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The first guests started arriving in the late afternoon, and my stomach clenced in a tight knot when Zach and Sienna arrived. Fourteen years of separation had done nothing to dim my feelings for him, but I felt a sinking sensation in my gut when I saw what Sienna was wearing - or not wearing, in this case. Her gold dress was so sheer you could see her body through it, and while I was no prude, I wished she'd worn something a little more concealing.
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I myself felt a little overdressed, but the smart black dress I'd packed did enough wonders to earn me a few admiring gazes from some of the males - most notably from Sienna's brothers. Wanda pursed her lips when I came downstairs.
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"You really should be wearing something more modest," she told me, looking as if she wanted to march me back upstairs and dress me in a sheet. "You're still not getting the message, are you? My grandson is not interested in you. Sienna is his mate, and if I have to lock you in your room for the rest of the night, then by God I will."
"Drop it," I said angrily, finally losing a bit of my cool. "I get that Zach's not interested in me. You've done nothing but drum it into my head all day, as if I'm a cub of little intelligence. I can see with the eyes God gave me that he and Sienna have already made their mateship official, judging by the way they can't keep their hands off each other." Which hurt a lot, but I'd be damned before I let Wanda see my pain. "But at least permit me the courtesy of being able to say hello to them and congratulate them on their relationship upgrade, otherwise I will walk out of here, and I will let anyone know who asks that my grandmother is a gatekeeping prude who has to stand guard on her grandson's non-existent virginity, because God forbid his own sister says hello to him!"
My voice had risen at this last, and heads turned. I was too angry to care, and Wanda actually looked taken aback. "I'm just making sure this relationship is not derailed," she said stiffly. "I am not entirely inconsiderate of your feelings." She snapped her fingers. "Zachariah, come and say hello to your sister, since she seems so determined to get past my 'gatekeeping'." She invested this last word with a hefty dose of scorn, and Zach grimaced as he and Sienna came over. She wasn't just holding onto his arm; she was pressed up against his side as if superglued there, and though she loosened her grip just enough so my long-lost brother and I could share an amicable kiss on the cheek, I felt sadder than ever. I'd never wanted to control Zach's love life, and I was happy he'd found a mate. But it still stung. Even so, I was determined to put a brave face on my ruined hopes. 145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1CzYfJPmyV
"You're definitely not so little anymore," I commented, smiling despite my heartbreak. "You've grown, little brother. Or should I be calling you big brother now?"
"Call me whatever you want," Zach said with a chuckle. "Just don't call me late for dinner, big sister."
Sienna interposed before we could start reclaiming our familial ties. "Darling, you've got to come and meet my brothers," she said, flashing me such a smug smile I found myself wishing I'd rearranged her face the day I'd decked her as a cub. Zach winced, but let Sienna lead him off without another word, and I sighed once they were gone. "This sucks," I muttered.
"I don't blame you," a female voice said behind me.
I turned to see Honey, one of Sienna's sisters, standing behind me. She smiled apologetically as she leaned in to whisper in my ear. "Sienna's been chafing at the bit to claim your brother," she confided. "She's just a little bit anxious, is all - Zach did nothing but talk about you the whole time he was with us, and how he hoped he'd see you again. Sienna didn't like that one bit, to be honest, but like I said, she's worried he might ditch her for you. Did you feel a bond when he was born?"
I nodded. "I was two and a half," I admitted. "But even then, I knew we were fated. Well, that's what I thought, but now I can see I was wrong. They're head over heels, and I'd be a damn fool to get in their way."
Honey nodded her understanding. "He grew up with us," she said, "and your grandmother did promise him to her, even if it was for her own twisted reasons. But she won't be getting her hands on their cubs; Sienna's made it clear she'll rip Wanda's hands off if she tries."
"Wanda won't let that stop her," I said. "You probably know she's determined to get a perfect bloodline - my stepmother says she hated that werewolf packs have become so diverse, and she wants to go back to the 'good old days' where everyone intermarried with everyone else. Which is fine, and good luck, but Wanda's taken it to an obsession. She tried to get my uncle Jonas mated to Candy, but Candy wasn't having any of it, and she ended up getting together with Dad, which put a real spoke in Wanda's plan." I sighed. "I hope Sienna has a fool-proof plan to stop Wanda from baby-watch when she goes get with cub; she seems the type to snatch him or her away the moment they're born."
"Sienna and Zach will be going back to Brighton after tonight," Honey assured me. "Father won't let Wanda anywhere near them, and he's threatened to have her head if she tries anything with his future great-grandcubs. Their alliance is tenuous at best; our pack has been at loggerheads with Wanda's for centuries, and the fact a marriage pact was made at all is a miracle. I still don't know what Wanda promised to get Father to agree to the match, but I'm sure she's come up with something nefarious."145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LQdjB8DEx
I shivered. "Let's just hope it doesn't involve my siblings," I muttered. But I had a horrible feeling it did.
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