Liam stretched out, pulling his arms up over his head, grimacing as a large yawn stretch across his face. A sudden thud caused his eyes to snap open and he peered over the side of the sofa. Sam glared back up at him, a blanket wrapped in her legs.
"Did you seriously just push me off the sofa!?"
Liam shot her a dazzling smile "I would never do that to you!". His voice dripped with sarcasm.
Sam huffed and attempted to clamber back up but before she could, the cloth wrapped itself in her legs and she crashed back down. Now seriously annoyed she kicked her feet, mumbling to herself as she finally disentangled her legs from the blanket. Getting to her feet she threw the blanked at Liam's mocking face, and plonked herself back on the sofa. She glanced at Liam, daring him to laugh, as he struggled to keep a grin off his face.
She was so cute, he thought, with her fiery temper and matching fiery hair. The collection of freckles on her nose shifted as she scrunched up her nose, her tell-tale sign that she was about to yell. Before she could utter the first syllable though, Liam cut in.
"Does someone need a hug?" Liam laughed as he put on the fakest sad face he could muster.
Sam narrowed her eyes, contemplating how much she wanted to punch him, before adjusting her face to match Liam's fake sadness, pouting her lips slightly and nodding. She crawled into his lap, allowing him to hold her for a couple of seconds, then suddenly flipped over pinning him to the sofa.
"Payback!" She squealed, jabbing her fingers into his sides as she watched him contort into a fit of uncontrollable giggles. Aiden might be the joker, but Liam was the most ticklish person she knew.
"What the hell are you doing here??"
Liam and Sam paused mid wrestling match to turn towards the door.
"Hey bro," Liam replied, his breath hitching from the exertion. A trace of guilt tinged his words
"You told me you were at work!" thundered Aiden. "Yet here you are, doing absolutely bugger all except lying on a sofa and relaxing". As he spoke he neared the sofa, jabbing his finger in the general direction of his brother.
Sam backed away, retreating into the kitchen, figuring it would be best to leave the boys to their own personal arguments.
"Sorry Aiden, it's just that... well..." Liam hesitated.
Aiden raised his eyebrows, a slight look of concern flashing through his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by his frustration at his brother. Not that Liam had done anything wrong, he was allowed to relax if he wanted, but Aiden hadn't seen him in months, and then the first time they could be together, Liam had lied. Telling him that he was busy with work. He felt hurt, unwanted and betrayed. So hell yes, his reaction was justified. His eyebrows furrowed at the thought.
"What" he practically growled it, his voice low and menacing.
"Jeez man."
"You have no right to 'jeez man' me, it's obvious that you just didn't want to spend time with me and that fucking hurts. So what in the world could possibly be a valid explanation for not wanting to spend time with your brother???"
***
Goddess they were sensitive, thought Sam as she busied herself in the kitchen. She couldn't but overhear their loud conversation in the open-plan room, but was determined not to get herself involved. The last time she had, the fight had just escalated and they'd ended up at each other's throats. Twins she huffed. They were so connected that they couldn't stand not being together so no wonder Aiden was so hurt, but she was sure Liam had a reason. She just wished he was better at voicing his emotions.
She heard Liam shuffle slightly, obviously uncomfortable about whatever it was he was preparing himself to say. Liam hated talking about his feelings. He thought he seemed weak if he ever felt anything, and would never tell anyone if he could help it. This attitude had given him a reputation of being a dark, mysterious and tortured male, whom the girls swooned over, presumably doubly attracted by the good looks and the dream that they would be the one who could fix whatever tortured this poor, mysterious soul. Well unless they were an incredible therapist they had no chance. This was who he was, and as far as Sam was aware, he had no desire to change. He was happy in himself, and as long as his strong emotions paired with his inability to voice them wasn't affecting his happiness, she thought he deserved to be left alone. But it was situations like these, where keeping all those emotions in, that made her realise that sometimes, it just wasn't ideal. Anyway, she thought, not my place to try to change him, all I can do is help him when he needs me.
***
"Varshini... she... she" Liam gulped, pushing the tears back. He lowered his voice to make sure Sam wouldn't hear from the kitchen, "we broke up". His voice was low, and he refused to let Sam hear him cry. Sure his brother had seen him cry, I mean they'd grown up together so that was inevitable, but he refused to cry anymore. He was a big bad wolf for crying out loud.
Aiden's face softened and he jumped over the back of the sofa to sit beside his brother. Wrapping his arms around his shoulders, he pulled him in for a hug. Liam stiffened and then relaxed into his brother's chest.
About ten minutes later, Sam approached from the kitchen with a ginormous stack of pancakes, topped with bacon and syrup, Canadian obviously. The twins were still curled up in each other's arms. Sam coughed lightly, hoping to get their attention before she barged in on the moment. The boys scooted apart slightly, grinning as they caught sight of the pile of food.
The three of them tucked in, the silence was broken only by their chews and sounds of satisfaction as they devoured the breakfast.
"You know you really need to learn to not commit to every girl you ever meet, they all just end up stomping all over your heart". Aiden interrupted the silence.
Liam nodded distractedly. He knew that Aiden was right, he always launched himself into each new relationship, determined to find true love. Unlike Aiden, although he hadn't given up on finding his true mate, he was happy to date, and was even prepared to mate with someone who wasn't his true mate. That meant that he dedicated his entire heart to every new girl, determined to make something work. But Aiden was right, this meant that his heart was just repeatedly stomped on. It was ironic considering the one person he truly wanted to be with would never want him: Sam.
Sam had caught his attention from the start. Although he'd initially been attracted by her stunning looks and fiery personality, the friendship and understanding that developed between them had only served to further his attraction. With her, he sensed he had something unique. She understood his emotional nature and was one of the few females who didn't try to control him. They all did, he didn't understand why, and then they all left when they refused to accept that this emotional yet secretive person was who he truly was. Like Aiden, he shared in the dream that maybe Sam was his mate. But honestly, he knew he would love her even if she wasn't.
YOU ARE READING
Permission to escape - The Rogue Pack
Werewolf"You, I was thinking of you" she admitted. Aiden groaned, curling his hands around's Sam's waist as she spoke, her words like an enchantment to his ears. Her body fit into his perfectly, her short height of 5'2'' only adding to his sense of dominanc...
