Chapter 12: Smitten and Creepy
“Shut up!” Jack punched my arm lightly. His face was annoyed, but then he chuckled. “She is something. What do you think about her?”
“Melanie?”
“No, the princess of nowhere. Of course, Melanie!”
I laughed at his sarcastic remark. That’s why I enjoyed teasing my brother. “That’s why Melanie is my woman’s best friend.”
“Your woman.” Jack touched his chin. “The annoying Omega? What is her name?” He patted his chin. “Ah, Anna! Anna Warren.”
“Why do you think Anna is annoying? She is sweet, warm, and lovable. So, I can say she’s the opposite of annoying.”
“Are we talking about the same person?” Jack frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Why do you say she is annoying? What did she do?”
My brother grumbled, “She’s always against me. Whenever I tease Melanie, Anna will interfere.”
“Tease?” I raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure it is a tease? Not a bully?”
Jack scratched his head. “Well, it’s a tease to me. I love cornering her. I want to dominate her, you know.”
“That’s not how you deal with women. If you want Melanie, play nicely with her.”
“Oh, how?”
“Ask her out, praise her, and be gentle with her.”
“Crap!” he muttered, messing with his hair.
“Hey, I’m helping you here!”
“No ….” Jack shook his head. “I mean, I did it wrong. I should come to you first for advice. But, instead, I listened to those bunch of idiots.”
“You should choose your friends wisely, Jack. Unfortunately, those you love hanging around with are not the best werewolves in our pack.”
He let out a sigh. “I know, but they are fun.”
“Well, if you say so. At least, I have told you.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll think about it.” Then Jack stared at me. “Why are you here? It’s rare to see you visit me.”
“Sorry, I had many things to do. I should visit you often.” Then I let out a sigh. “I need your help.”
“Oh? What is it? If I can, I’ll help you.”
“It’s a huge favor I’ll request from you—about Lisa.”
“What?” Jack widened his eyes. “Don’t you want her anymore?”
I wrapped my arms around his shoulder. “Let’s sit first.” After we sat, I continued, “Honestly, I have never wanted Lisa.”
“So, why did you say yes to Father?”
“Because what else should I say? The peace treaty is important for both packs. So, being her mate is not a big deal.”
“So, why do you ask for my help now?”
I blew my breath. “I’ll be honest with you, Jack. What I’d say may sound crazy, but it’s the truth.”
“Go ahead. Is it something to do with Anna?”
“Yes, and more.” I let out a sigh. “Do you believe in reincarnation?”
“No, why did you … wait a minute! Don’t tell me that Anna is a reincarnation of someone you previously knew?”
“Yes, but I’m also one of those.”
“What do you mean?” Jack asked, his forehead creased.
“Anna and I are reincarnated from a century ago. We were lovers in the past life!”
“Holy moly! What on earth are you talking about?” Jack stood, then walked right away near the wall. He glanced at a calendar there. “It’s not April. So, it’s not April’s fool.”
“I told you. It’s the truth!”
“But why didn’t you object when father asked you about Lisa? So, he could choose me as Lisa’s mate too.”
“The problem is the Shadows are proud people. Lisa is the only daughter; we guessed she would want an Alpha-to-be.”
My brother scratched his chin. “Then why do you come here? As you said, I’m unqualified to be her mate if she wants an Alpha-to-be.”
I said nothing for a while. “I have discussed it with our father. He has agreed with my plan.”
“What is it?”
“We will invade a pack. Then you will be the Alpha of the pack. So, you will be qualify for Lisa.”
Jack whistled in a low voice. “It will solve everything but one.”
I knew exactly what his meant. “Melanie.”
“Yeah. I don’t know where it started, but I guess I have fallen for her.” Jack smiled; his eyes created two inverted crescent-shaped now. “She is cute, and I want her.”
Ah, my little brother was genuinely smitten by Melanie. It was rare to see him like this. “Are you sure you don’t want Lisa?”
Jack shrugged and raised his thumb. “Yeah, I heard she is a handful one. I don’t want more trouble in my life.”
“Like you didn’t create many troubles.” I grinned and punched his chest lightly. “See what you have done to your girl?”
Jack’s face was gloomy immediately. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I will fix it. So, what will you do with Lisa?”
“I may ask Nate’s help.”
Jack touched his chin. “Yeah, Nate may be a good solution. He’s a Delta. If you become an Alpha, he will be your Beta, right?”
“Sure, but I’ll choose another Beta if he wants to help me with Lisa.”
“Are you sure you’ll let him go for Lisa?”
“It’s a high price, but the peace treaty is a good exchange.”
“And Anna,” Jack added while grinning. “She’s not bad either, but I don’t know why. I don’t have a crush on her.”
“Good! She won’t choose you either.”
Jack laughed so hard that he touched his stomach. “Man! What a narcissist you are!”
“No, I’m not narcissistic.” I let out a sigh. “She was my mate in the past. I have found her again. I won’t let her go this time.”
Jack gazed at me for a few seconds. “So, have you remembered your past life? What was it like?”
“Only a few glimpses. Each time I try to recall the past, my head hurts. But I had marked her in the past, and so had she.”
“Why did you tell everyone Anna was your mistress?”
“It’s a spontaneous act. I only thought it was a good reason to protect Anna. But then ….”
“Then what?”
“Then I discovered from Anna that she was truly my mistress in the past life.”
Jack rubbed his upper arm. “It’s getting creepier than I thought. Maybe the next thing I hear will be magic, wizard, etcetera, etcetera.”
“We knew a witch in the past too.” I let out a sigh. “It’s rare to find a witch now. But a century ago, it was real.”
“Oh, man, it’s getting more and more creepy. You’d better go to see Nate now. The longer you’re here, the more I want to cover myself with a blanket. Damn! I may find it hard to sleep tonight.”
I laughed at my brother. “Coward! I wonder if I should tell Melanie about this.”
“Don’t you dare!”
“Okay, I won’t. Please keep what I told you as a secret, and I will keep yours too.” I turned my body and waved at Jack without gazing at him.
