A Brotherhood of Wolves

Sinclair

I quickly reviewed the paperwork the priestess gave us, my attention divided between Ella and Cora across the room. Rafe wasn't hungry—I knew this, and Ella did too. He'd eaten in the car.

So, what the hell was she up to?

I returned the paperwork to the priestess, who smiled warmly and said she looked forward to seeing us on the night of the full moon. Roger and I murmured our goodbyes and turned our attention back to the sisters.

"What's going on over there?" Roger asked, watching them with arms crossed.

I studied him. His body was tense, his brow furrowed with worry. "Why don't you tell me?" I said quietly, my voice low and frustrated.

My brother snapped his head toward me, frowning. "What?"

"Come on, Roger," I replied, shaking my head. "Don't pretend they're not talking about you."

"Me?!" he exclaimed, aghast. "What did I do?" His eyes flicked to the floor. Guilty.

"What's going on with you two?" I sighed, not wanting this conversation but feeling pressured, as it was disrupting our child's dedication. It's an important day—I wanted it to go smoothly.

"That's Ella," Roger murmured, shaking his head, "speaking through you. You don't actually care what's going on between us."

"I do care," I replied, slightly offended. "I care, Roger. But Ella has brought this issue to my attention—more than I would have noticed otherwise. She calls you two…" I sighed, embarrassed, "…'Codger.'"

"What?" he asked, confused, turning to me. "What's 'Codger'?"

"Your couple name," I said, sighing and rubbing my nose. "A mix of Cora and Roger."

"Codger?!"

"It was that or 'Rora.'"

"Oh my god," he murmured, placing his forehead in his hand. "You guys talk about it enough that it has a nickname?"

"She's upset with you, Roger," I explained, looking at my mate, who wanted the best for both of them. "I think Cora is upset. I thought it was just Ella being Ella until today, when I saw Cora was truly upset. So, did you do something to her?"

My brother sighed and ran a hand down his face, covering his mouth as he looked across the room at the sisters. "I stopped calling her. I regret it, Dominic—I…" he sighed, struggling to articulate. "But it's not easy, with her being human. I thought it would be simpler, but it's…"

I nodded, understanding, and placed a steady hand on his back. "You'll figure it out," I said, hoping I was right. He nodded quietly, seemingly sharing my hope.

"But Roger," I said carefully. He looked up, exhausted but ready to listen. "If you mess up this ceremony…"

He opened his mouth to protest, but I raised a hand. He closed his mouth, letting me finish.

"If you mess up this ceremony, Ella is going to kill us both. Rip us to shreds."

A laugh burst from my brother, and he shook his head, looking at Ella. "How is that even a threat?" he breathed. "She's so…tiny."

"Tiny," I agreed, "but fierce. And she has 'mom strength' now. So let's not cross her. And let's make Cora feel welcome, because if Cora's not happy, then Ella's not happy, and if Ella's not happy…"

Roger nodded slowly, miming an explosion with his hand.

"Exactly," I replied, nodding.

We were silent for a moment, observing the girls, each lost in thought. Then Roger asked,

"Wait," he said, frowning. I snapped out of my reverie. "If we're 'Codger'," he mused, "what are you?"

"Nothing," I replied firmly, looking away. "We don't need a couple name. We're just Dominic and Ella."

"Della," he offered. I glared at him. "Elominic?"

My glare intensified.

"Sinclella!" he said, laughing. I shoved him, unable to suppress a smile.

"Shut up," I murmured.

"Wait, no, it has to be 'Éclair'!"

"Oh my god," I breathed, defeated. "Don't say that to her; she'll love it, she'll never let it go—"

"I'm going to tell her right now—" Roger started toward the room, but I grabbed his arm, laughing.

"I swear to god, Roger, one word and I'm throwing you in the pool!"

I frowned at my sister, wanting to make things better, sighing when I realized I couldn't. "I guess I thought Mom's gift fixed everything," I murmured, "after you gave it to the world. It ended the war, asked wolves and humans to stop fighting. But not enough to squash all fears and prejudices."

Cora nodded, looking at me and managing a small smile. "I want to be a part of your life, Ella," she said, looking at baby Rafe. "And baby Rafe's. But please remember… I'm not as much a part of your world as you think."

"You are a part of my world, Cora," I insisted, taking her hand. "You're my flesh and blood, always my sister, even if we didn't know the biological part for a long time. There's no part of you that's not part of my world."

She nodded, smiling.

"But also," I continued, holding her gaze, "I hear you. And I'll try harder."

"Thanks, Ella," she said softly.

I hugged my sister, the baby fussing between us. We laughed, looking down at him, then I nodded toward the others, asking if she wanted to return. Cora nodded, and taking my hand, we rejoined the waiting wolves.

I felt torn. I was glad my sister had told me what was wrong, but I felt guilty—guilty that she felt different, and guilty that I'd been so distracted by the pregnancy and birth that I hadn't realized how bad things were between the humans and wolves.

Sinclair and Roger were laughing and playfully roughhousing as we approached. I smiled—I liked seeing my mate happy and at peace. He caught my serious expression and stopped, looking at me curiously. I nodded, letting him know.

Because the two of us? The leaders of these people? We had work to do.

"Hey, Ella," Roger said, grinning. "Are you hungry? Maybe some éclairs?"

Sinclair snapped his head to him. "You're dead."

"Actually," I said, raising my eyebrows. "Pastries sound great."