Chapter 6
Chapter 6
I feel my brother grab my arm, turning around to regard him with a raised brow, his nails digging slightly into my bare skin.
“What is it?” my tone is sharper than intended and he lets go, a scowl on his face.
“Why are you being so nice to that Regan girl all of a sudden?” he folds his arms across his chest, looking indignant “You know what she’s like. Isabelle has told us everything about her” he added with a growl.
I’m not so sure that Regan is exactly as Isabelle has described. From the way Isabelle talks about it, Regan treats her like a slave, hurting her whenever her back is turned, but I have a hard time picturing Isabelle as a victim. Maybe because when she spends time with us, she can be pretty arrogant and abrasive. Xander seems to adore her though, but lately, I seem to find her more and more unsettling.
“Is it second thoughts about taking Isabelle as our chosen mate?” he added, the corners of his mouth turning downwards “Because I thought we both agreed that we would do the best thing for the pack and take a chosen Luna that was strong and capable of helping to defend it. Isabelle has Beta blood” he reminded me “and she’s beautiful. Everybody in the pack thinks we’re taking her as Luna and they all like her.”
“I’m not denying that she’s beautiful” I growled, even as my mind flashed back to a certain brunette with dark green eyes, my body feeling heated as I shifted on my feet; “it’s just that….” My voice trailed off as I hesitantly glanced at my brother who looked unimpressed. “Just what Xavier? Since when do you find Isabelle so repulsive?” he spat out, looking offended.
“I’m not saying I find her repulsive” I snarled back, annoyed, “it’s just that I find her to be irritating” I admitted, as Xander studied me “and I don’t know why.”
“Maybe it’s just nerves with the upcoming ceremony and our birthday” Xander suggested brightly, grasping at excuses “You’re feeling out of sorts because your wolf is close to coming out.”
“So, is yours” I pointed out with a scoff and then looked at him meaningfully “Are you finding Isabelle annoying?” I asked deliberately and intentionally.
He shook his head. “I find her as sweet and as lovely as ever,” he said while I chuckled and shook my head at how defensive he was being.
“So, then it can’t be my wolf. We should both be feeling the same.”
“Well then…” he begins and then Isabelle’s voice cuts in from behind us, causing me to stiffen instantly.
“Xander, Xavier!” she cries.
I close my eyes. Just her voice is grating on me. I can smell her perfume and it’s overpowering, making me feel like I want to gag. She wraps her arms around me from behind and I feel this sudden, overwhelming desire to fling her off me, my body stiffening. I grit my teeth. Isabelle remains oblivious, pulling off of me and heading to Xander to hug him as well. “You smell delicious” my brother mumbles, sniffing her and glancing at me.
I roll my eyes. He frowns. She pulls back and beams at the both of us, a sparkle in her eyes.
“So,” she says excitedly “about your birthday party.”
The infamous birthday party. It was in a few days and already I was growing tired of constantly discussing it. The pack was excited for us both, but Sarah was the one who was continually bringing up the subject until we were bored to death with it.
“What are you going to wear?” she asked the two of us with a squeal.
What? She gestures at the both of us as I look at her confused. “What are you both going to wear? I want to try and match your outfits with my dress” she explains slowly as Xander, and me eye each other. Xander shrugs “I haven’t really given much thought to it,” he says breezily.
Neither have I. Both of us tended to put our clothes on depending on our mood and we didn’t always dress to match either. Just because we were identical, it didn’t mean that we didn’t have separate personalities or different likes. Strength-wise, Xander and I were pretty much the same, but in all other aspects of our lives, we were different.
“Oh, that won’t do” Isabelle bites her lip, a look of anxiety coming across her face “You have to pick something” She turns to Xander who is looking slightly amused “I mean, if you both at least pick the same-colored shirts to wear beneath your jackets, I could match my dress and we would look like the perfect throuple.”
Throuple. A unique way of putting it. It sounded better than a threesome, I thought sardonically. Xander looked lost as he looked at me. I shrugged. I didn’t care what I wore to the party. Isabelle was clutching at Xander’s arm and gazing upwards at him though as if this was a life and death situation. To her, it probably was.
“Well,” Xander cleared his throat, looking lost in thought “maybe if we wore….” He began as Isabelle leaned in, listening intently.
We were standing upstairs on the landing, near the stairs, watching what went on below us in the pack house. The front door opened, and we all glanced down to see that Heather Ramona, Isabelle’s mother, was walking in with Regan, her stepdaughter, almost dragging her inside. I could count on one hand how many times Regan had been permitted to be inside the packhouse over the last few years, so seeing her enter was quite unexpected. I was immediately intrigued. Isabelle looked exasperated. She wrinkled her nose as her mother and stepsister disappeared down the hallway and out of sight.
“What are they doing here?” she turned to Xander with an angry expression on her face, while he met my eyes.
“No idea. You don’t know?” he asked her puzzled.
“No,” she said irritably “Regan’s never allowed in here. Mother didn’t mention anything to me” she pouted and then brightened “Maybe Regan’s being punished for something.”
Her tone is brimming with enthusiasm.
I cast her a disapproving glance. She noticed and paled slightly. “I mean, maybe she got caught doing something wrong for once and the Alpha and Luna are punishing her in person” she quickly amended.
I stared at her for a moment, not convinced that was what she meant. Just as I was about to open my mouth, my father mind-linked my brother and me.
Xander, Xavier, can you make your way to the study, please? There is something that needs to be discussed with the both of you. Beta Johnathon Ramona is here also.
For the Beta to also be present, meant that he had asked for something regarding Regan or his family. I turned on my heel and began to make my way downstairs, while Xander hastily apologized to a sulking Isabelle, joining me at the study before I resolutely began to knock. We were about to find out the reason for Regan’s untoward visit.