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“How is that possible?” he asks, his voice low and disbelieving.
I frown, not understanding. “What are you talking about?”
He doesn't take his eyes off Temperance as he answers, “I recognize her.”
“I know her, but I can't figure out how. It's right there; I can feel it.”
Dominic watches her carefully, with that eerie gaze he gets when his expression suddenly turns thoughtful. “She was a Gemini twin,” he says, as if we should already know this.
“Pardon?” Marabella and I both speak at the same time.
ChapterTwenty-One
Rose
Casen and Vince fight ferociously before my eyes, their snarls and growls echoing through the park. I understand Casen's anger, but I can't help feeling conflicted. My heart aches for the love I once felt for him, but the fear of losing Vince, who has been there for me after Casen's departure, is overwhelming.
As Zyan and Vince continue their brutal fight, I hear Casey crying in the background. Keeping her existence a secret from Casen weighs heavily on me, and I am overcome with guilt. I know it's wrong, but I'm terrified of what his return might do to our lives. Things were finally getting better between Vince and the pack. He's been good lately and hasn't been drinking, and I wonder if Casen's sudden return will do more harm than good.
Yet for one heartbeat, I see Zyan, Casen's wolf, about to tear into Neev, Vince's wolf's neck, and I panic, moving to intervene. Only I am hit with the force of Vince’s wolf’s snapping jaws, followed by a stinging pain. Agony shoots through my leg, and I cry out as his teeth slash through my soft skin. My mother rushes to my side, helping me up as Zyan and Vince keep tearing into each other. It hurts like hell, but I know it’s nothing fatal. As my mother tends to my wounds, I keep one eye on the fight.
My father tries to break up the fight when Zyan turns on him, and a mix of fear and anger erupts inside me. I scream, and Zyan whimpers, backing up and coming to his senses while everyone stares in horror at what he did. He attacked my father. He immediately releases my father and shifts back to his human form. I see regret in his eyes as he tries to help him up, but my father refuses his aid, looking furious. I wait with bated breath to see what my father will do. One part of me knows it is safer if Casen leaves, and another doesn't want him to.
To my surprise, my mother sides with Casen, insisting he should be allowed to stay and get to know his daughter. Anger flares up inside of me, followed by confusion. I want Casen to be part of Casey's life, but on the other hand, I fear what his presence might do to Vince. Things have always been tense since Vince returned to us, and I was naïve in believing him over Casen, blinded by the mate bond that I didn't see reason and sometimes I find myself even questioning what Vince has told me. It seems unlike Casen, but even he admitted to trying to kill his brother.
So I was just so happy to find him alive that I didn't care for an explanation. I was hurt over my fight with Casen after I banished him, and I just wanted the pain to stop. Lonely and desperate, I stupidly marked and accepted Vince only to learn the sort of man he could be. I've paid for that mistake ever since.
Vince was a monster I did not see coming. The entire time, I was foolish to believe my barely eighteen-year-old brain could comprehend the complexity of why Casen did what he did. Aunty Kat, although she wanted to give me more, could only give me a glimpse into the goddess realm. But the future changes with the information learned, and she promised it would work out in the end. Yet I don't see anything bright coming to my future. I swore I knew what I saw with absolute clarity. Now, I am trapped in a mate bond I don't want and longing for the one I chased away.
He didn’t even stop when Neev tore into me. Then again, it could have very well been Vince that didn’t care that I was hurt. Once Casen realized I was injured, he tried to defend me. The bond leading to my stupidity, attempting to break it up in the first place.
However, my father's decision to let Casen stay triggers Vince's anger. Relief washes over me, that they're no longer fighting, but that is short-lived when I catch the look on Vince's face. I know this will only lead to more conflict between me and Vince. As Vince storms over to me, I scoop up Casey, trying to comfort her.
“Is Daddy and Poppy going to fight again, mummy?” she asks, her voice quivering with fear.
“Shh, shh, no, of course not. Let's go inside to make cocoa,” I tell her, doing my best to reassure her, even though I'm far from certain myself.
Watching Casen interact with the others, a strange mix of emotions washes over me. There's the undeniable pull from our past, the lingering anger and betrayal from his actions, and the fear of what his presence could mean for my family and pack. I dread losing Vince, as I once lost Casen. Especially now that Vince is all I have. Casen won't want me now, being used goods and not telling him about Casey. Not that I can blame him; this is my fault.
He knows about Casey and how I kept her from him. Vince growls in protest at my father's choice, and he glances at me to intervene, and when I don't, I can see I will pay for that when he comes home. “Vince!” I call out, not wanting this to become another bloodbath. Casey is terrified enough, and I worry my father will get hurt. With a snarl, he turns on his heel and starts walking toward us.
“Daddy is mad, Mommy,” Casey whispers, and I swallow. Vince barges past me as he enters the house, and my stomach drops.
“Go play in your room; I will bring you some milk and cookies,” I whisper into Casey's hair as I set her down. She quickly rushes inside, stopping in the hall.
“Can I watchFrozen?” she asks.
I smile at her. “Of course, go put it on, and I will be in soon,” I tell her as she disappears down the hall. My eyes go to Vince in the kitchen, washing the blood off his arms, and I hesitantly enter the kitchen.
ChapterTwenty-Two
Rose
My heart races as I watch Vince reach above the top of the cupboard and retrieve his bottle. I watch him pour himself a drink. The glass seems to overflow with amber liquid, and I can't help but worry about what will happen when he's had too much. I hate it when he drinks. It's like he becomes a completely different person; someone I don't recognize.
As Vince downs the drink, his eyes meet mine, and I can see the anger brewing behind them. He is furious. He's even more upset that I didn't stick up for him and demanded my father kick Casen out of the pack. I’m not the Alpha anymore, and that decision rests with my father and mother.
In truth, I don’t know what to say or do. The situation is so complicated, and the feelings I have for both of them make it even harder to navigate. I wasn’t expecting Casen to return, not after I rejected him.
