Chapter 26

Avery's POV.

Few hours after my parents were laid to rest, I hurried to my room to evade the sympathetic look I'm getting.

I walked slowly to the mirror in my room to have a view of myself.

Standing in front of the mirror, I began to cry a river, my tears seemed to have a mind of their own as they flowed freely from my eyes.

The pain in me was suffocating and heart wrenching,"I'll miss you so much, I can't even describe how much I'll miss you two." I muttered,trying to clean the tears that have become a best friend to my eyes.

I heard a knock on the door,I quickly grabbed a tissue from my table stand and used it to wipe my face.

"Deep breath, Avery." I said to myself as I sniffled.

"Avery?" The voice called.

"Not now, I need some peace of mind." I muttered as I heard the voice.

"Yes Shannon, just a second..."

I walked sluggishly towards the door and opened it.

She quickly rushed into my embrace crying.

‘oh Goddess, please, not another melodramatic show. I need my rest.... !’ I shouted in my head.

"Are you alright,Shannon?" I asked, taking her to my sitting area in the room.

"I'm not alright, Avery. I'm not." She answered between sobs.

Had it been in my past life,I'd have shown a great sign of panic and started crying with her, but my eyes are all puffy with crying.

In summary, I'm tired of crying and I can't shed a single tear for her pretense even if I want to.

I had to pretend to still be her gullible, naive Avery for now.

I pet her till her loud crying reduced to just sobs.

There was something smelling odd about her, apart from her awful body spray, there's another scent lingering on her body.

I wanted to lean closer and sniff it but she looked up at me and said. "I'm sorry,I've been a bad sister right?"

I had no idea what new drama she's trying to enact, but whatever it is, despite not having interest in it, I have to play along.

If she's hoping for a simple acknowledgement for her silly act, she's gonna get it.

I engulfed her in a hug, "sis, please stop apologizing. You're the best sister I could ever ask for, I should be apologizing for being such a nutcase. I'm sorry sis." I apologized, even without anyone telling me,I know I had a devilish smirk on my face.

‘Now that's more like it. Game on baby girl.’ Kira muttered in almost a whisperer.

"Avery, I've been dying to question you...... Why were you acting so different and weird?" She asked,her eyes boring into me eagerly waiting for my answer.

'Give a fox a chance, she'd find new ways to act sly with you' Kira said with a sign.

‘This fox should better level up her game, cause she got a bigger fox to deal with.’

"Shannon,please just forget about everything,I really don't know what came over me but I'm sorry for misbehaving with you." I apologized to her.

She had a satisfied smile on her face. Well, she ought to be,she'd just gotten her gullible, naive Avery back.

"It's cool Avery, I just want to be sure you're alright. I don't want anything happening to you on my watch. You know how much I love you."

"I know sis, I really do."

She hugged me once again,"now that our parents are no more, we need to have each other's back. We need to always be there for each other." She added, patting my back.

"I know sis, you're all I have now." I said,and she drew back from the hug.

"No,Avery. There are lots of people who are there for you. Take Erik for example, he's been worried sick about you since yesterday. He told me you shoved him off while he was trying to comfort you. He even got a popped shoulder." She explained.

I raised my hands to my mouth in shock pretence.

"Oh goodness,what have I done? I was so agonized due to my parents death and I had no idea about what I was doing. Please extend my apologies to him."

"I did apologize on your behalf Avery, but don't you think it would be much better if you go see him later in the day? I'm sure he'll feel much better if he hears it from your mouth." She suggested, taking my hands into hers.

I wasn't surprised by her lame suggestion, she's doing everything she can to get me closer to that greedy wolf with no future.

"I...uhmmmmm... I'm not sure Shannon. I'll send an apology letter to him. I'll give it my best and apologize in the best way I can." I said, feigning stammer and shyness.

"Now, stop being such a baby Avery,very soon,you will be the Luna of this pack. You need to be bold."

"I know Shannon, I'm still mourning the death of my parents, I'll visit him some other time. As for now, I'll send him an apology letter. Alright lovely sis?"

She wasn't comfortable with my reply but she gave me a forceful smile and nodded.

She has to be comfortable with it, I have decided to act gullible to her but that doesn't mean I'll accept every order she throws at me.

"Alright, Avery. Can I ask you something personal?"

"Of course sis,you know I don't hide things from you." I answered, giving her one of my best smiles.

‘Lier!’ Kira hoot and I nearly burst out laughing.

"Don't get offended by my question but it's disturbing me and I want to unburden it to you."

"Get on with it sis, I'm not going to get offended and I promise to give you a sincere answer." I said,giving a soft laugh.

"Do you like Erik?" She asked, looking into my eyes.

"Now that's an odd question from my modern sister." I said, trying to change the discussion.

The mere mention of that name irks me, I do not wish to show some negative attitude that might taint the pretense I've put a lot of work to do.

I don't want Shannon to start doubting me again.

"Sweetheart, don't be shy now. It's normal for you to like him, I even thought you liked him already. Why did you postpone the time you were supposed to declare him as your mate?" She asked, impatiently.

I was beginning to lose my cool due to these irritating questions from her. It's so hard to pretend in front of someone you really wish to smack with a block on the face.

"Shannon, can we talk about this later. I promise to explain everything to you." I said with clenched teeth, fighting for control over the urge to slap her hard on the face.

It would feel really nice if I can just get a hold of her neck and strangle her, just for the pleasure of it.

"Alright, as you wish. Don't forget to check up on Erik, alright baby." She said,standing up, it was evident in her expression that she was not happy with my diversion.

"Of course baby, anything for you sis, anything at all." I said, standing to give her a hug.

Only if I could hug her and compress her, it would have been very delightful to me.

‘Don't you think your thoughts are becoming more vile?’ Kira chipped into my thoughts.

‘I love it that way Kira, this way...I'll formulate different tactics to make their life miserable.’ I said, humming in my head.

‘I love it, it's exciting.... I'm in need of excitement myself.’

I got a fill of that odd smell and I'm going to find out who it belongs to.

"Alright,I'll get going now. I have a lot to do" she said, withdrawing from the hug.

"Yeah. I have a meeting with the pack elders in two days. I'll get myself busy in the library and I'll really appreciate it if I don't get disturbed. You'll see to that right, darling sis?"

"Of course, I will. You don't really need to get disturbed with that boring stuff, your alpha would take care of everything." She said,walking away.

"No sis, this is my pack, even if I did get an alpha. My pack still remains my pack, I will run it alongside him, as his Luna." I said, sensing a hint of anger in my tone.

Hell! I'm supposed to be angry. I left the affairs of my pack to Erick in my past life and what did I get in return? A painful death.

'It's not happening this time sis, it's not gonna happen again' I swore in my mind.

Shannon swung back almost immediately,and I immediately turned into playful mode.

"What do you mean, Avery?" She asked,surprised by my tone.

I burst into a rowdy laughter.

"Gotcha!" I said laughing.

"Silly girl" She said,taking a flower from the nearest vase and throwing it at me.

"Love you sis" I shouted as she stepped out of my room.

"I'm not silly, I won't be..,not again." I muttered.