Page 25 of Roaring Flames

“He did what?!”

I’ve never seen my brother so pissed before. Not when our mother grounded him from his PlayStation after he was caught cheating on a math test in seventh grade. Not when our older sister called him a worthless piece of shit during a particularly nasty fight. Not when Ashton’s father told the both of us that we’ll never amount to anything and don’t deserve to rule the Council.

Not even when I lied to him about being clean and risked both our lives.

Raw, unencumbered fury distorts Emery’s face until he doesn’t even look like my twin anymore. His eyes glimmer amber with the power of his wolf, and he bares his teeth in a snarl.

Desiree, for her part, appears unaffected in the face of Emery’s wrath. She folds her slender arms over her chest and cocks her hip out to the side, exuding an aura of feigned nonchalance.

“Your idiot packmate decided it would be a swell idea to lie to Izzy and tell her that we’re dating.” Her nose crinkles in disgust.“He even started to kiss me. Fortunately, he stopped as soon as she left the room, but the damage was done. Izzy thinks that the five of us are in a…relationship.”

She shudders dramatically.

Emery collapses onto the desk in front of him as if his legs can no longer keep him upright. Some of his anger has been chased away, replaced by a combination of pain and surprise. Maybe even betrayal. It’s that last emotionI’mfeeling, a sucker punch straight to the chest.

Why would Ashton do this?

Howcouldhe do this?

Izzy’s our mate, our Heart, and should be revered and protected, not pushed away. Not discarded.

Another headache is fast approaching—the fiftieth one today. For what feels like the billionth time in the last hour, I remove my glasses and attempt to rub out the muscles in my forehead.

It doesn’t help.

The three of us are in an empty classroom directly across from the cafeteria. Desiree remains standing near the front of the room—eerily resembling a teacher about to lecture and scold her misbehaving students—while Emery sits on a desk in front of her. I remain by the door, making sure no one interrupts us.

And making sure that no one gets the wrong fucking idea.

What would Izzy think if she were to see us now? Locked in a classroom with Desiree?

Everything Ashton said would be confirmed, even if it’s the farthest thing possible from the truth.

Emery’s head snaps up abruptly, and he levels Desiree with a penetrating glare that would make most wolf shifters shit their pants. Desiree simply appears bored.

“And you had nothing to do with this? This isn’t some ploy to get Izzy away from us?” he asks, his words bordering on a growl. “Because even if we continue with this sham of a mating,that doesn’t change the fact that you’re a lone wolf, Desiree. You don’t belong with us. You don’t belong anywhere.”

Ouch.

I may not like the girl, but even I can admit that crossed a line.

Desiree flinches as if he physically slapped her and then forces herself to adopt an impenetrable mask.

She straightens her shoulders and points an accusatory finger in Emery’s direction. “Hurting Izzy is the last thing I want to do.”

“And why is that?” I find myself asking, unable to bite my tongue a second longer.

Both Desiree and Emery turn towards me in surprise, as if they forgot I’m even in the room.

I push away from the wall and venture a step closer. “When you touched Izzy, you saw something, didn’t you? A vision?”

Some shifters are given special gifts that go beyond merely shifting into an animal. She has what our scholars call “the sight,” meaning she has visions of the future. Usually, these visions pertain to herself, but sometimes, they can feature others.

Desiree’s expression clouds over, turning unreadable. “What I saw doesn’t matter?—”

“It fucking does matter if it has to do with our ma—” Emery cuts himself off before he can say the word “mate,” but I can tell the damage is done.

Surprise flashes across Desiree’s face for a fraction of a second before she manages to get herself under control. She clears her throat and moves until she’s perching on the teacher’s desk in front of Emery.

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