XXIV. The Other Gift
Raven's POV
I sit staring at B who has just given me the greatest birthday gift I could have ever imagined. I am thrilled by it, but I am also frightened by the way she got our parents to agree.
Brain told me that the moment our father barged into the cabin ready to attack her, she had formulated the plan to move away from the pack. I know that my little sister is smart, but that sort of smart is scary.
Under my constant questioning, B told me that she constantly feels she has to look over her shoulders, and since she cannot smell when a person is near, she always feels like there could be someone watching her.
If that feeling weren't bad enough, B has heard the rumors people spread about her, which is terrible because it means our brother failed.
Lark thought he was helping B by implementing the archaic and cruel punishment of isolation, but he was wrong. He instead made her despised, as nearly all of the people who have gone into isolation took weeks to recover.
A girl not much older than B actually tried to kill herself while in isolation, and she spent nearly a month recovering from the nightmare of going back. Anyone who blames B for that situation is an idiot, but there are many who do.
I don't blame my sister for wanting to get away, I would also want to get away if my entire life has been spent trying to help the very pack that treats me like an embarrassment.
I know she has not had it easy, but I didn't realize how hard it was and I start to feel pity for B before I suddenly come to the realization that my gift isn't entirely free.
"Baby B, does this mean I'll be smelling sh*t all day?" My sister bursts into laughter. "Oh my goddess it does, doesn't it?"
Before the incident with our father, Brain had been spending a lot of time on the farm with him. At first I thought it was because she enjoyed seeing our grandparents, but she was actually obsessed with the soil quality. She even came home with several samples to take to school and view under a microscope.
After that, I was smelling poop for her almost daily and obviously my hard work paid off.
"Consider it your job," Brain jokes.
Robin's POV
I haven't celebrated a birthday away from Raven ever, but she and B have managed to convince our parents that she needed time to herself. She came to wish me a happy birthday and then she left.
Had it not been for the fact that Raven told me the truth of what she was going to do, I would have been hurt, but I am still not feeling great about it. Tucker is a human and my sister is spending far too much time with him.
Taking my mind away from Raven and her boyfriend, I focus on my mate who can always feel when I am down. He and I have never practiced mood blocking, although we both know how.
Luke tells me that my family is looking at him suspiciously and I quickly straighten up. My mate has done nothing but make me happy, and I don't want my sour mood to affect his relationship with them.
B and our parents have joined us in the alpha kitchen for breakfast this morning, and my mother has been on her case about her physical appearance since they arrived.
I interject, reminding our mother that a mate shouldn't want Brain for what she looks like. My mother grimaces and I know it was because she had been stumped.
After breakfast, B lingered around with our brother and luna. It had become rare for her to do that, but I was happy she was back to her old self.
When she and Raven explained everything to me I became a little jealous; not just because she got our sister a freaking apartment, but because I suddenly had the feeling that she and Luke are really very alike.
They spend a lot of time together, something I hadn't noticed before, and although it is mostly going over reports, they have an obvious connection.
When Luke and I go over reports without B, I find myself lost and bored, but my little sister can explain them to me so simply that I wonder if she would have made a better mate to mine.
My mate growls over our link, and I jump. He must have gotten a hint of my thoughts, because he put to bed any doubt I had in my mind. He reminded me that because I am his, he does not have to worry about patrols or training schedules, which gives him more time to do other things as beta.
Luke also warns me to never group him and my little sister together; ever. He says that she is beta material, and he enjoys her company because she wants nothing from him.
I tease him by asking if he still enjoys my company knowing that I always want 'something' from him. Luke narrows his eyes at me before lustfully biting at his lip and I giggle out loud. B looks between my mate, rolling her eyes, because she has already guessed we are flirting again.
"Wait until you find your mate," I tease and my sister stiffens.
"I don't have a mate," she whispers and both Luke and I frown.
"The goddess works in mysterious ways," Luna Emma recites, and I watch my sister struggle not to be rude; she hates that praise.
"Anyway, happy birthday Robin," she says as she hands me a shoe sized box. We all know she is eager to change the subject so I indulge her. The box is beautifully wrapped and I am almost unwilling to open it.
"Did mom wrap this for you?" B's head cocks to the side.
"No; why? Is it bad?" I shake my head. It was beautiful, and I started to feel insecure again. Raven and I exchanged gifts with no frills, and it just shows me how caring my little sister is.
I open the package, and remove some of the paper stuffing when I get to a glittery robin's egg blue envelope. There is a birthday card inside so I open it to read out loud.
[To the sister who punches me in the gut, then tells me I should have blocked, to the sibling who kicks my feet from underneath me and tells me I had it coming, and to the friend who always knows when I can't take anymore, and dusts me off by telling me how much I've improved; you deserve this. Enjoy sis.]
I had been spilling a few tears until I read that last line, and I suddenly became suspicious of my sister. 'Enjoy sis' had become a taunt between the two of us, and it held no place in the sweet message of the card, or so I thought.
I remove more stuffing to reveal the most beautiful choker style necklace I have ever seen. From the smell of it I can tell it is real leather.
I lift it out of the box surprised when it pulls out an entire thick link chain and two matching cuffs. My eyes widen as I look up at B, who is wearing a sinister grin.
Lark gags when he realizes what's in my hands and his mate tells B that she can't wait for her birthday. The only person who is quiet is Luke, whose eyes are fixed on the cloth tied at the end of the cuff.
I pull the cloth off to get a closer look and gasp. My jerk of a sister put a baby onesie in the box that I now realize is filled with a mixture of sex paraphernalia and baby care items.
"You have the best sister in the world," Luke says out loud.
Rhea's POV
I was afraid to give Robin her gift, but more than once now I have noticed ligature marks on her skin. I had first assumed the worst and almost went crying to my parents, but she quickly assured me that her mate has never hurt her.
I know what Robin is capable of, so I decided to trust her, and when I did not judge her, she started to become a little more open with me.
While it's none of my business what she and Luke do behind closed doors, I do feel like my sister is my responsibility, so when out on a field assignment, I made a detour into a lingerie store that sold more than clothes.
It was expensive and cost me all the allowance I had saved in over a year, but seeing that it will help produce the nephew I want, it was worth it.
I know that my sisters have a pregnancy pact, and as twins Robin wants to stick with it, but I also know that Raven is nowhere near ready for children. I also don't think it's fair for Robin to make Luke wait for Dolton to come back, so I went ahead and dropped a few non subtle hints.
"You have the best sister in the world," Luke says and as I expected, he is focused on the baby onesie. I'm so happy with how shocked my sister is that I don't notice my brother glaring at me.
"Baby B, please don't let the girls encourage you."
"I will not," I say, and that is the truth. Raven and Robin are great but my mother is my biggest role model.
"He is here," Luke suddenly interjects, wearing a huge smile.
"Who is here?" I ask Luke.
"One of my friends when your brother and I were in training. He and his brother haven't completed training yet, but they are visiting their uncle's pack that isn't too far away from here."