A commotion echoed from outside. The storm of emotions raging inside Shani finally settled. A mocking smile appeared on her face.
"Enjoy your last moments as the tribe leader's mate." With that taunt, Shani left the inner cave.
The moment the curtain closed and Fiora was alone again, her body slumped against the wall. The arrogant front she had maintained disappeared.
She felt terribly weak. Her stomach felt worse by the minute, and the nausea kept growing.
"Pretending to be strong has never been easy."
Fiora had spent most of her life acting strong. She had always believed she wasn't allowed to show her exhaustion or pain. She had to be a good older sister for weak and clumsy Evelyn.
Now she realized how foolish that thinking had been. She had always assumed her strength was required because Evelyn was fragile.
But she should have known better, a real younger sister would have tried to stand strong when her older sister was suffering.
