Page 122 of UNAwere

Her jaw clenches. She says nothing. I don’t think she’s going to answer me, but then we reach my room, and she comes inside with me, closing the door. She presses her back against it, her black-gold eyes wide in the dim light.

I stare at her. ‘Hannah?’

‘Warner’s family took us in,’ she says. ‘From about fourteen, Jude and Warner have grown up together.’

‘I-I know, he told me—’

She shakes her head. ‘He wouldn’t have told you everything.’

‘What?’

‘Warner’s always been jealous of Jude. Of how he’s taller, arguably stronger, more likeable. The only thing Warner has over Jude is the control he has over his temper.’ She shakes her head, as if frustrated that she can’t get to the point soon enough. ‘Jude and Warner grew up together, but they’re not friends. Their relationship is a matter of circumstance. Timing. They’re only working together because it felt like the natural way of things.’

I shake my head. ‘Jude won’t do anything. I know he respects his alpha. He spoke about him a lot on our trip over.’

‘Jude has found his mate, Sybbie,’ Hannah says softly. ‘I know you don’t understand Were customs as much as we do, but surely you understand the weight that must have on him? To not do something, while another man touches you, would physically hurt.’

I tense my jaw, feeling those tears from before scratch at my throat again.

I know exactly what she’s saying. I know because I’ve felt the same thing.

‘We can’t risk this alliance,’ I whisper.

‘I know,’ she says. She sighs and steps forward, bringing me into her arms again. I press my face against her shoulder, and it’s like a dam is broken because I’m suddenly crying. And I don’t remember the last time I cried like this. Hannah shushes me gently, smoothing her hand over my hair. ‘Hey, it’s okay. I’ve got you.’

‘What are we gonna do?’ I say, throat clogged. I feel useless. And, for the first time in my life, I realise how weak I’ve been. Covering up my hurt, for the sake of others. Ignoring my needs, for the sake of my sister. I’ve avoided confrontation, swerved away from fighting for Nolan, and turned my nose up at things that made me uncomfortable. But in the process of throwing myself a life raft, I’ve all but stuck a knife in it and watched it sink.

‘I’m going to get Jude to pack his bags and stay at mine for a bit. Just until the bonding ceremony is over.’

‘What?’ I wrench from her. ‘Hannah, no.’

She shakes her head. ‘It’s for the best.’

I can’t fathom being that far from Jude. Not knowing where he is, if he’s okay. Even now, I can feel a tug at my chest, as if there’s an invisible tether between him and me that I need to trace all the way back to his arms.

‘I-I need him here,’ I say. ‘I need you here. I don’t have anyone.’

‘I’ll be here every day,’ she soothes, grasping my face. ‘I promise you.’

‘There has to be another way. I-I’ll tell him to leave me alone if he tries to come and see me. I-I’ll just shut my door and close my blinds.’

She smiles sadly. ‘We both know you wouldn’t be able to resist.’

I think about the other night and how I’d gone to him in my heat and succumbed to every one of my desires. How he’d snapped and done the same.

My cheeks flame. ‘I won’t go into heat again.’

Hannah’s smile widens, and a chuckle sounds in her chest. ‘Not something you can control, unfortunately.’

‘No, but I doubt I will. They’re every month, right? I’ve just had one.’

‘Every couple of months,’ she corrects. ‘But you’ve only just started having them, so right now they’re sporadic for you, and they’ll grow stronger the more you’re around Jude.’ She makes me look her in the eye. ‘Sybbie, having Jude live with me is the best outcome for everyone.’

‘Can I see him…? Before you leave?’

She sighs. ‘That’s probably not a good idea.’ She turns to the door and shakes her head. ‘Just stay here. I’ll see what I can do. Who knows what he and Warner are talking about right now.’

When she’s gone, I take off the dress and throw on an oversized T-shirt. I sit on the bed, clinging to my legs as I hold them to my chest. My heart rate is only just slowing, and I can feel that invisible tether between Jude and me tugging. I want to see him so badly, it physically hurts, and I have to hold myself back from leaving the room and running until I find him.