Page 57 of Eclipsed Heart

When we stilled, he pulled me against him…into his arms.

Gods, I’m so lucky that you’re mine,he linked as my eyelids dropped and sleep took hold of me.

* * *

The next day,I found Stevie alone, sitting outside on the deck where Samuel and I liked to chat. She was sitting on one of the Adirondack chairs overlooking the neighborhood road, and for the first time in my life, my hand paused on the door instead of opening it.

I wasn’t sure if she would want to speak to me…not after how we’d left things yesterday. She normally didn’t hold a grudge, but she had almost died because of my decisions.

Exhaling, I straightened my shoulders. If I was going to be queen, I should be able to talk to my own sister. So I pushed aside my nerves…and opened the door.

CHAPTERFIFTEEN

As soon asthe door opened, Stevie turned her head in my direction. When our eyes met, she neither smiled nor frowned, which had my breath lodging in my throat.

For a moment, we felt like strangers. Both of us were uncomfortable around each other.

Ihatedthat. Stevie and Theo had been my two constants growing up, her more than him in so many ways since we’d shared a room. That was one reason we’d gotten so close—we’d had time alone without Pearl’s interference.

That said, we’d had plenty of arguments growing up, but nothing remotely similar tothis.

I moved to the chair closest to the door since she’d taken the one nearest to the room she was staying in—the same one I’d slept in when I’d first arrived here, injured.

She pulled her legs up, holding them to her chest. At least she had her own clothes now. I hoped that put her a little more at ease.

As she tugged on the sleeves of her thin, black cotton sweater, I fidgeted, trying to get comfortable in my seat. My fuchsia top caught my eye, and I smiled sadly. Normally, I’d make a comment about our completely opposite taste in colors. Stevie always said that our favorite colors spoke to our personalities. Me, the wolf who couldn’t keep her mouth shut or cower, whose mix of weakness and snark was a beacon to Charles and the other bullies. Stevie, the quiet one who took things in and bottled them up. That was something we’d joked about since we were children, but the words died on my lips. I wasn’t sure what I could and couldn’t say now that our relationship was like this—strained.

Especially since the jokes weren’t funny…not anymore. Between my heritage and the consequences of what it meant, and her actively working against our territory’s packs, trying to protect our family, it was like we weren’t the same people anymore—not to each other.

“Stevie,” I started, knowing I needed to saysomething.

She lifted a hand. “Please don't say anything.”

Hope left me in awhooshof a breath.

When she turned toward me, the warmth in her eyes had returned. “I get why you did what you did.” She placed her chin on her knees, the wind catching and lifting the loose strands of the dirty-blonde hair that had fallen from her braid. “And I know you didn't mean for me to get hurt.”

Thank gods. “Of course not.” I clutched my chest as my throat thickened. “Had I known…” I stopped, the lump so large I could barely breathe, let alone speak around it. “Gods, I wish it had been me instead of you.”

“Don’t say that.” She frowned, her eyes glistening. “You’ve gone through enough shit, and you don’t need to hold on to that guilt. You're new to your wolf, not to mention beingqueenandmated. I saw the toll it took on you yesterday with everyone’s eyes on you, and I was wrong for being so cruel.”

My eyebrows lifted. “That might be true, but that isn’t an excuse. I still made that decision, and it was a horrible one.” It would haunt me. I’d left my sister unprotected, and she’d almost died.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not saying I’m okay with what happened. I’m not, especially since half the reason I took action was the abuse you personally received from our pack. I just don’t have excess energy to waste being pissed at you when you didn’t mean to cause me harm.”

Her maturity somehow made it harder. Iwantedher to yell at me, but here she was, being the good person she’d always been. Maybe she hadn’t changed after all.

Since she was being honest with me, I wanted to do the same. “After a night of rest and time to think about everything, I came to my own realization.” My gaze shifted to the street. I didn’t want to see how she reacted. “If I hadn't been marked as queen and mated to Bodey, I wouldn’t have been pissed. I would’ve felt disappointed that you didn’t share the burden with me so we could figure it out together, but I would’ve felt loved. You were willing to risk so much to save us.”

“But youweremated and marked as our queen, and that’s not something we can gloss over,” she said sadly. “Neither of us can because you’ll think of all the shifters in our territory as a whole first, not your sister.”

A part of me wanted to hang my head, but my wolf leaped forward, forcing me to lift my chin. We couldn’t show weakness, not when it came to our position. “I’d like to say I can do both, but Stevie, I just don’t know.” I pivoted my body so I was facing her and continued, “But there are a few things I do know, and I’d like to share one of them.”

She quirked a brow. “Which is?”

“That you're my sister, and I love you.” I tugged at the pack link between the two of us, hoping she could feel the sincerity of my words. “And Ineverwant to see you get hurt like that, ever again. I just hope we can bridge the gap that’s been created between us.”

“Callie.” She leaned over, taking my hand. “There’s no gap to bridge. I feel the same way for you, and it would take a hell of a lot more to permanently come between us. Things are different now with you and Bodey and the whole ruling over the territory thing. And if that wasn’t enough, now Queen Kel wantsmedead.” She snorted and shook her head. “Who would’ve thought that you and I, the two lowest-ranking members of our pack, would wind up on the hit list of one queen and that one of us was a queen herself, thanks to some hidden birthright?”

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