Entwined (Vukodlak Brew Book 1)

by Christine M. Butler

  “That’s why…” she glanced between Dre and Garrett. “You thought they were our mates?”

  My dad was back in human form with a robe on that Lana was kind enough to grab for him. “We already know that Dre and Izzy are potential mates.” As soon as dad’s words registered Liz looked at me with wide eyes. I saw the question there before she was able to ask it I shook my head.

  “I don’t understand, is that why she was so obsessed with the picture all that time?” My dad nodded. “You knew?” He tipped his head forward again in acknowledgment. “And you said nothing?” Her indignant huff let me know all hell was about to break loose then. “She kept herself cooped up, avoided anything fun, and refused to date anyone. It was all because she had that stupid picture of him, and you could have fixed it. You could have spoken up and told her why she felt the way she did, but you didn’t?” My dad looked wounded, as well he should, because my sister was gearing up for World War Three. “How dare you!” My sister turned to me with what amounted to pity tracing her face. “And in the meantime,” she huffed out turning her venomous stare on Dre now, “you knew too, and you were too busy hooking up with our aunt and God knows who else to even bother to find your mate, or gee, I don’t know… maybe wait for her like she was doing for you! She didn’t even know about all this, and she still waited!”

  I almost felt bad for Dre then. He looked like he was going to be sick. Seriously, sick. My dad didn’t look much better. “Now, because you two idiots couldn’t be honest with yourselves or my sister you’ve screwed everything up. What I’m hearing is she’s never going to feel fulfilled with anyone else, but you took that from her, because I know her, and I see that look in Lana’s eyes. The one that says my sister is hurting her, and it isn’t even her fault. You two are the ones responsible for all of this!”

  “Liz,” I started, not wanting to be the focus of so much scrutiny, yet again. “Please, just…” My words trailed off as thick hot tears billowed up behind my eyes. I knew it was true if my sister was saying it. Lana blamed me for the fact that she didn’t have Dre. Even if it wasn’t my fault directly, it was indirectly, and my relationship with Lana would never be the same now. The worse part was, I had no reason not to believe this, because she didn’t offer up any denial at my sister’s words.

  Dre sat forward with his elbows resting on his knees, head drooped into his hands, looking for the entire world like the guilty party he was. I had to stop myself from reaching out to him, because there was a part of me that couldn’t stand to see him hurting, even if another part of me knew he deserved this at least a little. I turned my gaze to the other side of the room and caught sight of Garrett giving me a sympathetic look.

  “Daddy,” Liz piped up again while squeezing my hand in support, “I’m not sure what you were thinking here. We had a right to know about your secret life since it affects us so very much. We had a right to know what would be coming our way one day, so we could guard our hearts, make an informed decision, figure things out. This is a lot to drop in someone’s lap, especially after you fucked it all up.”

  “Elizabeth!” Our mom shrieked.

  “No, mom. I will not watch my language. We’re both adults, and for fuck’s sake, you guys kept us in the dark like little children about something that seems to be pretty damn important. I don’t care if your feelings are hurt, or if I hurt daddy’s feelings. Look at what your secrets have done to the people in this room.” She pointed from Lana to Dre to me. “They’re all hurting in their own way, and this could have been avoided if you’d all just been honest from the beginning.”

  Dre stood then, and nodded at Liz. “I think it’s best if Garrett and I head out, and let you guys deal with the family side of this for now.”

  Liz huffed out a frustrated breath, but caught his arm before he could get to the door. “Stop. I just have one more thing to say to you.” The genuine sympathy I saw on my sister’s face then struck me in an odd way. “I’m sorry that my family’s lies and meddling caused all this hurt. If you feel even half of what she’s felt over the past few years, all while knowing why you had those feelings, I can’t even imagine what it must have been like for you. Especially, thinking you lost your one chance at your mate.” I could hear the sympathy in my sister’s voice, but I refused to look up again, because she was making me feel guilty about being so damn hard on Dre now. “I get it. You thought you lost her. Lana looks a lot like us, and it was something that helped you cope. If it weren’t for the lies, you’d never have had to go through that. I totally get it. I don’t like it, especially since I will always be on my sister’s side, but I get it. I’m sorry, on behalf of my entire family.”

  “Seriously? You’re going to tell him it was okay to use me?” Lana spit out at my sister.

  “Oh, stuff it, Lana. From what I’ve been told, you knew you were being used, and you went along with it from the beginning. You may not have known why he didn’t want to commit to you, but you knew you were nothing more than a booty call. It doesn’t matter if you tried to convince yourself there would be more. That’s on you, not him, and certainly not on my sister.”

  “Fine. Whatever,” Lana hissed out before she walked to her room and shut herself inside. Knowing Lana she was going off to bawl her eyes out in private. Sadly, the men in the room were all wolves and they’d hear her anyway. I’m glad I couldn’t though, because I still hadn’t forgotten that Lana had been leaving out some pretty pertinent information in all this.

  “Enough of this,” my father cut in then. Frustration was simmering just below his boiling point that would trip over into rage if left unchecked. “Izzy, I realize we messed up. That I messed up. You have to get over it now, and do what needs to be done. Dre is your mate, and you will not deny him any longer. It was wrong of my to hide you away from him to begin with, but I won’t see you ruin both your future and his for some stupid prideful bullshit your aunt is trying to pull on you. Put your big girl pants on and get to know the man so he can claim you. If you choose not to do this, I will…” he huffed out a frustrated breath before glancing at my mom, wincing, and continuing on anyway. “I will cut off all financial backing, and refuse to help you any further.”

  My jaw slackened to the point I was pretty sure someone would have to help me pick it up off the floor. My father had lied, withheld crucial information, caused all this drama to unfold, and now he was threatening to cut me off if I didn’t do what he kept me from doing initially anyway.

  A low-base growl echoed through the room as I glanced at Dre who had turned back from the door he was about to exit through a moment ago. “NO!” The word was part growl, part English. “You will not threaten her into a claiming with me. I will not coerce your daughter in any way. She will come to me willingly, or not at all. If I find you refuse to continue helping her because of this situation that you ultimately caused, I will be sure the council knows you are to be shunned from all packs, and definitely from mine, with or without their backing.” I watched as a full body shiver slid over my dad with those words. I wasn’t sure what it meant to be shunned from the packs, but apparently it was a big deal. Dre turned to me then, “I know you are looking for work, and I will not allow you to be without means. If he sees fit to refuse financial backing before you can stand on your own, know that you will not be without funds. No matter what your choice is, you and your sister are pack until you tell us you don’t want to be. You will be cared for regardless of whether you choose to accept the mating with me.” With that, he turned and walked out. My sister gave me a knowing look. The fact that my dad would basically disown me, and the fact that Dre offered his support even if I didn’t choose him both sat heavily on my heart.

  “Liz, I need to get out of here,” I said to her, and she simply nodded. Of course, she already knew what I needed.

  “We’re not done here,” my dad managed to say as we both passed him. I didn’t bother responding, because my sister beat me to it.

  “Oh, we are more than done here. Ac
tually, neither of us needs to hear from you again. We’ll contact you if we decide we want that to change.” My dad’s eyes, widened in surprise, were the last things I saw before we left Lana’s apartment that day.

  “I can’t believe he said that,” Liz whisper-hissed.

  “All the things that are wrong with the situation just keep piling up even deeper.”

  “All except what Dre told you before he left. That was probably the sweetest thing ever. He would make sure you’re taken care of, even if you didn’t choose him.” I hear the wistful quality to her voice, but I decided to ignore it for now. My brain was a giant jumble of questions and concerns, and I just needed a minute to breathe through all of it.

  Chapter Nine

  ~*~ IZZY ~*~

  Turning my face up toward the afternoon sun in an almost pure blue sky, I sighed away the stress that had been weighing me down for longer than I cared to think about. It’s funny how simply stepping out of that apartment could feel so freeing. “Come on, let’s find somewhere to go hang out and de-stress for a bit,” my sister whispered in my ear as she tucked her arm around my shoulders and pulled me towards the stairs that would lead down to the road and our impending freedom. Actually, I wasn’t sure I knew what freedom meant anymore. Could I ever be free knowing there was a man out there who was supposedly destined for me?

  I knew what I felt for him all these years after only having a picture of him. It was still hard, even knowing the weirdness of my feelings for a picture, to reconcile myself to the seemingly paranormal pull I felt. Although, in speaking of the paranormal, he was a werewolf. Coming to grips with that knowledge was enough to burden a person, let alone the whole Kindred Mate thing. “So fucking weird,” I breathed out.

  “You can say that again, sister!” Liz huffed out a laugh as we took off towards where my Jeep was parked. “My mind has officially been boggled. I never thought I’d meet a day where everything I knew was challenged so sufficiently.” Liz looked over at me as we tucked ourselves inside my Jeep. “So, what does it feel like when you’re near him, or look at him, or whatever?”

  I smiled at my sister knowing exactly what she was asking. “It’s this weird tug from inside my belly, like there’s a line in there somewhere and it’s directly connected to him. I get this tingly sensation when he’s nearby, and when my eyes land on him the tingle turns into a pull that tries to draw me closer. It’s the craziest thing in the world. It feels like the only thing that will make it better is to get as close to him as possible, you know? It’s a compulsion.”

  Her eyes were a little wider as my sister looked at me, “no, I don’t really know. I will take your word for it, and on that note, it’s an almost a damn shame I didn’t feel that with Garrett, because OH – MY – GOD! He is fine as fuck!”

  Now, it was my turn to laugh at my sister. “Yeah, I have been saying that the two of you really need to get together, all summer. Of course, then I find out about this Kindred stuff, and what that might mean for you too, considering.” I shook my head, once again, my world seemed blown off its axis with that little admission. If I was accepting that possibility for my sister, didn’t that mean I had to accept it for myself too?

  “You know, the choice is always yours. If you don’t like him, or this situation, or whatever you can walk away. It’s your decision to make. It doesn’t matter that everyone else believes in this fated pairing. It all boils down to what you want and what you need in your life. If it’s not him, I will be here to spirit you away in the middle of the night. If it is what you want, then I guess I’ll have to find a job out this way when I graduate.” Liz winked in my direction as I continued to drive us further out into the mountains.

  “That’s why you’re my favorite sister,” I teased her.

  Her lip poked out in a faux pout. “I’m your only sister.”

  “And thank God for that!” I laughed as her face struck a mock-shocked pose. I finally turned off on one of the fire service roads, and we followed it along until we came to a trailhead. “Let’s walk for a bit,” I offered. My family had always been outdoorsy, and now I knew that had a little to do with the fact that my father was part wild animal who literally belonged out here in the wilderness. I snatched up my hiking pack that always road in the back of my Jeep, and the two of us set off on the trail. We walked along the trail silently for the longest time just enjoying the quiet world around us.

  “So…” Liz started, obviously not sure what direction to take when vocalizing whatever was rolling around in her head.

  “Yeah?”

  “How are you doing with all of this?” Liz stopped moving and scratched a spot on her lower leg before looking back over at me. “I mean, I keep thinking about the fact that mom has known about all this for our whole lives and never said a word. I don’t know why it seems like a bigger problem that she kept it from us than dad keeping his secret, but it does.”

  “I know what you mean. I’ve been struggling with that too. I guess it seems more of a betrayal from her because she’s normal, human, or whatever. I just wonder why in the hell she would want to keep it from us that we may have some super weird spirit mate out there that we’re supposed to be with. And also, how the hell are people supposed to know they have a mate out there? I mean, do they ship girls like us to random wolf packs, and hope that we feel the tingle in our bellies, and then hope that we throw ourselves willingly at the feet of our potential mates?”

  “Whoa, you just took that way deeper than I was thinking about, but all good questions. I guess we should really find out before I get sent on some sacrificial lamb style trip to various wolf encampments waiting to be ravished by some brawny, woodsman with big teeth.” Her eyes were bugged out as Liz made up her own little story for what was going to happen to her, and I couldn’t help but laugh at her. The laughter helped me feel better about my own situation though. “It’s not funny, Izzy. You don’t have to worry about that shit. I mean, you’ve already found your mister-brawny-beer-brewing man.”

  “Yeah, who also turns out to be my aunt’s sloppy seconds. I really got the fairytale there, didn’t I?”

  “What a mess,” Liz muttered as we picked our way through the trail again.

  “Tell me about it. Every time I get a minute to think about anything, I come away with more questions than answers. Then, when I’m with someone who can answer those questions, I’m stuck with their agenda, listening to more bullshit that just adds to the pile of crap I’m already wading through instead of helping me deal with everything.”

  Liz tucked me into her arm again and pulled me close. “We’ll figure it all out, sis. I promise, I will not leave here to go back to school until we get all the answers you need to make a decision. I meant what I said too, if that decision is to leave here, and not tell anyone where the hell we’ve gone, I’m down for that too. I’m not sure how connected all these people are with the rest of the world, but we’ll figure a way around all the bullshit. Dad’s potential mate got to keep the family she built, it can’t be that hard for you to walk away if this isn’t something you want.”

  “That’s just it, I don’t know what I want right now. When I’m near Dre, I’m damn near compelled to run to him. I’m not sure I want to stop that from happening, and then the next second I’m wrapped up in the Lana drama, or mom and dad are dropping more secrets in my lap, and then I just feel so confused all over again.” A tear escaped, trailing a salty line down my cheek. “I spent three years not knowing why I was so crazy as to be hung up on a guy in a picture I’ve never met. That was a powerful thing, and I felt like I was losing my mind. If any of them had been honest, I might have been able to live a little instead of being stuck inside my own head thinking I was going crazy. THREE YEARS, Liz!” My voice cracked when I said her name. “I lost out on three years thinking I was freaking nuts. Now, it’s all this insane mess.”

  “Maybe you need some time alone with him before you even think of making a decision. Make him answer your questions, and spend som
e time getting to know him and letting him get to know you a little bit. I don’t see why you have to make a snap decision here.”

  “Yeah, but what about Lana?”

  “What about her? I’m sorry she got hurt when she caught too many feelings for what amounted to a booty call scenario. Actually, I’m not convinced she caught feelings at all. I think she just wanted to. It happens to girls. Does that mean that you should give up your potential happiness because Lana was strung up on a guy you have this crazy paranormal attraction to?” Liz laughed then. “Hell, I think crazy paranormal attraction is putting it too lightly. That certainly shouldn’t be trumped by some random booty call with a guy who thought he’d lost his one chance at finding his happiness. I understand what he did, Izzy. You lost three years of fun, and he took what? Six months, a year, or whatever to bury those same feelings in mindless sex and booze after he thought you were lost for good from the sounds of it. I get it. I’m not saying either of you dealt with it the right or wrong way, it just is.”

  We continued walking for a little longer before either of us spoke again. “You know, if you hadn’t had all this dropped in your lap at once, things might be a little clearer about how people react to certain situations. That’s all I’m saying.”

  “So, give Dre the benefit of the doubt, get to know him, and see where it goes?” It sounded like pretty good advice considering it was my party-all-night sister dolling it out. I wasn’t about to let her know I felt like she might be right though.

  “Exactly, and you don’t need to say it. I can see it in your face. I know I’m right. More importantly, I’m totally awesome, and you’re going to follow my advice whether you want to admit to it now or not.”