Page 94 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

“Oh, shit,” I muttered.

Shayne reached forward and poked my forehead with her finger. “Did it get through that thick fucking skull yet?”

“Tell me how the hell my baby sister got so damn wise all of a sudden?”

“I didn’t,” she said with a shrug. “All I’m doing is telling you what Kirsten told me when I went to pick this box up from her. She called me early this morning.”

“Son of a bitch,” I growled and buried my face in my hands.

If I hadn’t lost my mind the night before, if I’d given her a few seconds to explain, all this could have been avoided. Even that had been too much. I couldn’t give her even a few seconds to talk before freaking out.

“I’m a piece of shit,” I moaned and looked up at my sister. “I didn’t defend her when the pack and Eren started shouting all that shit at her last night. I didn’t give her time to explain. I didn’t do anything.” I punched a fist onto my thigh.

“Oh, very healthy. Self-harm. Women find that super-sexy.”

“Goddamn it, Shayna, can you stop being a sarcastic ass for one second? I’m getting my heart broken here.”

“You need to fix this,” she said sternly. “I don’t want to worry you, but there were a bunch of suitcases and packed boxes at the cabin.”

“I saw them, too. Last night, when I was there.”

“Well, you know what that means, don’t you? You’ve got to go stop her.”

“Can’t,” I said, staring off into the distance. “She’s made up her mind. Nothing more I can do. It was in her eyes last night. She’s as good as gone already.”

Crack. My head rocked back, cheek stinging, tears springing to my eyes. I almost fell from my rocking chair.

Cradling my face, I gaped up at my sister. “What the fuck, Shayna?” She’d slapped the ever-loving shit out of me. My cheek throbbed, and heat pulsed over my jaw.

She winced and shook her hand, her palm obviously stinging. “There! Is that better? Did that wake you up? In all these years, I’ve never seen you be so pathetic. My big brother?” She knelt down so her eyes were level with me. “The guy who was everything to me? The massive force of nature that made me so proud? I’d point at you and tell everyone, ‘That’s my brother.’ Like you were a superhero. You always knew what to do. You were a dad to me. You raised me. Hell, I’m more a daughter to you than a sister. My whole life, I wanted to be like you. To be strong and sure, just and kind. The only thing I didn’t want was your sadness. Jace.” She put a hand on my thigh. “I’ve seen it my whole life. You think you hide it, but you don’t. Every day, I saw the hurt in your eyes, the loneliness. It broke my heart. I tried everything I could to be the one to fix it for you, but I wasn’t enough. You needed someone else. The last few weeks with Kirsten? I finally saw that sadness start to disappear. You’d found your person.”

She cleared her throat, tears clouding her eyes. “I don’t want my brother to be lonely forever. And I never want to see you give up. You’re the one who taught me not to give up. How can you sit here and do the thing you always told me to never do?”

Turning away, she bent over, lifted the lid of the small box, and pulled the vial out, holding it out for me.

“Fix it, Jace. Fix it, or you are going to regret it for the rest of your life. Drink.”

“What if it’s not what I want it to be? What if drinking this erases everything I feel for her?” I asked miserably, wiping my own tears away.

“You know the truth,” Shayna said, leaning forward to press her forehead to mine. “You know, but you have to do this. Then, once and for all, you can show the woman you love that you really do love her. That it isn’t just some curse forcing it on you. Do it.”

The vial was cool when she pressed it into my hand. Shayna moved back to watch me as I stared at the liquid. It was viscous, coating the glass of the vial. Before I could talk myself out of it, I pulled the small cork stopper out, put the thing to my lips, and tilted my head back.

A taste like minerals, herbs, and the coppery tang of blood filled my mouth—unpleasant and strangely warm. I swallowed the whole thing, trying not to gag. Once done, I looked at Shayna.

“Well?” she asked. “Anything?”

I thought about it for a second, taking stock. “I don’t think—”

Like a flood, the world cracked apart around me, shuddering and convulsing.

“Oh God! Do you feel that? Can you hear it?” I shouted above the roar in my head.

“Hear what, Jace? I don’t hear anything.”

The vibrating went on as though the entire world was rattling apart. Shayna sat staring at me like I’d lost my mind. As though she could feel none of what I did.

With one final shudder, the world went still. The sensation was immediate and shocking. Like a million pounds had been lifted off my shoulders. I couldn’t explain it, but I was different. Lighter, less burdened. My God, had I been holding all that for a hundred years? The freedom that suddenly filled me made me want to shout for joy.

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