Chapter 13 013
Chapter 13
Thalia's POV
I took one long breath, then another.
"But it's his birthright, it can't be taken away from him," I said, and it took an effort to keep my voice steady.
My mother-in-law was still as blunt as ever.
"The council feels like he's lacking certain qualities that an alpha should possess," she said, giving me an accusatory look, her own way of telling me that the 'fault' she was pointing out was from my own failing.
I didn't take my eyes off my mother-in-law for a long time, and then I asked, "Where is all of this coming from? Why the sudden scrutiny on my son? He is still a young boy—just four years old."
"Well, his father was already showing so much potential at his age. It's not too much to expect the same for him if he expects to inherit the title."
I pushed myself further into my chair and then I gave her another look again, this time trying to tear through her mask of confusion. "The way you speak, Mother," I began carefully, "it's almost as if there is someone else who can take my child's place."
For a moment, something flashed through her eyes, too quickly for me to read it. It was gone as fast as it came, and the frown on her face deepened even further, sinking into her flesh. She pushed herself up to her feet with her two hands and continued, "I am only trying to warn you because I feel sorry for you. Taking my advice is your decision, and not to do so is also yours. But I hope that you do, anyway." She left with that quickly, and I was short of words.
To think my husband did not have any other children other than Liam and Lily... unless he was planning to take another mate. My heart began to race faster and faster. I decided that I was overacting. This was just another passive-aggressive warning from my mother-in-law, another way to always keep me up on my toes, I guess. Though a very wholly thought-out choice in my own opinion, nevertheless, I tried to carry on, pushing it to the innermost parts of my mind, even as her words continued to thread back to the front, tormenting me.
Eventually, I thought I would talk about it a bit, or at least address the way I was being treated by my in-laws. I was able to find my mate in the Grand Hall. This was where he planned to host the gender reveal party.
Honestly, it was just something that was going overboard in my opinion. I mean, this was the same place where my mother was crowned as Beta. Our mating ceremony was also held. It was for only the highest caliber of ceremonies, which we hold above others. Surely my mate understood what it means for Shelly to have her baby shower here, but I was afraid of being accused of pettiness, so I just kept that complaint in the back of my thoughts and decided to bring the current one to him.
He was having some very heated conversation with the party planner about how he wanted the ribbons and balloons to go before I approached him. He first gave me a glance, his eyes darkening with annoyance, and then he ignored me for a minute before dismissing the planner and facing me again. "What do you want here?" he asked, as if I was no more than a bratty child interrupting him.
I was quick to chalk it up to the stress and said to him everything his mother had told me. He listened to it with the most flat expression possible, and then when he cocked up an eyebrow “Is that all you have to say to me?" I asked, my annoyance reaching the brim.
"I thought there was an actual problem," was his response.
Of course, I didn't expect him to make a mountain out of a mothill , screaming off his mother's head but I thought at least he would have a talk with her. He usually did so whenever she stepped too much out of line like this, but now he was just dismissing me completely.
Since what I was hinting at him was not clear enough, I decided to just go straight to the point. "Varion, could you just talk to your mother? I don't like what she's said to me."
Once again, he was still giving me that flat look, as if my worries were not his problem or something so dismissible, it was odd I was even bringing it up to him.
"Thalia, don't you think it's about time you try to get along with my mother? Concerning a talk, I've had it with her several times, and she always tells me that you are just being overdramatic and exaggerating what she's said. From what you're saying right now, it seems that that is the truth. She advised you to take care of yourself and maintain this marriage. What was so bad about that?"
Suddenly, I felt so foolish. My cheeks went a deep red. Of course, she had not bluntly said to my face that there was someone else other than my child, but she had hinted it in every other way. In response to all my worries, my husband waved his hand as if he was dismissing a fly.
"Tjalia, enough with your drama, okay? I'll talk to my mother if that's what you want so badly. But for now, just let me focus on what's important."
I backed away, tears beginning to form, but I refused to let them fall. "Am I not important anymore?" I asked, my voice shaking.
He didn't respond, just looked away and called back the party planner.
Varian paid no mind to me, as if I had gone invisible after his last statement the blow of his dismissal went straight to my heart.
That was the first time I started to ask when the man I married went.
Or if he ever truly existed.