The Alphas Sister (Complete)

Chapter Eighteen: Shattered Sparks

I grabbed Electra by the shoulders, halting her lips inches from mine, her warmth searing through my shirt. Her green eyes flickered, concern to sadness, as I shook my head. "I can't, Electra," I rasped, turning my back, taking shaky steps away. "We can't." A whimper slipped from her, soft and broken and I mentally kicked myself, fists clenching.

It took everything, every damn ounce of will not to spin around and claim her mouth. Her birthday was six days off, a full moon night where she'd find her mate, some wolf with alpha or beta blood drawn to her lineage like moths to a flame. If I gave in now, felt her against me and she bonded with someone else, I'd be ripped apart... again. Natalie's betrayal a year ago had left me hollow and these months with Electra had stitched something back, fragile and terrifying. I couldn't survive another fracture.

Her boots scuffed the floor, and she stepped in front of me, heartbreak etched in her face, eyes glassy, lips trembling. "Why can't we? I don't understand," she pleaded, voice cracking.

"Because we're not meant to be," I said, throat tight. "You're going to find your mate in a few days..." She cut me off, her hand cupping my cheek, warm and steady. Instinct pulled me into it, eyes shutting, her touch a lifeline I didn't deserve.

"Can't you feel it?" she whispered, and I opened my eyes, locked on hers, green, deep, searching. "There's something there. I know you feel it too." A half-smile flickered, hopeful.

I did, Moon Goddess help me, I did. A spark, faint but real, buzzing under my skin. It scared me shitless, more than rogue fights or Cade's wrath. I reached up, slow, and peeled her hand away, my chest constricting. "I can't, Electra," I said, sad and final, the words ash on my tongue.

Her gaze dropped to her feet, shoulders slumping. "I'll, uh... see you around, Kyan," she mumbled, power-walking to the door. It clicked shut behind her, her quiet sobs echoing in the hall, slicing me open.

I felt like a bastard, hands raking through my hair as I cursed, loud, raw, the sound bouncing off my dim room's walls. If she were anyone else, no consequences, no alpha blood, I'd have pinned her to the bed right then. 

But Electra wasn't a fling. My rules, no feelings, no sleepovers, no dates, worked with Shauna, Amelia, the others. They knew the score. Electra? She'd break them all, and I'd let her. I'd want her in my bed every night, under me, beside me and I wouldn't stop. That's what gutted me.

I flopped onto my bed, the mattress creaking, and stared at the cracked ceiling, thoughts spinning. She was different, hope, connection, a pull I hadn't felt since before Natalie turned my heart to rubble. I groaned, rolling off and hit the shower, ice-cold water blasting my skin, trying to drown her out. It didn't work.

I had to run, clear my head. I hit my usual oak tree by the forest edge. Clothes stripped, I shifted fast, dark grey fur rippling and bolted. The breeze cut through me, dirt packed under my paws, pine and rabbit scent sharp in my nose, freedom, a balm to shove her wildflowers away. Hours blurred, the sun sinking, my stomach growling. I was in no mood to hunt, I loped back, shifting mid-stride and dressing in the dusk's chill.

The dining hall buzzed, steak sizzling, voices low, as I grabbed a medium-rare slab and slumped next to Matt, his lean frame hunched over a plate. He eyed me, dark hair flopping, concern creasing his brow. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," I snapped, too quick, slicing into the meat, blood pooling on the plate.

Cade dropped across from us, broad shoulders filling the space. "Hey, Kyan, Matt," he said, nodding.

"Alpha," we chorused, forks clinking.

He rubbed his neck, tense. "You seen Electra? She's not answering her phone."