Chapter 3 003

~~ Zia ~~

“Yes. The main reason Flint agreed to call off the engagement wasn’t because of the elders and their claims. It was because…”

Alec is about to continue, but Caleb shows up.

“Get away from my sister, Alec,” Caleb spits coldly. “Flint has hurt her enough.”

I sigh in exasperation.

Why does he have to come back at the exact moment Alec is about to give me the most important information?

Alec sighs and nods at Caleb.

Then he steps closer to me and whispers only to my hearing.

“Meet me the day after tomorrow. Six in the morning at the gas station close to your house. Don’t tell anyone.”

My brows furrow. He knows where I stay?

And why doesn’t he want me to tell anyone?

However, I nod at him, and he walks away afterwards.

“What did he say to you?” Caleb asks with narrowed eyes.

Alec’s words, ‘Don’t tell anyone,’ echo in my head.

So I look at Caleb. “He was just apologizing for everything that happened back there.”

Caleb’s jaw tightens, and he clenches his fists.

“You’re making excuses for him?” he asks with a pout.

I chuckle. “No need to be jealous, Cal. You’re my family. No one will take me away from you.”

Caleb nods in satisfaction.

“Just ignore them. And focus on building your life. I am always here for you, because I love you, Zee,” he replies.

“You’re becoming big on the word ‘love’ today,” I say with a smile. “I love you too, big brother.”

I draw him in for a hug this time around.

But even then, my mind keeps running through possible answers that Alec might give me.

And somehow the day after tomorrow feels like a long time to wait.

I pause when I hear Caleb sigh, and he pulls away.

Then he begins rubbing my shoulders with that same look in his eyes that I noticed earlier.

“What’s wrong?” I ask him. “Something has been on your mind. You can talk to me.”

“Are you sure?” he asks.

“Of course!” I urge him with a smile.

Then he starts.

“Zia… if things were different… would you…”

But then he trails off, making my brows crease.

If things were different?

Maybe he means if our parents were still alive. Or if I had never been ostracized. Or…

My chest tightens at the thought.

If he could go back to being Flint’s friend the way things used to be before everything fell apart between them.

I don’t know which one it is.

But whatever it is, it is clearly eating at him.

He has always been here for me.

And now it is my turn.

My turn to help with whatever is going on with him that seems too difficult for him to talk about.

“What things?” I ask softly.

He shakes his head.

“Forget it.”

I sigh, faking a glare at him.

“You can tell me anything,” I tell him. “No matter what it is. I promise not to judge, Cal. Let me just be here for you this once. You don’t have to shoulder everything by yourself.”

“You’re right. I can’t keep pretending anymore,” he sighs.

I nod in support and rub his shoulder.

“C’mon. Talk to me.”

“The thing is, Zia, I love you. But not like a sister.” He drops the bombshell. “I’ve fallen in love with you like a man loves a woman.”

I know something has been bothering him earlier, but to think that this is it?

I freeze in astonishment, thinking for a second that he is serious.

But then I laugh loudly, realizing that it must be his way of trying to cheer me up.

“That sounded very odd coming from you. This particular joke doesn’t suit you.”

But my laughter dies when I see his shoulders slump and the seriousness in his eyes.

“Wait.” I frown. “You were joking, right?”

My heart begins to race, dreading his answer because I don’t like the look on his face.

For a moment, neither of us speaks.

Then I reach out and squeeze his hand, the same way he has done for me a hundred times.

“Cal, I—”

“Don’t.” He pulls his hand back like my touch burns. “This is why I never wanted to tell you. You’re so infatuated with Flint that you don’t see me.”

“I’ve been the one taking care of you, even as you’ve been ostracized from society, not Flint. And you still have feelings for him?”

Wait.

Caleb is serious?

I shake my head frantically, trying to understand what is going on here.

“You’re my big brother, Cal. If you don’t take care of me, who will?” I ask him, confused.

“I am not your brother by blood. You can love me romantically if you want to. So why don’t you want to? What does Flint have that I don’t? He abandoned you, Zee. I deserve your love and not him,” he snaps, his eyes filled with fury.

The shift in his tone and countenance sends a chill down my spine.

I open my mouth to say something, anything, but no words come out.

My mind scrambles for words, but there are just so many things I want to say right now.

My heart clenches in disappointment.

“I’m sorry, Cal, that I’ve been a burden to you. I thought you cared for me unconditionally,” I tell him. “I didn’t know it was because you have romantic feelings for me.”

His face softens.

Maybe he thinks I am about to say I love him too.

I am grateful for all he has been doing for me, but I am not going to let him guilt-trip me.

If our situations were reversed, I would have done the same thing for him or even more.

Because that is what siblings do for each other.

“I love you, Cal, but not like that. You’re my family. I see you as my blood brother. And it hurts realizing that if you didn’t have romantic feelings for me, you’d have abandoned me like everyone else.”

Tears well in my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.

Caleb’s confession changes everything for me because it makes me realize that no one really cares about me.

“I will love and cherish you, Zia. After everything we’ve been through together. Don’t I deserve a chance with you? Think about everything I’ve done for you,” he demands.

I look at him, trying to figure out if this is still the same Caleb I know.

Or if I never really knew him at all.

But I dismiss the thought.

Life has made me realize that people can change at any time, and most times, the ones closest to you are the ones most likely to do that.

“I owe you nothing. Because I’m your sister,” I say, my tone dripping with disappointment.

Then I turn around and walk away because people have begun leaving the hall.

The last thing I want is for them to see the drama brewing between my brother and me.

He smiles bitterly. “We’ll see how long you can last without me.”

His harsh words slice through my heart, but I don’t stop walking.

Still, at the edge of the hall, I glance back once.

Just once.

He isn’t smiling anymore.

He looks… lost.

Like a little boy who has just watched something slip through his fingers and doesn’t know how to get it back.

I turn away again before he can see that I looked.

Then I hail the next cab that comes my way and get in.

Tears threaten to fall from my eyes, but I hold them back.

I have been through a lot over the years, and tears never get me anywhere.

So I am not going to cry.

But after I give the cab driver directions to my house and he starts driving, my body trembles, and I can’t wait until I get home.

So I let the dam inside me explode.

I channel all my disappointment, anger, and pain into it.

I cry and wail, not even caring that the cab driver can hear me.

And honestly, I am glad he doesn’t react because I don’t want a reminder that I am a failure and pathetic.

I live at the outskirts of the pack.

Far away from everyone.

I bought the house with my savings and moved out of my family’s house when the humiliation became too much after my failed engagement with Flint.

And I can say it is the best decision I have ever made.

It is peaceful, and Caleb makes sure I never lack groceries or anything else I need.

Will he still go all out for me after what just happened?

That night, when I get home, I cry until I can feel nothing again.

And that numbness helps me sleep.

---

I wake up the next day feeling like crap, with my hair disheveled and mascara smudged on my face.

I run my hand through my hair and get out of bed to freshen up and eat something because I am starving.

For me to continue wallowing in self-pity, I need the strength for it.

But when I lazily get out of bed, I see that my bedsheet is stained.

I groan and clutch my hair.

This isn’t a great time for me to have my period because it always comes with excruciating pain, and I am already in enough pain as it is.

I take off the sheets and put them in the washing machine before heading to the bathroom, only to discover that I don’t have any sanitary pads left.

I curse under my breath because Caleb is supposed to bring the supplies I need today.

I stopped buying things myself because no one agrees to attend to me whenever I go shopping.

They always say that since I am cursed, I will bring them bad luck if they sell anything to me.

I pick up my phone to call Caleb and hesitate when the events of yesterday flash through my mind.

I grip my phone tighter than I should.

I don’t want to call him.

But I don’t have any choice.

I have no one else but him.

So I exhale and dial his number.

He declines the call after the third ring.

I stare at my phone, and my stomach drops.

How am I going to get a sanitary pad now?

I call several more times, but he declines every call.

How can he do this to me?

I am his sister.

His only sister.

Even if not by blood.

I let out a shaky breath because there are no tears left in my eyes to cry.

So I decide to go to the nearest convenience store.

I wear a hoodie and a nose mask so no one recognizes me.

But when I get there, they say I look shady, so they have to confirm my identity and make sure I am not a spy from an enemy pack.

I close my eyes and curse under my breath.

I really need the sanitary pad.

So I take off my hoodie and nose mask, hoping that since the owner is a woman like me, she will understand.

But when I do, the lady’s face hardens, and she snatches the sanitary pad from me and pushes me away from her store.

“You have the nerve to show up at my store after you crashed my friend’s engagement with Alpha Flint?” she spits coldly.

Great.

Of all the people I have to come across this morning, it is one of Tiffany’s friends.

I suppress the urge to roll my eyes.

I am not in the mood to argue or draw attention to myself.

So I apologize.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, I swear. Please, I need that. I’m begging you.”

She looks at me like filth.

“I won’t sell anything to you.”

“That isn’t right. I’m a member of this pack. I come from a family of betas,” I snap, having had enough.

“Your parents were good people. They cared for you. But what did you do? You led them to their death. How can you even live with that?”

She looks at me disdainfully from head to toe.

“Every time something goes wrong, you’re always nearby. If you truly care about people, you’d stop showing your face around us.”

My breath catches in my lungs, and I look away, not wanting her to see the tears welling in my eyes.

Then I look at her again.

“Please, I beg of you. It’s not like I’m buying anything impulsive. I’m buying a basic necessity. How can you deny me this when you’re a woman like me?”

She opens her mouth to lash out again when we hear a voice.

“What’s going on here?”

His deep voice sends shivers through my body.

I don’t need to look at him to know it is him.

Why does he have to show up during such an embarrassing moment?

“N—nothing,” I answer, looking elsewhere.

I wish the ground would swallow me whole and save me from this humiliation.

“She wanted to buy something from my store, and I don’t have it. So she’s trying to cause a scene,” the lady lies.

I look at her with widened eyes, my palms balling into fists.

I instantly feel Flint’s eyes on me, but I can’t bring myself to meet his gaze.

“You wouldn’t dare lie to your Alpha, would you, Ava?” Flint asks.

“Never,” she answers.

I can’t hold back any longer, so I look at Flint.

His expression is unreadable, but a muscle ticks in his jaw as he looks at her.

Then his gaze lands on me before I can look away.

“What did Miss Vaughn want to buy?” he asks Ava, his eyes still fixed on me.

Ava fidgets before answering. “Sanitary pads.”

Flint flexes his fingers as though holding himself back from clenching a fist.

He looks down briefly before looking at Ava again.

And something dangerous flashes across his face.

“A woman needed sanitary pads, and you denied her that?” Flint asks, his voice carrying a weight I can’t comprehend.

The atmosphere tightens.

Ava suddenly looks like she wants to disappear.

Her hand trembles slightly.

“Where is your brother, Miss Vaughn?” he asks, turning to me.

I blink and swallow. “H-He has important pack duties.”

His brows crease, and he frowns.

He opens his mouth to say something when someone walks in and interrupts.

“Is there a problem here?” Another voice sounds from behind us.

My blood runs cold.

My jaw hardens.

I know that voice.

Caleb.