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

Chapter 49

I breathed a small tired sigh while I walked into Caroline's tent again and paused when I saw both Caroline and Andrei standing in the middle of the tent with Fernos standing in the corner, almost fully covered by the shadows but there if Caroline needed him.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks while she looked at him, and her bottom lip quivering while they did so, and my heart grew still.

I had a feeling that they had an argument, and I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in question while I stared at them, feeling shocked and surprised to see that they were in the middle of a fight and didn't know why. "Uh..." I said and looked between the two of them with a raised eyebrow in question. "What's going on?" I asked and looked at Caroline, wanting to make sure that she was fine first. "Are you ok, Caroline?" I started to walk toward her with furrowed brows and a small frown on my face. "What happened?"

Andrei and Caroline flinched and looked at me, and Caroline looked at me with wide eyes and tears streaming down her face while Andrei had a look of anger on his face and lips pursed in annoyance and disgust.

The anger turned to worry when he saw the look on my face, and he took a hesitant step toward me. "Kyler?" he asked and tucked his head closer to his chest with a small frown on his face while he studied me. "Are you ok?"

I bit back a tired sigh while I shook my head and pursed my lips in annoyance, moving a hand through my hair and across my face. "I am ok, Andrei," I said with a tired sigh in my voice. "Don't worry about it."

I cleared my throat and looked between the two of them while I raised an eyebrow in question, pressing my lips into a thin line. "But what happened here? What's going on? Why are you two arguing, and why is Caroline crying?" I gestured toward her, and he looked at her before he looked at me.

Andrei set his jaw and narrowed his eyes, shaking his head. "It's nothing for you to worry about, Kyler," he said coldly. "Now, where did you go? Why did you leave the safety of the tent without anyone with you?"

I bit back a small scoff and rolled my eyes while I looked at Caroline, deciding to ignore him and concentrate on Caroline. "What happened, Caroline?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question, studying her with a small frown on my face. "Why are you crying?"

Caroline rubbed her eyes and cleared her throat while she shook her head. "It's nothing," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, and I had to bite back a small snort and hold back an eye roll while I pressed my lips into a thin line because I knew that she was lying. "I am ok," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Did you find anything? You're back early."

"We'll talk about it later," I said and shook my head, setting my jaw and pressing my lip into a thin line. I didn't look at Andrei when I said that, not wanting to say anything in front of him.

Andrei bit back a small scoff and rolled his eyes, scowling. He folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes while he stared at me. "And why are you not saying something in front of me?" he asked and took a step toward me, and something stirred in his eyes that I didn't like and didn't understand. "You are m-"

"But I am not," I said and shook my head, interrupting him from saying that I was his mate, and Andrei flinched and stared at me with wide eyes filled with pain and sadness. "You aren't my mate, Andrei. I'm sorry, but we aren't mates."

"But I am," he said and shook his head, taking a step of me while Caroline looked at him with a look of pain and sadness on her face that he didn't see and ignored. "I am your mate, Kyler. Tell me that you aren't addicted to my scent just as much as I am addicted to yours."

His voice was barely above a whisper while he looked at my lips before he looked directly at me with something in his eyes that I still didn't like and didn't understand. "Because you are such an addiction to me, and I can't even explain it to you..."

I shook my head and pressed my lips into a thin line, and my heart ached and became filled with pain and sadness. "But I can't," I said, my voice barely above a whisper before I cleared my throat when my voice cracked. "I can't."

"And why not? Why do you keep f-"

"BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT HIM!" I exclaimed, interrupting him while I wrenched my necklace off of my neck and threw it at him, and my "mate" caught it with a small gasp of shock. "YOU ARE NOT THE MAN IN THE PICTURES AND DO NOT SHARE THE SAME MEMORIES THAT I HAVE WITH HIM!"

Andrei pressed his lips into a thin line while he looked at the locket that had been given to me for my birthday from the man with his face. His face was blank while he did so, his stormy gray eyes turning a darker gray and becoming filled with pain and sadness.

I covered my mouth and wrapped my other arm around my chest, and I leaned forward with my whole body shaking with sobs that I tried to keep hidden. My heart pounded hard and fast in my chest while I closed my eyes because I had no idea if I wanted to watch him look at the necklace.

My "mate" stayed silent while he inspected the necklace. He rubbed the back of the necklace, and I could tell that he was looking at the date and the initials.

"KRP & AKR; 05/25/2030," he said and looked at me with something in his eyes that I didn't see and didn't know if I would like it or not. "What does the date symbolize?" he asked and looked at the locket, and I shook my head and closed my eyes tighter.

"That was the date of my and then my mate's first kiss," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, and another tear fell from my eye. "It was a dare when I was five and he was four, and we kissed each other on the front steps before we pulled away from each other and said, "eww.""

"Hmph." Andrei pressed his lips into a thin line and opened the locket where the two photos laid. He didn't say an actual word while he rubbed the photos, pressing his lips into a thinner line while he looked at them with furrowed brows filled with pain and sadness.

"The first picture was taken when I was seven and he was six," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "The second was taken two years ago, and that's the picture that I keep with me at all times."

"And who took the first one?" he asked and closed it before he handed it back to me, but I didn't take it from him and kept my arms wrapped around my waist, squeezing my side.

"My mom," I said and shook my head, pressing my lips into a thin line. I took a deep, shuddering breath before I let it out with a small whoosh, and my whole body shook while I tried to calm myself down. "My mom took the first one."

"And you took the second one?" he asked, still holding it out to me.

I opened my eyes and slowly nodded before I took the necklace from him, making sure that I didn't touch him when I did so, and Andrei dropped into my hand while he set his jaw and narrowed his eyes. "You don't know what we have been through, Andrei," I said and my voice was barely above a whisper while it cracked. "You might have his name and face, but you aren't him. You aren't my mate."

"Bu-"

I shook my head, silently interrupting him. "I think it's best if you leave," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I grabbed my necklace tighter, and my whole body continued to shake. "Please."

Andrei bit back a tired sigh and shook his head, moving a hand through his hair. "You have to let me in, Kyler," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I might not be him, but I am still your mate. You belong to me j-"

"And I am going to have to interrupt you right there," I said. "I do not belong to you, and I never will. Now, leave. You aren't needed here any longer."

Andrei snorted and shook his head, pursing his lips in annoyance. "Just wait, Kyler," he said coldly. "You are going to want me one of these days, and I will want nothing to do with you. I hope you know that."

And with that and without letting me get a word in, my mate left, taking my heart and pain with him.

Oh goodness me...