Lahat ng Kabanata ng My Adopted Sister is My Mate: Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

KAEDENThe air in the Silvermoon pack in tense and brittle as walk down the gravel path. I see them before they see me, groups of pack members lingering near the fountain, mothers watching their children, young warriors sparring in the distance. I deliberately keep my posture relaxed, my hands visible, projecting an aura of calm authority. But the moment my presence is noted, the shift is instantaneous.A group of omegas, usually the first to offer a greeting to the high-born, abruptly stop their conversation. They don't bow. They don't even look me in the eye. They gather their laundry baskets and scurry away as if I’m carrying a plague. Further down, two guards on patrol stiffen, their hands moving reflexively toward their sidearms. They exchange a look of wary pity.I try to keep my face relaxed, not to show the agitation and anger that is slowly building up inside of me. For gods sake, the incident that happened just occurred yesterday night. What on earth could Silas have done to

JULIANWhere is it?I am on my hands and knees, my fingers clawing at the thick pile of the rug, shoving aside velvet slippers and silken robes with a frantic, trembling desperation. I have all but wrecked Avara’s room, torn through her jewellery drawers, upended her bedside cabinet, and even checked the lining of her heavy winter coats, but that damned necklace is nowhere to be found."Think, Julian," I hiss to myself, wiping a bead of cold sweat from my upper lip.I feel like a thief in my own home, no, her home. My future home. I glance at the clock. The minutes are running quickly. Avara is in the park, performing her rounds, but she won't stay there forever. If she finds me here, like this, how on earth am I going to explain myself?I consider just straight up asking her, but the way her father gave me the instruction seems to suggest that he doesn’t want her to know that he has taken it. And I am in no position to question why. All I have to do is to play my own role, and well,

AVARAI pause to take a deep breath in an attempt to soothe my nerves before I knock on the heavy oak doors of my father’s study."Come in," Dr. Scyla’s voice calls.I push the door open, expecting to see Silas behind his mahogany desk, perhaps nursing a glass of scotch. But the room is empty of him. Instead, Dr. Scyla stands in the center of the rug, surrounded by a circle of black candles that haven't been lit.I look around, bewildered.“Where is my father?”"He wasss called away on urgent official businesss, dear," Scyla says, her back to me as she prepares a tray of instruments. "The border treatiesss require his immediate attention. He will be back by morning. He was quite insissstent that we do not delay in commencing your treatment."“Oh. I expected him to be here.” I have never felt comfortable around the doctor, and the sight of the dark rooms and black candles kind of set me on edge. I mean, I am not completely comfortable around my father with his ever-present coldness, bu

AVARAI jolt awake to the feel of hot breath on my face.Julian.He is looking at me, but not with his usual sickening cheer. He looks strangely… solemn. I woke up from a nightmare, as usual. Could it be my movements during my nightmare that have upset him?Last night, he basically forced me awake to shove my reduced dose of medication into my mouth and though I was half-asleep, I remember acting quite unpleasantly in response to his actions, even somewhat verbally attacking him. Maybe that’s why.Well, I have no intentions to apologise.“Good morning, Avara. Another rough night, I see.”Gosh, even his voice is solemn.I sigh and let my hands run through my hair.“Hopefully, I’ll get used to it.” I say, knowing very well that there is no way anyone can get used to the kinds of nightmares I see at night. Even if one sees them every day for the next 100 years.I close my eyes and the images of the demons spring up to my face. I wince and open them again.Julian begins to stroke my hand

KAEDENI’m still panting when we make it back to the witch coven, my eyes wide open with shock, my head spinning, the dark voices that pursued us as we ran out of the Seculum still ringing faintly in my head.Myra has none of her usual flirtatious playfulness as we walk to the main meeting room in the coven, where some of the high ranking witches in the coven, including Dolores usually meet to discuss. Her eyes bear the same gobsmacked horror as mine and her lips are tight. But there is no confusion in her eyes. Unlike myself, who only has been able to interpret what I saw as some strange sex ritual, she looks like she clearly, definitely understands what happened and that whatever it is, spells doom.“So?”She turns to me. “Oh, Kaeden…” There’s a pity and fear there that terrifies me. Of all people, Myra knows who I am. She knows what I have done, the things that I am capable of doing. And she is scared for me.Terror shoots through me involuntarily as it dawns on me. Whatever this st