183- Truths That Burn Like Whiskey
POV Aldren Valmorin:
My friend sat in the reading armchair across from me, savoring the glass of Scotch whisky I had poured for him.
His wild hair fell messily to the height of his ears, and his sky-blue eyes—like a winter day—held the memory of a thousand battles, some of which we had shared.
He listened calmly and showed a hint of surprise as he learned the story of the intruder: the deaths she had caused, how she had been captured, and where she was imprisoned.
What remained was to reveal her name and where she came from.
“You haven’t killed her yet,” he remarked when I fell silent.
“And should I have?” I asked. He laughed.
“The Aldren I know doesn’t take pleasure in spilling blood like I do, but he never hesitates to dirty his hands for justice when he deems it necessary.”
I shifted uncomfortably in the armchair, adjusting my posture.
“What are you implying, Edric? Be direct.”
“Well, it doesn’t seem to me that only your formulas are troubling you. Either you don’t judge her guilty, or there’s something more going on with the prisoner.” His gaze was insinuating.
The mere suggestion that I might be interested in that prisoner burned my stomach like acid.
“Is your mate beating the shit out of you? Is your brain malfunctioning? Or does she bust your balls so much she’s fried your neurons?” I provoked him. He narrowed his eyes in response.
“It’s the opposite, my friend. I feel great. I hope you can find something at least remotely similar to what I have with Lunara before you die.”
I hastened to steer the conversation away from that sugary tone.
Sentimentalism was the disease of the century.
“Speaking of Lunara, do you know if she keeps in contact with any remaining members of Twilight of the East?”
“Why the question?” He wouldn’t answer before probing me, of course.
“Just curiosity. I’ve always hated those sons of bitches as much as you do. If any still exist, I want them far from my territory.”
“Lunara’s family is me, our pup who’s on the way, the elders, and the people of Eldoria. My mate keeps contact with no one. The women and children who remained from that pack weren’t close to her.”
“That’s good.” I paused. “There’s something I didn’t mention about the prisoner.”
He didn’t look surprised.
“I suspected it. I know you.”
Before revealing it, I focused on measuring every inch of his reaction.
“The prisoner’s name is Elowen, and she was from Twilight of the East.” Edric shifted uncomfortably in his chair, and a flash of confusion crossed his features. Without a doubt, he knew who my prisoner was. “Who is she, and what is her relationship with your mate?”
He let out a tired sigh before answering.
“Elowen was a secret between us, but in this case, I don’t think it’s a good idea to hide the truth from you.”
“Say it, Edric.” I clenched one hand into a fist, anxious.
This was the moment of truth, and it would determine whether the best choice was to kill her or accept that she was innocent. Both possibilities tormented me.
“Elowen is Lunara’s sister. Does she have long black hair and pale skin?”
Edric’s words fell over me like an avalanche, suffocating me with disbelief. I swallowed hard and needed a few seconds before continuing.
“How long has it been since they last saw each other?”
“Since we met…”
“And why? Don’t they get along?” I needed to know.
“Quite the opposite. Lunara suffered—and still suffers—from her sister’s absence. We searched for her for months, but we never found her.”
His revelation placed me at a crossroads.
“Fuck. What the hell.” I huffed.
“She’s not a spy, Aldren. She was just looking for her sister. And now you know that,” he said what I did not want to hear.
That didn’t mean anything.
She could have changed, couldn’t she? I’d known people who changed for far less. Time and solitude transform people. They corrupt something inside everyone.
“Would you risk your neck for the prisoner, Edric?” I restrained a growl.
“I can’t do that. But you know damn well that what I said is true. From everything you told me, Elowen was only searching for the sister she loves so much.”
“They haven’t seen each other for months. Months. How can you guarantee Elowen didn’t sell herself to one of our enemies? From what it seems, she was fighting to survive before being captured.” I cracked my neck, irritated.
“According to what I’ve heard from my mate, her sister is tough, clever, and fiercely devoted to her own freedom. I can’t believe that theory.” His voice carried deep disbelief, though in the depths of his silver eyes, anxiety danced.
“She really is tough—she nearly broke the entire cage when she woke up. And yes, very clever, because she tucked her tail between her legs when she realized she stood no chance against me.” I wondered where that skinny pup had found such strength.
“That female, alone, must have eaten bread chewed and spat out by the Devil himself, Aldren. I can’t ask you to free her, but I ask at least that you don’t mistreat her until everything is clarified,” he pleaded on behalf of the one who mattered to his mate.
“I promise you nothing.” It was all I could say while my wolf shook inside me, as if demanding that I accept this truth about the female.
He let out a low growl.
“Aldren!”
“The prisoner is mine. She broke my laws, knowing them or not. If she deserves it, she will be punished.” I wasn’t sure if I was stating that more for him or for the enraged creature within me.
“Should I remind you that you just told me even Nerin sympathizes with her?” I regretted not having omitted that part.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I’ll have to tell Lunara.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to lie to your beloved mate,” I snorted, sounding like a jealous man.
He had found his destined mate—something I never believed would happen to one of the Tharnak alphas. Lunara was pregnant, and they would have a pup.
“She’ll ask to see her sister, Aldren.”
“I know that.” The tension in his body was almost palpable.
“Don’t think I’m playing for a different team than yours, but that won’t happen without my permission. You still owe me the death of one of mine, from that fateful feast of lust. I hope I won’t need to slit that beautiful neck of yours, Edric, but I won’t relinquish my prisoner for you and your mate if I deem it necessary.”
“I trust you’ll reach the truth sensibly and without committing an injustice.” The implication that I should not proceed otherwise was clear.
“I hope you agree with me on keeping her imprisoned, or we’ll start a war.”
“We follow the elders’ laws. You don’t stick your snout into my territory, and I don’t stick mine into yours.”
Despite his words, his eyes showed the opposite. They reflected expectation. And it gnawed at me that I had no answer to my problems and had to deal with that unpredictable bitch, when my primary impulse was to destroy—and the secondary was… I didn’t know what it was. But it was uncomfortable and burned inside me.
I drank my untouched glass of whisky in a single gulp. If I was going to burn inside, let it be because of alcohol—something that cleared my mind, unlike the mutt I kept in the basement.