Tasting 168

168–The Sins Of Someone Else

Nora:

The car ride was so quiet. My mind was flooded with Cain’s words.. The pain he caused me was

unmatched by anything else. And my wolf wasn’t even unleashed yet. She would make the pain

double once she is set free.

“Relax! If he wants to date her and you’re not comfortable with her being around, he’ll have to make

sure he finds her a different house where they can meet,” Silas groaned. I could tell he wasn’t very

happy either. He had been grumbling a lot and his veins were popping in his forearms.

“That won’t be necessary. I don’t want him to feel like a stranger in his own house. He can bring

whoever he wants home,” I replied as I looked out the window.

I didn’t want to seem jealous of them. My anger could be mistaken for being upset at my

stepbrother for dating someone who had wronged me so much.

“But where are we going?” I asked Silas, who had picked up sandwiches on our way to the

mountains.

“We’re going to spend some quality time near the waterfall. You know, food and isolation can also

be very comforting sometimes,” he forced a smile despite feeling uncomfortable about Cain dating

Natalya.

He pulled over near the road, and we got out to hike up the tallest mountain. It wasn’t too bad; I had

so much anger and frustration in met that the hike didn’t tire me out. Soon, we arrived near the

waterfall. It

COOL

was the most beautiful sight ever waterfall so close to it.

—

– the tallest mountain with the

We sat down with the sandwiches in our hands. It took me only a few minutes to devour mine. I

didn’t even notice he had been watching me the whole time. It was only when I finished my

sandwich that he offered me his own, which he had barely touched.

“Thank you,” I accepted his sandwich, taking on the task of finishing it next. Meanwhile, he sat in

front of me with his arms wrapped around his legs, leaning back and keeping his eyes fixed on me.

“I never knew pretty girls could eat so much,” he remarked, catching my attention. I looked up at

him and finally realized how much I had been eating.

“It’s just that I’ve been so upset that–,” I murmured quietly.

“It’s okay. I understand,” he replied.

“But I don’t understand,” now that I was done with the food, I focused on some unresolved issues.

“What is it that you don’t understand?” a hint of playfulness in his

tone.

“Why did you change your behavior towards me?” I asked, watching him gaze deeply into my eyes,

a faint smile forming on his lips.

“When you first came, of course, it wasn’t easy for me and my brothers. to accept you. It reminded

us of our father cheating on our mother with your mother. So, we decided none of us would accept

you, which obviously turned out to be a lie from my brothers, since they accepted you into the family

long before I did,” he paused, but the way he looked down made me believe he felt betrayed by his

brothers.

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“And then I began to believe you had come into our lives to make us suffer on purpose. I was so

convinced of it until you started to ignore me. I asked myself, why would a girl who wants to annoy

me pass up every chance? You didn’t even tell Dad about what happened at the party. And then,

since my brothers had forgotten about their mission, I let my guard down too. And I realized, you’re

not that bad,” he smiled, but the pain in his voice was too distracting.

“You hate my mother the most, don’t you?” I questioned.

“Nora! She stole our mother’s happiness from her. When our mother needed Dad the most, he was

busy having an affair with your mother. She would call him at odd hours, demanding he visit her,

and he would. We brothers would stay awake beside our mother, telling her stories, even singing to

her. But none of it ever comforted her. It wasn’t fair to her, Nora. Especially when all she had left

was a few months,” he drifted off, recalling his mother’s painful final memories.

“I’m so sorry. I wish I had been an adult back then to stop my mother,” I said quietly, feeling guilty

knowing how they must feel when they look

at me.

“In the beginning, we were angry at you because we found out you saw our father and your mother

together. Your father told the council about it, but since you were a child, the council forbade your

father from using you as a witness,” he explained, maintaining eye contact with the waterfall this

time.

I didn’t have the courage to ask him any more questions.

“Which is why I believe Cain is dating Natalya, to finally get back at you and your mother,” his

conclusion weighed heavily on my heart. I swallowed hard and frowned to myself. Could it be true?

Then I remembered when Cain changed. The very next morning after

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The Sins Of Someone Else

he had been intimate with me, he stopped paying attention to me. Did he finally take revenge for his

mother?

No! I won’t let him punish me for someone else’s sins.

“I think we should head home now. I feel much better,” I gave Silas a smile, and he nodded in

agreement. As he stood up, I felt compelled to stop him by holding his arm. This time, even as his

eyes focused on my grip. I didn’t let go.

“Thank you for being here with me today,” my words were sincere, and he sensed it too.

He gave me a small nod before leading me back to our car. I was determined to go home and talk

to Cain one last time. Not to beg him to leave Natalya, but to let him know I am his mate, and I

deserve answers if he sought revenge for my mother’s affair.