Mated - Chapter 111: Chapter 111

KESTER
froze
The sound of that name alone was enough to curdle my blood.
Thad foolishly hoped that Kasmine wouldn’t hear about Karna. But, come on, this was an entire pack. A small world with too many mouths. Of course
she’d find out eventually.
Kasmine isn’t a child anymore.
Texhaled
slowly, forcing my muscles to relax as I turned to face her. The anger I had been directing at her and Jaden shifted, curdling into something more volatile.
I hadn’t seen her since the day I walked her out of my office nor had I heard anything from her since then, but I wasn’t stupid enough to believe that meant she had given up.
No. She was planning something. That manipulative, poisonous bitch was
always
planning something And I needed to be ready.
“She is my half–sister,” I replied without mincing words,
Kasmine blinked rapidly, trying to wrap her head around what I had just said, “What? I don’t understand. What do you mean she is your half–sister?”
“She’s my father’s illegitimate child. One of my father’s numerous mistakes.” I said,
doing
little to hide the disgust in my tone
as
I strode to the armrest of the
chair
and picked up my shirt.
“I… I don’t understand,
Kes
Dad had…‘”
“Yes, baby. He had another woman aside from his mate. She was born about a year before me,” I put on my shirt, Ever wondered why my parents didn’t stay together?”
I walked over to her and
caressed
her cheek, “Don’t worry. Harina isn’t a threat, okay? I’ll make sure she doesn’t come anywhere near you.” I kissed her lips before turning to the door. “Get some rest. No one would bother you for the rest of the day.”
I swallowed down the drowning need to ask her why she
was
at Leropita Hospital. I swear to fuck, I was tempted, but I had to stop myself. I wasn’t ready to know why she was there.
For what felt like the thousandth time, I declined the call.
Again
And again.
Fuck! Can’t she
take
a goddamn hint?
The phone buzzed once more, vibrating like an annoying fly that refused to die. My patience, already razor–thin, snapped. I snatched it up and answered, my voice laced with venom
“Tell me how you’d like to die, Claire, because you’re certainly begging for death.” I spat into the phone, my voice rising a notch. “Because
that’s
the only reason I can think of for this level of stupidity.”
There
was
a
sharp inhale on the other end.
“Alpha Kester..” She
called
cautiously, “
What’s
going on? You’ve been ignoring my calls for days now if not weeks.”
I exhaled slowly, regaining my control again. “I thought even someone with your level of intelligence would have picked up on the message by now.”
There was a pause.
“I thought we had something… I mean…” She said in a pathetic
sniffling voice.
And.. Wait.
I blinked.
Was she crying?
A scoff pushed past my lips.
Did I actually give her such an impression?
“Don’t embarrass yourself. I was polite. That’s all. You mistbok
basic
courtesy for something it wasn’t
and that’s your problem,
not
mine
”
“What about the calls, the texts, including the date… You seemed really nice to me some weeks ago, Alpha Kester.”
I took a slow sip of my whiskey, savoring the burn as I leaned back. “I called you three times, texted you twice, and bought you lunch once. That somehow translated to something more?”
“But I…”
“
Claire. If you misunderstood those gestures, it’s totally on you. Nothing can ever happen between us.
Purge
your mind off it,” I dropped the call before she could say anything else.
A knock on the door made me shift my focus from the phone, which I was about to smash into the wall in anger.
“Who is it?”
I
asked
, standing up from my bed.
“Who else, dumbass?”
I didn’t need anyone to tell me who it was
“Come on in,” I replied, taking lazy steps toward the door.
The door swung open, and before I could brace myself, Norlan was already striding in like he owned the damn place.
“Gods, Kes, do you ever look anything less than a fucking menace?” He grinned, shutting the door behind him.
I smirked, taking in the familiar sight of him. He was a few inches shorter than me, but he carried himself with an arrogance that made up for it. Brown hair, always slightly tousled like he didn’t give a damn, with that effortless kind of handsomeness that had always made women double–take,
and
a
face that was just enough to make anyone look twice.
“
And you? Still ugly as ever, Norlan,” I muttered with a hand on my waist.
Norlan laughed. “And you still reek of overpriced whiskey and questionable decisions. Some things never change.”
I smirked
“Neither does
your
inability to dress like someone with an ounce of self–respect.
Norlan glanced down at his black shirt–half unbuttoned–paired with dark pants and boots. He made a
show
of
brushing off imaginary dust. “This? This is fashion, Kester. You wouldn’t understand. Too busy brooding in dark rooms, I imagine”
I scoffed, finally setting my glass down on the table. “You’re one to talk like you don’t do the same damn thing”
“Ah, but I brood with style. There’s a difference,”
Norlan barked out a laugh, crossing the room in two strides before grabbing me in a tight embrace. I returned it, slapping his
back
once before pulling away,
“Shit, I missed you,” he admitted, his tone dropping just anotch.
“Missed you too, dumbass,” I muttered before stepping back and studying him. “What brings you to the pack?”
“Just got back last night,” he said, flopping onto the couch, “Figured I should check on my favorite psycho before he gets into any real trouble.
I
scoffed, grabbing the bottle of whiskey from the table and pouring myself another drink. “You’re late. I am already handling the trouble part without you.”
Norlan arched a brow. “Should I be worried?”
I
took
a
slow sip, letting the burn settle before answering. “Depends. Ever heard the name Karina?”
His expression darkened for half a second before it
smoothed
back. “Can say I have. And even if I haven’t, as long as she’s got that look on your face, I already don’t like her.
Norlan’s smirk
returned
“How about the fact that I ran into June this morning? She looked like she’d just won the fucking lottery.” He tilted his head, eyes glinting with amusement. “Still as stunning as I remember from college.
man.”
I scoffed.
Was he admiring my fiancée? Yes.
Was I offended? Fuck,
no
In fact, I wished he’d take his admiration for June seriously, I’d buy him a suit for the wedding myself.
“You know you can have her, right?” I mused, plucking a shirt from my closet and shrugging it on. “Never fucked her. So, she’s still untouched by your best friend. Nothing to worry about.”
Norlan exhaled a soft laugh, shaking his head. “That’s hilarious.”
That was all he said. Nothing else.
Interesting
“Come on.” I gestured toward the door. “Let’s go to the living room. I’ll get you a drink.”
Norlan and I
had
a lot of catching up to do, and the three hours we spent eating, drinking, and talking still wasn’t enough.
There were no distractions. Mom and her husband had fucked off to some function and wouldn’t be back till later tonight–good. I couldn’t be more thankful.
Norlan leaned back in his chair, glass dangling between his fingers as he shot me a knowing smirk. “So, where is she? Can’t I get to say hello?”
I took
a
slow sip of my whiskey before replying, letting the burn settle before answering.
“She’s a bit occupied at the moment, Norlan. But I’d see to
that you say hi before leaving,” I replied.
I didn’t want to bother Kasmine. She must be resting like I told her to. But this is Norlan. He wasn’t just anybody. he was my brother in all but blood. I’ll get her to come and say hi before he leaves.
The mood kept getting lighter as we laughed at a series of silly jokes and taunts until about 3 PM when we heard a knock on the front door.
“Expecting someone else?” Norlan asked mid–laugh
and I shook my head and set my glass down.
“I’ll check it out.” I stood up and walked to the door, hoping it wasn’t pack matters as usual. I could use some mental rest.
But by the time I opened the door, I instantly wished it was pack matters. Because the person standing by the door was more tedious than any matter I would have had to handle.
“Hello, Kester. Thought I should stop by.”