Chapter 47
Reyland continued. “So, what I need you to do, my princess, is find your wolf,” he encouraged her gently, his voice steady, confident.
“She must be hiding; she must be scared. Call her to you. Tell her everything you know. Tell her what you don’t,” he elaborated calmly.
“Your father will fill in the rest, but let him tell both of you. Okay?” he finished gently.
Marian’s eyes dampened, and she swallowed.
“Are you sure?” she asked softly.
“Yes,” Reyland replied confidently.
“No. I mean, are you for real?” she asked again, her voice trembling as her eyes filled.
Reyland’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?” he asked hesitantly, eyeing Marian again.
“Am I…YOUR princess?” she whispered. Reyland blinked at her, then he inhaled sharply.
His soft cheeks flushed as he glanced to the side.
“YOU are not for real,” he scolded, shaking his head again as his gaze shifted back to her.
“Check again,” she whispered.
Reyland threw his head back and laughed.
“Oh no!” he whispered hoarsely.
Before he could finish the sentence, Marian’s door burst open.
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Marian had seen Dax mad before, she had seen him furious.
She had seen him pissed off, angry, beside himself.
She had seen all of it. Many times, directed at her, other times at others – his warriors, rival packs, the moon goddess herself.
But this, this was a new one for her.
Dax was livid.
Reyland stood, placing a soft palm on Marian’s shoulder, pressing lightly.
She automatically leaned into her pillows and mattress.
The veins in Dax’s neck were all standing out, his eyes were bulging, and he was literally foaming at the mouth.
Marian would have laughed if those red eyes were not directed at her. She would have felt pity for whoever Dax was facing. She would have imagined what he was going to do to whomever he was staring at.
But those eyes were not directed at some person, some other being.
No. Those eyes were focused on her.
Not red-rimmed, tired eyes, nothing so mundane.
Right before her, Dax glared at her, the whites of his eyes red. Bloodshot red.
He grabbed the edge of her bed where her feet were, and he roared.
Roared like a wild beast. No words, no gestures.
He stood there, shaking from head to feet, bent at the waist, leaning forward toward her, roaring; with spit flying from his open mouth and bared wolf teeth.
Marian burst into tears.
The next three minutes were chaos.
It took Dax’s Luna, Luna Diane, his Gamma, and the Alpha heir to get him out of the room.
Dax shifted and vanished into the surrounding woods.
Exploding trees could be heard miles away. Bentax was loose.
Dinka! Marian wailed in her mind.
Finally, she heard a whimpering sound.
Marian passed out. Leaving the physical world and running to her sister.
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Marian found Dinka curled up into a ball, her face hidden under her paw.
“D!” Marian called, running toward the shivering, giant ball of fur.
Dinka would not raise her snout, no matter how much Marian begged and petted her. So, Marian lay beside her wolf, feeling her warm body against her back, as she too curled up.
Outside of Marian’s mind, her room was filled with worried men.
Reyland.
Doctor Byron.
Her father.
Dorien.
Each one with a different burden on his mind.
Each one’s concern starting or ending, or both, with the unconscious she-wolf.
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The third time Marian woke, only her father and Gravan were in her room, and daylight was streaming in from the window.
She lay silently on her bed, gazing at the two despondent wolves, both seated on her left, where Reyland’s couch was.
As she watched them, her bedroom door opened and she shut her eyes.
The new entrant had no scent. It could only be Reyland.
She felt something on her lap and felt a soft brush on her cheek. Marian opened her eyes slowly to find Reyland gazing down at her with a glint in his eye.
She blinked and swallowed.
He nodded at her and commented in a low voice, “Alpha Corien and Gravan are here. They’ve been watching over you since this morning,” he said calmly.
“I’ve got you something to eat. You haven’t eaten for almost two days, again.”
He glanced down.
“I think you really need to work on getting steady meals, Mary,” he ended softly, raising his eyes to hers as she smiled gratefully at him.
“Thank you, Andy,” she whispered thickly.
“I’ll help you with this later. I’ll put it on the side for now,” he stated lightly.
“You have to listen to them. Okay? Just keep your mind here. Okay?” he pressed, his eyes searching her face.
“Okay,” she whispered hoarsely, her eyes fixed on his.
Reyland nodded at her and left the room without looking back.
“Mary?” her father remarked softly. Marian closed her eyes, tears falling freely as she turned to face her father, the former pack Alpha, her only surviving relative, Alpha Corien.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” she whispered, her voice catching in her throat, “I don’t know what happened, I can't remember anything,” she said haltingly, her eyes re-opening to gaze at her father’s inscrutable face.
“Uncle Gavvy, I’m so sorry –” she continued, apologizing to Gravan as she turned her gaze from her father to her ‘uncle’, former Beta of the Lightmoon pack, under her father’s rule, her father’s protégé, warrior brother, and friend.
“Well, if you can't listen to me, maybe you can listen to your new bear,” Gravan commented smoothly, cutting off her tearful apology, a hint of coyness in his tone.
“My…what? Uncle Gra –” Marian stuttered, her face flushing.
“I’ve told you, MARY. ‘Control.’” Gravan said, a wry smile on his lips.
Marian opened her mouth to give a retort, but her father spoke first, interrupting her and her uncle’s play, and getting them down to the matter at hand.
“We know you can move, Child, but stay still until we are done. No one aside from us three should know of this. Matters are escalating, we have spies around us. Okay, Marian?” Corien cut in, his voice soothing her, his presence calming her raw nerves, his alpha powers working their gift on his daughter, his blood, his firstborn, alpha she-wolf, former heir to the Lightmoon pack, fallen princess.
“Yes, Dad. I’m listening,” Marian replied respectfully.
Her father’s tone and his posture were serious. He was not angry, but he was not happy.
This was no time for any fun or games.
The very atmosphere in the room changed as he spoke.
The lightness from before, with Reyland and then Gravan, was gone.