To Be Claimed

✙ Chapter 23 ✙

Hey!

Another update!? I know, I'm awesome! Hope you enjoy!

~Lissa

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"You know, it wasn't my intention to turn your brother," Tyler spoke, breaking the silence in the cramped room. Numerous thoughts were swarming in my head as I rocked back and forth on the other bed, hugging my legs to my chest. About an hour ago, a man had entered the room and ignoring my pleads, placed a tray of food at the end of our beds. The food consisted of bread, milk, cold vegetables, and a burrito that appeared expired. I didn't bother touching any of it; for all I knew, it could've contained poison or drugs. Tyler had sniffed his bread, before tossing it across the room with a sigh. Now, the two of us were in our provided, uncomfortable beds, listening to the occasional passing footsteps outside the door.

I gritted my teeth together. "Honestly, I could care-less about that right now, Tyler."

"I know you're curious, Babydoll," he responded, tossing the bouncy ball back and forth in his hands. I was getting sick of his nickname for me; the only reason he kept using it was because he knew it annoyed me. I glanced his direction, giving him a death glare - despite our situation, I still wasn't happy with him. "And, other than worrying about everyone else, there's nothing for us to do in this cramped room. Why not talk about how we're family now?"

"We are not family," I retorted, seriously. "Just because you turned my brother, doesn't give you any power to consider yourself a part of my family. "

"Oh, I think it does," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Whether you like it or not, your brother is loyal to me." I pinched my lips together and reminded myself to remain calm. Out of everybody, why was I placed with Tyler? He ran his fingers through his dark hair, causing it to stick out in all sorts of directions. I had noticed the purple bruise on his left cheekbone and the swollen cut on his bottom lip, both of which were already starting to heal. Though, I wasn't sure if the injuries had been caused during the testing at the facility or during the battle.

"Really? Because last time I checked, you ditched him - you left him to deal with his transition on his own," I argued, the words spitting out of my mouth. "He despises you for leaving him." I despise you, I thought, holding back the worst of words that I wanted to say to him. With the constant worry and fear twisting inside of me, I wasn't at a stable place. At any moment, it was possible for me to snap; it was possible for me to finally lose it.

"Like I said, it hadn't been my intention to turn your brother," he repeated, shaking his head. "I never wanted a pack or a Beta. When he survived the bite, I bailed - he wasn't supposed to live, Babydoll. I'm not ashamed to admit I'm irresponsible and lack the qualities of an Alpha." He shrugged, playing with the bouncy ball in-between his fingers. "It's why Drew took over when our parents died; I handed him the title on a silver platter."

"So, why did you bite my brother?" I asked, harshly.

He made a clicking sound with his tongue. "He was practicing witchcraft, deep within the woods. At first, I didn't realize he was human; I thought the witches and warlocks were returning. Long ago, werewolves hunted them down and until now, they were believed to be extinct. When I saw your brother performing witchcraft, I attacked him. My intention was to kill him, but instead of the bite killing him, it turned him. I expected his body to reject the bite, but obviously, that didn't happen." I thought about his words for a long moment, suddenly aware that I was hearing a reason for why things happened the way they did.