Alaina smiled as she knocked on Winnie’s bedroom door. She knew exactly how she looked after the tryst with Theo, but she didn’t stop in her room to try to look more presentable before knocking on Winnie’s door. Not that looking presentable mattered; Winnie would be able to pick up Theo’s scent all over her.

Winnie didn’t respond immediately as she expected, but Alaina wasn’t deterred. All she needed was a little push, and as always, Winnie would give in. Besides, why would she leave without seeing Winnie’s reaction?

She knocked again, patiently. The smile on her face was unwavering. By the fourth knock, she heard the lock give way and the handle turn.

"What do you want, Ala—"

Winnie couldn’t finish her sentence as a mix of scents invaded her nostrils. She would recognize both of them even if she lost her memories. She scrunched up her nose, resisting the urge to rub it.

"Winnie," Alaina yelled dramatically and leaned in. "Ugh, you took too long to open the door, again." She pouted, exaggerating her impatience.

Winnie instinctively took a step back. She could feel water pool in her eyes and bile crawl up her throat. She risked throwing up. She gripped the door handle for support.

"What do you want?" Winnie asked as smoothly as she possibly could while fighting down her breakfast and tears.

"Come with us," Alaina sang. "We are about to leave. The two of us." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The two of us.

"I already told you, no, Alaina. I am not going."

"Why not? You haven’t been to the orphanage in so long. I miss running around the beach with you. We could go swimming."

Alaina’s eyes glimmered with excitement, and Winnie shrank in return. "You know I can’t go to the orphanage."

Her hand still held the door handle, and she put her other hand over it. She wanted nothing more than to shut the door in Alaina’s face, but she couldn’t do that.

"Because of Asher. We don’t have to go there, then. We can just go to the beach."

"No, Alaina," she closed her eyes, trying to imprison the tears she could hardly control. "I’d like to sleep now."

"Little sister," Alaina smiled and pulled Winnie into a hug. She kissed her cheek and pulled away. "I will bring souvenirs. Don’t be too bored without me." She waved and went back the way she had come.

Winnie slowly shut the door, locked it, turned, and threw herself onto the bed. She buried her face in the pillow as she waited for the waves to pass.

They are mates. Of course, they will be intimate.

She knew this better than anyone. Yet, she couldn’t stop how loudly her heart cried out. She knew she had no right to be jealous, to want to come between them, but there was no way to stop how she felt.

Neither could she stop herself from thinking: Theo deserved better than Alaina.

Hypocrite!

Winnie shut her eyes tightly as the words echoed in her head. She wasn’t any better. She had already ruined her chance. All she had left was the guilt for betraying both brothers.

---

"You’re in a good mood," Theo said as they drew close to the orphanage.

It was on the edge of the town but still a walkable distance, as most of the houses in the town were clustered in one area. It didn’t always used to be like this, but Alpha Keenan thought it was better if everyone lived together.

The orphanage was where it had always been, standing alone atop the low hill overlooking the beach. When she was younger, Alaina thought she was sent here so the sea would take her away. Twenty years later, the orphanage was still standing strong.

Alaina could hear the noises of children running around as they drew close to the compound. The low fence hid them from view, but their excited cries couldn’t be blocked.

"I will go to the back," Alaina said. "I don’t want to draw any attention to myself. You go see your brother, give him the Alpha’s message, and find me when you’re done. We will go to the beach then. Don’t worry, you can take your time."

Theo looked worried as he glanced down at her. They were mere inches away from the gates, but Alaina didn’t want anything to do with the orphanage. She didn’t have fond memories.

More importantly, she hated children. They were dirty, stinky, and wouldn’t listen. Most were terrified of her, but there was always a child who would play pranks. She was in too good a mood to let them ruin that.

"Why do you want to go to the back?" He asked with concern.

"The huge tree. I haven’t seen it in a bit," she replied. "You can just call out to me when you’re ready."

"Why did you follow me all the way here, then? We could have just gone directly to the beach."

"Then how will you give your message to your brother? You worry too much," she said sweetly, fighting back her irritation. She lightly touched his arm, hoping he would take the hint this time.

"Alright," he said and reluctantly walked forward while Alaina watched him with a strange expression on her face before she turned to the side, walking around the fence.

The way was clear as she walked, and Alaina felt her throat clench. She didn’t care about the tree in the back. The tree had been there for as long as she could remember.

She didn’t know what kind of tree it was; none of the children or the matron knew. It didn’t matter. It didn’t stop them from climbing all over its huge trunk and branches.

Behind the tree was the graveyard—a huge space with an unknown number of children buried in the ground. The graves weren’t marked, only two were: the late matron’s grave and Penelope’s.

Alaina’s eyes blazed as she rested her gaze on the headstone. She couldn’t read, but she didn’t need to read to know the headstone held Penelope’s name.

There was a piece of wildflower resting at the foot of the headstone. Alaina stepped on it. The flower was already withering, having been there since the day before when Keenan paid a visit.

"You’re dead!" Alaina yelled as she stomped on the grave. "Buried six feet under. You can never have him."

She stomped the flower until there was nothing left, and she kicked it off the grave.

When Theo stepped out of the orphanage after speaking with his brother, Alaina was waiting for him at the gate with a huge smile on her face.