Page 69 of Haze

I’ll go back to our house in the country, take the week catching up with classes. We’ll break the bond.

“Morning, Lena.” Deacon comes in and kisses the top of my head.

He’s carrying a bag of food, and I’m salivating at the first whiff.

“Hey, Deacon.” I reach for the bag.

He raises it out of my reach, almost whacking Dinah in the face with it.

Dinah ducks and steps around him. “Come on, enough dying. Time to get on your feet.”

“I was not dying,” I argue with a sigh.

The truth is, though, it sure felt like it. In part, I may have died. My wolf still hasn’t responded since I’ve been out of sedation. It’s been two days, and even with Finn being here, who she’s been obsessed with, she wouldn’t come forward. It would suit her to get lost in a slumber and never wake again.

“Mmmm, kinda seemed like it for a hot minute.” Deacon opens the bag of goodies.

I’d know that smell anywhere. It’s biscuits and gravy from the mom-and-pop diner that’s always way too busy when I wake up in the morning because mornings shouldn’t start before eight a.m.

Cade walks in the door, and he looks like shit. He has dark circles under his eyes and a hitch in his step. He’s exhausted.

The two people I look up to most, Dinah and Cade, will be so angry and disappointed once I’m out of this bed and healed. I’ll get scolded for a year. I can practically hear it: how could you be so reckless? Of all people, after I told you not to, why did you take the pills?

It would serve me right if they ship me off to Ansel’s to spend time with my favorite orphan and have my wolf evaluated. He keeps the fractured, those at odds with their wolves, until he’s sure they’re safe to be around the human populous. I won’t blame Cade for doing it with my behavior.

My stomach sinks as guilt hits me hard. I hunch, trying to make myself smaller. If you can’t see the problem, then there is no problem.

“Quit with the fear, Lena. My lack of sleep isn’t from you. It’s my alleged ‘sister,’” Cade grumbles, using air quotes around the word sister. Cade deflates from the defensive a little, explaining, “She seems to think my hospitality is an invitation into my life and that we should function on Romania time. Who the fuck holds meetings at four a.m.?”

“We’ll know within the hour if you and Revecca are a match. Cool your jets, Mr. Dixson Nas.” Dinah laughs at her own joke. “But between the matching tempers and the wolves ready to eat whole mooses for breakfast, I don’t know why we’re still doing testing.”

Deacon laughs and jiggles the bag of biscuits and gravy.

‘Mooses’ even has me fighting a laugh.

The laughter dies as Dinah fusses over getting more vitals from me.

“I’m guessing you’ve run Deacon and me as well?” I force my eyes from Cade to Dinah.

She sets her jaw and looks back toward Cade. The look is telling—she didn’t do it on her own accord. There was a higher order. Cade’s order? Or Revecca?

Cade stress yawns before answering, his whole body shivering with it. “Yeah. We did. It was a concession I made with Revecca.” Cade moves forward and reaches out for my hand. I hold his hand, waiting. As expected, his voice drops into the ‘break the bad news’ tone. “The genetic testing shows that we’re not biologically related.”

I exhale a big breath and tilt my head to look at the ceiling. There’s not a lot for me to say. Now they know what I do. No mate. No siblings. Fantastic month I’m having.

“It doesn’t change anything,” Cade assures me with a smile and a squeeze of my hand. “I don’t know where you came from. Fuck, I’m not sure I believe where I’m told I came from. You’re my little sister, for better or worse. You’re my Alpha Female so long as you want the position.” Cade gives my hand one last squeeze before moving out of Dinah’s way.

I nod mutely, willing back the tears that are threatening.

“Uhhm.” Dinah hesitates uncharacteristically.

I bring my gaze to her. Even Deacon turns to look at her.

“I know where you came from.” Dinah’s eyes are filling with tears. “Well, okay, I have a piece to the puzzle. I’m not sure where the piece of the puzzle fits.” She pulls the stethoscope out of her scrub pocket. She clears her throat and tucks back her emotions. “You and I are almost an identical genetic match.”

“Yeah. That tracks.” I blow a raspberry.

I should call Ansel. I’m sure he’s been worried.

---