Wolf Sirens: Forbidden: Discover The Legend (17 page)

That weekend at the cabin, avoiding direct contact
with Sky as usual, I noticed Reid and Sky seemed
cold towards each other too, hostile even. Something wasn’t right between them; they brushed past
each other with ferocity in their eyes. That wasn’t
normal.

As I chatted with Giny about dresses and the
upcoming school social, I swear I saw a flicker of
hostility as they passed each other at the pool, whilst
Giny chatted in my ear.

“Reid?” I asked later in the privacy of the spare
bedroom. “Is Sky upset with you?”
I couldn’t imagine Reid being the one to start an
argument, he was the happiest person I’d ever known.
He was a peace-keeper. “He thinks I should break it
off with you,” he replied.
I struggled to hide my shock. “Why?” I frowned.
“He doesn’t agree with me, thinks we shouldn’t
change you and that it’s only going to cause problems.”
He sounded distressed and his jittery movement
alarmed me a little.
“What?”
“Like he thinks it’s a repeat of the Sam/Cresida/
Sky triangle.” He raised his gaze. “I don’t get him at
the moment. He’s such a hypocrite! - He encouraged
this in the beginning.” Reid was becoming agitated.
His hands twitched.
“What? Back up, he encouraged you to be with
me?” I narrowed my eyes.
“They all did! Sam and Bianca.” He started to
breathe heavily.
“Reid, calm down, tell me, what’s upset you?” I
reached to touch him but he was out of reach, flickering about nervously. He didn’t answer. I was scared it
was me, that somehow he knew what I had hidden:
my secret crush on Sky. I jumped then as he punched
the wall which crumpled under his fist and he started
to quake. Ripples shook down his body under his
skin. I knew what was happening, I’d read the signs,
been told to look for them, because he was young.
“Reid…Reid,” I said tenderly, as he convulsed.
But instinct told me not to step closer. The second
he burst into black fur I turned and ran, knowing I
had left it too late. I ran down the hall. In my panic
I passed by Sky and I made it to the kitchen area
only to hear growls and yelps, thudding, banging and
smashing of glass, crockery being broken, tearing and
vicious growling that made my body tremble in fear.
Sam gripped my elbow. “There goes my curtains…come on let’s get you out of here.”She grabbed
me by the arm and steered me out as I felt compelled
to go in the other direction, but was too scared to
resist her offer of escape.
“Come on,” she urged. To my surprise she drove
me home personally in the G6. “They’ll be fine,” she
said with a reassuring smile. The worry must have
been painted on my face, as we pulled out of the long
driveway. I wondered if she had forgiven me.
“What’s all this about? I thought they were best
mates?” But I was scared she knew what it was about.
Sam watched the road ahead.
“Lila–” She sounded annoyed but then her tone
softened – “I think it’s best if you stay away from
Reid for a while.” Her expression was empathetic.
No, she had not forgiven me.
“What?” I couldn’t believe it. She was breaking
up with me, on his behalf? “Like break-up? Does
Reid know?” I frowned in disbelief.
“He will soon, this has been coming since it began, really - it’s not safe for you, with us.”
“What about Reid? Does he have a say in this,
and anyway Giny’s not changed and
she
hasn’t been
kicked out?” I argued.
“Yes, he has a say - he was going to break up with
you, he’s been putting it off.”
That was harder reasoning than I had expected.
“So you’re stepping in.” I reacted petulantly.
“Somewhat, yes,” she admitted condescendingly.
I huffed bravely.“Because I’m not one of you?” I
started to say something about Giny…
“–No that’s not it, Lila. It’s dangerous for you and
us,” she warned.
“What about practice?” I retorted.
“Lila, you’re not that good, we can replace you.”
That stung but maybe it was true.
But I wasn’t going to give up.“With who? Another
human.” They’d claimed to have trouble before. Part
of me was happy to be released from practice but I
was not happy that I was about to be abandoned.
She spoke calmly. “No, Jackson can step in. I’ve
been working on the board. It seems now there’s a
mixed category opening for the first time this year.”
“I see you’ve been busy.” I knew how she had
achieved this – with her persuasion.
She smiled dryly. “Don’t change the subject –
Lila, we need you to keep your silence.”
“Or what?”
She glared at me.
“We don’t want it to have to come to that.”
“Cresida wouldn’t let you,” I threatened.
She winced at this, a momentary chink in her
armour.
“There’s always ways around things. Cresida isn’t
perfect, I’d be careful if I were you,” she cautioned.
She pulled up to the curb. She looked at me to
get out, but I was far from done.
“Change me.”
She didn’t answer.
“If I ask you to do it, Cresida can’t do anything
about it,” I begged. I looked around as though expecting to see her up in a tree, watching, trigger ready,
and if she wasn’t then I wanted Sam to bite me now
and quick. Maybe I should have stayed for Reid to
lose it and bite me – the scratches would heal.
“Lila, you were lucky not to get severely injured
by Reid today. This was fun having you with us but
like all good things it must come to an end. You are
lucky to have not been hurt. Go and live a normal
life. Reid won’t be seeing you again, he’s dropping
out, and things have changed.”
I knew she was right. I wasn’t worthy, or even talented. Perhaps she knew the truth: that I really didn’t
love Reid. Maybe she knew my secret. I loved the
wrong guy, her guy. I swallowed slow and hard. But
the accusation didn’t come.
The truth was I hadn’t been changed and I was
obsolete, a worthless distraction as far as Sam was
concerned. She stared at me with expressionless ice
blue eyes.
I grasped at straws arguing, “But he doesn’t want
to drop out.”
“True, but it doesn’t mean he won’t for the pack.
You are strong-willed Lila, I had no idea how strong.
That’s why it’s best we part ways. Monica and Tealy
will be waiting for you on Monday – be friends with
them.” Her warm hand softly tapped me.
She put her hand on my shoulder. Something in
me believed her, wanted to do as she said.
“Now get out calmly, go upstairs, cry, tell your
mother you broke up with Reid, if she asks, and move
on,” she advised, as though it was as easy said as done.
I asked myself if this was her convincing me with
her
gift
.“No…you can’t. Is this because of my breakdown at practice. I’m sorry, it was just a moment, I
promise I’m okay–” I begged, though I couldn’t tell
her why.
“It’s okay, Lila, everything is great. Reid has decided to move on and so have you. You will be fine
after tonight, no one will hurt you. You, Lila, are safe,
you’re fine, no longer in a relationship with Reid and
that’s good…”
Before I knew it I was out of the car on the sidewalk like a stunned mullet. This was the first time
that I had felt the full concentrated force of Sam’s gift.
And only because I wanted an out from my relationship with Reid - but not one, which would take me
from the pack, from my only link to Sky, I couldn’t
bear that. That was all that hurt for a moment, the
fact that by breaking me away from Reid, she also
broke me from Sky, and who knew if he would still
be at school. I prayed with all my aching guts that he
would, that he wouldn’t disappear.
What is wrong with me?
I begged inside my
mind?
Stop it, stop it
. I doubled over on the footpath
as the pavement warped. The denial helped somewhat the fact that part of me knew she was right and
wanted to believe her and this saved me the trouble
of breaking it off with Reid, myself, anyway, because
I knew I didn’t love him. I didn’t feel one inch as
passionately as I did for Sky who would never touch
me. I loved the lifestyle more than Reid; I loved the
feeling of a pack family. I loved the idea of Sky more
than anything and like a dog with a bone I wouldn’t
be that easily deterred. I hoped her underestimation
of me would be to my advantage. God knows why I
felt so optimistic about facing off with her, weak as
I was. I think it was denial. I guess it was all I had
– hope and determination and without it, I was lost
again. Failure wasn’t on my mind, I was driven, and
the feelings of being crushed were gone in a wave
of desire to be in with them again, to find him and
make him want me, to see if he felt the tiniest bit
for me, as I did so overwhelmingly for him. Denial
is a powerful tool.
Up in the safety of my room I assembled my
jumbled thoughts, wondering where Sam’s hypnotism ended and what were my thoughts. My feelings
for Sky must have been mine. There was no way Sam
wanted me to remotely feel the way I did about him.
And she couldn’t have possibly understood the zest
with which I felt them. I assumed my disinterest in
Reid was now partly due to her persuasion – I didn’t
care. This made it easier to concentrate my full mind
on Sky,Sam’s boyfriend.I felt now that I had a strange
goal: to make him mine. I knew it was impossible but
it would occupy the time; feed my fascination, which
growled like a hungry stomach. Like a dog I couldn’t
bear to starve for fear of the pain of it.
I was shocked into the present by a tap at my
window.
Reid,
I thought.
The window began to open before I reached it.
Yes, surely he would not that easily relinquish our
relationship.
To my surprise it was not Reid but Sky who
climbed into my window. He was bigger in height
than Reid and struggled to slide in the window
frame as easily. I automatically jumped to help him.
Squeezing in, he sat against the sill. I stared wideeyed at him. I looked out of the window to see who
else might be with him. Was he acting as messenger
for his friend?
“Does Sam know you’re here?” was the first thing
that came into my head. “Where’s Reid?” I observed
he had cuts all over, which were healing before me.
Remnants of the fight I had left at the cabin.
I looked over his shoulder scanning the yard below. He glanced over his shoulder and then straight
back at me with his blue/green eyes. I was starting
to feel something of reality breaking from the semi
conscious haze I was in. Was this real?
I stopped breathing under the full force of his intimate gaze. Even when he looked angry I wanted
him to touch me. Was he here to rectify things for
Reid, with me? How could I explain I didn’t want
that and have him believe me, or that it wasn’t lingering indifference from Sam’s hypnotism?
“Sam and I have been broken up for weeks,” he
stated, as though it was the most important information he was to bring. I was shocked but failed to
see his point. Why was he sneaking into my room? I
thought perhaps it was to get information, for Sam,
to see if her hypnotism had worked as well as it had
seemed to.
“She doesn’t know I’m here.”
“If you’ve got a message from Reid, let him bring
it himself or has Sam grounded him?” I taunted. I
was flattered they’d gone to the trouble to defy her by
coming here, more for the reason that it gave me an
excuse to see Sky alone. I wondered if I should drag
out this confrontation just to be able to breathe him
in for moments longer, unperturbed by others. Before
they were gone from my intimate life, before they
didn’t speak to me anymore.
“Anyway why are you here – I thought you didn’t
like me?” I asked arms folded.
“I’m not here to fix things, Lila.”
My stomach fluttered as he said my name. “I
think you should know. He doesn’t love you.” He emphasized love and sounded annoyed he should have
to apply the word to Reid’s name, even if only to deny
it.
“Great, so what do you care?” I returned the tone.
I knew I was supposed to feel betrayed and angry.
“I care,” he replied too quickly. “
He
doesn’t care
about you.”
“I know!” I replied irritated. My lack of concern
even surprised me when I voiced it. “Why do you
care at all? We are now broken up. In case you haven’t
heard, Sam has decided!” I spat.
“It doesn’t matter if she has decided! I want you
to see – it’s not worth it. He’s not even here now. If
he really cared he wouldn’t have listened to her, but
he’s not here, he’s left. He doesn’t even care enough
about you to fight.”
I realized this must have been part of Sam’s ploy
to disengage me further, in case the brainwashing
didn’t work; yet it was so unnecessary.
“He seems to have had a go at fighting.” I eyed
the bloody cuts, which miraculously healed further
in the last few moments, leaving blood where gashes
had been over his skin. If they had known my real
thoughts and feelings she would not have sent Sky
to do the pack’s bidding. I wanted to ask him if the
scars would heal as they evaporated into mist whilst
I spoke.
He glanced at the blood and coughed a sneer.
“This?” He shook his head. He looked at me with
his fluorescent turquoise eyes, which made me catch
my breath and his tone was quieter. “That’s just him
protecting himself. I’ve been brewing for some while
the anger I just threw on him. He looks worse, you’ll
be happy to know,” he said sticking his chin out. Was
he testing me? I thought. Did this mean he never
wanted me to be with Reid?
“Well, lucky me,” I added. “Thanks for the conformation, send my love to Sam.” I laced my words in
heavy sarcasm. If I had been a werewolf I may have
burst into form. “You know I never pursued you all.
He and Sam invited me in, I don’t need you to stand
here and tell me I’m not wanted.”
Sky looked angry then, fierce. I almost stepped
back, afraid in that moment he may hurt me. I could
feel his aura of heat as he moved towards me. “You
are wanted, Lila. God, you are such a self-absorbed
teenager, I don’t even know why I care.” He looked
sad. “I just came here to tell you not to worry about
this because he wasn’t worth it. If he was he wouldn’t
have taken off…” We stared at each other. “Are you
okay?” he added sounding concerned. The way his
eyes ran up and down my body made me weak at the
knees. I wondered after his tirade why he bothered
to ask. Did he really just come to check I was okay?
“Why did you attack him?” I asked softening.
“To protect you.”
My heart skipped a beat; I looked at his long fingers and desired them to touch me. Instead I asked,
“But you said you’ve been angry…”
Was it with me
? I
wondered.
“He used you. Sam used you. He’s her puppet despite what I’ve told him. I didn’t want to tell you - but
there.” He shrugged and his mouth pouted. He had
wrongly assumed the information that Reid had used
me would hurt me. Instead I was relieved.