they bonded because he saw it with Sevana and the alpha. So why did he do it anyway?

— Why did you claim her?

— Because she’s my soul mate and I love her.

No hesitation on his part, just a real certainty.

— How do you know the fatels?

— They raised me.

No sign of trickery. But his answer raises even more questions.

— Look, you don’t trust me and I don’t trust you. I’ll tell you my story when we know each other better.

— That’s never going to happen because you’re leaving. You’re leaving Treat territory.

He sighs and looks Ashley in the eye. My sister looks sad, defeated, and resigned. Determined to get on with her life without me, away from me, even if she doesn’t like it. A meager comfort.

— I have a deal to offer you. Take it or leave it, decision is yours, but the conditions are non—negotiable. In any case, I’m going back home, to the Guardian Angels pack, because I’m the beta and we’re defending a just cause I care about. That’s where I belong, and Ashley is going with me.

If I let loose, I’d make him pee blood, but my sister is tearful enough as it is. So I clench my teeth to answer.

— Go ahead, I’m listening.

— You can come with us and join the Guardian Angels. Like here, you will have your own house away from the others to be quiet. In return, you will follow the treatment that Peter gives you and you will train with me to learn how to channel your gift.

I didn’t expect this proposal. I am speechless. Not Ashley, who throws herself at Sean to kiss him full on the lips.

— You have changed your mind? You agree to let her come with us?

— It’s your sister? Besides, I never said no. I just told you it was going to be complicated.

It’s Ash’s idea. She wants me in her life. I just need one last piece of information before deciding.

— Will I have to bond with a shifter?

— I’d appreciate it if you made friends, or at least didn’t hurt anyone, but no, this isn’t about union. Not in any way. All members of the pack are free to make their own decision and choose their mate, including you.

— So, my choice is made. I accept.

— Good. One last warning: if you attack any one of us, you’re going right back to the Treat.

Ashley’s right, he’s a true beta. But he’s a lot fairer than that creep Nathan. I’m not going to miss that one. I never liked him and I’m not about to mourn his death.

My sister gives me a huge hug before leaving to pack her bags. We leave in two hours. In two hours, I’ll be leaving Treat territory, the only place I’ve known since I was six. I’ve never been anywhere else, never seen anything else. When Peter rescued us, we followed his pack from town to town. I was young, and more than a little confused. I have few memories of that time. When I was six, my powers began to develop, growing along with my anger and fear of strangers. The pack found this place and we moved in. I never left. I’ve never felt the need to, and most of all, I’m too afraid of the world to go exploring it.

My adoptive father also thought it was dangerous for others. I could have attacked the first shifter I came across and I wouldn’t have hesitated for a moment to kill him. And now I’m going to find myself in the middle of an unknown pack, in a foreign territory. It will take me superhuman efforts to keep calm and control my anxiety. It’s a good thing I’m not human, I’m a fatel.

However, I am not kidding myself. I won’t be able to manage my anger overnight, if I ever do, which will not be easy.

In any case, the journey to the Guardian territory is going to be hell. I’d rather had my back or Sean will send me home before we even get there. I need to see Peter. I’ve gotten into the habit of calling him when I need him to make the trip. Only, things are going to change so I might as well start now.

I walk up to my front door and pause. When was the last time I walked through this door? I can’t even remember. I’ve been a recluse for so long, wandering around my house or the back yard when the need for fresh air arises, which is rare.

Without giving myself more time to change my mind, as I would surely find a valid reason not to go, I turn the handle and find myself in the open air, the sun warming my skin with its rays.

 

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