CAN WE BE FRIENDS?

Ethan’s Pov

I still found it hard to recover after what happened earlier today.

How was it possible that my step-sister was my mate?

I heard my wolf loud and clear when he said “mate!”.

And there was Kayla…my step-sister, staring at us and also wondering what might have happened.

I was shocked to my bones as I stared at my brothers who quickly wore a stern gaze, as though nothing happened to them.

We all left the scene, but I was so bothered that I could barely relax.

At this, I sent them a mind link, calling on them to meet with me as this was an emergency.

They all rushed into my room the next minute…clearly concerned about whatever it was I had to say.

“Tell me that it’s not the same for you all?” I asked the three of them, gazing into their eyes that carried both worry and confusion.

Jake scoffed and folded his hand, still shocked from what had happened.

“Kayla is our mate?” Jake yelled out of his lungs and suddenly started laughing aloud.

Mason walked closer to me and held my hands.

“Look, you know that this is not possible. I mean, there must be a mistake somewhere. The moon goddess cannot bless us with a mate who is our sister!” Mason blurted out in confusion and turned to look at me.

Clearly, they all awaited my verdict, since I was the smartest of the quad.

“She is our step-sister”, I corrected, as though that made much difference.

“Even though! This is an abomination! The world can’t hear of it”, Jake cried out as he dug his hands into his head and paced around the room.

Jason was at another end of the room. I could decipher what he carried in mind, from the look he had on his face. He wasn’t perturbed because he didn’t believe in any of those.

“Jason! What do you have to say?” I finally asked as we all kept mute and turned our attention towards his direction.

Jason gazed at each of us, as though we were only trying to come up with some kind of joke. And then, after that, he broke into a loud and hysterical laughter.

“Mate?” He asked with a look of disdain and disappointment written all over his face.

“You all believe that trash talk?” He asked again and stared at each of us.

I cleared my throat and walked over to her, as though I was at the verge of pulling him up and throwing him to the ground.

“She is our mate! Do you understand?” I asked and again he laughed.

“She is your mate! Not mine! There is nothing like a mate and none of that is of any concern to me”, he bellowed out of his lungs, after which he walked away.

Mason and Jake walked closer to me, still trying to decipher what might have gone wrong with Jason.

“You think he was omitted?” Mason asked.

“Maybe… Jason is a difficult one, and we can’t tell if he is being serious or paranoid”, Jake replied, while I nodded my head in affirmation.

A deep breath escaped my lips as I sank into the bed and hissed aloud.

Why would Kayla be my mate?

My heart swirled in excitement, but I shoved it aside again when I realized that the last thing I wanted was being elated. This was a taboo and it meant trouble.

“We have to keep mute about all of these! We can’t let anyone know”, Mason suddenly announced and for a minute, I thought that I had heard wrongly.

“What?” I yelled in shock and he nodded.

Jake was lost at first, but almost immediately, he agreed to what Mason suggested.

“It is the three of us in this…we are her mates, but we have to keep shut. That way, we stay safe”, Jake added and despite how hard that sounded, it was the truth.

“Do you think the moon goddess is trying to punish us?” I asked and for a moment, silence rented the air.

We looked at each other and nodded.

“I think so…we have been so bad to Kayla. And now, we have her as our mate”, Jake groaned in frustration just as he walked out of the room, with Mason following him.

That same evening, we got informed that our father wanted to have a meeting with us. It was quite strange because he barely called for a meeting…except when it was for an important situation.

“I heard that something happened in the pack today”, he had said, and for a moment, my heart dropped.

I looked at Kayla, who looked like she was sitting on a pack of ice. The others appeared tensed too, just as we waited for our father to spill the story.

“Kayla visited the forbidden room”, he dropped and darted his eyes to her.

A wave of relief flushed past me when I realized that it was something different. And then, I saw the sudden need to keep her safe.

She was my mate and the last thing I wanted was seeing her hurt. At this, I decided to make things right between us. I knew that this was a bold step since I was the first of my brothers to take it, but I was willing to go on until the end.

“Can we be friends?” I had asked her, just as she stared at me…with those cold eyes that sent cold shivers down my spine.

I could tell that she was still mad at all of us, for being responsible for her punishment earlier. However, it was all Jason’s fault. He had been the one to report her, even after I pleaded with him to let it go.

“I don’t need friends at this point”, she replied bluntly.

“Did something happen? Did you observe something earlier today?” She had asked and again, my heart dropped.

I could see how eager she was to learn about her current situation and whether we knew about it. But then, I wasn’t ready to blow our plan.

“No…there’s nothing”, I had replied.

She walked away, without sparing me another glance. My heart was broken, and I had no idea of why…

But that was my mate! My sister, who I might have been cruel and cold to…

Guilt engulfed me, together with a sudden push of determination to win her heart and make myself her favorite of all.