TWENTY FOUR

                                    

                                          
It was the sound of cautious footsteps that made Isaac stir from his sleep. With a groan he rolled away from Roxy's closed door, every bone and muscle throbbing from the uncomfortable night's sleep. At least she'd slept straight through. A door clipping shut followed by heavy steps had him jolting upright, his wolf letting out a warning growl as they were both turned to high alert. Only himself, Kayla and Roxy shared the main house and the steps weren't one of a female. With a snarl he leapt from his makeshift bed and spun around, frowning at the sight of Tobias about to disappear down the staircase.
'What are you doing here?' asked Isaac, a frown setting into his face.
Tobias froze at the top of the staircase before turning to Isaac. A pair of shoes dangled from his dark fingers and his silver eyes darted about nervously. A growl rumbled in Isaac's chest as he stepped closer. It was obvious he was sneaking around, but why? 
'Oh hey, Alpha. I was just coming to talk to you.' Tobias grinned, but it wasn't his usual cocky one. 'What are youdoing here?'
Isaac kept his eyes on him, seeing out the corner of his eye that dusk was illuminating the land through the windows. 'I live here, remember?' He came to a stop in front of him. 'The sun's barely up. Bit early for you to come and talk to me. You wanna tell me what the hell you're really doing in my house at this hour?'
Tobias became physically nervous, making Isaac even more suspicious. For the past year his behaviour had been a little odd, disappearing for hours at a time without any explanation of where he was going. Then he'd finally come clean about finding his soulmate. So that explained that. But it didn't explain his more recent behaviour of walking on eggshells and becoming defensive each time Isaac mentioned his soulmate. And since when did he call Isaac Alpha? Tobias was the only one, apart from Roxy, who could get away with cheek. 
The Beta standing in front of him now though was far from fearless. 
'Look, Alpha–'
'Since when do you acknowledge me as Alpha?'
'Tobias!' Kayla's giggling voice came from behind her bedroom door. Heat was beginning to prickle Isaac's skin when she burst from her bedroom, her eyes too focused on the pair of jocks swinging around her finger to see her brother. 'Imight not like you wearing underwear but you can't go free–'
She gasped and came to a sudden halt at the sight of Isaac. While his sister's skin paled more by the second, Isaac's head swung left to right so quickly he thought he might get whiplash. Slowly, but unbelievably, the pieces to the puzzle joined themselves together. Tobias always volunteering to chauffer Kayla around, how they always seemed to be up to something whenever he walked in on them together and their strange sneaky behaviour. Tobias had found his soulmate. She'd wanted to keep them a secret. Isaac's hands curled into fists at his sides. Tobias' soulmate was his... little sister?
'How long has this been going on?' Isaac roared, his angry eyes looking between the frightened couple. His wolf was beginning to become agitated, pacing about inside of him.
Tears sprung to Kayla's eyes as she huddled close to Tobias. 'Isaac, please don't be angry. We're soulmates. You know we can't change it.'
Isaac snapped his heated gaze to Tobias who was now holding Kayla behind him protectively, his wolf snarling back at his. 'You should've rejected her!'
Tobias' eyes blazed and Isaac could see his body trembling with the effort of containing his wolf much like himself. 'You mean how you rejected Roxy?'
'Don't bring her into this,' growled Isaac. 'This is between you and me.'
There was a squeak of an opening door behind them followed by quick steps. Normally her scent could lull Isaac but he was too angry, his focus intent on ripping Tobias piece by piece.