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ChapterForty-ThreeKatyaMy eyes flutter open
to see the ceiling. I sit up, confused. The last thing I remember is getting in
the car and Maddox pulling me on his lap. I rub my eyes, wondering if I'm
dreaming, but I don't remember falling asleep, and how did I end up in our bed?
I come face to face with Ezra's wolf as I roll over.When I go to wake
him up, I hear footsteps and look at the door. Mateo steps in, his voice
flitting through my head. “Don’t wake him. He only got home
three hours ago,” Mateo tells me, making me look at Maddox curled up
beside me, he growls in his sleep, and I'm about to climb off the bed when he
moves, his big furry head landing on my chest.“What
time is it?” I mindlink back.“5:30 AM.”I sigh, putting my
head back onto the pillow. Maddox moves and places his paw on top of my head. I
push it off to land on the pillow above my head before rolling onto my side to
face him. His head moves as I roll, his nose pressing against my neck, and I
brush his fur. Mateo sits on the other side of him.“Why is he in this
form? Where is Ezra?” I whisper to Mateo.“Maddox didn't give
him control back, and then he fell asleep,” Mateo answers.“Wait, why did he
take control?” I ask Mateo and his eyes snap to mine.“You don’t
remember?” He asks, and I shake my head, wondering what there is to remember.
Mateo sighs before muttering. “Of course, you don't.” Mateo rubs his eyes.
Looking at him, he doesn’t look like he had much sleep. He leans back against
the headboard, closing his eyes before speaking again. “How do you feel?” He
whispers, and I furrow my brows in confusion.“Fine, just
wondering how I got in bed,” I tell him, running my fingers through Maddox's
fur. He purrs in his sleep before Mateo snores softly, making my eyes dart to
him. I glance at the clock, I still have two hours before Andrei is meant to
get here. I wiggle out from under Maddox’s paw on my hip and his other above my
head. Gently, I place his huge furry paw on the bed, pushing my pillow closer
for him. He sniffs it in his sleep before he exhales loudly, his big furry body
rising and falling heavily with each breath.I move to the
walk-in closet, and grab some clothes before sneaking to the bathroom in the
hallway and quickly throwing them on, leaving them both to sleep in the
bedroom. Once dressed, I sneak downstairs to the kitchen, turn the kettle on,
and make myself a coffee, being careful not to bang the teaspoon on the cup and
wake them. I can feel they are both still asleep. I am wide awake and know
going back to sleep would not happen. I feel like I have been asleep for days.
Walking around the packhouse, I do some housework, filling the time. When it
gets close to the time Andrei is supposed to arrive, I put on some socks and
joggers.Hearing a car pull
up, I quickly duck out the front door to spot Andrei’s car pull into the
driveway, parking next to Ezra’s and Mateo’s. I note he hasn’t brought his
usual guards like yesterday, when he climbs out of the car. Some part of me
half expects him to bring at least one person with him since he is going onto
another territory, but he is alone. He shuts the car door, and I cringe at the
noise before he looks over the rooftop of his car at me.I raise a finger to
my lips, telling him to be quiet. He nods before walking around his car towards
me. “Is there a reason I have to be quiet?” He asks, and I roll my eyes at him
before walking around the back of the house.“Maddox took control
of Ezra or something. I am not sure. Mateo fell asleep before he told me why,
but they are both asleep,” I explain.“You seem in a
better mood,” he points out.“No guards?” I ask.He chuckles, shaking
his head, following me out the back. “What, do I need protection from you,
sis?” he asks, making me shake my head.“Coffee?” I ask him,
but he holds up a water bottle before walking into the center of the yard,
making me follow him.He sits on the
grass, and I put my hands on my hips, staring down at him, wondering what he is
doing when he pats the grass in front of him.“Aren’t you supposed
to be teaching me how to shift?” I ask him.“What do you think I
am doing?” He asks, patting the grass in front of him. He cracks the lid on his
drink bottle before taking a sip. This is the most casual I have seen him, as
he only has shorts on and a black t-shirt.“How can I be your
sister? I don’t understand, or is that a lie?” I ask him.He places the cap
back on his bottle before shaking his head. “No, it is the truth, though, I am
a little shocked you couldn’t tell when you first met me. I recognized you
instantly as a relative.”“I didn’t even know
my mother wasn’t my mother,” I answer with a shrug.“Your scent gave you
away. You smell like my bio father, although more like your mates,” he
explains, waving his hand forward, telling me to come closer. I pull a face at
him. “I am not doing anything. If I was going to, I would have already,” he
informs me.I roll my eyes,
leaning over and sniffing him. Hmm, he does smell like
my father, but it is very faint. “But wait, you tried to mate me,” I tell him,
grossed out.Andrei also cringes
at my words. “No, my wolf Donnie did, I wasn’t prepared for you to go into heat
in front of me, and he locked onto your scent. Our wolves don’t recognize
family when they are crazed. I am into some kinky shit, but that’s just
disgusting, even I have limits, Katya.”“How are you, my
brother?”“You should ask our
father when I hand him back.”“I would rather hear
your side first. My parents don’t have the best track record of telling the
truth. Did he know about you? Wait, did my mom know about you?” I ask him,
suddenly curious about who Andrei really is.“I’m not sure about
your mothers, but yes, he did. I will tell you, but don’t accuse me of lying. A
liar I am not,” he corrects, leaning back on his hands, watching me. He tells
me after I nod. “Your father, well, technically our father. Met my mother when
they were both rogues.”“My dad was a
rogue?” I can’t stop the gasp that escapes me.“Yep, so was I for
ten years of my life. When I was six, dad said he was going to ask Alpha
Jackson if we could join his pack, but he never returned. We thought at first
that Jackson was holding him for trespassing, but it wasn’t until two years
later, when we met Anthony, that we discovered he was banished from Jackson’s
pack. He was one of their new warriors, he spoke of a woman, who was his mate,
but she rejected him because her other mate refused to share her.”“My mother,
Katherine?” He nods.“My mother wasn’t
your father’s mate. He never marked her, so when he found his mate, he
abandoned us and moved on, leaving my mother and me behind and leaving us as
rogues.”“So how come you
were rogues?”“Have your mate's
father to thank for that, he killed our pack Alpha, forcing those of us that
survived to turn rogue.”“But you're an
Alpha?” I tell him, and he nods.“I am now, not by
blood obviously, Dad was the Alpha’s Beta. We remained a pack of rogues for a
few years until Anthony and a few others saved up enough to buy some land, and
we made a packhouse. Everyone pledged to him, wanted him as Alpha, then when I hit
18, he handed the title down to me, making me an Alpha.”“So is Anthony, my
mom's other mate. Is he still alive?”Andrei nods. “Yes,
while you got raised by dad, Anthony marked my mother and took her as his mate,
he used to tell me stories of his old mate being some sort of healer, so I
started researching. Honestly, I thought he was losing his marbles, well until
I met you and I realized everything my stepfather told me was true,” he
chuckles, turning the cap on his water bottle and opening it, he takes a sip
offering it to me, but I shake my head. “Anyway, enough chit-chat, let's get
you to shift.”“Wait, just one more
question” He sighs but nods.“Why do you want my
venom?”He laughs before
shaking his head. “Can’t tell you all my secrets,” he teases, and I press my
lips in a line. “Do you know anything about meditation?” He asks, and I raise
an eyebrow at his words.“You want me to
meditate?” I stare at him, and he shrugs, crossing his legs and placing his
hands on his knees.“Hey, don’t look at
me like that. It is good for you. Helps find your grounding place.”Great, I have a
brother, and he is some sort of hippy. “I will try it,” I concede, and he
smiles. He does look like my father a little bit when he smiles like that, I
shake the thought away.“Okay, just copy me
and close your eyes and take a deep breath in.”I try not to laugh,
but do as he says.