Page 95 of His Curse

“Dad was going to challenge him.” Finally finding an extra pair of shorts from the back of my truck, I pull them on with an annoyed huff. “What are you doing here, Marigold?”

I turn just in time to see my sister roll her eyes. “I hate that you call me that.”

“It’s your fucking name, isn’t it?”

“Not really. Just like Colton isn’t really your name, and if you aren’t going to use my given name, then at least call me Mary.”

Annoyed isn’t a strong enough word for what I’m feeling right now.

Sure, this conversation is irritating the hell out of me, but the fact that my sister is here means that word has traveled about, well, probably damn near everything that’s happened over the last week or so, andthatmeans she tapped into our long dormant family link just so she could come lecture about being a piece of shit.

“No,” Mary whispers. “I didn’t come out here to lecture you.”

“Yeah,” I scoff. “Ok, sure. I bet you came out here to check on me then, right?”

“Ok, so maybe I did come out here to lecture you, but not for the reason you think.”

Figures.“Then what, exactly, did you come out here for if it isn’t to give me hell over being some cursed piece of trash seconds away from annihilating everyone I love?” I slam the door of my truck, spinning away and crossing my arms against my chest while I prep for a fight, but when I look at Mary… shit. “Are youcrying?”

She sniffles and shakes her head. “No.”

“No?”

“No.” Mary sits a little taller and quickly swipes at her eyes. “I’m not, I just… it’s allergies.”

“Allergies…” I cock my head to the side and narrow my gaze. “When did wolves develop allergies?”

She shrugs and sniffles again. “Species evolve.”

“That would be a devolution, Marigold, andthathasn’t happened in centuries.” With a sigh, I push off the truck and slowly walk over before plopping down on the stump next to her. “Why are you crying?”

“I’m not… “ My sister glances at me for a beat before her lip quivers and those tears she refuses to acknowledge start streaming down her pretty face. “You found your mate and never told me.”

I blink then do it again as Mary seemingly falls to pieces, burying her face in her hands and sobbing next to my shocked ass. “What?”

“You-you never… y-you never told me that.. t-that you found… that you f-found your mate!”

“And you’re sad that I—”

“Just like-like you never… you d-didn’t tell me that y-you rejected her then-then found her a-again and m-m-mated her.”

Well, I am officially confused as hell.

“Oh s-stop.” Mary swats at my arm as she blows her nose into her skirt. “I, well, I just…” She sits up and seemingly tries to gain her composure, fixing her dress and wiping her cheeks. “I didn’t realize how ruined our relationship was until Lark showed up at our house and—”

“What?”

My sister nods. “Yesterday. Ronny called and asked if he could come over for dinner and when he did, he had Lark with him and… what?”

She looks at me with a puzzled expression as I shake my head and scrub a hand over my beard. “Un-fucking-believable.”

“What? Colton, what are you—”

“So, what? Sid the two of them show up and tell you what’s been going on, before begging you to come find me? Or did you decide to do this on your own so you could chew me out in seclusion? Finding out I rejected my mate and shifted into that monster at Havok’s house surely deserves one of yourI wish we weren’t relatedchats, right?”

A few more tears roll down Mary’s cheeks and for a moment I feel like an even bigger piece of shit for it, but it’s true. I can’t tell you how many times my sister has said those exact words to me and now really isn’t the time to reiterate them.

“No… Colt, look.” Marigold takes a deep breath and turns her body to face me. “Ronin lit into me shortly after his Rite of Passage.” I open my mouth to defend my nephew but she holds up her hand to stop me. “I was mad at first, furious, to be honest, and we fought over everything you told him about Papa and Mama, about the packs, and about us. I was so angry at you for telling him about my deal but the more Ronny said, the more I actually listened. And both of you were right.”

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