This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2020 Eva Harper
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
ISBN:9798632220293
Setting Boundaries
Eva Harper
Book 2 of the Boundaries Series
The Calder Girls
Isla’s body disappeared behind a large sycamore tree in the back fields. I grunted, trying to run faster, as her twinkling voice echoed in front of me.
“Isla, please slow down!” I begged loudly, trying to plead with her.
“You’re going to have to try harder than that, Sloane,” she teased. I stopped and resting my hand on a tree, breathing deeply. She appeared beside me suddenly, cocoa brown eyes nearly glaring. “I thought you were a wolf, not a turtle.”
“When I get my hands on you.” I laughed, leaving the vague promise in the air.
“Come on.” She grabbed my arm and tugged it back in the direction of our house. “Dad’s going to be angry if we don’t make it in time for the pack meeting.”
“I thought you were watching the time,” I said in frustration. We began to jog back, realizing we had missed the opening remarks. We slipped in through the back doors of the packhouse and stood behind the mass of people in the meeting hall.
The rest of the pack was quietly listening to the Alpha speak about some shortage in our monthly funds. Isla fixed her hair and smirked at me without turning her head. I breathed out, shaking my head and my shoulder-length, brown waves flew wildly.
She was always the one to get us in trouble. I was always the one to pick up the pieces.
“Isla, Sloane, nice of you to finally join us.” The voice cut down the crowd and back to where we stood. Isla latched onto my wrist and maneuvered around the mass of people in front of us. It wasn’t news to anyone in the pack that we were late, it was almost expected of us by now. Isla liked to make an entrance.
“Why thank you, father,” Isla called sarcastically, a broad, bratty smile on her face.
He rolled his eyes.
“Come stand where you’re supposed to,” he demanded. We took our places behind him, next to our mother. Our father watched as the Alpha continued talking about the state of the pack and how things were changing.
Isla pinched my side, and I nearly shrieked. I looked over at her angrily, and she motioned with her head to a pack member in the crowd. He was elderly and falling asleep while standing up, listening to the meeting. I tried to suppress my laughter but failed. My father turned and shot me a stern look. I avoided his eyes and stared at my muddy shoes.
The meeting was over quickly, most likely because we had missed the first twenty minutes.
“Are you going to show up late to every pack meeting?” our father asked. Isla shrugged noncommittally and grazed the crowd to find our friends. “Sloane, please try to control your sister.”
“You know how well that’ll work,” I said honestly, watching as Isla’s eyes glazed over with disinterest. Isla noticed someone and was gone in a flash.
Our mother sighed behind me. I turned and smiled gently at her aging face. “Hey mom,” I said, smiling gently, lowering my eyes.
“Hi, darling,” my mother greeted, placing her hand gently on my shoulder. A chill ran down my spine at her touch, and she pulled her hand back just as quickly. “Why can’t your sister be calmer like you?”
“You made her that way,” I told her, turning to find Isla in the swarm of people. Her long hair flipped back and forth as she laughed at one of Jett’s joke. She was smitten with him since she was old enough to walk and talk, and he had no idea.
She saw me and her eyes lit up, reaching out to pull me into the group faster. “Sloane!” she twiddled on carelessly. “Jett was just telling us he overheard his father talking about another Alpha visiting tonight for some super-secret mission. We want to go see what it’s about, what do you say?”
“I thought Alphas weren’t supposed to travel right now? Isn’t it too dangerous for them to be away from their packs?” My mind was reeling, looking to Jett, who seemed as confident as Isla was. She shook her head at me, her eyes in a teasing squint.
“Who cares? I’ve never seen another Alpha before, but they’ve got to be more attractive than Titus.” She groaned, looking over her shoulder at our aging Alpha.
I knew it was a bad idea. Everything was so fragile within the packs since our existence became known to humans. For centuries, shifters lived in secret, hiding in plain sight amongst the humans. It had been almost a year now since the Alphas decided they were tired of hiding, and the humans still seemed tense and hostile towards us.
“Isla,” I growled, trying to keep my emotions down. “Can I speak to you…alone?”
She rolled her eyes again, allowing me to drag her away from the rest of our friends.
“Do you really think this is a smart idea? Dad finally just forgave you for sneaking off into town to go to a human bar last month, and you really want to go and do something this reckless?”
“Sloane,” she said placatingly, tilting her head to the side. “Life is about more than pack meetings and training. Plus, Jett told me Ezra is coming along with us.”
My heart stilled; just as Isla had feelings for Jett, I had feelings for Ezra. It was foolish
