Chapter 26. Sister's Bonding

**26. Sister's Bonding **

***Astrid's POV:***

"Hello, my name is Eva, and you're Astrid, right?" she said as she extended her hand to me.

I was still clutching the quilt, unsure what would happen if I let it go. I kept staring at her, unsure whether to accept her hand or not. I didn't want to offend her; if she was close to him, harm might befall me. Eventually, I gripped the quilt with one hand and extended the other.

"Hey," I said, and she smiled back at me.

"Oh my god, you are so gorgeous; no surprise, my brother has been smitten with you since the first time he saw you." She hugged me.

"B-B- Brother?" I frowned.

"Yes, Rafael is my brother, the real one." I don't know much about vampires other than the fact that they are territorial and aggressive.

She appeared to be kind and sweet. If she despised me, she would have started being mean to me by now, and if she intended to harm me, she could have easily done so by now, but instead, she is attempting to talk to me.

"Did you both turn together?" I inquired about her.

"What!" She was going to sit down on the couch when she heard my query.

Given her current reaction, I believe I asked the wrong question.

"Sorry, it wasn't even right for me to ask you that in the first place, but I will make sure it never happens again..." I began rambling, assuming she was insulted.

"Wait... Wait... First of all, you did nothing wrong by asking me the question, so you don't have to apologize, and second, I was astonished since you did know about us," she swiftly clarified.

I let out a sigh of relief.

"Come on, sit here; I have so many things to tell you," she said as she took my hand and led me to the couch. "But why are you wrapping yourself in a quilt? Are you cold? Do you want me to lower the AC temperature?

"No. I'm feeling heated, but I'm only wearing my undergarments." I told her the truth.

"Oh, I see," she said, giggling and teasing me.

Oh, her thoughts may be running wild now.

"I mean, I was changing by the time you arrived," I quickly added.

"All right, I got that; do you want to go get dressed?" she asked.

"Yes, I'll be back in a minute," I told her as I began to dress in the clothes I had thrown on the floor.

"Hey, I believe that gown is a little heavy for you right now; why don't you wear something lighter?" Eva interjected.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have my clothing with me," I explained.

"Just wait here," she replied as she walked outside, returning with a new pair of shorts and a baggy t-shirt containing some undergarments.

"These are mine, but you can wear them," she said.

She seemed to be genuinely kind. If I had imagined a princess, I would have expected haughtiness and snobbery, as the elite often display. Yet, here she was, offering her own clothes—an act of kindness no one else would have done for me. Despite this, I hesitated to accept her friendship so readily.

What if her kindness was a ruse, a ploy to get closer to me through her brother? I couldn't afford to trust anyone too quickly, not after my own brothers had betrayed me. However, I resolved to listen to everything she had to say.

I proceeded into the room she had sent me to, which appeared to be a walk-in closet. I quickly changed into those clothes because I didn't want to intrude on anyone's privacy. It was a good match for me because we were the same size. I walked out of the closet, holding the quilt.

"Wow, I'm sure that fits you perfectly, and you look even more gorgeous without that quilt wrapped around you," she said again, and I blushed. She forced me to sit on the couch and began questioning me.

"So you're the only daughter; do you have any siblings?" she asked.

My heart hurts just thinking about my family. I believe she or he is unaware of my family. Even if I tried, I couldn't forget them; the atrocities they committed will haunt me for the rest of my life.

"No, I have two brothers, and I am the sole daughter," I clarified.

"Wow, it must be wonderful to have brothers, right? I only have one, but I couldn't be more grateful for him; he is the best I could ask for. When you have two, that could be somewhat overpowering, right?" She said it with glee. I was glad to hear that her brother was so good to her, but how could I tell her that mine weren't?

Earlier, I would have answered that because of Skylar and Lance's protection, but not longer. At the very least, others showed me what they were on my face, and I had no expectations from them, but my brothers stabbed me in the back.

Though I was happy for her, I couldn't bring myself to share the truth about my own brothers. "Yes, they were protective as well," I replied, keeping it simple.

"Okay, Astrid, tell me how you and Rafael met," she inquired.

Her question caught me off guard. Did she know the truth, or was she genuinely unaware? "How well do you know me?" I asked cautiously.

"It's only that you're Rafael's mate, and he brought you here yesterday," she stated.

Should I tell her the truth, or should I tell her a lie so that if he finds out, he won't be upset about telling his sister about it?

"It's all right. If you are uncomfortable speaking to a new person, I understand; simply overlook the fact that I ask a lot of questions; it's just the way I am." She motioned with her palm in the air.

"We spotted each other in my pack, and I realized he's my mate," I told her.

"Pack?" she asked, perplexed. "I'm sorry for that reaction, but I didn't realize you were a werewolf," she said as she offered me an apology. "It's only that I don't smell like a wolf from you," she explained. "I assumed you were a human and was excited to discover whether you knew about our existence and whether Rafael told you all about us and all that stuff, so you can imagine my curiosity."

"It's okay; I'm no less than a human; I don't have a wolf," I admitted, lowering my head.

"Oh," she said sympathetically, but I was relieved and proud of myself for saying it out loud.

"It's okay; I've gotten used to it; you have nothing to be sorry about." I smiled at her.

"Yes, you are right; it makes no difference; at first, I mistook you for a human; I have no objection to having a new human or wolf friend, as you wish to be addressed." She made me feel better.

I managed to smile for the first time since I was here.

"You want to be friends with me?" She asked me.

"Me?" I was always the underdog and never had any friends. The closest thing I had was Edward, and it didn't work out, but I think I should give her a try because she appears so innocent and harmless.

"Duh," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "Who else is in the room?" I chuckled, taking her hand in mine.

"Friends," I said with a smile.

"So, do you want to know anything about us?" she asked, and I nodded.

I was relieved that she had forgotten about how we met because I don't know how I would have elaborated on it further. She began to speak about herself and their mother.

I found out that their mother had died, and Rafael had been caring for her ever since.

I was sorry that they had to lose their mother, especially after learning how close they were to her. Their father does not give them much care and is preoccupied with his own work. It was starting to change my mind about him; what if he isn't as bad as I thought he is?

According to what Eva has mentioned, they have been through a lot.

"By the way, I'm interested in sketching and painting, though it's only an interest, and I don't truly know how to do it," she added as I listened intently to her. Her talks did not bore me; rather, they piqued my interest in learning more about her.

"I really enjoy painting and drawing too, though I can't say I'm an expert, but I can draw and paint decently," I stated of myself.

"We're going to be a pair, so I can learn something from you. There was this time when I attempted sketching two burgers side by side. I hoped it looked like actual burgers, but it ended up looking like someone's ass. That was so embarrassing, you know," she began giggling.

I too smiled, and my laughter threatened to flee.

She was still trying to say something when the door burst open and he walked in.

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**I already love Eva... She seems so sweet, right?**

**Next update tomorrow... Stay tuned I love you all**

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