Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose. Chapter 194: Merry Christmas

Leilani.

"rry Christmas everyone!" Maya scread, whilst holding up a wine bottle over her head as she sashayed from one end of the room to the other.

Her beautiful pink hair glead under the light and her radiant smile illuminated the room, causing a smile to spread across my lips as I quietly watched her.

This was the first Christmas I wasn’t celebrating alone but with the people I loved. It was the first in which I was having a quiet ti with the family I had created for myself.

My heart filled with warmth as Maya ca over to plant a sloppy kiss on the side of my face, chuckling aloud when I winced in feigned irritation.

"rry Christmas!" She slurred again and this ti, when I winced, it was because of the stench of alcohol oozing from her mouth.

She was as drunk as a skunk and I couldn’t tell if it was because she was happy and wanted to let loose or because sothing had happened again between her and Gavin.

Jarek, on the other hand, who had been quiet the entire ti simply humd in agreent to everything she said, his arm lost behind my chair as he raised his own wine glass too. But I couldn’t help but notice how stiff he still was and has been since the beginning of today. I also didn’t miss the dark circles under his eyes that told tales of things I knew he would never talk to about.

Yesterday, he had left in a hurry, after dropping a note to inform of the reasons– his wolf – and I knew, without even being told that sothing must’ve happened.

And I was right.

Then there was ...

Beautiful old , who was still quite shaken from my encounter with the strange girl I’d t yesterday. The girl who like Darius had silver hair and purple eyes just like .

Another thing that stuck out to about her was the way I’d been so at peace with her, how young she was, how ominous that letter was... and how she had disappeared without a trace, leaving confused and scared; and everything else in between.

The letter had read:

Hello Sister,

This is to inform you that I know you have questions, and I am ready to answer all of those questions now. If there’s anything you wish to talk to about, then all you have to do is... ask.

et at the border of Shadowvane. In the lobby of the hotel called; The Continental.

Ps: co at night and alone. On You shouldn’t be scared of . I should be scared of you.

These words repeated itself in my head over and over again, and no matter the number of tis I thought about it, I couldn’t shake off the ominous feeling it brought, twisting my guts until I began to feel nauseous.

I also couldn’t decide if I really wanted to go alone or not, seeing as I had no idea what I would be walking into if I did... but I knew that I would go.

I would because I had questions that needed to be answered. I would because I needed to et Darius once and for all and to understand why he had single-handedly fished out from every one of my siblings.

—And I needed to know who that so-called dispatch girl from yesterday was.

My heart raced at these thoughts and I was only snapped out of my train of thoughts when Jarek waved slowly in my face, his voice soft and velvety as he asked;

"Are you okay?"

I wasn’t.

Hell, I wasn’t.

I smiled. "Yes, I am. Are you?"

At my question, he cocked his eyebrows at , a small smile playing on the corners of his lips. He then leaned closer to tuck a stray tendril of hair behind my ear, his eyes latched on mine throughout the entire process.

Just when I was beginning to get lost in the intensity of his gaze, Maya scread suddenly; "You both should get a room!"causing to jump in surprise.

I turned to her and smiled when I caught her rolling her eyes. But the smile on her face was contagious. She bead; "Just so you know, I am team Jarek!" She squealed, throwing her hands into the air as she winked knowingly at Jay and I.

And goddess, my face imdiately began to heat up. The tips of my ears and sides of my neck burned in embarrassnt and excitent. And it didn’t help that Jay wouldn’t stop smiling, as if enjoying her teasing.

His rich laughter floated in the air, enveloping like the softest warst cloak there is; and he snickered; "Would you seriously not mind if we get a room?"

Oh goddamit!

Now, it took all of not to bury my face into the ground. I turned away from both of them, hating the way they laughed behind as if mocking ; or the way Jarek now moved dangerously too close to ... so close that I could feel the warmth seeping from his clothes to mine.

He subconsciously twirled so of my hair between his fingers and damn, I couldn’t control my smile.

However, my smile soon disappeared so fast when suddenly, my doorbell rang. I froze and turned to both of them as if silently asking to know which of them was expecting any guests.

Jay shrugged, and Maya... she dashed to the door before I could stop her, only returning minutes later with a young man following behind her... a young man who was hiding— or struggling— behind the largest hamper I’ve ever seen in my entire life. He was none other than...

"Gavin?" I spat coldly, and imdiately making him go tense.

He slowly turned to look at Maya then to , and with the smallest voice I’ve ever heard from him, he muttered; "rry Christmas."

But I didn’t feel rry with him being here.

Gosh, I didn’t want him to be here.

I frowned before I even realized what I was doing, and when my eyes t Maya’s, I couldn’t help but notice the silent pleading in them... the vulnerability, and the way she was quietly seeking my validation.

I sighed; "Sa to you, Gavin. Welco to my house!"

And as soon as I said that, the atmosphere in the room instantly shifted to sothing lighter. He set down the hamper which surprisingly was a gift for and joined in the rrint, seeming as though he has always been- a part of us... like this was sothing he’s always done for so long.

I vaguely rembered that his parents— my parents— must be serving their respective terms at the mont, and it was almost shocking to think that even with that, he doesn’t hold it against .

That he wanted to still be my brother... that he still wanted to make up for all the lost years.

For the first ti since like forever, I rose to my feet and pulled him into a hug for no reason, and when he said the words; "I’m sorry, Leilani," to , I didn’t feel the urge to hurt him, I didn’t want to smack his head against the nearest pavent... and I realized then and there that I no longer hated him.

I also no longer feared him like I used to... and it was refreshing.

"rry Christmas, Gavin." I murmured quietly into his ear, but he didn’t respond right away. He simply squeezed harder before resting his chin on the top of my head and whispering;

"rry Christmas, genius!"

"Thank you."

—

Chalice.

This was the absolute worst Christmas I’ve ever experienced in my entire life, and I am not saying this because I didn’t get a single Christmas present from anyone or because I was now stuck in this unending Christmas lunch with the elders of the pack, my husbands’ cousin and his father... and so other people whom I’ve never seen before. I was saying this because despite all of these ugly events, Mom and dad were in still jail, all thanks to Leilani and her stupid antics.

I was saying this because once again, I have been adorned like a queen by my husbands whilst being treated worse than a slave behind closed doors.

And I was saying this because even right now, Louis was still standing right behind like a freaking shadow whilst watching every damn move I made— courtesy of my husbands.

My hands shook as I tried to pick up the wine glass, but just as I brought it to my lips, Zevran leaned close, his voice cold as fuck as he drawled; "Be careful... there’s a baby in your womb or is there not?"

As soon as I heard those words, my anger flared. I turned to et his gaze and my breath hitched when I was t with a kind of coldness he only reserved for people he hated— and I was one of them.

I hissed; "Why would you think there isn’t a baby?"

But as soon as I asked that question, I imdiately realized how stupid it sounded. However, before I could take back my words, he bead a smile at , patted my head as if for show and spat; "Are you really asking that?"

But I wasn’t.

And I hated that he would continue to use this against .

Subconsciously, I quickly glanced behind and when my eyes t Louis’, a sudden thought flashed in my mind. And I realized then and there that my only ticket out of this decorated cage was him.

He was the only way I could get my hands on my freedom and Leilani’s downfall...

So I rose to my feet, knowing that he would follow and murmured; "Excuse gentlen, but as you can see, I am a pregnant woman with needs... and I have an urgent need to attend to."

As I walked out, I couldn’t help but smile to myself when I realized that my plan had worked... that Louis, as expected was following . Now, all I had to do was get him to a secluded place and then fill him in on the instructions that I needed him to follow to ensure my freedom...

...and my sister’s doom.