T W O

When my parents get home, I am given a big welcome. My brother and his family are coming round and Fiona will be home soon. My mum has made my favourite Macaroni cheese with bacon and garlic bread.

Just as we’re setting the table, Fiona arrives with Frank, holding hands. Both Iris and I feel rage. Frank promptly moves away with the premise of going to speak with my brother. Fiona gives me a lack-lustre welcome, looking me up and down.

“Haven’t grown any taller I see,” giggling at her own joke. I roll my eyes and sit at the table.

Dinner was hard to endure, with Fiona making eyes at my mate, not that anyone knew, but keeping my cool was hard. I could feel a tension headache coming on.

After the meal, my brother and his family headed home. Fiona walked Frank to the door, asking if she should go home with him, but he told her he had to be up early for work, so denied her invite. She was annoyed at him.

I was tired so wished everyone goodnight and headed to bed. I was plagued with strange dreams, but couldn’t remember what they were when I woke.

I spend the day fully unpacking and getting laundry done. I let Iris out to run off some energy. Suddenly while running around, my head felt so sore, causing me to tumble and fall. I got my bearings, lifting myself up.

“What was that?” I asked Iris, who didn’t answer me, just shook her head at me. The pain had stopped, but it had frightened me. That night at mealtime, was just the four of us. My sister seemed quiet, but mum said that she had been busy at work.

-

A couple of days had passed and I had not seen my mate, and Iris and I were growing restless. I had been getting intermittent sore heads and feeling nauseous, and I didn’t know why. I decided to nip into the medical centre to get some stronger pain meds.

I explained to the doctor about it and he put it down to jetlag, returning home and being emotional. He gave me some pills that would last a couple of days and told me to come back if it got worse.

It was Friday and I was alone for tea tonight. My parents were having a date night, they did that every Friday. When I asked where Fiona was, Mum smiled telling me she was eating at Frank’s tonight.

I felt the rage burning, my sister was spending time with my mate, while he didn’t seem to be able to tell her he was no longer her boyfriend. I was so close to going round there, but I thought that tonight since she was at his home, he would let her down gently.

I was watching a film in bed, it was only 7pm, when I felt pain explore in my head and chest. I rolled to the side of the bed, reaching for the waste bin as my stomach emptied. I could do nothing but whimper, as Iris raged and cried out in my head.

I was in so much pain, I had never felt anything like it. It was getting worse at the seconds ticked by. I manged to mind-link my dad, shouting for help. He tried to ask me what was wrong, but all I could do was cry out in pain.

I heard the bang of the door as my parents came rushing in.

Dad was looking over me as a squirmed and cried out. Mum had tears in her eyes.

“The doctor is on his way Elsie,” dad whispered holding me, as mum stroked my hair. I was hardly aware of what was going on around me. My body felt cold and I was shaking, my whole body was in pain, it felt like my head would explode and my heart was being ripped out.

I was aware of shouting between my parents and the doctor, but I couldn’t understand what they were saying. I was aware of my mother screaming as everything went black.

-

I felt as if I was floating over a black cloud. Iris was pacing in my head, but although I spoke to her, she couldn’t hear me. I began to wake; my body was achy and stiff. My head fuzzy, but not the same pain as before.

I groaned as I opened my eyes in the darkened room. I met my dad’s eyes, which were red with pain and sadness.

“How do you feel Elise?” he asked.

“Like shit,” I whispered. “What happened?”

Dad stood up and paced, I could tell he was angry and sad.

“There isn’t an easy way to tell you this,” he huffed, his back to mine.

“Dad just tell me, you know I don’t like pussy-footing around.”

He turned and grimaced, obviously not liking the roll he had to play.

“I know that you have found your mate, however that piece of shit marked and mated another she-wolf last night. That is why you were in so much pain. Your soul was being betrayed, causing you to suffer a seizure. That was why for the last couple of days you have been getting headaches and nausea. When he was kissing and whatnot,” he growled out.

I felt the tears run down my face. He betrayed us, he actually went and mated another knowing I was his true mate. Does my sister know, does my family even know? I felt numb.

“Honey, tell me who has done this to you. Did you meet your mate?” he asks gently.

I nod my head. “He told me wanted to let his girlfriend down gently, so to not tell anyone until he had told her.”

My dad growled, the windows rattling “who?”

“Frank,” I whispered.

Dad was up like a shot, “Frank? Your sister’s boyfriend?”

“Yes,” I whispered so quietly I was surprised he heard me.

My dad roared so loud and ran out the room, the door banging against the wall, making me jump.

The doctor and my mum rushed in checking me over. Once the doctor was happy with my vitals and gave me something for the pain, he left, leaving me with my mum.

I explained to her what had happened, meeting Frank, kissing and what he asked of me. She was silently crying as I told her everything, holding my hand and stroking my hair. I felt myself drifting off to sleep as the pain meds kicked in.

The next day the doctor allowed me to go home, with strict instructions for bed rest. I had not seen my dad since he left the hospital, nor my sister for that matter. Only my mum, who kept telling me dad was dealing with the issue with the Alpha. My brother had popped in once I was settled, but didn’t say much.

I hadn’t been able to eat much, as it mostly came back up. The doctor explained that if I accepted the mate rejection, my symptoms would stop. Mum had explained that Frank and Fiona had been kept apart to stop the majority of pain, but because my soul was broken, I would still get aftershocks.

Iris had been quiet the entire time, she could not believe our soul mate did what he did and that our sister would mate another. No one was really saying much, just trying to keep me going. I had no energy and didn’t know what I would do now. There was no way I could stay in this pack. I hated my sister and Frank.

That afternoon, I told mum to bring him here, and allow him to reject me, so I could work on my recovery. I didn’t want to see Fiona, she was no longer my sister. I didn’t want to see ‘him’ either but if I wanted to heal, he had to reject me.

Later that afternoon, I was woken by a commotion downstair and raised voices. My brother and dad came into my room dragging a beat-up Frank, throwing him to the floor growling at him.

I slowly sat up in bed, tears pricking behind my eyes as I saw my sister’s mark on his neck.

“Well,” my dad growled at him, “what do you have to say to my daughter.”

Frank made no move to stand, kneeling on the ground.

“Elsie, I am sorry for all the pain I have caused you. I did not know that I would harm you. I tried to explain to Fiona I had found my mate, but my heart has been hers for a while now and we are closer to age than you and me, so we agreed to mate and mark each other,” he whispers.

“If I knew that we would have hurt you, I would have rejected you first.”

“Were you ever going to except me?” I asked him.

He couldn’t even look me in the eyes as he shook his head no.

“Reject me now,” I growled at him. “You obviously didn’t have the balls to do it before, so do it now. You mean nothing to me, either of you.”

I saw regret in his eyes, but I didn’t care.

“I Frank Low reject you Elsie Harrington as my mate,” he clearly stated.

I braced myself for pain, but there was none, I suddenly felt the tension lift, left with muted stiffness in my bones.

“I Elsie Harrington accept your rejection Frank Low,” I answered.

He screamed out, gripping his chest, heavy breathing.

“Now fuck off, I do not wish to see you,” I told him, turning my head away.

My brother grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dragged him out of the room, closing the door and leaving me with my dad.

I let out a loud wail, pain and relief filling me. My dad took me in his arms, rocking me.

“Did she know who his mate was before choosing to mark him?” I asked my dad.

“Yes, he told her but she went ahead and declared her love for him and asked him to choose her. Sorry Elsie.” I know my dad struggled to share that.

It’s over now, I don’t want anything to do with my sister again. I feel sorry for my parents, one daughter choosing the other daughter’s mate, causing me so much pain and heartache. It would take time, but I’m sure they will come to terms with it. I however would not forgive her or him.

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