Chapter 24. Mark of Slavery

Xerina’s POV

Her face paled. And for a moment, though it was a small fraction of a second, I saw something flashing through her eyes. Almost unrecognizable.

Chrissy and I had been friends since we were in diapers. Uncle Damien was Papa’s beta. There had not been a single thing I had kept hidden from her, from the breaking of my nail to my forbidden crush on Rasmus. She was the only one who knew about Rasmus and me being mates, a horrifying truth I was too ashamed to tell my parents, that I was rejected by my mate. And the fact that she hid something so important from me was betraying.

My brother, Luca, had been best buddies with her brother, Aura. Our childhood was filled with mischief, and whereas Luca was a golden retriever, Aura was his black cat. They were the perfect combination of evil and kind. My brother was usually a smiling fool, laughing and finding fun in everything. Annoying Rasmus was his sport. And Aura, he was just there, like a shadow