Talons

Chapter 96: The Weakened

Lark’s POV

My mother has been calling B since we left the council chamber, but my sister hasn’t answered her phone. Colt must have taken it from her because I can’t see her ignoring our mothers’ calls, but she is convinced that my sister hates her right now.

We all saw the look on B’s face when my mother mentioned the goddess; more than that we felt her devastation. I didn’t even know I was so distressed until my pregnant mate mind-linked me in a panic. 

Emma and Luke had to stay behind because they were not summoned or blood relatives of B, but I’m glad they were not there. 

B can still petition for another rejection hearing six months from now, but I doubt she would still have that right if Emma was made to speak.

Apparently, my mate was there the day that Colt declared B his mate. She is only eight months older than the twins, so she would sometimes play with them. 

The admission of her being there would not have mattered, but what she claims to have heard Luna Stone say as she was dragging her son off pack territory is suspicious.

Emma said that she didn’t understand what it meant back then, but as an adult, she can now put a little meaning to it.

She heard Luna Stone tell Colt that they would ‘fix’ everything for him. 

I asked my mother what she thought that meant and her face took on a stricken expression, letting me know that something was off.

I chose not to pry because if I get called as a ‘witness’ again, I don’t want to know anything that may hurt my sister's chances of getting her rejection.

I don't know how I missed it; all the warning signs were there. All the clues pointed in his direction, and yet, I overlooked it at my baby sister's expense. 

Our mother used to tell us that B was afraid of Colt because she thought he was a vampire; later, we thought it was his height. He is easily six foot eight, so it made sense to me that a girl as small as my sister would be afraid of him.

I remember the time she had ‘fallen’ out of the tree, I remember her being taken to the pack infirmary with 'chest pain,' only to find out that she had a fractured rib, and I remember a time she had come to me with tears in her eyes.

I was stressed from alpha training, and I told her that she had to learn to take care of herself. She never came crying to me again, and I regret those words immensely. 

If I had given my sister security, she would have been honest with me, but I turned her away. Just like Raven and Robin turned their backs on her when she was clearly in a situation that demanded help.

I don’t understand how either of them could have gone to the same school as B and never saw Colt touch her.

If you ask me, they didn’t want to see it.

Robin’s POV

Raven and I have been curled up on a couch with our mother and grandmother. It's the closest we have ever been, and while I wish it were simple family bonding, in reality, we can barely function.

Chun’s mate, Jamie, has been taking care of us. She is a sweet girl and I’m glad that B had someone like her to lean on. She doesn’t make us feel pathetic, which is fitting since she is our new gamma female.

It’s part of her role to ensure that the pack is physically and mentally stable, and right now, none of us are in a good headspace.

“Jamie,” I whisper. “Did B ever tell you about Colt?” Jamie nods, and for some reason, that hurts even more. 

“What did she say about us?” Raven dares to ask, and a smile we can’t understand flashes on Jamie's face before she sits on the floor, making me whimper as I think of B, who would have done the same thing.

Jamie tells us that B has never uttered a bad word about us, and she tells us some of the stories she’s heard. 

We fall into silence before Raven asks another heavy question.

"Why don't I remember Colt claiming B?" My mother tenses, and she starts speaking to my grandmother in Spanish.

"You were all very young," she finally says. "I’m guessing you forgot." 

Raven nods, but I can tell our mother is lying.

Colton's POV

I was angry with my mate for not wanting to be near me, so I withheld her meals, and now, I'm angry with myself for being so petty. 

I hate seeing her so sickly; her golden skin looks pale and there are circles under her eyes, likely from not sleeping. 

If I weren't the acting alpha, I would have stayed in the infirmary with her, but I had to ask Dolton and Miracle to do it while I tended to pack duties.

I'm happy to have a mate, but I know where my priorities are. If I make a good impression on everyone now, they will be more loyal to me after my father returns.

A familiar scent hits my nostrils and I recognize it as Jessica. I haven't seen her in a few days, and I thought I would never see her again, but I was wrong.

She stood in my office, practically naked, and I'm disgusted by the sight of her.

Jessica used to be pretty to me, even after the incident with her fated partner, she was still an attractive woman, but now she just looks bland.

Everything about her looks elongated from her face to her fingers, and now that I'm criticizing, even her toes are weird.

I know it's cruel, but as a country boy, I can only compare her to an unseasoned baked chicken breast while my mate has been breaded and fried to perfection.

"Get dressed and get out."

"I am your future Luna," she reminds me, and I chuckle at her words.

"You and I both know that I found my mate," Jessica returns my chuckle and I'm left furrowing my brow.

"We'll see how long that lasts," she quips.

I lunge forward and wrap my hand around her neck, wanting her to explain, and at that most inopportune time, Mandy walks in. She is probably the worst person to catch us like this, not because she's Rhea's cousin and best friend, but because of her experience with Carter.

My hand wrapped around a naked woman's neck cannot look good, and I'm afraid she will tell.

Mandy runs out of my office with tears in her eyes, but I catch her. I admit I'm a little rougher than I should have been, making her panic.

Before I even get to speak, my beta pulls me away from his mate, but I don't retaliate or get angry; he is only doing what I should have been doing for Rhea.

"Mandy, please listen to me. It's not what it looked like." Carter realizes that I'm not attacking his wife and he turns to face her, wiping away her tears before speaking.

"What happened?" He asks in a tone I envy. Anytime I was that sweet to Rhea was either a trap or a threat.

"I caught him and Jessica... She was naked and he was standing between her legs." Mandy isn't lying, when I grabbed Jessica's neck, she leaned back on my desk and her legs did open.

"Colt, bro-"

"It's not what it looked like. Mandy, please. I hate Jessica, you know that. Why would I risk my bond over her?" Mandy sniffles and wipes her face, seeming to at least semi believe me.

"Then why was she naked?"

"She did that often when we were together; I walked into her that way, and truthfully you stopped me from breaking her neck."

I probably shouldn't have added that last part because Mandy gasps in horror. Not because I was going to kill Jessica, but because she interrupted it.

"Colt, B is already in the infirmary and she has only been here two days. Please let her go if you-"

"Stop," I say, tugging at my hair. I have been trying to talk to my mate since she came, but she won't even look at me. "She told you that I'm nothing but a nightmare to her. I don't even know what to do."

Before I even realize it, I'm making my way back to the infirmary, dismissing Dolton and his mate, who were watching a movie on a tablet.

Miracle was staring at the screen, but Dolton was staring at her marking spot, and I can tell he’s hanging on by a thread.

When I was holding Rhea in the car, my wolf kept urging me to put my mark on her. I didn't because, like my brother, I want it to be a special moment between us.

I pull a chair forward and pick up one of my mate’s hands. It's weird that she is both the problem and the solution, but that is exactly what she is.

There are tiny sparks that shoot between my fingers and hers and they help me to relax. 

I wonder if she can feel it, and find myself running my fingers along her arm, causing her to shiver in her sleep.

A pleased smile crosses my face as I rest my head on her bed, still holding her hand as I drift into sleep.

Rhea's POV

When I opened my eyes, it took me a second to realize that I was in the Iron pack's infirmary. Someone was holding my hand and when I saw that it was Colton, I snatched it away, which woke the sleeping man.

I shut my eyes tightly, unable to stop trembling, and the fact that he was so close to me was not helping. 

"Hey," he says in a husky tone. "I know you're awake."

My body is still trembling, so the man adjusts the blanket on me, making me whimper. I'm not cold, I'm terrified; but he clearly doesn’t care..

"I was wrong," he says, and I wait for him to tell me what he was wrong for, because there are many, many things. I hear the man sigh, and the scraping of a chair as his body casts a shadow over me. "When you're ready, Mandy will take you to your room."

I start to cry as I think of going back into the weird room without food or water, but soon Miracle comes barging in with a large plate.

"I knew you'd be awake," she says, handing me another weird sandwich.