Chapter 21: Their Cursed

Remi

I woke up curled up next to Calder. I stretched my limbs slightly as I let the sleep lift away. Oddly, I smelled chocolate chip cookies again mixed around the familiar coffee and caramel smell of Calder. It smelled amazing as I snuggled closer to Calder. The smell was all around me and made me want to go right back to sleep.

Calder stirred next to me. He made a sexy sound in his throat as he rolled over to me, stretching his arm and leg over top of me. I smiled. Even if I wasn’t ready to tell him, I had fallen hard for Calder and I don’t know that I could let him go. It scared me how much I felt for him and how quickly it was all happening. I angle my head to look at his face. He looked tired somehow but also comfortable. I did not move, letting him doze as long as he wanted.

My thoughts floated to Cullen. I was more upset than I wanted to admit about his adamance on rejecting me. It made my heart clench and my stomach drop every time I thought about it. Calder was right: they were identical twins, but they were so different. Calder was sweet and doting while Cullen was cold and calculating. I do not know why I was so fixated on Cullen when he has shown virtually no interest in me other than taking me beyond the boundary. It was as if some part of me cared about him not wanting me just as much as another part of me loved Calder.

I could feel the tears threatening to spill over my lashes just like last night when Calder asked if it was bothering me that Cullen would not give me a chance.

I did not notice that Calder’s eyes were now open and watching me carefully. His purple eyes looked sad. He nuzzled my face before saying, “Why are you sad, baby?”

I gave him the best smile I could. “I’m okay,” I said.

He kissed my forehead. “I know it hurts that Cullen won’t accept you, baby. I am sorry. I’m so sorry…” he whispered. I closed my eyes trying to keep the tears from falling. I took a deep breath.

“It’s okay,” I whispered. “I have you…”

“You do. Forever, baby,” he said quietly. We stayed like that for a few minutes. Calder held me close. I knew he felt bad about his brother. It was not his fault and it made me feel bad that he felt bad.

There was a knock at the door. Calder turned his head towards the door but didn’t move otherwise. “Yes?” he called.

“Pip and Jaime look like they are going to murder each other. Can you guys come down for breakfast, so I am not the only witness?” came Gentry’s voice from the other side of the door.

“Fine, we’ll be down in a moment,” he called.

Calder rested his chin on top of my head. I leaned into him, enjoying the moment. I would rather skip breakfast than go deal with Jaime, but I didn’t think I was really going to get a choice. I almost thought Calder had drifted back off to sleep when he finally spoke. “We should get dressed,” he said. I nodded. He released me from his hold, and we got out of bed.

Calder went to his closet to change and I went to the bathroom. I changed before pulling my hair down to brush quickly. My hair smelled like chocolate chip cookies. I breathed deeply for a moment before trying to shake it away. This wolf thing was making me do weird things. I brushed my hair quickly and pulled it back up into a ponytail. I brushed my teeth quickly before exiting the bathroom.

Calder was standing there waiting for me. He gave me a warm smile. He looked hot in his blue jeans and polo. I walked over to him and our fingers intertwined before we set off down to breakfast with everyone.

When we got downstairs to the dining room, the air was heavy with tension. Amanda sat across from Gentry staring dagger at Jaime next to him over her coffee cup. Gentry was trying to ignore while reading something on his tablet. Jaime was immense in her phone but there was looks being thrown back at Amanda periodically.

“Good morning, Remi, Caldy,” Amanda said turning to us.

I gave her a smile. “Morning, Amanda,” I said.

We walked around to sit at the table. Calder pulled out the chair next to Amanda for me. I sat down and he took the seat next to me. Before anything else could happen, Cullen came through the door. He had a scowl on his face, but he didn’t look angry. He almost looked upset. Jaime peeked up from her phone for a moment but then turned her attention right back to it. I looked at the table, not wanting to meet those cold grey eyes. Calder’s hand found my knee under the table. I put my hand over his.

“What time do we need to be ready to go, Gen?” Amanda asked.

“Uh, about 4 I guess,” he told her. Calder nodded beside me.

“That gives me plenty of time! Remi after breakfast we can go back to my room to get ready! I want to curl all that gorgeous hair,” Amanda said excitedly.

I looked up at her. “Uh, sure,” I told her. She was smiling wide, and I could feel Jaime’s eyes on me.

“I think I have the perfect nail polish for your dress too! I can’t wait!” she said as she practically bounced in her seat. I gave her a small laugh. Lola brought breakfast while Amanda chatted on about her plans for us today. She had a whole plan for makeup and hair. I have to say I was a little relieved because I was never particularly good at putting makeup on and haven’t had the money to buy it since being on my own.

We all began to eat, and Calder, Gentry, and Amanda talked. I tried to listen and participate in their conversation, but it was difficult with Cullen and Jaime across the table. Jaime stared at me with rage dancing in her eyes. I can imagine that she knows I am Calder and Cullen’s mate, and she is not happy about it. She probably loves Cullen and I feel terrible that I am coming between them.

Cullen was actively trying to ignore me, but I could not help but notice how sad his face looked. He ate slowly and silently, not even speaking to Jaime. I peeked over at him and caught his eyes on me. They went wide for a moment as he looked at me before turning back to his food. I got a weird feeling in my chest as I tried to turn my attention back to the conversation.

-

When breakfast was finished and cleaned up, Amanda dragged me upstairs. It was getting close to noon already as we had all slept late. She insisted I get in the shower and scrub head to toe first. She gave me an apricot body scrub that was really abrasive but effective. When I was finished, I felt like my skin was brand new. The shampoo and conditioner she gave me made my hair extremely soft. When I emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a large towel, she was sitting on the bed painting her toenails.

She looked up. “Yes, blank canvas. Let’s get to work!” she said with a broad smile.

“Can I at least put some close on before you attack me?” I asked her jokingly.

“Oh, yea. Hold on,” she said, going over to the closet. I could see her rummaging in a bag in the closet. She came out with a pair of shorts and a tank top and tossed them at me. I grabbed them and went back into the bathroom to change.

When I came back out, she got to work. First, she painted my nails then I helped her finish painting hers. After that, she dried my hair and pulled out her curling iron. “You’re really good at this stuff,” I said while she curled my hair.

“Well, the boys were always nice and let me tag along with them growing up but there weren’t many girls around. I liked doing all the boyish stuff, but I also really liked clothes and makeup. So, I learned how to do it all on myself,” she said, shrugging.

“I can understand that. My girlfriends were far more girly than me. I was just girly enough to get by. My nose was usually in a book growing up,” I laughed.

“Well now you have me! I love this stuff, and you are a fantastic canvas!” she said with a big smile. I could tell Amanda and I would grow into good friends. She was high energy and loved to talk but she was also nice and thoughtful.

“Thanks, but you are definitely prettier than me. I am average at best,” I told her.

“We are going to have to agree to disagree here,” she said. I looked at her in the mirror. Amanda was that all-American cute. She had wavy light blonde hair that was shiny and soft. Her eyes were vibrantly blue, and she had little dimples when she smiled. She was medium height and moderately curvy. Her near constant smile made her even prettier.

When she was done curling my hair, she went to work on her own hair. While she was working on her own hair, there was a knock at the door. The door slowly opened, and Calder popped his head in. He gave me a sweet smile.

“How are you ladies doing?”

“Good,” I said smiling at him. I realized that I was missing him when we had not been apart too long. I was falling so hard for him and I did not think I could stop it.

“Caldy, go away! You don’t get to see until she’s all done!” Amanda yelled at him. He rolled his eyes at her and used his finger to beckon me over to him. I got up from my perch on the bed and went to the door.

“Remi, don’t defect! Resist!” Amanda said dramatically. I just smiled as I walked over to Calder. He opened the door all the way and stood in front of me. His arm snaked around his waist. He smiled down at me. I looked up into his beautiful purple eyes.

“I just wanted to see your smile,” he said sweetly. Amanda made retching sounds behind us. Calder leaned down and placed a soft kiss on my lips. My cheeks warmed up as he pulled away. “I will see you in a bit,” he said letting go of me. I nodded my head and he stepped outside the door. I shut it softly behind him.

“You two are so cute it's kind of gross,” she said and I turned back to her. I just shrugged with a smile on my face. She turned back to the mirror to work on her hair. She had it almost all pinned up and was curling some loose pieces. “Can I ask you something, Remi?” she said carefully.

“Sure, what’s up?” I replied.

“Have you dated anyone before?” she said. I stopped and looked at her. “It’s just you seem like Caldy is like your first boyfriend ever sometimes…”

“Yea, I dated in high school. It's just been a really long time since I even thought about a guy like that…” I said.

“I know Gen said it’s all weird for you because of the problem with your wolf, but I can tell you really like him. I’ve never seen him so smitten with someone either,” she said smiling at me. I smiled at her back. She eyes me carefully. “You got it bad.”

I shrugged at her. “Are you done making fun of me for liking the guy who is supposed to be my wolfy soul mate?”

She laughed. “Yea, let’s get some makeup on your face!”

Calder

Gentry and I sat in the living room waiting for the girls. Cullen and Jaime had just left, although they were clearly pretending to tolerate each other currently. I did not miss the lingering look Cullen had on the upstairs balcony as he left. I had tried to speak to him today about Remi, but he shut me down immediately. I don’t know how he ended up sleeping beside our mate last night, but I had mixed feelings on the matter. On one hand, I wanted him to bond with her. I wanted him to accept her so we could all be happy. I wanted her to be happy with both of her mates. On the other hand, I wanted him to back off if he was going to refuse to accept her. If he was going to continue to hurt her in public, he did not deserve to love her in private.

I was not sure how to feel last night when I got back. When I walked in and saw him, I was instantly filled with rage until I quickly realized who it was. Then I was simply confused. I had showered and came back out and he was still there. Neither he or Remi had moved and were sleeping soundly. I have no issue sharing a bed with both Remi and Cullen, but that is assuming he accepts her. I had assumed we would renovate one of our rooms to accommodate the three of us at the pack house anyway.

When I sat on the couch, I just watched them. I sat there trying to figure Cullen out and the best way to get him to accept her. I watched the small smile on Remi’s face as she slept with her other mate. I guessed that his gesture was healing some of the hurt she was feeling at his dismissal of her. That small smile was the only reason I let it continue.

“What is bugging you so much? You have been out of it all day,” Gentry said, breaking me from my thoughts.

“It’s nothing…” I said.

“It’s not nothing. It is something so just spill,” he said, giving me a serious look.

I sighed. “Don’t say anything to the girls, okay? When I got back last night, Cullen was sleeping with Remi,” I told him.

His eyebrows shot up. “How did he get lucky with her when he is a total dick to her? You haven’t even slept with her yet!”

“No, they weren’t having sex. They were sleeping together. He was holding her. Out like a log in my room,” I clarified.

“Oh. Well, it has to be hard on him resisting her, doesn’t it?”

“I guess. I just was not expecting it. He had been there for a while by the time I got back, and he was there for a while after too,” I told him.

“What did you do?”

“Let them sleep. Remi seemed… happy…”

“Are you upset that she was happy with Cullen?”

“No, it's not that. I do not like that he is a total a** to her then when no one is looking does this. I think his dismissal of her is breaking their bond and upsetting her. I know her wolf hasn’t emerged, but I can tell by the look on her face when he is near her. This is all confusing enough for her and Cullen is just making it worse.” I ran my hands over my face in frustration. I was still tired from not sleeping much last night as well.

“You can’t control what Cullen is going to do. All you can do is be there for Remi. She is going to need you if we are going to get her wolf out.”

“Yea, I know. I wish he would just get his head out of his a** already. Both of us trying to break the curse and telling the Council to f**k off would be a lot better than one of us.”

Gentry nodded. “He’ll do the right thing. I’ve known you both your whole lives. I think Cullen probably wanted his mate more than either of us. He is just bad at showing he wants things on the outside. We both know he hates disappointment, both feeling it and being the cause of it. That wall of his is just his way of protecting himself. That little thing up there can break him, and he would have no control over it.”

I nodded my head. Gentry may seem like a bubbly airhead, but he was probably one of the most observant and down-to-earth guys I know. Just then we heard a voice clear from the top of the stairs. We turned our heads to see Amanda standing at the top of the stairs. She looked pretty in a pink satin dress. Her blonde hair was pinned away from her face. She came down the stairs, but my eyes stayed put.

Remi approached the top of the stairs and I thought my heart stopped. She looked absolutely incredible. She was wearing a dark grey gown that came up over one of her shoulders with a small broach at the top with an empire waistline. The dress stopped at her ankles showing off the sparkly heels she was wearing. Her dark brown hair was in soft, even waves pulled to one side of her head. Her makeup was light and highlighted her bright eyes.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as she descended the stairs. I met her at the bottom. “You look… so beautiful…” I said softly. She gave me a small smile.

“Thank you,” her beautiful lips said. I leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on her cheek. She smiled even more brightly at me. I took her hand and rested it in my elbow as I looked back to Gentry and Amanda. Amanda had a smug look on her face.

“Thanks for helping her, Pip,” I linked. She just nodded and turned around.

“Let’s party,” she said. We followed her into the elevator and down to the garage.