Phoenix Reborn

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morning silence. His words, drenched in anger, shook the wooden beams of the house. "You bring disgrace upon our clan with your reckles

I had fully opened my eyes. The early light of dawn barely seeped through the cracks in the shutt

t me over the years. Twenty-three years we had been brothers, and not once had I seen him make any effort to change, to be anything other than the

a rogue werewolf-discussing and laughing together. Their conversation was furtive, cloaked in secrecy, and while I couldn't make out the deta

nst the order that held our clan together. It wasn't the first time he'd conspired with outsiders, and it wouldn't be the last. But what sickened me most was the i

s scornful laughter ringing in my ears, followed by the sharp sting of his fists, as if he needed to physically beat the sense out of me. I was five years younger, and he never let me forget it. His unliking attitude

, because nothing I did made a difference. He would always be the same Ivan-the brother who took

d this time. But what could I do? Confront him? The thought made my stomach turn. I had learned long ago that standing up to

re feet. The voices from downstairs continued to echo through the house, Thorn's anger relentl

or to everything else, I needed some space for myself to get rid of the years' worth o

face. The sky was beginning to lighten; the first radiance of the sun creeped over the h

whispered to the empty room,. "Why can't you just s

s, I believe, that has caught him in some kind of ancestral curse and unaware that it was leading him to

from the bed and closed the window with a faint sigh. It was ti

s rage was still palpable, a force of nature that filled every quarter of the buildin

to strike. "But I can read your mind, Ivan. You may fool others, but not me. You're nothing but a cowa

brisky, devoid of any remorse. "Rowan makes his own choice

ep what's not rightfu

lls trembled. "How dare you speak in that manner about him? He's part of this fam

se, their faces inches apart. For a moment, I thought he might actually hit him. The fury in Thorn's eyes was something I

hose words from your mou

mmed. He released Ivan with a shove, stepping bac

a sorrow that cut deeper than any shout could have. "You've lost your bearing, Ivan. And if you

elding. "I'm doing what I have to do. If you can't see

n Thorn's eyes-something raw, broken. But he said nothing; he just turned his back

turned and saw me standing at the foot of the stairs, his expres

ized? Or that the brother I had grown up with and once admired has lost his soul, rep

my spine. "Keep your distance; never intrude in my

o the door, leaving me standing by myself i

t was resisting to change due to his selfish interest, I could barely think from whom he had inherited it. And I knew that whatever he had planned with t

l never be a victim of his evil