Nikolay’s p.o.v. “No, Grandma. We want to know what the law says about a Mate-bond between Stepsiblings?” Noah says as he sits down next to her and I can see the wheels in her head turning, if the information is there it is probably buried deep inside that brain of hers. “Absolutely nothing, because Stepsiblings don’t share blood and for that reason it is as much a Mate-bond as any other Mate-bond. Why do you ask, Noah?” she asks and again I am shocked that someone can tell us apart. “First things first. How the hell is it possible that you can tell us apart? No one in our Pack has ever been able to do that and within two days we have come across five people that are capable of telling us apart.” I say and Grandma is laughing her ass off. “This isn’t funny, Grandma.” Nathan whines but it only sets her off more and it takes a while for Grandma to calm down. “Nathan, you make me feel as if I have found a partner in crime. Nero, you make me feel as if I want to wrap you up and cuddle with you all day long.” Grandma says with a huge smile on her face and Nero looks at her as if she lost a few marbles. “Nikolay, you make me want to spill all my secrets to you because I know you will keep them to yourself. Noah, you make me feel as if I have done something wrong and you are about to punish me.” Grandma concludes. Noah is turning a few different shades of red and I think that that was het intention, she knows exactly how to say things that might sound quite harmless and yet they don’t. “Now that I have answered your question, I want you to answer my question.” Grandma says and without hesitation we each tell her our part of the story, including why we think Alayah is pissed at us. Nathan tells her that he fears that Mara will never allow Alayah to accept the Mate-bond, but Grandma is quick to tell him that she would never interfere with a Mate-bond. “Mara had a friend she grew up with and I am not talking about Maxwell. This girl moved to our Pack when she was two months old, she moved here with her Mother who had found a second Mate and he had a Pup as well, a one year old boy. Everyone knew not to mess with the girl because of her Brother and when he turned eighteen it became even worse. To the point where his baby Sister told him one day that she hated him, that she pitied the female that got stuck with him as a Mate and that he had to stay the fuck out of her life. He made the toughest decision in his life, he moved into the Pack-house and decided to avoid his baby Sister. Neither one of them knew they were Stepsiblings and he didn’t realize the Mate-bond had already started forming on his end. When Mara’s friend turned eighteen she allowed her Brother to attend her birthday party, but when her Lycan told her there was a connection between them she freaked out and if Mara hadn’t convinced her to talk to me before running away this could have been disastrous. I explained to her there was nothing wrong with her and that she had to talk with her parents and her Brother. As you might understand she was reluctant to do so and I asked the family to come here, I forced their parents to tell them the truth. None of them realized that by not telling them they were Stepsiblings their chances of a Mate-bond were almost destroyed and Alpha Randell has made it a Pack rule to never hide something like that from your Pups. So I doubt Mara will stand in your way, Alayah might be your biggest challenge at the moment.” Grandma is finally finished with her story and I fear she is right about Alayah. I can tell my Brothers feel as relieved as I do, but that still leaves us with Alayah and if she is willing to listen to us. “Does Alayah know this story?” Nero asks and I see shock in Grandma’s eyes. “O, Fuck. Alayah doesn’t know this story and I don’t know how well she knows the Pack rules, after all she wasn’t raised within the Pack.” Grandma says and by the looks on our faces she can tell we don’t understand what she is talking about. Grandma tells us that Alayah was raised by her in a cottage at the far end of the territory, “My Mate built that cottage for us and we loved the peace and quiet, he died a few years before Alayah was born. I didn’t feel the need to go to the Pack-house and the only times I came anywhere near the Pack-house was when I had to accompany Gamma John on Pack-business, but that didn’t happen too often. Mara stopped leaving the cottage after Maxwell died and Alayah was never send to the Pack school, there was no need with me being a teacher. I figured that Maxwell’s family didn’t want to know Alayah, but five years ago we found out they never knew. Alpha Randell hadn’t told them because they were still grieving and as time passed Alayah never showed her face at the Pack-house, so he forgot to mention it to Maxwell’s family.” Grandma explains. “Well, that at least answer one question.” I state and everyone asks in union which question that is. “Why Nero never ran into her in all these years? Nero has been to the Pack-house quite a lot since he first met Marc, but he never ran into Alayah before and her not living at the Pack-house answers that question.” I say as I look at Nero and I wonder if he had ever asked himself this question in the past couple of days, but apparently my baby Brother is a tiny bit stupid. A smack on my head from Nero tells me I might have said that out loud and when I look at Grandma I know I said it out loud, she is laughing her ass off but I am not sure if it is because of me or Nero. “I am not stupid, there has been a lot on my mind. Do you think it would have popped into your head after you have been given a new position, hearing you have a Stepsister and then to find out your Lycan feels a connection to a female. Who, by the way, you find out is your Stepsister and has declined the position she has a birth right to, only for her to get it offered to her again by her future Luna. A Stepsister who has more brains than you and your three Brothers combined, who enjoys paperwork and has a degree in psychology.” Nero rambles on and as I listen to him talking about his past few days I have to agree with him, it would have slipped my mind too. After I apologize to him Grandma tells us to get back to work and to show up for Sunday dinner, not that we would want to miss that. According to Anton it is the one thing Alayah will never miss out on, but when we heard Crystal read her message out loud we knew she would skip Sunday dinner.