I gawked at my sister, whose face was pale, her long dark curls bouncing as she subtly shook her head at me.

Folding my arms across my chest, I bit the inside of my cheek, waiting for my sister to speak again. I wanted to hear her explanation of what she had meant by her not having the 'perfect' relationship like mine.

"Why are you staring at me like that Lorenzo?" Martina spat, causing me to chuckle to myself at her arrogance, reminding me yet again why I was the Alpha. I knew her childish behaviour would not be tolerated by people, even if she was in charge.

"I'm waiting for you to explain."

Martina huffed, shrugging her shoulders. "Adam thinks I don't notice, but I do. I notice every time he comes home smelling of other women, and how other people he work with don't go on these so- called 'important' business trips for a few days at a time."

I cocked my head at my sister, taking in what she had just admitted, but I wasn't shocked. I had only met my sister's mate a handful of times, but he was a solemn and reserved man, and would often talk in place of Martina. His respect for her as her own person seemed almost non existent.

However, having not spent a whole lot of time with him, I wasn't one to judge, and knew that it was hard to have an opinion on someone you were barely acquainted with.

"Anytime I question him, he does nothing but deny it," spoke Martina, her hands bawling into fists. "But the searing pain I feel when he's gone says otherwise. I know what he's doing."

Martina was getting increasingly angry, and I could see the ends of her fingers extending into long brown claws, scratching at my leather armchair, leaving white lacerations in the thick fabric.

"So Adam is cheating on you?" I asked calmly.

Martina nodded, taking a deep inhale of breath, studying me strangely, attempting to gage my reaction.

"I assume you feel pretty shitty? Down? Defeated?"

"Yes," she sighed, nodding.

"If you know what it feels like, tell me why you would want to make somebody else feel that way then?" I growled, raising an eyebrow at my sister. My question caused her hopeful face to fall, a fiery expression replacing it.

"You could at least pretend to be sympathetic!"

I laughed, crouching down in front of my sister, my eyes boring into hers. "I would be, Martina, if you hadn't harmed my mate."

"I didn't touch her!" she growled, jumping to her feet.

"You didn't have to!" I yelled back, my wolf inside of me clawing to be released, urging me to lunge at my sister, her throat looking tempting.

"You've never had my back!"

"That's where you're wrong," I spat, stalking towards her, her back eventually hitting the wall, causing her to gulp. "Even after what you did to our mother, I still stood by you. Father wanted you out of the pack."

"Of course he did," she growled, "I wasn't his real daughter."

"I really don't think that has anything to do with it, Martina."

She huffed to herself, laughing in spite as she stepped past me, her shoulder budging mine out of the way, leaving me staring at the cream coloured wall in front of me.

"No, Lorenzo, it has everything to do with it," mumbled Martina, making me turn to her with a tired expression, fed up of her constant games. "He put you on a pedestal, while I was left alone. He hated me!"

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "You didn't exactly help with the way you behaved."

"I was a little reckless, so what?" Asked Martina, growing to herself, flicking her long dark hair behind her shoulder.

"You were more than reckless."

"What? Just like him?" jeered Martina, smirking. "He left our mother multiple times because he couldn't decide what he wanted. She was heartbroken. Wouldn't you say he was the reckless one?"

"I'm not having that conversation with you. It's all irrelevant now," I replied, my teeth gritted together, flashbacks of my father leaving replaying in my mind. However, he always returned, and sadly, even after my Mother had Martina with another man, she always forgave him and took him back.

"You're unbelievable," chuckled my sister, rolling her eyes, leaning up against the wall next to me, glaring. "My mate is cheating on me and you have zero compassion."

"Brave of you to use the word compassion considering you have none, Martina. What you did to Mia was unacceptable."

"Well," announced Martina, clapping her hands together, sauntering over to the middle of the room, standing with her arms held out to her side. "What are you going to do Lorenzo? Hit me? Banish me? Come on! Give me your worst!"

I glared at my sister, my head screaming at me to throw her into the wall behind her, wanting to watch her body crumble beneath the rubble. However, I knew better, and my conscience wouldn't allow me to do so.

"Just go home," I ordered between gritted teeth, shaking my head at her, making my way over to my desk. I leaned back against it, overwhelming amounts of disappointment coursing through me.

I knew that there wasn't going to be anything I could do to change Martina, and she was going to remain childish and self centred for as long as she lived, only ever caring if it benefited her.

"And what if I say no?" she questioned, a smile playing at her plump lips.

"Fuck, Martina!" I roared, smashing everything off of my desk onto the cold wooden floor, watching as my vase shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. The small fragments of glass landed with a smash,  glistening in the sunlight streaming in from the window.

Martina glanced at my now broken laptop, scattered pens and pencils surrounding it, as well as a few pieces of paperwork, laying flat against the hardwood.

I watched as my sister opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, the door to my office was pushed open, revealing a wide eyed Mia standing in the doorway. Caspian stood behind her, looking concerned.

"I'm sorry Lorenzo, I told her you were-"

"Stop," I muttered to my third in command, glancing in his direction as he nodded and moved away from my mate, leaning back against the wall behind him.

"What happened?" asked Mia, her brows furrowed, worry evident on her face as she gazed at the glass covered floor. Her brown eyes eventually found their way to my chest, which was moving a little too fast from my laboured breathing.

I looked between Martina and Mia, my mate's presence instantly calming me a little. But, my wolf wasn't a fan of the fact that she was on the other side of the room, out of reach.

"Take her," I ordered Caspian, nodding to Martina who huffed as he made his way over to her. She pulled herself away from him as she stormed out of the room, her heeled boots crunching against the shattered glass, and she muttered a string of curse words under her breath as she was followed.

"Lorenzo?" questioned my mate as she stepped further into the room, looking a little hesitant, her heart rate quickening as she noticed how distressed and out of control I was.

"Don't. There's glass on the floor. Be careful," I said, holding my hand out for her to stop, worried she would hurt herself.

Mia ceased her steps for a moment, before sighing and quickly making her way over to me before I could object. She avoided the sharp remains of the vase, stopping in front of me, furrowing her brows as I attempted to control my breathing.

"Did she make you angry?"

I closed my eyes, tilting my head back slightly, gulping. I cringed at the feeling of my Adam's apple bobbing up and down my throat, making my skin feel taught.

"Please calm down," Mia spoke softly, my wolf instantly reacting to the vibrations of her tone, as if she was serenading me, sending me into a lovestruck trance.

I groaned as she hesitantly placed her hands on my chest, tingles erupting across my skin, causing my heart rate to quicken even more. However, I felt calmer and more relaxed, despite my body showing otherwise.

"Are you okay? What did Doctor Mac say?" I asked, feeling panicked that she had been injured more than she had actually led on at the field. But, she smiled slightly, nodding.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" I breathed, raising a brow, cocking my head.

"Yes, but please calm down. I'm worried you're going to shift," muttered Mia, her brown eyes boring into mine.

"I won't, I promise," I replied, caressing her bottom lip with my thumb, admiring her beauty. "I also promise I won't let anything like that happen to you ever again."

Mia sighed, looking slightly embarrassed as her face became hot. I frowned as she dropped her gaze, and I quickly hooked my finger under her chin, tilting her head so she could see me.

"You don't need to feel self conscious. Martina is a manipulator. It's what she's best at," I said, trying to keep my tone smooth, however, at the thought of my sister, it turned harsh and cold.

"She's right though," spoke my mate, pulling away from me. "I don't want to be the only person to join the pack who hasn't completed the test. I want to feel like I've earned my place here."

I mentally cursed to myself, feeling frustrated that Mia constantly wanted to prove herself to people. I knew it stemmed from her abuse though, and I wasn't going to put her down for wanting to feel worthy.

It was just my job to ensure that she felt worthy without needing to justify it to herself or others.

"Mia, if you want to do the test," I spoke, gulping slightly. "You can do it, but please, in the future. I want to make sure you are fully recovered before you even think about partaking in it."

Mia nodded, smiling, and I felt guilty for secretly hoping that by the time she had gained all of her strength back, she had forgotten about wanting to do it.

Part me of me knew that she wouldn't though.

•••

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

Please vote if you haven't already.

What do you think of Martina's reasoning for what she did to Mia?