Chapter Nine

Rieka Varon PoV:

"What secret?"

I stand still and shiver. How much of it did he hear? Does he know? I observe him, analyzing his nonverbal cues. He is relaxed and has no physical tensness, at least for the time being. Other than that, it's not really my place to explain to him.

I scan around the room seeking my parents' gaze. As I met my mother's gaze, she gave me the look, and soon I heard her words in my thoughts. "Don't tell him, promise me that." I simply nod at her before walking out of the room, leaving my family behind.

I hate this. This secret keeping is becoming difficult for me. Ethan and I may not have the typical brother-sister relationship, but we still love and support one other. However, I am now the one breaking the connection between us. I continue to tell him lies as he gets all excited about taking over as our pack leader, which he will not do.

I make my way to my favorite place, lost in these thoughts and feeling sick with remorse. I stroll through the forest till I come to a stunning waterfall, which never fails to enchant me. The birds chirping, the waterfall hitting the small sea below, and the wind rustling through the forest are the only sounds you hear.

I climb up a rock and suit myself on it while savoring the scenery. I quiet my mind by losing myself in the magnificent beauty of nature. I close my eyes to increase the awareness of all my senses, even my werewolf ones. As the wind brushed past me, I felt the icy stone under my fingertip. Hearing the water troops crashing to the ground, the deer pounding the ground a hundred meters distant, and the wind's movements across the forest. I could smell some moist trees as well as wet stone and grass. Once I'm at ease, I take it all in while feeling peaceful and with my thoughts cleared from my mind.

That is, until the sound of heavy running blends with the scent of a wet dog. I smell the air and I can smell my brother. So much for calmness.

"You definitely should shower", I tell him as soon as I sense his presence behind me. Before he says, "Haha, very funny," he just scoffs. Now move over." I give him a cheeky eye roll and make room on the rock for him. For a long, none of us says anything. just enjoying one other's company while gazing out into nature.

Soon after, I sense a tiny shift in his presence, as if he wants to ask me something but is too hesitant to do so. I give him a small nudge on the shoulder and say, "You know you can talk to me," as I turn to face him and give him a comforting grin. "What did you and our parents argue over?", he sighs before asking. I try not to overthink the situation and maintain my composure. "We had a disagrement and I unintentionally raised my voice to express my opinion. Nothing major however," I attempt to create a grin even though I am aware that it is a massive lie. He simply nods without pursuing the subject further. He prods my shoulder once more and says, "You know you can always talk to me too, right?" There is a moment of silence.

I lean my head against his shoulder as I glance up to him with an appreciative grin. "I am aware of that and appreciative of it, but I am fine." He simply nods and gives me a tight brotherly embrace.

No one speaks for some time. We're just enjoying one other's company while admiring the beauty of nature around us.

Ethan suddenly exclaims, "You know, I think you would be a better alpha than I," leaving me speechless. I question him why he would believe that as I continue to look at him.

"I'm not sure, but I believe it's your composure and compassion, but you also have a good sense of when to speak out. I attempt to look at him, but he has his eyes fixed on the waterfall. You are not scared to express your points of view, and in my opinion, you are more in tune with yourself than I am.

This revelation surprised me, but it definitely increased my sense of guilt.

"Do you believe you aren't cut out to be the alpha?" I softly question him.

He pauses for a moment before sighing, "I'm not sure. I'd like to be the alpha soon because, let's face it, Father isn't going to live much longer. We both know that I have a short fuse and act without thinking, which has gotten me into problems a lot. Muscles aren't everything, after all." At that point, he makes a light joke that causes us both to chuckle. After the laughing dies down, he says, "I also see the expression my father gives to both of us. Although he is happy for both of us, there is always a hint of unease in his eyes when he sees me. He doesn't believe I notice it, but I have a keen eye for detail. I suppose he believes you are better qualified for it as well." I wrap my arms around him, which he gratefully welcomes and snuggles into.

My guilt is eating at me more and more while we remain silent. I know how much he loves and how much he sacrificed in order to one day be the alpha. I am also aware of my father's concerns. I know I can only lose since I am in the center of both. Telling Ethan the truth would damage my relationship with my parents, but concealing it would destroy my relationship with my brother. There is no proper way for me, and my mother said they would handle it, but how long before it breaks me? Or perhaps it has already? In addition, Ethan seems to suffer from it. As much as I dislike asking him, I need to know the answer to one question for selfish reasons.

"How would you feel if I were to be the alpha and not you?"

Honestly? I'm not sure. You are still my sister, and as I've already mentioned, you are probably made for this, so part of me would be good with it. On the other hand, I would probably feel deceived. The previous few years of training, maintaining my discipline... It appears as though all of the work was in vain. Also, not being honest with me from the beginning would feel like I can't be trusted, you know." I glance at him sympathetically before he clears his throat and gets up from where he is sitting. "That was a lot of emotion for one day." He turns to face me after taking a glance around. "I think we need to cool down a little" Before I can ask him what he means, he takes my arms and falls from the rock into the sea, bringing me with him. Without giving myself enough time to respond, the cold sea water quickly splashes me. This scumbag. I swim up again, holding my breath. I hear Ethan laughing at me as soon as I raise my head above the water. "You're so dead. "Come here!" I launch myself at him while shouting. He merely chuckles and rushes away, morphing into his werewolf form midway. I only grunt and follow suit, going after him. As soon as I get close to him, I leap on his back and pin him down. We play fight for a bit, pretending to be children once more.

I hope our bond remains strong.