Chapter 10 – Forgiveness Never

Embry walked over and squatted down next to Veronica. "What's happened Roni? What's wrong?"

Veronica took the tissue from Emily as she turned her tear filled eyes towards her brother; her only brother. A frown was marring her beautiful face as she dabbed at her eyes with the tissue. "I can't believe you lied to me." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but anyone with wolf hearing heard what she said to him. "You looked me right in the face and lied to me about Paul."

Embry scowled. "What are you talking about Roni?" He was trying to look like he didn't understand what she was saying even though he fully understood every syllable uttered.

"Liar."

Embry winced at his sister's voice when she said that one word.

Veronica watched as Leah put her hands on her hips. "What is she talking about Embry? Why did she call you a liar?

Paul scoffed as he pushed away from the counter. "She's calling him a liar because that's exactly what he is. He lied to Veronica about me. I mean granted some of it was true about my life prior to knowing her, but he didn't even explain imprinting to her. And failed to tell her I imprinted on her. So she's been staying away from me for the last five months because she thought all I wanted was to screw her."

Leah's eyes blazed red as her once soft brown eyes were flaming mad as she looked at Embry. "Embry please tell me Paul is joking? Please tell me you didn't lie to your own sister?"

Embry couldn't stop the ashamed look that came across his face as he stood up from his squatted position next to Roni. "It was an accident."

Leah scowled. "Tell me you are kidding me; an accident? How do you accidentally lie through your teeth? After all the shit I went through with Sam and Emily at least they told me the god damn truth. Embry, what the hell were you thinking?"

Veronica looked up from the same spot she had been staring at since she'd gotten to Emily and Sam's. She couldn't even look at Paul. "What I don't get it why you had to lie to me about Paul. He's supposed to be your pack brother. Someone you've been friends with since you guys were little. Clearly you grew closer when you both phased at the same time. What is so wrong with Paul that you had to lie to me to keep me away from him?"

Roni couldn't stop the silent tears as they continued to stream down her cheeks. "Or maybe it's me that there's something wrong with. Maybe I'm not good enough for your friends. You're supposed to be my brother and you've been lying to me for months about Paul. I was so stupid for trusting your word. I should've guested you was lying from the beginning. Always threatening Paul to stay away from me and just the general way you acted the first week I was here."

Embry was back tracking from his sister as she continued to walk towards him. "I mean I realize now why you stopped coming around when I was in the institute because you'd phased and you were working for the council and the fire station so you honestly didn't have the time to come see me. I get that you had a job to do to protect our people. But I've been dying inside a little every day, because all I could think about was Paul. Which now I've been told was because of the imprint. And you are the one who forced me to feel this way."

Veronica shook her head. "I couldn't shake the feeling something wasn't right, but I didn't question you because you're my big brother and you're supposed to be looking out for my best interest. Apparently the whole time you felt the need to lie to me and I don't understand why. Was it really just that easy because I'm naïve and was in a mental institution? Did you just wake up one morning and think 'hey lets lie to my sister profusely about Paul and let her think she's going crazy again'. Because that's the way I feel right now Embry. I feel like I'm completely fuckin insane right now. I feel like any minute the floor is going to drop out from underneath me and I'm going to end up in the garage as I continue to watch our father get murdered over and over again like I have for the last five months."

"What are you talking about Roni?" Embry took a step towards his sister as he reached out and touched her arm. She flinched away from his touch. He knew she'd never spoke of the murder and what she'd seen; he also knew that just because she didn't talk about it that it didn't mean that it wasn't real.

"I'm talking about my nights being plagued with nightmares that were so real I woke up and my hands felt as if they were on fire; watching dad get murdered over and over and over again it happens on a nightly basis. After a few months of not speaking with Paul, suddenly all my nightmares that had dad in them were switched and instead of dad it was Paul. You don't notice anything that isn't right in front of your face so how the fuck could you possible understand. You spend all of your time with Leah, not that that is a bad thing, but you run off and spend your nights with her, while I lay in my bed thinking of Paul as some perverted stranger I don't even know. You're completely oblivious to everyone and anyone and if it doesn't revolve around you, you don't give a shit." Veronica knew she was being harsh to her brother, but damn it he'd lied to her repeatedly for the last five months.

Embry growled audibly. "That's not true Roni. There are very few people in the world I do give a shit about and you happen to be one of them."

Paul growled deeply when he heard Embry growl at Veronica. "Watch who the hell you are growling at asshole."

Embry growled at Paul. "Stay out of this Paul. It's none of your concern."

Paul stood up straight and started to take a step towards Embry when Sam stood up and let out a growl of his own. "Both of you watch it. I don't need a wolf fight going on in my own house."

Veronica pushed Embry back. "Don't start growling at people Embry. You're the one who screwed up. I want to know why you lied to me. Why you felt the need to lie to me about everything. You knew what was going to happen when Paul imprinted on me. Because you told me about when you imprinted on Leah."

Leah gasped as she suddenly covered her face with her hands.

Paul smirked. "Really? Embry you want to let us know why you didn't tell any of us when you and Leah imprinted on each other?"

Embry scowled. "Because it's no body's fuckin business but my own damn it." He snapped as he looked down at his sister and snarled at her.

Veronica backed up a little. "Don't you dare look at me like that Embry; I didn't know it was some big secret about you and Leah. What I'm trying to figure out is why you did all this stupid shit to keep Paul away from me. It hurts and I don't think you understand just how much. It's as if someone took a knife and shoved it through my chest, turned it a few thousand times and even though I'm not bleeding to death; the pain never goes away. It never stops. It's always there. I thought something was physically wrong with me and I'd have to go to the doctors to find out what it was."

Leah shook her head as she walked over to Veronica. "He didn't understand the pain, but he will now. He's going to understand every second of pain you've felt."

Veronica watched as Leah pulled a necklace over her head that had been tucked in her dress; taking Embry's hand and placed the silver rope looking piece of jewelry that was threaded through a diamond ring in the palm of his hand. "I refuse to marry a liar. Embry I never thought in a million years you could be so deceitful and hurtful to your own sister. Not after all the childhood memories you shared with me about her. I just don't understand where you were coming from. But I know where I'm going and that's home. You're not welcome in my house. You want to make things right you start with your sister and if I think you're making any kind of effort then I'll let you attempt to make things up with me."

Leah turned to Sam with a sniffle as she tried not to cry in front of everyone. "Until then Sam, please remove me from any kind of patrol that I might have to share with Embry."

Sam nodded as he watched Leah turn and leave the house. She didn't deserve any of this. He knew how hard she'd worked to try and not be so bitter towards him and Emily after everything that had happened. Even though it wasn't intentional with him and Emily, he hadn't meant to imprint on Leah's cousin while they were engaged, but he tried to break it to her as gently as possible once she phased and was a part of the pack. To watch her be heartbroken again was guy wrench for him and he could hear Emily sniffling behind him so he knew she was upset as well for Leah. Sam was actually surprised Leah didn't beat the crap out of him or rip him a new ass for what he pulled. But she had matured over the years.

Veronica frowned. "Do me a favor Embry? Stay out of my life from now on. Cause all you seem to be capable of is bringing me down. You knew it was going to hurt me to be away from Paul and yet you still let me believe he was the worst person in the damn world. And yea he may have done some stupid shit in his life, but that doesn't make him out to be a monster that you made him in my mind. I can't get those five months back either. Hell Paul may have already found another girl to just settle with since I wouldn't return his calls or talk to him anymore. So that means I get to spend the rest of my life wondering what would've happened had my only brother took three seconds out of his selfish little life and told me the truth."

Veronica shook her head. "I'll never know. And I'll never be able to forgive you for what you've done."

She needed to get away from Embry before she ended up begging Paul to shred him.

Roni walked over as she looked back at her brother one last time, then walked out the door.