The Year of the Horse (Book two of the Almair Series) (Completed)

Chapter 23 (Edited)

I looked up at him and blinked, staying silent. My whole body was tense, while I stared into the dark brown eyes of my brother, the one that I had trusted to take care of me, even when others would not.

Anger filled my system because if he had stopped ignoring me when I had that bad headache, then I wouldn't have left. I just needed someone to make me feel special and loved. That person was John, but he didn't make me feel special. He ignored me, just like everyone else.

"May I sit down?" he asked, gesturing towards the seat in front of me. The look that he had given, while he was asking to sit down told me that he knew it was me. However, he acted like he didn't know me, probably knowing that I was wanting to complete whatever I had planned, even though I didn't know what I was planning on doing.

I bit back a sigh and gestured towards the seat, indicating that he could sit across from me. I stayed silent, not wanting to make a sound to indicate what I was feeling. I had to take deep breaths, trying to control my anger.

John sat down, moving a hand through his hair. I could see how much he had grown during the week that I had left. His brown eyes looked tired, as if he hadn't slept that much, but I could see that there was still the love and pride he had for me. His black hair was bushier, as if he hadn't had a haircut, which was required every couple of days, since the men of the family can grow hair quickly. That was why he had a beard, even though it had been a week.

"You know, if you made your hair and beard white, you would be Santa Clause for Christmas," I said, a small bit of teasing in my voice.

I moved my hand through my hat, trying to decide if I wanted to be mad at him or not, as my anger started to fade away while I looked at my big brother.

The truth was, I couldn't be mad at him, even if I wanted to be for a long period of time. I missed him and my twin brother dearly.

Hell, I even missed the other nuts. It didn't matter that they had messed with me for ages, they were still my brothers and sisters. And I would take their scolding over being ignored by them.

I glanced down at the dog that had came in with John and saw that it wasn't a dog. It was a wolf, my brother Brody at that. A small smile appeared on my face, glad that I could see my twin, even though it might just be for a little while.

Brody looked up at me, but he didn't move an inch. His whole body was tense, and I was sure that he would make sure that he didn't talk to me. He was stubborn, and it ran in the family, hitting probably Brody and I worse than the others.

I knew that Brody knew that it was me, and I guess he was just mad at me. I had left without any reason, nor did I even try contact him, even though he was my brother. However, I knew that he wouldn't have been able to talk to me, since he was in the pack.

John chuckled, breaking me from my thoughts, while he shook his head. He ran a hand through his beard, absentmindedly. "It's been a week from you leaving us." He shook his head and sighed. "You are not coming back?" It sounded like a question, as if he was trying to beg me to come back.

I shook my head and cleared my throat. "I-I can't," I said, hoarsely. "I have to take this journey. He... won't let me become the next part of what I need to do, and I fear that I might have two years left to complete everything that I need to do." I shrugged my shoulder and sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "I'm ready for it. I know that I might not seem like it, but I am." I gave my brother a begging look, hoping that he wouldn't make me go back there.

John nodded his head, letting me know that he was going to let me continue with the journey. There was a pained expression on his face, as if he wanted to help, but he knew that he couldn't. "All right, you can still go." He paused and cleared his throat. "What do I tell them?"