Sisters By Chance - The Dawn (Book Two)

What's Goin' On?

Harry's POV

*beep, beep, beep, beep*

My head is pounding, matching the rhythm of the sound, as I wake from far too few hours of sleep. I'm about to kill my alarm! I seriously need to stop celebrating Wednesdays. Raven groans beside me in bed, and I quickly find and shut the beeping off so as not to wake her. Her stirring stops and I stagger out of bed towards my bathroom. She didn't wake up on the way home. I didn't get as much as a twitch of her nose, despite the coldness of the night. She was pretty out of it!

I swiftly splash my face with cold water, brush my teeth and pull on sweatpants and a t-shirt before sneaking through my bedroom. I'm not even sure I have completed the task of opening my eyes when I close the door behind me and walk away through the dark hallway. John meets me by the stairs looking just as tired as me. And that brings me some joy!

'You look like s**t!' I chuckle. But regret it just as fast. I grab my head holding it as it pounds, swearing aloud. 'f*****g hell!'

'Right back at you!' He frowns as he leans back against the wall. From the far end of the hallway, Isaac comes strolling, looking well-rested and happy!

Both John and I groan at him as he greets us merrily, making me wanna hit him.

'So, you all had fun last night?' Isaac asks us.

'Yes! Now shut up!' John growls, making me chuckle again.

'f**k, stop making me laugh!' I groan, holding my head.

Tobias stood on the second floor, waiting. Tim was nowhere in sight.

'Good! I couldn't take being bothered by his face right now!' Jack growls, receiving a mental nod from me. Tim is currently staying here, recovering. He can return home as soon as Dr. Summers sees fit.

If we're lucky, he might even go all the way back to the campsite!

*

The sun has yet to rise behind the trees. It lingers in its cradle, as I would prefer to do in bed. Regardless, it has taken the time to paint the morning sky: pink, purple, and blue. With thin clouds sprinkled over the colorful canopy above. A cold morning waft dance across the porch, twirling between us as we step out and walk down the stairs and towards the training ground behind the packhouse. Most of the warriors have yet to come.

John has this notion that we need to set a good example and be here early, waiting for the rest to arrive. I couldn't care less.

'Wake me when they're ready to go!' I hum as I lay myself down on the damp grass. Someone huffs but doesn't answer.

'Could you have me sober in time for the warm-up?' I yawn, receiving a simple snort from my smartass-no-good-son-of-a-b***h wolf.

*

*

*

I got fifteen minutes on the ground! Those minutes were, luckily, all I required. Or, Jack, if I'm to be honest! Without him, I would have been out cold. John's growl was what piqued our interest. Why the hostility?

I glimpsed my eyelids, squinting in the direction of the sound. Kayden came walking with half of his face shimmering in shades of black, purple, and blue.

He makes a face, frowning our way in response to our surprise.

'What happened to you?' I asked as I sat up straight on the ground.

'A misunderstanding,' Kayden shrugged. When he doesn't make any indication of elaboration, John growls again.

'With who?'

'Tim and I didn't see eye to eye!' He snorts without looking in our direction. Jack peeks up, listening attentively. Did they fight over Raven? Why? He was looking for someone new to play piggyback riding with the last time we saw him.

I can't see John's face. Nevertheless, I can imagine it looking as confused as mine.

'You're not making any sense, Kayden. Explain!' He sighs while rubbing his temples.

'It's nothing, Alpha! Tim is having a hard time. He got a little carried away. That's all!'

'Kayden, your face doesn't look a little carried away. It looks like a f*****g fistfight!'

'Well, nothing I couldn't handle. And you haven't seen Tim yet!' Kayden joked, still not looking directly at us. Jack seems intrigued by the thought of seeing Tim. At the same time, he's annoyed that we didn't do the deed. Suddenly, the strong voice of our head trainer booms over the field. Ben is a tall and relentless man in his late thirties. He's the kind of man who can make other men cry as he's taking them down with a flick of his wrist and a smile. And as of that: there is no more room for any discussions. I sigh with mock irritation as I stand and take off for a 6-mile warmup. I like running. It makes your heart race and muscles work. Running clears the head and empties it. Running is being in your own world, focusing on nothing but your breathing.

*

It wasn't just Kayden's face. He was slightly wheezing as we ran and was reluctant to use his right arm as we plowed through pushups, indicating that his side and chest had taken a beating. I suspect he has or had a broken rib. I pared up with him as we began combat training. Jack and I both thought we were to give him a break. I watched him take his stand and turn his left side toward me instead of his right. I have known him for years, and his right side is prominent. He lifts his hands, the left high, shielding his face while his right hand is lower than I'd like it to be. It must have been a hell of a fight. He takes deep breaths while I bounce on my feet, shaking my arms before balling my hands into fists.

'Stop the dancing and bring it on! I'm hungry,' he grumbles.

'As you wish!' I smirked before sidestepping and swinging at him. I let him block every punch, and he knows it. We're simply putting on a good show for now. We don't want Ben on our asses.

'SWAP!' Ben booms. So I let Kayden rain blow after blow on me until Ben yells at us to swap again. We finished up with a series of burpees, situps, and more pushups. Raven would have licked her lips dry if she'd been here.

'Tell me what happened!' I said to Kayden as we walked back from the field. John, Isaac, and Tobias walk before us while Michael comes by Kayden's side.

'Goddess, I've already told you'll. We disagreed, and it turned into an altercation. It was nothing!' He sighed.

'Beta, I need to talk to you. Alone!' He mind-links me privately as he falls silent.

'After breakfast?'

'Before!'

I gave him a side glance and a nod.

'Fine, keep all the fun to yourself!' I huffed before changing the topic. 'Are you comin' with me? Raven wanted her piggyback ride down to breakfast. She's contemplating never walking again!'

'Well, I'm not about to decline her!' Kayden grins massively. The edges of the massive bruise had faded and turned a sickly green and yellow. It looks nasty!

Everyone disappears to their rooms and has warm showers, and I can hear mine call for me. Yet I stayed in the hallway, looking at the shifting color palette being Kayden's face, waiting for him to start talking. He suddenly looks nervous and shifts his weight from one foot to another. Jack becomes irritated by his actions and snorts in my head, 'make him snap out of it!'

'What's up?' I asked bluntly.

'I haven't told Alpha...' He mumbles.

'So tell me!' I huffed, flicking my wrist at him to continue. Kayden nods as he sucks air down his lungs to continue, 'Tim needs help!'

'With?'

'He went berserk on Elias last night when he touched his shoulder, beating him as if in a trance. His eyes weren't black with rage, just empty! I pulled him off and got him down, and he...' Kayden stops as if thinking, unsure how to phrase the rest of his sentence. 'He was crying, Beta.'

Jack and I are speechless. What the actual f**k?

'How's Elias?'

'He'll live. I helped him to the hospital as Tim ran off. I couldn't follow him.'

I nodded in confirmation. Of course. It was the right thing to do, the only option. For a brief moment, I wondered how Elias is. I need to talk with him later, ask him about what happened and why!

'You did the right thing!' I murmured deep in thought while Jack rambled questions in my head.

'Have you tried to reach him?' I asked, doing my best to ignore Jack.

'No!' Kayden answers quietly. He keeps shifting from one foot to the other as he nervously pinches his lips together.

'Is there something else?'

'Well, do you know what his deal is? With the witch?'

'I don't know! He's been acting weird around her. I know she's a handful, but she's really...' I can't find the words I'm looking for; what is Raven? She's mouthy, funny, kind, caring, sassy, and cute. 'Well, she's a handful!' I finally smirked, unable to sum up her in one word.

'She's special!' Kayden grins, giving me the right word as he finally stops shifting his footing. Kayden goes serious again before looking me square in the eyes. 'He likes her!'

Jack goes quiet in my head as I feel myself gawk at Kayden. I must have heard him wrong.

'What?'

'He likes her!'

'He has a funny way of showing it!' I grunted, while Jack agreed. Kayden shrugs his shoulders, once again not elaborating.

I thanked him for the information and told him I'd see him later. I'll see Kayden at breakfast in half an hour, so there is no need to stand here and debate Tim's odd behavior.

*

Instead of standing under the warm rays of water in my awaited shower, I sat on the bed, studying her.

Raven is still in bed, sleeping like a child. Seeing her sleep peacefully made me smile. I know why she needed her shield while living in her tent. She'd sleep through the end of the world without noticing it; unless she was in discomfort! Then she'd wake up and race hell on whoever did it, so.

This little witch. She's pretty, with her black hair still in tight braids from yesterday. Baby hair peeks out from around the braids and around her ears. She has an effortless beauty, even though I know she works hard to make people see her. Her nose has a perfect curve up in the air, making her look defiant in all she does, even in her sleep. I wiped off her lipstick, but I'd done nothing about her eyes. Now my pillowcase is smudged with black, whatever it's called, and I have no idea if it will come off. If not, I'll have Raven fix it with magic! She owes me that much!

She's helping us with the Atra Aurora - I remind myself. I need to make sure she gets proper accommodation. She isn't mine, and I don't want her to feel used. We're friends, and maybe we need to bring it down to just friends and skip the benefits part.

Jack nodded approvingly in my head. He thinks we should find our mate and take her to our bed instead. I agree, but I don't have the time to go on a mate hunt. It'll have to wait. For now!

'Ugh! You smell terrible!' Raven groans.

'I know! Do you want a hug?' I grinned massively, realizing she was awake. She moans something inaudible as she pulls the covers over her head, hiding.

'I can't hear you!' I yelled through the fluffy fabric as I reached under, tickling her. A sharp point pokes up, rising like a tent. Did she take her wand with her to bed? My fingers dance over her torso under the covers, searching for the slim wooden staff. I snatch it from her, pull it out, and place it on the nightstand. Muffled screams came from under the pile. I can't stop myself from roaring with laughter as she fights to come back from under the covers. I wrapped my arms around her, trapping her! A series of low innovative insolences reaches me, making me laugh again.

Something about me being as useful as a baby giraffe in a blizzard! She has a closer similarity with a raccoon than anything else as she peeks up from under the cover. Her eyes burn with annoyance, and her braids have dissolved from her fighting. She's adorable!

'Pigg!' She hissed.

'b***h!' I smiled before giving her a sweaty kiss on her forehead.

We both laughed as I let her fall back against the pillows. My stomach rumbles loudly when I finally step toward my bathroom and a long overdue shower!

*

Raven is in a stolen t-shirt, and her wet hair is in a messy bun on the top of her head as we walk into the dining room. It's packed with people already seated here, and she keeps gawking as if she's surprised that we are stunning creatures. Which we are!

We slumped down at our usual table. The heavenly taste of bacon is melting in my mouth while Raven looks like she wants to die - still hung over, unlike the rest of us.

I'm back to normal! John looks as if he's never heard the word alcohol. Charlotte looks intrigued and moves to sit beside Raven, interrogating her about last night. Because she's pregnant, she apparently lives vigorously through others. And now, she needs to know everything! Raven downs her coffee before rubbing her temples while smiling. She tells Charlotte about my retaliation, about being naked in front of my visitors! Charlotte laughs to the extent that her eyes brim with tears while telling her that we're wolves! As if it would explain it all.

'They have seen one another naked more than once! So, you being a new addition must have been appreciated!' Charlotte giggled. John's coffee gets stuck in his throat as he coughs from the statement.

'That's not how I'd put it!' He murmurs, looking at her.

'Why? Don't you think I'm pretty?' Raven smirked as she snapped her head in his direction.

'Oh, you're pretty as a picture!' A voice tells us from behind. Kayden had reappeared, freshly showered, and dressed. His face is no longer deep purple, more so green and yellowish. It still looks nasty, but better than before.

We all greeted him except for Raven. She looks at him as if the world is falling apart around her while she snarls at him harshly.

'Who?'

'It's nothing, darling! I'll be back to my pretty self in no time!' Kayden dismissed her, giving me a look and a nod. 'I won't disturb you anymore. Enjoy your breakfast!'

He quickly disappears, not giving Raven time to answer. She turns to me with dark eyes, giving me the silent question; What the f**k is going on? I shrugged while quickly jumping into a conversation with John. If Kayden doesn't want to enlighten her, I sure as hell won't! I hear her huff before downing another cup of coffee. The table slowly resumes the comfortable mumbling and laughing that was before. Let's enjoy our breakfast, indeed!

*

'I need to work for a bit!' I told Raven as our very long breakfast came to an end. 'Maybe you could take care of her?' I asked Charlotte.

'I'm not your babysitter!' Charlotte huffs, tired and annoyed. Pregnancy isn't for her!

Raven corrects her, looking just as annoyed. 'Witch-sitter!'

The term makes Charlotte smile hastily before scowling at me again.

'John, I was thinking!' I told my friend, trying to save my ass from two fuming ladies. 'As Raven is helping us. Wouldn't it be appropriate for her to come to live here, at New Moon?'

John looks between Raven and me before answering, 'Sure! Do you want a room on the second floor, Raven? Or you're staying with my Beta for the time being?'

'Whatever's the easiest!' She tells him, shrugging as if she doesn't care. Her heart is hammering in her chest. She's nervous and forgets that we can hear it, trying to act poised.

'Good! Could you pack up your stuff? Then text me, and I'll come and help you bring it back here!'

Raven nods as she presses her lips together, attempting not to smile back at me as I give her my most radiant smile while batting my eyelashes.

*

John met me outside at my request. He looks ice-cold, but I know him. He was concerned and had only gotten the short version; One of his members went crazy on two other members. Then he disappeared!

'What's goin' on?'

'We don't know yet for sure. We need to find Tim!'

'All right, I'll come with you! Tim is my responsibility. And if he needs help, we'll provide it!'

'Kayden! Tell me what happened.' John demands as we stride towards the village. We need to speak with Elias first!