The Red Wolf's Daughter (Book 3 Part 2: The Making of the Siran)

Chapter 26

I moved a hand through my hair after I finished talking with Reece and sat down on the cot in Caroline's tent. My whole body ached, and I knew that I was going to have to find a safe space to shift soon because I could feel my wolf getting antsy, silently urging me to shift and see if whatever happened to them would happen to me.

Hopefully, my grandmother's spells are stronger than theirs...

There was a knock at the tent flap, and the tent flap was pushed open to show Andrei standing there.

He looked shocked to see me by myself, and I was shocked to see him and quickly stood. "Oh, u-"

"Caroline is helping feed the prisoners with Giselle," I said, quickly when he didn't finish his sentence. "I needed to step away for a bit to cool down, but I can go ahead and show you where she is."

Andrei shook his head. "I... actually wanted to see you," he said softly and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly before he cleared his throat. "Alone." He looked at the shadow darker in one corner and scowled while he narrowed his eyes, and I had a feeling he didn't want Fernos to watch over me.

I shook my head and gulped before I cleared my throat, not sure that I wanted to be alone with him. "He's not really there, Andrei," I said, surprised that my voice didn't shake while I gestured to Fernos's shadow. "That stays."

"Why?" Andrei asked and looked at me. He set his jaw and narrowed his eyes while he studied me. "Why can't I talk to my mate alone?" He stepped further into the tent, and the tent flap closed behind him.

My heart skipped a beat, and I shook my head. "Because you and I do not know each other," I replied coldly, "and because you aren't my mate."

Andrei flinched when I said that, and a look of pain flashed across his face. "But we are; I am your mate," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Can't you feel it?"

"You and I don't know each other," I said again while I shook my head. "Mate or not, you and I don't have any history with each other."

"What do you mean?" Andrei asked, his voice turning slightly darker, and I held back an eye roll while I set my jaw. "Are you saying that y-"

"First off, don't use the dark tone with me, please," I said, interrupting him, and he hissed in warning while he narrowed his eyes and scowled. I again held back an eye roll and set my jaw tighter, getting more annoyed with each passing second. "Secondly, I have met my mate. He and I have a history with each other. He also rejected me, but that's besides the point."

"What?" Andrei asked, shucked and appalled about this new information. "I sw-"

"It's not your fault," I said, interrupting him while I shook my head. I furrowed my brows and grimaced, silently cursing myself for my mistake. "His fault. It's not his fault. He had to reject me."

"And why did he have to reject you?" Andrei asked. "Or are you going to tell me that?" He raised an eyebrow and bit back a scowl.

I bit back a small sigh before I shook my head, not knowing if it was safe for him to know. "It's... complicated," I said softly and cleared my throat while I shifted on my feet, "and I have no idea if it is safe for you to know."

My "mare" furrowed his brows and cocked his head while he studied me. "and how will it not be safe?" he asked. "You are m-"

"Please," I begged, my voice cracking while I interrupted him. "Stop calling me your mate, Andrei. I know that I am, but it's too hard."

Andrei set his jaw and narrowed his eyes while he studied me. "And what does this me in your timeline have that I don't?" he asked and gestured toward the entrance to the tent as if he was gesturing to my timeline.

"Memories for one," I said, sarcastically, and he hissed in warning while he narrowed his eyes further. "And for two, I do not have any competition. Almost everyone there knows that the you there is "mine" even when we aren't together. There's jokes that even the you there don't know about."

I shook my head and snorted while I blinked back tears. "Also, there is someone else here that shares memories with you, and it's not my place to step over their boundaries."

"Who?" he asked and studied me with an intense stare that took my breath away. He narrowed his eyes further while he looked at me when I didn't answer him off the bat. "Who are you talking about?"

I smiled sadly and shook my head. "Unfortunately, it's not my place to say," I said softly. "And it sucks that you don't know it because it means that she has a harder time now than ever especially since you are enchanted by my scent or whatever."

"It's not just your scent," Andrei said, his voice barely above a whisper, and took another step forward, closing the distance between us. His scent filled my nose, and all I wanted to do was kiss him and imagine that it was my Andrei standing in front of me and not someone else, someone different. "It's everything about you, Ky. It's the fire under your skin, the heart of gold, your strength. Everything."

I took a deep, shuddering breath, and my heart started to pound hard in my chest. I wanted to go against what I knew was wrong and claim him as my own, but I knew that it would hurt Caroline. I knew that he was hers just as much as my Andrei was mine.

He wasn't my mate, no matter how much I wanted him to be.

Andrei reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, leaving sparks in his wake. "Don't tell me that you don't feel this," he whispered, his voice so low that I was grateful I was a Werewolf because I wouldn't have been able to hear him if I wasn't. "Please. I'm begging you."

I didn't respond and closed my eyes while I leaned into his touch, imagining that it was my Andrei and not some man, some stranger, touching my face. My whole throat closed, and I couldn't help but let tears fall because this was all that I wanted but knew that I couldn't have.

Andrei leaned closer and gently wiped away the tears from my eyes while he clutched my face, and I knew that he was studying me with eyes full of concern and sadness, even though I wasn't staring at him. "Let me have this," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, his breath fanning across my face. "Please."

"Leave," I said and ducked my head so that he couldn't press his lips against mine. I closed my eyes and set my jaw. "Please, leave."

"Bu-"

"Leave, or I'll ask Fernos to kick you out," I said, interrupting him, "for both of our sakes, do it. Leave and don't talk to me unless there is someone else near us."

Or if you are able to keep your hands to yourself and not make me feel this way...

Andrei scoffed and shook his head while he took his hands off of my face and stepped back. "You're making a huge mistake not letting me in, Ky," he said and shook his head, again, "but fine, I will leave you alone. Just know that I do not like it."

He didn't let me say another word and walked out, leaving me yearning for his presence and company but knowing that I couldn't have it nor want it.

I opened my eyes and slowly sank down into the cot behind me, staring at the space he once occupied. "I don't either," I said, my voice barely above a whisper and clutched the necklace that my Andrei gave me, still feeling him on me and around me, "but it's for our sanity. You'll understand later. I promise."

I closed my eyes, and my lip quivered while I dipped my head closer to my chest, feeling the weight of the world and the rejection on me, even though I was the one initiating this rejection and not the first.

"This is for you," I said softly and rubbed the necklace.

And Caroline...