While my sister looks unbothered and carefree, the open door is starting to freak me out. I fully understand that if Sage decides to run again, this time, Kat will stand in my way and order me to let her go.
I growl when Kat’s voice is in my head as she forces the mindlink on me. I can’t force the link on her, and it always spooks me when she does it to me. I guess that’s one of the perks of being a Queen of Alpha’s.
“She knows you can’t mate with her in that form, Andrei. I can guarantee if you shift, she will shift to her human form,” she informs me, her eyes pinning me on the spot.
“Why?” I ask her.
“She watched her parents and her mate die at the hands of the rogues that had her. Sage has been on that damn chain since before she was even old enough to shift, since she was a kid Andrei. Her shifting between forms is a coping mechanism. It was her only way to stop them raping her, yet even that didn’t stop them from beating her into submission and taking what they wanted,” Kat snaps at me.
A low, threatening growl tears out of me. I pull my hands into tightly clenched fists as soon as Kat’s words sink in. My Alpha aura forces its way out in pure rage. But there’s more, something dark, dangerous, and threatening is hiding behind my burning anger. I fear thinking about what might happen if I release it.
I almost lose it, but a sharp yelp stops me and the insane anger fades immediately as I understand where it’s coming from. Glancing over at Sage, I mentally beat myself up at the view. I let my emotions get the best of me and scared her.
“Shh, he won’t hurt you, Sage. I promise, he isn’t mad at you,” Kat calms her, but my mate still remains tense, frozen on the spot.
As I look back at my sister, I instantly understand that Sage must have said something to Kat because Kat nods to her and glares at me. If looks could kill, I’d be six feet under.
“Give me the muzzle,” Kat snaps and holds out her hand. I groan and roll my eyes, but still retrieve it and hand it to her. “Is this the only one you have?” She questions.
I huff, pressing my lips in a line, and stalk off toward the basement door. Already over the drama, and more than ready to have some rest, I unlock the door and enter it.
The basement reeks heavily of bleach as I pull the door closed behind me. There is a reason why I have a security system and locks only I can unlock for my house. I don’t want, or need, anyone to wander inside and figure out what I do down here.
And more than anything else, I don’t want Kat to see what is down here in my torture chamber. Going over to the wall, I grab the four other muzzles. Another heavy sigh leaves my lips as I stomp back up the steps and open the door.
Groaning and growling are the only things I’ve been doing for the entire day. As if I have no voice and know no other form of communication anymore. These women are driving me up the wall.
Sage backs away from me as I close the basement door, her eyes zero in on the muzzles in my hand. I walk over and hand them to Kat.
“See no more muzzles? So don’t bite me,” I warn Sage, using as gentle a tone as I can muster, but even my softer tone makes her shake in fear. Sage whines at my words and focuses her gaze on my sister. I can see how much she wants to leave with Kat.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I give in and ask the question that keeps playing in my mind. “Kat, do you have any she-wolves that would come stay for a night or two?”
I don’t like the idea. No, it’s not just that I don’t like it, I fucking despise it. However, if the presence of more women in this house means I can get Sage to shift back for long enough to speak with her, I can sacrifice my sanity for a greater cause.
Kat thinks and looks at Sage. “Would you feel better if I had someone come over tomorrow to stay here? A woman maybe?”
I have no idea what Sage says to her, but Kat nods.
My sister turns back to me and offers me an awkward smile. “You can stay tonight by yourself, and I will have to organize someone to come over tomorrow.”
“Maybe one of the older members, a motherly figure. I think the girl might trust someone like that more than women her age,” Mateo suggests to her, and Kat nods to him.
“I will send someone tomorrow, okay? I promise, if I can’t find someone-” Kat cuts herself off mid-sentence and looks at me. The look on her face is enough for me to figure out what’s on her mind, and what are the words she didn’t speak. I sigh, defeated.
“If she can’t find someone, we can go stay with Kat,” I tell Sage, finishing Kat’s promise. I don’t want to, but I will if I have to. “Did she reply? What did she say?” I ask Kat as the silence drags on.
This non-communication thing is going to drive me nuts. I’m already somewhat pissed that I can’t talk to my mate, or see her, so this is like the cherry on top of the cake. Possibly a cheesecake, I fucking hate cheesecakes.
“She just asked if it is only one night if she could be by herself,” Kat relays to me.
Instead of biting my tongue, I fight the urge to growl at her wanting to be away from me. I nod to Kat and watch her leave. I close the door behind her and press my forehead against it to collect myself.