6. Go with your sister

It meant a lot to Rosalie that Kristine had given her shady looks when they were having breakfast, during their family time, and the day before the ball. Her sister detested her since, although she was marked by Tristan, she now thought her sister was her enemy and knew that he was actually yearning for her. However, Rosalie fulfilled her obligations, so she wasn't at fault for that. In order for Tristan to remain with Kristine, she had accepted his rejection without question.

Rosalie made the decision to avoid Tristan in order to stop her sister's mood from getting worse and spoiling their time together. Whatever was remaining from the bond was what made her want to give in to the need to see him knowing that they had no future together.

She witnessed him smoking repeatedly on the balcony of the apartment he shared with Kristine late last night. It appeared that he was under stress. His quick glance in her direction was a surprise to her as she was admiring him. With enough time, she was able to vanish behind the curtains, and she was positive he missed her. These brief moments were grasped by her to adore him remotely, but she dared not express her feelings to him outright so as to avoid starting a relationship.

"Maybe tomorrow, Rosa, you could go with your sister to the mall? I can't reschedule the Luna meeting I have tomorrow and she needs to get a few things," her mother said from the chair she was sitting on.

Looking up, she could see right through her eyes what she was planning. She wanted her to spend time with Kristine so they could work out their issues. Comforting Kristine and determining whether their relationship could be revived was exactly what she also desired. The event involving Tristan has undoubtedly caused them to grow apart even though they were never close.

Rosalie nervously answered, "I'd happily go with her if she wants me to." She turned to face Kristine.

She returned the stare, but it was a menacing look. She blurted out, "Why do you want to go out with me?"

"I myself could use some new things. Rosalie informed her, "I want to buy more clothes because I need to change some clothes in my wardrobe."

She nodded after a few moments of her eyes being fixed on her. "All right, get set early. She remarked to her, "I want to return before my mate starts getting worried about me."

Rosalie grinned broadly, glad that the sisters could now work together once more. She taunted her, saying, "Kristine, it's not like you're going away forever. And don't forget you've lived here all your life and this is your home too."

Her eyes glowed with anger, and then, much to their relief, she began to laugh.

"That is accurate. I feel like Stan spoils me too much in the pack. I even have an office adjacent to his place, so I don't often leave the pack home," she said.

"As you can see, I'm growing less accustomed to his absence. She said, "I don't want to feel lonely," Kristine said in an offensive way. Rosalie listened to her words, stunned.

"Are you no longer doing the things you enjoy? Things like training. You were capable of becoming a skilled fighter. You even trained the teenage group and had excellent fighting skills. Did you really abandon everything?" She asked.

She arrogantly flipped her hair back and gave her another haughty glare.

"I no longer want to be a warrior. Remember that I am now the Luna? I don't have to do that myself since Stan has an entire army to protect me," she replied. Rosalie chose not to go into further detail because it was clear that she was making every effort to remind her that Tristan belonged to her. She kept eating silently from her plate, ignoring the conversations going on around the table. Tristan and her father discussed the routine pack business, while Kristine and her mother discussed the newest trends in fashion.

As soon as they were all done, they stood up.

"Rosa, how about we head to the garden and harvest some fresh flowers? Her mother asked, "I really need to plant new ones and replace some old ones," and before she could respond, her mother grasped her hand. Stepping out of the pack house, they made their way over to the garden she had personally planted. The gorgeous flowers, arranged in a row of various colors, floated in the breeze.

She strode across the rows with pride. She turned to her when they had moved away enough that the pack house could not hear what they were saying. "I realize that now that Tristan is here with Kristine, there are occasionally awkward moments, Rosa. But after waiting three long years, your father is overjoyed to have her with him at last."

"I also see that you are simply being courteous to Tristan and preventing an escalated situation. But tomorrow, please attempt to make Kristine feel more comfortable. You don't have her trust. However, your father feels that now that she has her partner, he should be allowing her to visit more frequently. He desires to be a part of her life."

She gave her an almost beseeching look.

Rosalie took her arm in hers. "You don't need to worry about anything, mom. I'm done with Stan. Kristine is his Luna. That chapter is closed." She attempted to comfort her mother, saying, "Who knows, perhaps the Moon Goddess will take pity on me and give me another chance to find a mate soon, a second chance mate." With a heavy sigh, her mother pecked her cheek.

"You are the best thing that can even happen to a parent. I'm sure that things will turn out well for you. I knew you were unique even before you were born." She drew her into her embrace and gave her a forehead kiss.

Rosalie was ecstatic as she took her mother's hand and continued into the garden.

She found a pair of gloves and scissors in a cabinet in the middle of the field and used them to cut the most exquisite flowers she could find. When they had gathered enough, she assisted her in carrying them to the pack house, where flowers were arranged in all the frequently visited locations and ceramic vases.

As she stepped into the elevator that led to her apartment, her mother reminded her, "Keep in mind what I requested of you tomorrow while you are with Kristine." As the elevator doors closed, she grinned and raised her thumb.

Rosalie showered as soon as she got into her quarters to remove the sweat and filth. Despite wearing her pajamas, she chose to enjoy a glass of juice before turning in for the night. Taking her drink outside to the terrace, she watched Tristan as he was about to come out onto his. She immediately turned around and headed for her bed before he could detect her presence.

****

The next day

"Rosa, I'll leave you behind if you don't finish up quickly." Kristine yelled, as she emerged from the packhouse and headed for the waiting car.

Rosalie snatched up her purse and rushed after her. She gave her an irritated expression when they got to the back seat of the Mercedes Benz.

"What were you doing and why the hell do you keep wasting my time? Why do you always talk endlessly as though there's an audience for your gibberish? You kept me waiting like an idiot while you were talking about your nonsense. Do you honestly believe that I don't have better things to do rather than wait for you?" She chastised her.

Startled, Rosalie suddenly fixed her gaze on her. *You were waiting for me? I saw you heading toward the car just now. And we both got in together. Why do you make such big claims?" Suppressing an annoyance, she reminded her.

She could imagine some gloomy hours spent in her company if this was how she was going to behave for the entire day. Kristine didn't appear to have any intentions to mend their relationship or put a stop to their rivalry. Rosalie had done nothing so far that would lead one to question her, much less make any accusations against her.

"You seriously need to calm down, Kristine. You are intentionally placing needless distance between us. You haven't been here for three years; our parents are in pain. You are dad's favorite child, as you well aware." She added quietly, "He felt so bad when you left and felt like he had let you down."

Kristine now turned to face her directly. She yelled at her, "Maybe if you keep your eyes off my mate and start looking for your own, it'd be better for everyone."

"You're in Stan's arms the moment I turn to look away. He's either staring at you, or you're averting his gaze. Do you really think that I'll present him to you on a silver platter? You're nothing more than a filthy slut in need of attention!" Her tone surprised Rosalie; she had never heard Kristine that abrasive. And she had never received such impolite treatment before.

"Kristine! Why are you speaking to in such manner? Did you seriously just call me a slut? Really?" The sound of the hateful term nearly made her choke.

Her temper flared at her smug expression. "May I remind you that I gave up my mate so you could become the Luna of his pack and not be left behind?" Rosalie angrily retorted to her.

"You were aware of the risks when you made the decision to give yourself to Tristan. The Moon Goddess did not decide in your favor, and you are not his destined mate. Before Tristan, you could have met your mate. And how did you anticipate making your decision at that time?"

She continued, poised for an argument, she said, "You are so self-centered that you are unable to recognize that I am the reason for your happiness."

Kristine was almost determined to confront the reality.

Is that all you have got, sister?" Kristine snarled. "You are simply envious of me." She said, "You wanted to be the Luna of the Blue Rivet pack and be by Tristan's side, but now that he's marked me, you can't accept that there's no going back and that you've lost and you want him back. Do you really believe that I'm blind to the lustful glances you give him whenever he gets close?"

She moved her face toward her and grasped her by the chin. Her face contorted with rage, all she could read in her eyes was extreme loathing. Now she was a looking like a demon in front of her, nothing remained of her beauty.

"Let it sink in, bitch, once and for all. Tristan belongs to me. Your opportunities are lost. Nothing can be done now that he's marked me." She gave a sardonic smile, "except you want to be his mistresses, your sister's mate mistress."

"It appears that it will be make you deliriously happy." Rosalie laughed, "Your life will be a bed of roses."

Thank goodness, they were at the mall already. Being with Kristine was becoming intolerable for Rosalie. There was nothing that could reason with her; hatred had consumed her.

She pulled the car door open and leaped out. Now her day was ruined perfectly. Her parents, who were eager for her and Kristine to work things out, were her sole worry at this point. However, it didn't appear to be the case anymore; her sister didn't require her relationship.

She moved toward the thick forest behind the building after losing interest in the mall. She took off her clothing and shifted behind a tree. Now that Reign was in charge, she could unwind; all she had to do was take a good run to clear her system of Kristine's poisonous remarks.

Her better half said, 'Let's go, Rosa. Screw that bitch! Nothing positive can ever come to people like her. She is torn apart by jealousy,' her wolf cursed, and got ready to run.

She ran across the woodland in an attempt to let go of the annoyance that Kristine's statements had given her. She ran through the jungle for an hour before coming upon a creek that was running with clean water. After quenching her thirst, Reign took a seat up against a tree.

Rosalie started somberly, 'Reign, we might have given Kristine a reason to doubt us. When they got to the hill, we proceeded to wait for them and, when we thought Tristan was there alone, we also watched him. It must have been known to Kristine through their mate bond. Tristan is clearly still infatuated with me since he tries to get close to me all the time. I look around and there he is, standing there. And Kristine would definitely feel uncomfortable with that."

She reminded her wolf, "as wolves, we are very possessive."

Then she heard the noise from behind.

Dry branches snapped as though someone was approaching her cautiously. When Reign turned around, she noticed four sets of ferociously focused eyes staring at her.

Furious rogue Lycans! And they were huge ones.

They hurried toward her after emerging from their hiding spot, sensing that she had discovered them. Reign responded right away. She sprang up quickly and ran farther into the jungle. She was completely lost in her own world. Even though Reign was an Alpha Lycan, the four that followed her were anything but little, as evidenced by the solid steps of their paws. Though she knew she would not stand a chance against these four enormous animals, she would not surrender without putting up a strong fight.

Subsequently, she felt a forceful hit on Reign's back, which caused her to lose control and fall onto the ground. She repeatedly tumbled over, but she got back up to carry on with her escape. However, she was hit once more, and this time, there was no turning back.

The four of them gathered around her. One of them transformed into his human form and fixed her with his ominous, black eyes.

"Shift!" he gave her the order. An order from a lower rank was opposed by the Alpha within her.

"Shift, right now. Don't force me to say it again. I'm not very good at patience" His growl reverberated through the jungle.

She shifted only out of sheer terror.