My Mystical Destiny

Chapter 5

Emmett pov

By the time I was outside Colt had sped off down the road on his motorcycle, his backpack forgotten on the ground in his hurry to leave. I opened it, looking inside to see his textbooks and notepads, and a book he’s always carried around with him since he was in kindergarten. Colt never read anything, but for some reason, this book always stayed near him. It was slightly funny to me because it was the fifth book in the Harry Potter series and when I asked him through the years about anything in the series he gave me a weird look, telling me he’s never even read it. All the same, he carries it around everywhere, saying it’s his good luck charm.

I remember I asked his mother and my mother about it once and they looked confused. The next day I was woken up by Colt climbing down from his balcony and swinging his little eight year old body agilely onto my balcony. I know there use to be bars there, but eventually Luna Adaline had them removed when the fence was finished being built, or so I was told since I was too young then to remember.

I remember the fear in his eyes as he pulled the book out from under his shirt, begging me to hide it for a few days, but telling me I absolutely couldn’t look inside of it. Without even asking what it was about I slid the book in between my mattresses and kept it there for a few weeks, listening to the fights as Luna Adaline tried to find the book and wanted to know why Colt took it in the first place, let alone where it went. Eventually Alpha Tate bought his wife a new book and the subject was dropped, and Colt got his book back without fuss.

I stopped asking about the book after that, accepting the fact that my cousin had some strange secret he would either never tell me, or he would tell me when he was ready.

I sighed as a warrior brought my car around, zipping his bag up and slinging it into the passenger seat with mine. As I drove off I saw Jade yanking Colette out of the packhouse and drag her into her car through my rearview mirror and frowned, contemplating turning around and saving my fiancé. Before I finished the thought the doors were already slammed shut, and I shrugged, continuing to school.

I used my free hand to rub my left eye, remembering the small scene that just happened. Colt was in good spirits as he met me at my door and walked with me down the stairs, all up until we were stopped by Jade, who of course needed to show off her wolf. She loved rubbing in our face all these years that she was going to get her wolf before us, and now that she has I knew she was going to be incorrigible.

Sometimes I felt bad for Colette, she was so opposite her sister, on top of that a complete loner, I was worried she was lonely. But whenever I saw her she always seemed so content with her peaceful quiet that I couldn’t bring myself to bother her. I parked my car at the school and saw Colt’s motorcycle already in his usual spot in between Axel and Julien’s cars and groaned, knowing he left his school ID in his bag. I don't know how I knew, but the horrible feeling in my gut made me know he was doing something bad.

Over the past few years, a group of rogue kids tried to pretend they were students and sneak into the school to take revenge on their parents' deaths, traumatizing most of the human students. After that Beta Alice forced the human principal to set up a security system. Every student and teacher had to carry their ID badge at all times, and they had to show it to the officers at the doors to enter and leave the school. High fences were placed around the school, so high even is werewolves couldn’t jump over them. I knew before I even got within view of the school he was doing something bad instead of just waiting patiently for me, and as I ran up I saw I was right.

I groaned as I smacked my hand into my forehead, watching as my cousin punched the police officer and started kicking at the machine we had to swipe our ID cards at. The blaring alarm and the cowering students doing nothing to faze him from having his tantrum. I sighed, ignoring the visible relieved faces of the students and teachers as they saw me walking up behind Colt. Casually I slid my hand into his backpack, grabbing his ID card and reaching past Colt, swiping it.

Instantly the alarm went away and the doors opened, making Colt pause in his act of holding the police officer with one hand, and his other hand formed into a fist floating in the air. I slid his ID badge into his backpack and zipped it back up, slinging it over my shoulder with mine. Quickly I swiped my ID card and placed my hand on Colt’s shoulder. Instantly Colt dropped the police officer and grinned at me, grabbing his backpack off my shoulder and slinging it over his broad shoulders. He smacked me on the back, leaving his hand there for longer than necessary as he grinned at me. “Hey cousin, thanks for the save. I forgot my backpack at home.” He said.

Casually, as if nothing happened, we stepped over the unconscious police officer and walked into the school; ignoring the shrieks of some girl as she ran to the police officer, trying to see if he was okay. Our first class together was weight lifting class, so we headed into the locker room and slung our stuff to the side. I sat down on the bench and started untying my shoes. “Why are you still carrying around that old Harry Potter book?” I asked casually.

I saw him stiffen out of the corner of my eye, fear racing in his eyes. What was that about? “You didn’t look too closely through my stuff, did you?” He asked me with a non-caring voice, even though his facial features were showing otherwise.

I shook my head no, sliding my shoe off and starting to untie my other shoe. “Of course not, I just saw the ID and grabbed it. I was just curious, you know I’d never go through your book.” I said with a chuckle. “Why did you have to go so far? You knew I was going to bring your bag, I’m sure.” I said to him, changing the subject.

He chuckled as he slipped his shirt off of his body, making me have to look away from him with a light blush. “I guess so, but I didn’t see why I had to wait. They know who I am, the ID is stupid for people like me. I’m their Alpha after all.” He said with a shrug.

I looked at him with exasperation. “I swear, Colt. Sometimes, you’re intolerable.” I said to him with a small smile, slipping my shirt off.

He sat down next to me, turning his head suddenly to look at me. For a split second, we stared straight into each other’s eyes, I could tell he was thrown off by how close he was to me.

Then he grinned at me, a warm bright smile, his eyes twinkling, and I had to swallow deeply. My hands were shaking as I held my shirt in between my fingers. “Yeah, I know. But you love me, right?” He asked me, throwing me off. My heart was racing and I could feel a light blush growing on my cheeks. I realized I wasn’t breathing.

The silence grew deeper as I stared at him, trying not to notice how close his face was to mine. How close his lips were to mine. Finally, I broke eye contact with him, my heartbeat roaring in my ears. “Of course I love you. You’re my cousin, my best friend. Don’t be stupid.” I said thickly; forcing a light chuckle as I gently punched his shoulder.

I wasn’t sure if I imagined it, it happened so fast, but he frowned, his face falling and his eyes flashing something so fast I wasn’t able to decipher it. He pulled away and turned his head the other way as he stood up, his back to me as he grabbed his PE shirt and slid it on. “Right, I know. Cousins, we're always going to be cousins.” He muttered, sighing deeply.

I stared at his back, confused by his reply. Finally, he turned around, smiling his charming smile at me once more as the bell rang and kids started spilling into the locker room around us. “Come on Emmett, we have to hurry up.” He said, making me take a deep breath as I nodded. The air felt so heavy as if something happened that I wasn’t fully understanding. I kept replaying what he said over and over again in my mind as I stood up and quickly finished changing my clothes.

“But you love me, right?” My mind was racing, my heart beating painfully, so painfully I gripped my chest. Yes, of course I love you. More than I’d want to admit, more than I could ever tell you. But I could never tell you, you’re my cousin, my first cousin. It could never happen, it’s forbidden. I felt a prickle of tears forming in the backs of my eyes as I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. That was a secret I would never tell him. Never tell anyone. My disgusting forbidden love for my best friend, my cousin.

I gripped my hands tightly, so tightly it almost hurt. I was engaged to Colette. I love Colette. I was going to marry her. That was the fact I needed to hold on to, the fact that would save me from my forbidden love, my deepest secret of all. I had no choice but to hold the fact close to my heart, so tightly it was impressed upon me.

Colt turned around and smiled at me again, making me realize that I wasn’t following him out to the gym anymore, I had stopped walking while I was thinking. “Are you okay?” He asked me thickly, his eyes flashing again, the unreadable expression before flashing back to normal.

I shook my body, closing my eyes as I cleared my thoughts. I opened my eyes and nodded firmly at him. “Yes, I’m fine.” I said, gripping my hands tightly. “I’m fine.”