Chapter 27
Kaeleen’s POV
I said my goodbyes to Annabelle and the others. It was a bit surprising when I found out that this pack had other buildings which housed so other representatives. Which made think that perhaps they had other houses too that could shelter Astrid but they just didn’t want her to have it. Well, soon enough, this would all be in the past and she could have a peaceful life once again. One in which she was accepted. And not one in which she was treated like the scum of the earth.
I was walking with both Alex and Rebecca when I rembered the way my sister had behaved when I had been looking for a first aid kit for Astrid.
"I need a word with you," I said, slowing my pace.
Rebecca turned, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What’s up? Can’t it wait?"
I shook my head, my gaze fixed on her. "It’s about you. And sothing I noticed earlier."
Alex, ever the perceptive one, stopped walking as well, his eyes shifting between Rebecca and . A flicker of concern crossed his face.
"What do you want to talk about, Kaeleen?" Rebecca asked, her voice guarded.
I hesitated, searching for the right words. "Are you okay? Really?"
Her expression softened slightly, but she still seed hesitant. "Of course, I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?"
I stopped walking, forcing her to do the sa. "Because you were acting weird this morning. Before the eting, when I first saw you. Sothing was eating at you. Like you were carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders."
She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Don’t worry about it, Kaeleen. It’s nothing important."
This was my issue with Rebecca. We bickered a lot and I’d think that maybe we were closer than before. That maybe we could rely on each other but she always seed to want to solve problems by herself. Not telling anything until it was way beyond her power. This was one of the reasons why I thought Alex was a good match for her. He helped her open up more and be more honest with her feelings but apparently, that wasn’t working this ti.
"Nothing important?" I repeated, my voice rising slightly. "Rebecca, you’re my sister. I can tell when sothing’s bothering you. And if it’s nothing important, then why are you trying so hard to hide it?"
Her eyes flickered towards Alex, then back to . "It’s not sothing I want to discuss right now, okay? Can we just drop it?"
The protectiveness inside flared. What was going on?
"Is it Alex?" I asked, my voice hardening. "Did he do sothing? Because it doesn’t matter that you two are mates now. He’s still my best friend, but I will kill him if he hurts you. I still have every right to kill him."
Rebecca chuckled, a genuine, warm sound that eased so of the tension. "Calm down, you overprotective idiot. It has nothing to do with Alex. He’s been a perfect mate."
I studied her face, searching for any sign of deception. But her eyes were clear, her smile seed sincere but I could see through it. Maybe what was bothering her wasn’t related to Alex directly but indirectly. I was going to interrogate Alex also because this just showed that perhaps he knew what was going in with my sister. But for now, I had to do my job as a brother.
"Then what is it?" I pressed, my voice softer now. "You know you can tell anything, right? I’m always here for you, no matter what."
This ti, a genuine smile spread across her face, reaching her eyes. She stepped forward, squeezing my arm affectionately. "You’re adorable, you know that? Always so worried about everyone else."
I pretended to gag, sticking my tongue out. "Ugh, don’t get all mushy on , Bec. You’re going to make throw up."
She laughed, the sound echoing through the trees. It was good to see her smile, to hear her laugh. It eased the worry that had been gnawing at .
"Fine, fine," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "No more mushiness. But seriously, Kaeleen, I appreciate you looking out for . I’ll tell you what’s going on when I’m ready, okay? Just trust ."
I nodded, accepting her answer for now. "Alright. But if you need anything, anything at all, you know where to find ."
She smiled again, her eyes filled with gratitude. "I know. Thanks, Kaeleen."
I hesitated for a mont, then decided to change the subject, hoping to lighten the mood. "So, I have so news. About Astrid."
Rebecca’s eyes widened, her attention imdiately captured. "Astrid? What about her? Is she okay?"
"She’s fine," I said, a grin spreading across my face. "Actually, she’s more than fine. She’s coming to Erald Glade with us."
Rebecca squealed, a high-pitched sound that made Alex wince. "No way! Seriously? Astrid’s coming to live with us?"
"Really?" Alex asked with wide eyes.
I nodded, my grin widening. "That’s right. She agreed to co. She wants a fresh start, and she thinks Erald Glade might be the place for her."
Rebecca jumped up and down, clapping her hands together. "Oh my god, this is amazing! I knew fate knew what they were doing when they made Astrid your mate! She is so chill."
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help but smile. "You’ve only just t her, Bec. How can you be so sure she’s chill?"
"That’s all the more reason to like her!" Rebecca exclaid, throwing her arms around in a hug. "She’s been through hell, and she’s still standing. That takes a special kind of strength. Plus, she’s got a great sense of humor, and she’s not afraid to speak her mind. I can already tell we’re going to be best friends."
Alex chuckled, shaking his head at Rebecca’s enthusiasm. "You’re incorrigible, you know that? You decide you like soone after five minutes, and that’s it. They’re in your inner circle for life."
"Exactly!" Rebecca said, beaming. "And Astrid is definitely inner circle material. I can’t wait for her to get here. We’re going to have so much fun. Oh, Serena is going to love this. She has been asking so much about Astrid."
I paused. "Serena?" I asked her.
Alex chuckled when he noticed how tiny my voice was.
"You told her about Astrid?" I asked her.
"You really didn’t think I was going to tell her?" Rebecca asked .
"Why the fuck didn’t you wait for to tell her first?" I hissed.
"Well, in case you suddenly forgot, you’ve been ignoring her." Rebecca pointed out.
"That’s because I had no service." I replied.
"Yeah. It’s definitely because you had no service and not because you were avoiding her." Rebecca said to .
I groaned. Serena was the oldest amongst us and while I was alpha, she was obsessed with our well being. She treated like a baby which don’t get wrong, I appreciate but sotis it was a bit overbearing. I took every opportunity I could to escape her. And she liked hearing information about us from ourselves and not the other way round.
"I was not avoiding her." I said to Rebecca.
Alex coughed. "So he says." He muttered under his breath and I gave him the middle finger.
I liked my family. I loved them but Serena’s love was a bit too much. I wasn’t a child anymore. Didn’t need that much protection from her nor was I getting myself into stupid shit that she needed to know where I was always. I was a grown up now but she wasn’t going to listen.
"This is payback for when you told her about my baby before I could tell her." Rebecca said to .
"She was overjoyed." I told her.
"Only after she browsed about the consequences of having a baby. And do you know how many tis she called during the first trister because she was worried?" Rebecca asked .
"It’s better she’s worried than she’s not right?" I asked her.
Rebecca laughed. "Well, you’ve got so explanation to do when you get ho."
"Asshole." I muttered, making Rebecca laugh again.
"Don’t worry dude. I’m with you." Alex said to , making laugh.
"You left the last ti." I said to him,
"She is scary as fuck. I’m not going near a boxer when she is mad." He said to , making chuckle again.
Aside from the potential threat of my older sister, the thought of having Astrid in Erald Glade, having her close to , was a dream co true. A dream I didn’t even know I had.
"Do we need to tell Leon about taking her from the pack?" Alex asked .
I frowned, pondering his question. Normally, the legal way to take a mber of the pack out of the pack would be to inform the leader of the pack but after what he had done to Astrid, I had the feeling that he wasn’t going to let her go just like that.
"I wonder." I replied to him as the thoughts worked through my brain.
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