Gia sighed as she watched her brother struggling. He looked green.
"He would never hurt you. You know that right?" She told him.
She couldn't understand why David was so sensitive to Theo's anger. Whenever the two fought, he always reacted this way—becoming physically ill while it was ongoing. Today was an extreme example, of course, but even when the two of them had little disagreements, David would have a hard time functioning. His emotional well being was so wrapped up in Theo's approval that it didn't seem healthy.
Gia assumed it had something to do with how David was meant to be Theo's Beta one day, but still… there had to be a better way of reacting to whatever discord existed between them. It felt like Theo had unfair expectations of her brother regardless of whether or not David was to be his second, and those unrealistic expectations are what made her brother physically sick when he couldn't meet them.
"You know that, right?" She repeated, feeling a stab of guilt for the problem she had just created for her brother.
"Yes, Gia," he rasped, grimacing as he finally straightened himself. "Did you really have to do that though?"
She pressed her lips together. Sure, she didn't have to do it. But who was ever going to put their cousin in his place? They were out here searching for him for over 12 hours, and then he just materializes out of thin air with a stupid dazed look on his face talking about finding his mate without actually bringing her home with him?
What if his mate was in danger? What if one of their many enemies found out who she was to him and to the future of their pack? They could easily snatch her for themselves and hold the entire future of the pack hostage. What was Theo thinking, honestly?
David groaned and shot her one last glare before shifting into his wolf and trotting away back toward the perimeter. He was probably going to skip his perimeter runs and other duties today. She blew out a breath and watched him until he disappeared from her view.
Then her eyes darted back to the mysterious tree. They had searched it. They had come back to the small cave under this tree so many times and paced around it, trying to make sense of how his scent had just… disappeared.
So how had he appeared from under it when they were standing right here? Was it truly a portal to some other dimension? And if so, why was their Luna not even within this realm? Her thoughts drifted to all the possibilities and all the stories from their pack's ancestry.
Maybe Theo's mate was as extraordinary as his mother August. Maybe David was onto something when he asked if that cave was a portal to the fae. Maybe Theo's mate was living amongst the fae themselves.
If that were true, then it might explain why he hadn't brought her back. That would be very complicated.
"Shit, Gia. Why did you say anything?" she grumbled to herself.
She had always had a big mouth. It was shocking that her brother told her anything. But he didn't have much of a choice. They were twins. She could read his mood, and sometimes she could even guess what he was thinking and the secrets he was keeping. That was how she knew so much about the things Theo did that only her brother was aware of.
"I'll just take a peek…" she whispered to herself, walking cautiously toward the tree cave.
She had always wanted to find a portal. They were such a prominent part of lycan lore, and yet they were even more elusive than fairy circles. If there were fae genes in her family, then she should be okay there right? Theo had gone and come back just fine…
—————
"David, where is your sister?"
David glanced up at his mom from where he was lying on the couch, nursing a stomach ache. He hadn't eaten lunch or dinner, and he had been groaning off and on all afternoon with stomach complaints. It finally occurred to her that he must have gotten into a fight with Theo again.
"I don't know," he shrugged and laid his head back down. "I think I need some more medicine, mom. Can you get it for me?"
"You haven't seen her at all tonight?" Greta asked her son, frowning.
It was not like Gia to be missing the whole day without at least a call. She usually visited pack members who needed one kind of healing or another, checking up on her patients, and then she made her way back to the house to share about her day.
"No," he said flatly.
Her frown deepened. "Did you two get in a fight, too?"
"Too?" He repeated.
"Well obviously you and Theo are upset with one another," she said, grabbing the bottle of anti nausea medication from the cupboard.
David scoffed. "Yeah. You can ask Gia about that."
"I would if she were here. When was the last time you saw her? I haven't seen her since before the bonfire," Greta poured her son the thick pink liquid and handed it to him.
Usually she enjoyed taking care of him when he was sick. It reminded her of when he was a pup, and those days were precious.
David drank the medicine and handed the empty cup back. "I saw her earlier this morning," he answered without looking at her.
"Where?"
He continued staring at the program on television without another word, so she grabbed the remote and shut it off. His eyelids pressed closed like he was exhausted with the day and no longer had the energy to speak.
"David," she prompted again.
"It was in Suicide Forest," he said.
"What? Why… why were you even there? Did she not return with you?" Greta suddenly became frantic. If Suicide Forest was truly the last place anyone had seen her daughter, then that was a very bad thing.
"She's fine, mom. She is a big girl. She can take care of herself," he groaned.
"Then why have I not heard from my daughter today, David?"