83- Laws and Lingering Fear
POV Edric Eldoria:
Because it was the truth. Alpha Kellan had killed his own mate when he discovered she had my father as a lover. But it had been an isolated case that happened years ago. Catalina had been Edric’s destined mate, although they had not mated. Some male killing the alpha’s wife should be the greatest of crimes. He could only be insane.
“He fell in love with Catalina, thought she belonged to him, that she was his perfect mate,” he continued, telling me the context of the story I so wanted to know without my having to ask much. “When she rejected him, he killed her. He slit her throat with his claws by the lake before trying to run.”
“Perfect mate?” Was he crazy? If Catalina was Edric’s betrothed, leader of the Eldoria pack, didn’t he think she could be his mate?
The smell of burning meat rose. I pulled the pan quickly and started filling the cabbage leaves, ignoring the fact that my food wouldn’t be as good as I wanted, not with such a heavy subject flowing.
“Did you find him?” I asked without looking at him, focused on my task.
“I found him and I killed him,” he stated, resolute.
“Did he say anything?” I asked. He shook his head.
“He didn’t have time before his throat was torn out.”
I took a deep breath, a little shocked by the story and all the brutality it carried.
“So how do you know he killed Catalina out of obsession?”
He drank the whiskey in his glass before continuing the conversation.
“Thalira and Catalina were like two peas in a pod. The male had already been making advances toward her. Catalina knew my temper, she knew very well what I would be capable of if I discovered his interest, so she never told me anything. The truth only came to light when he killed her. Thalira forced herself to tell everything.”
I finished stuffing the leaves and began folding them, arranging them in a glass dish. I stole a quick glance at Edric, who had returned to staring at the trees. He looked… drunk.
“I’m sorry that happened,” I murmured, though I didn’t feel so sorry, however horrible that made me.
My she-wolf had a very dominant instinct over him. If Catalina were alive, she would be a problem for both of us. And, besides, I hated Thalira and knew that Catalina was as… nice as could be. If Thalira died, I wouldn’t care.
“After that, all wolves were forbidden from wandering between territories. The elders made the laws that prevent it, except in their own territory, which is considered neutral.” He grabbed the bottle and drank straight from the neck. “The festivals exist so that destined couples can meet.”
I already knew about that, but I wanted to hear his explanation, since his and Catalina’s story seemed to have been the spark that started it all.
“And if they’re from different packs, what happens?” I asked.
“The female goes to the male’s pack and becomes part of it.”
It made sense — I would have become an Eclipse she-wolf if I had married Alessio, ceasing to be a Twilight she-wolf, just as happened when I mated with Edric and became a member of Eldoria.
“So… the wolf who killed Catalina wasn’t an Eldoria?” I asked.
He shook his head. “He belonged to Sullivan’s territory; he was a Tharengard.” He rubbed his face. “He didn’t know anything, just like I didn’t. But the elders knew we would go to war if nothing was done about what happened, so they created the laws to keep the peace.”
Now everything made sense. We had permission to go to the Eclipse pack just as they had to go to Twilight; the only impediment was leaving the territory without the alpha’s consent or abandoning the village — which Elowen and I had done, making us traitors.
Strangely, I wasn’t interested in the reasons behind those rules; I had no desire to visit the other packs, especially after what I’d discovered about each alpha. Two psychopaths were enough in my life: Alessio and Edric.
“Was this before the marriage?” He drank more whiskey.
“A few weeks before.”
I licked my lips and steadied my breathing, trying to calm my nerves. I needed more answers; I had an endless list of questions, but I was afraid of his reaction.
“The desperation you felt… did you think I was dead?” He fixed his alcohol-clouded eyes on me.
“I knew you were bad off, that you would die if you weren’t healed soon. The desperation was the same, or even worse, than what I felt when I found Catalina with her throat torn out,” he said.
“But… if it wasn’t fear of dying, what was the reason?” I stammered.
He blew out an annoyed laugh. “One of the feelings was that I had failed again as a male and as an alpha. My task is to protect you, keep you safe — not only as your leader, but as your mated partner. And, for a second, I thought I had failed a second time, that you would go through all of that again.” He pressed his lips into a grimace. “Then another feeling came, something sharper and deeper. The feeling that you would die.”
“And you too.”
“My own life didn’t worry me for a single second,” he admitted, looking at me.
That strange sensation settled again, settled around us. It was warm, affable and tangible.
I cleared my throat and turned my attention back to the food.
I finished the rolls and poured the tomato sauce over them. I inhaled, absorbing the smell of basil and fresh food. My stomach growled, coming to life.
I wanted to ask more about Catalina, to find out the full story, but I was afraid he would shut down if I went down that one-way path. Edric was opening up slowly, and I would respect his pace.
I walked around the counter and set the dish on the table. I arranged everything with the utmost care before turning to him.
“Dinner is ready,” I announced, intertwining my fingers in front of me.
Edric stood. Despite his drunken state, his movements were composed, as if nothing affected him. He approached, glanced at the set table, and then returned his gaze to mine.
“You made it again?” he asked, surprised.
“I’m just thanking you for saving my life.”
He shook his head, as if what he’d done for me meant nothing, as if it were nothing more than an obligation.
He pulled a chair from the end and sat. I followed, taking the position to his right.
We began dinner in silence. I watched every fleeting expression on his face. He seemed satisfied, swallowing each piece of sarmale with great pleasure.
I cleared my throat. “Do you think you can find my sister?” I asked after a while, breaking the silence that had stretched between us.
He set his cutlery beside the plate and looked at me. “Where did you see her last?”
I ran my tongue along my teeth, thinking about how I would tell him I had broken into a house. “We… were living in a cabin in the middle of the forest. I think it belonged to some hunters, but they never showed up…”
“Of course they didn’t; we killed them all.” I gasped.