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 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.