536- A Lantern in the Darkness of Grief
POV Thalyndra Moonclaw:
He shifted, sitting up straight.
"I talked to my father about it, and we came to the conclusion that no one will come. Although they are a clan, they have very individual interests. Going after William may have been a unanimous agreement, but it doesn't apply to you. You don't have the same experience as your father, nor the objects. Even though you are the daughter of one of them, you are bound to me, therefore, you are an Eldoria. Nothing they do can change that." He gripped the edge of the table, tensing the muscles in his arms. "Severian also always made it clear that he never wanted war with any of us, and we think that was part of the agreement among them. He wanted you, the others supported it, as long as it didn't put the clan at unnecessary risk. They will know about his death, they will replace him and continue, as they always do."
I knew they were right. There was nothing I could offer that would interest them. And being bound to the Eldoria heir made me even less interesting, because coming after me would mean going to war with the Supremes. The Mercantes were anything but stupid.
I bit my lips and took a deep breath, absorbing his scent, taking it in for myself, gathering courage to speak.
"I'm... I'm sorry, Anton," I announced, looking down, avoiding him. "I didn't know I was a Mercante. I know you hate them as much as I do. If... if you no longer want me as your mated partner, we can try the ritual."
He growled, sounding indignant.
"How dare you suggest such a thing?"
"Now that we know the truth, I'm no longer just a common she-wolf, daughter of a nomad with no ties to any pack. I have ties to one of the Eldoria's enemies. I will understand if I'm no longer accepted." I tried to clear my choked throat.
He reached out and placed his hands on my shoulders, forcing me to face him.
"You are not and never will be a Mercante. You were a Moonclaw and became an Eldoria. I don't care what your blood ties are, they are irrelevant to me. I know who you truly are. You are Thalyndra Moonclaw, my fated mate and my mated female. Never again consider the separation ritual, I will never accept such a thing. And if you insist, you will become my prisoner, until you start thinking coherently again."
I blinked, a weak smile forming on my lips.
"You wouldn't do that to me, you wouldn't dare chain me."
He half-closed his eyes, fixing them on me. I observed the vibrant blue, the silver around his pupils vibrating.
"You have no idea of the absurd things I could do, just to have you by my side. Chaining you would be the least of it."
I shuddered, seeing truth in every one of his words. I didn't react with fear, but with satisfaction. Knowing that he was so obsessed with me to that point left me in ecstasy, just as my she-wolf also felt.
I licked my dry lips.
"And... your family?"
"What about my family?"
"Do they... do they agree to keep me here, now that they know the truth?"
Anton let out a heavy sigh, closed a hand in my hair at the nape of my neck, forcing my neck toward him. He brought his face close to mine, aligning our eyes.
"Understand, Little Beast. Nothing has changed. Absolutely nothing. When I say you are an Eldoria, I'm saying nothing but the truth. No one sees you with different eyes just because you have Mercante blood." He brushed the tip of his nose against my cheek. "My mother's former family became enemies of the Eldoria, when she met my father. She had a former fiancé who wanted her back at any cost, he killed many of ours, including pups and innocents, he did much worse than the Mercantes, and yet no one condemned her for the blood she carried."
I bit my cheeks.
"Your father destroyed the pack..." I whispered, recalling the stories I had been told.
He nodded.
"One by one, until they turned to dust. That's where his reputation came from." I felt his warm breath on the skin of my face. "No one hated my mother for who she was or blamed her. She, like you, hated and despised her origins. So, stop thinking nonsense, they feel for you, for your story, but they still see you as the Thalyndra who arrived here months ago."
My heart was soothed knowing that, like Lunara, I also carried a heavy family history. And I hoped that, also like her, I could move forward, build my own path.
A tear rolled down my face.
"I was afraid you would reject me, with the truth," I confessed in a murmur.
Anton rubbed his nose against my cheek again, wiping away the tear.
"There is no possibility of rejecting you. There's no escaping what I feel for you. My heart belongs to you, every part of me is yours. We are two halves that were always one. Loving you is not a choice, it's destiny. So, please, never think that I could despise you."
I placed my palm on his chest, feeling his heartbeat.
I wet my lips.
"If we are two halves, I will never leave mine incomplete. You are what was always missing in me, and now that I've found you, there's no going back. We are not one soul... we are eternal." I stared at him, expressing through my gaze everything I felt. "I love you, Anton Eldoria."
For so long, I ignored what was always there, like a persistent shadow in my dreams. His eyes pursued me, even before I understood what they meant. There was a connection I couldn't explain, a force that drew me in without me knowing why. Even when I tried to convince myself it was just desire, something deep inside me knew the truth. He was always present, in every lost thought, in every off-beat beat of my heart. We were made for each other before we even had the chance to meet. I always loved Anton, even when I pretended not to understand.
He smiled, lifting his lips in a warm smile.
"I love you too, Thalyndra Moonclaw, even when you stabbed a dagger into my heart."
I huffed, rolling my eyes.
"It wasn't exactly in the heart."
"You're never going to stop denying it, are you?"
"And you're never going to stop insisting?"
He laughed and rubbed his fingers on my face, caressing it.
"I know the truth was harsh, but now we are at peace. There will be no more Mercantes after you. You killed everyone involved in your father's death, your vengeance is complete."
"Yes, it is. And... to be honest, I don't even know what to do from now on."
"Don't think too much about it, we'll take it one step at a time." He kissed my forehead and stood up. "I have something to show you," he said, walking toward the bedroom.