200- A Cage of Masks
POV Aldren Valmorin:
“One last question, Aldren. Has Orion returned yet?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Maybe he can still knock some sense into your head…”
“I. Asked. For. One. Name,” I growled, unleashing over him the pheromone of an alpha’s command.
“Felibér,” he blurted out, breathless—one of my production assistants from the laboratory.
“What did this man plan against Valmorin?” Kehin swallowed and sighed.
“He believes income distribution is unjust. I discovered, and I won’t say how, that this worker planned to divert cargo to the Eastern Eclipse, your troublesome former clients, shortly after the supply was cut.”
“Go on.”
“The payment—less than half the value—would be made to him. Besides that, Alessio planned to poison his own people and blame his herbs. Knowing how much you care about your reputation, he would demand a large sum to ‘repair the damages’ caused by himself.”
“If this is true, what prevented Felibér from carrying out his plan?”
“Me. The miserable bastard knew that if he told you, he would be killed. On his knees, pissing himself, he begged me for another chance.”
I laughed sarcastically.
“Since when did you take on the role of alpha of this place, Kehin?”
He sighed and shook his head.
“From the moment I realized no one would be left if your laws were enforced at all times. Humans make mistakes, shapeshifters make mistakes, the world makes mistakes. Your vision of justice is distorted, Aldren. I risked my head for you and should be admired for it, not condemned. From the moment your traitors believe they have one last chance, they won’t dare piss outside the pot again.”
I shook my head even before he finished speaking. I completely disagreed with his theory, as foolish as he was.
“You are deeply mistaken. A traitor never changes his essence; he merely waits for another opportunity to do the same or worse. Traitors firmly believe they are right, that they betray because there are reasons for it, that they are greater than the law. The laws are clear, and whoever chooses not to follow them consciously determines their own fate.”
“That is not justice!” he declared, brow furrowing.
“It is, you fool. For creatures like us, justice is not about the mere pleasure of punishment, but about protecting oneself and one’s own. It is about prevention. One who tolerates betrayal is planting the seeds of their own ruin. You, Kehin Maliko, allowed betrayal to be sown in my territory. You did not betray only me—you also betrayed your own people.”
As I stared at him, I saw Kehin turn into a statue. The silence was broken only by the rapid rhythm of his breathing, visible even in that dark cubicle.
His eyes became empty once more, lost in the vacuum of his own conscience. It was as if each of my words had been a precise arrow, stripping away his defenses.
There were no arguments left to oppose the inevitable. He was at the mercy of his own fate and knew it.
His misfortune—what he once thought was luck—was being different from me.
My sadness at losing a friend turned into deep relief. I had freed not only myself, but also my people, from a foolish wrongdoer. In another plane of life, I would never have found peace if I had crowned him king before dying.
I wished to be immortal to protect Valmorin forever, but since that was not possible, the responsibility left to me was to never err again in my judgment.
Choosing the wrong successor could decimate my people; and my soul would never find peace, even after death, if that were to happen.
(...)
POV Elowen Grimwald:
I sat back on my heels on the rug, admiring the dusk and the green spread beyond the open window. While I slept, I had the misfortune of having an erotic dream about that devil, in which he chased me through the forest until he captured me and fucked me against the trunk of a tree.
My heat symptoms seemed endless and the warmth never faded, so the cool wind hitting my face and tossing my hair was immensely pleasing—except…
“Why don’t you open that fucking mouth and answer me?” she insisted, her eyes sparking with impatience. For days, the slut had been hounding me to get me to communicate with her. I couldn’t stand the persistence anymore. “You answer Nerin when she asks you something—what the hell is your problem with me?” She blocked my view, stopping in front of me with her arms crossed and her eyebrows nearly meeting at the center of her forehead.
I stared at her with utter disdain and dragged myself to the side, trying to find my peace again. Why wouldn’t that pest just give up?
I considered saying that I had improved and felt no more pain, even if that sent me back to the cage, just so I wouldn’t have to see that unbearable blonde in front of me anymore.
I tried so hard to be patient—the gods were my witnesses…
I gave up on patience when the insolent woman shoved my right shoulder with her foot, making me topple backward painfully. My elbow slammed against the floor, and the sharp jolt in my bones sent blood rushing to my head.
I sprang up abruptly and stood face to face with her, nose to nose. If I had fangs, they would have been bared. I locked my eyes onto hers.
Rage! Hatred! Revulsion!
“I don’t talk to disgusting whores like you, you fucking cow, so shut that irritating mouth and leave me alone!” My creature stirred inside me.
Teneris grimaced in disgust and wiped away the droplets of saliva I had deliberately spat onto her face before shoving me so hard that my body flew toward the steel bars of the cage. My hip took the impact, detonating a tearing pain through me.
I snarled—not just in pain, but in hatred.
Before I could get up, the whore was quick and hurled all the water from the jug that had been sitting on the coffee table onto me.
The cold liquid running over my skin worked like lightning that sparks a fire. I stared at her with the fury of a thousand prisoners and felt every muscle in my body receive a surge of strength.