Chapter 25
© Chapter 25
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Chapter 25
Bella pushed her chair back with a sudden scrape against the floor, her eyes cutting away from me like I wasn’t even there. Without any preamble, she announced in that clipped tone of hers, “I’ll be in Alex’s room,” she said to Irene, but made sure I heard her loud and clear
I didn’t even bother to look at her. I wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction of thinking that bothered me one bit. I only heard her footstep as she walked away.
“You know,” I said casually, “it seems your sister doesn’t like me at all.” I glanced at Irene.” And she’s nothing like you. This one…” I tipped my chin toward Bella’s retreating back, “…is more like Alexander. Which I guess makes you the black sheep of the family.”
Irene let out a laugh, a light, amused sound that made me tilt my head. “As apt as that sounds,” she said, taking a sip of her water, “Bella’s not actually related to us. Not by blood anyway. It’s just me and Alex our parents had.”
That made me look at her more closely. “Really? Then who exactly is Bella?”
Irene smirked, like she knew I’d take the bait.
I felt the need to explain. “I’m just curious. She confidently called herself your sister right in front of you. If it’s not true, why let her?”
Irene’s smirk flattened into something softer–almost a sigh. She rolled her eyes and shrugged, as though she were tired of explaining this. “Bella’s the daughter of my late father’s friend. She was… taken in after her parents were killed when the Ironpaw pack attacked the Blood Crescent pack years ago. My father raised her after that.”
I leaned back in my chair, the picture clicking together in my mind. That explained the way Bella carried herself, like she belonged, even though the bloodline didn’t match.
Still, my chest tightened a little. I couldn’t help it, I felt sorry for her. Losing your parents to an attack wasn’t something you just “got over.” No matter how cold or… well, bitchy she’d just been toward me, that kind of loss stayed in your bones.
But the curiosity didn’t fade. “That still doesn’t explain why she doesn’t like me,” I said, watching Irene carefully. “It’s not just dislike–it’s like she feels threatened by me. We just met for goodness sake, I haven’t done anything to her.”
Irene’s lips curved into a smirk again, but this one was sly, almost mischievous. “Oh, I could explain everything you’re confused about,” she said slowly. “But on one condition.”
I arched a brow. “Which is?”
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“You come shopping with me.”
I blinked. “Shopping?”
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“Yes,” she said, leaning forward like it was the most natural thing in the world. “My friend just launched a clothing line in town. We can go there, try on some outfits… you know, pick up a
few nice things.”
The offer sounded harmless enough, but I wasn’t about to throw money at clothes I didn’t need. “I don’t know,” I said, resting my chin on my palm. “Not sure I have the kind of money to spend on clothes right now. And honestly, I’m not exactly in desperate need of a wardrobe update.”
“Oh, please,” Irene groaned. “I’m bored, and I actually want us to bond a little. You don’t have to worry about the money…” She leaned in conspiratorially. “We’ll be burning some little amount from Alex’s credit card.”
That made me pause. A slow grin crept across my face. “And how would Alpha Alexander feel about that? ”
“He wouldn’t mind,” she said casually, though there was a glint of amusement in her eyes. ” But if we leave without telling him first… he might be a little mad.”
I chuckled. “Say no more. I’m in–if only because it’s going to piss the Alpha off.”
Irene laughed, her eyes lighting up like she’d just won a small victory. “Knew you’d come
around.”
We pushed our chairs back almost in unison and made our way out of the dining room, still grinning. There was something oddly easy about bantering with Irene…it felt less like navigating the formalities of an alpha’s household and more like talking to someone who enjoyed a little normal life as much as I did.
As we stepped into the hallway, I could still hear faint footsteps above us–probably Bella heading into Alexander’s room like she’d announced. A small part of me wondered if she’d be watching us leave, mentally filing away my every move like I was some sort of intruder.
Not that it mattered. If she had a problem with me, she could keep it.
My thoughts drifted back to what Irene had said about Bella’s past. I knew what it was like to lose people to violence. Maybe not immediate family members but I’ve been to war, I’ve lost men who were family to me. Warriors I grew up with.
Even though I didn’t say it out loud, that tiny flicker of sympathy for Bella refused to go out. Maybe that was why her hostility stung less than it might have otherwise, because deep
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down, I understood her need to guard what little stability she had left.
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We reached the front door, and Irene paused to grab her sunglasses from a small table nearby. “You’re going to love this place,” she said, her tone brighter now. “My friend’s designs are gorgeous, and I mean, they make even the plainest person look like they’ve stepped off a runway.”
I gave her a skeptical look. “Are you trying to say I’m plain?”
“Not at all,” she said quickly, though her smirk betrayed her. “I’m saying you’ll look dangerously good in whatever I pick out for you.”
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