240- A Family That Was Never Mine
POV Elowen Grimwald:
If I needed to vent to someone, it might as well be Korlina.
“Well, I’ve done my shopping and I’m heading home.” She paused, lifting the two small bags. “What do you think about joining me for some coffee?”
I had no contact with anyone besides Nerin and Aldren, so it might not be a bad idea after all.
I felt a good energy coming from her, and besides, she was known by my bodyguard. I lifted my head, seeking his confirmation.
“I’ll need to come along, miss.”
And then I turned back to the friendly woman in her plain mustard dress that reached her feet, with a moss-colored stone necklace around her neck.
“No problem. You know you’re always invited too, Bratvo.”
“Well then, let’s go.” I grew excited to see the home of my new pack acquaintance.
“You’ll need patience, my daughter. This old woman walks at a turtle’s pace.” I raised my arm, offering it to her.
“How kind, thank you,” she said, accepting and linking her arm with mine.
Over a short walk of about two blocks, chatting about small things, she guided me into the fully organized residential section of the settlement.
Lined up evenly, the houses were nearly the same size, built from beautifully polished wood. The surroundings were covered in low grass, and I could breathe the same pure air as at Aldren’s home.
From what little I knew, their organization and leadership system seemed to function in perfect harmony.
Everyone passing by, leaving or entering their homes, greeted Lady Korlina warmly and looked at me with a certain curiosity.
Her house was at the end, almost the last one.
We were invited inside, but Bratvo chose to remain outside by the door.
As I stepped in, I was surprised by the picturesque decor. Plant pots filled the wall of the small living room, which was bathed directly in sunlight. A bookshelf held several shiny-covered volumes, with a TV mounted in an open square at the center.
“Wait here, dear. I’ll make the coffee.”
“May I help you?”
“No, imagine. Sit down.” Supporting herself against the walls, she moved more quickly down the hallway at the corner, right beside the entrance.
I wanted to insist and follow her, but we still had too little intimacy for me to act so boldly.
Accepting my fate, I sat alone on the sofa.
For minutes, I suffered from anxiety at being in a new environment. I usually adapted easily to everything—my life had demanded it, needing to run so many times—but somehow, being there was different.
“All done,” she announced in her raspy voice, carrying a tray in her arms.
I stood up, even though she had refused my help, took it from her, and placed it on the small coffee table between the armchairs.
Besides the pot and the cute owl-patterned cups, there was a decorated plate filled with cookies that looked homemade.
“If those are homemade cookies, you’ve just won my heart.”
“And they are.” She smiled proudly, choosing to sit beside me. “I’ll serve Bratvo too. Could you take it to him?”
“Of course!”
I waited until she poured him a cup and carried it out with three cookies on the saucer. It was smart of him not to refuse.
Returning under her warm gaze, I sipped the coffee and dipped a few cookies before biting into them.
A sudden joy filled me, radiating from my stomach.
I would love to be invited more often. I didn’t understand why, but that woman made me feel something comforting.
“This is delicious, Lady Korlina. I’m very happy for the invitation.”
“You’re welcome. It’s good to have company sometimes.” She touched my knee, and I placed my hand over hers.
Her touch was familiar.
“Have you lived here a long time?”
“Yes, dear. Since when everything was only dense forest. Noctheria didn’t exist, nor this village, nor the elders.”
“The elders?”
“You don’t know them?” I shook my head. “Well, they are the beginning of everything. The alphas were appointed by them.”
Interesting.
“Are there other alphas like Aldren?” She frowned in confusion.
“Aren’t you close? I thought you knew, dear.”
“Well… we haven’t really had much time to talk about the past.”
“I see. Well, there are six territories. Noctheria, the neutral zone where the elders live, Valmorin, which you already know, and four others: Tharengard, Cyndrael, Averwyn, and Eldoria.”
So the other territories where I had been chased while searching for my sister could belong to those other alphas.
A flame lit in my chest. Could my sister be trapped in one of them?
“Each territory has an alpha, right?”
“Yes.”
Korlina withdrew her hand from mine, and a flicker of sadness crossed her eyes.
“Did I say something wrong? I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Kehin,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
The name of my captor sent a shiver of fear down my spine.
“You know him…?”
“He is my grandson.”
Heavens.
“Lady Korlina, please know I didn’t ask for him to be imprisoned, I—I only…”
“Elowen, dear.” She placed her hand back over mine and squeezed.
“I was just looking for my sister, I swear…” I shared a sorrowful look with her and returned the pressure of her hand.
“Don’t worry. I know it isn’t your fault. The fault for all of this is mine,” she admitted, sadness suppressing anger. “Who is the sister you’re searching for? Have you found her?” she changed the subject. It was clear speaking of Kehin wounded her.
“No. Now that you mentioned those other territories… I’m afraid Lunara might be imprisoned by an alpha even more brutal than Aldren.”
“You said… Lunara?” she sounded confused.
“Yes. My sister’s name is Lunara.”
Her eyebrows rose, deepening the wrinkles on her forehead.
“The mate of Alpha Edric, from Eldoria, is named Lunara.”
A knot formed in my throat.
I opened my mouth to question her—I had so many questions rising all at once—but nothing came out.
“She’s pregnant. They will be a beautiful family. But it can’t be your sister… Aldren and Edric are very close.”
The ground opened beneath my feet.
“How…” I forced the words out, my hands trembling against hers. “How… what does she look like?”
Korlina’s gray brows drew together.
“Now that I think about it, she resembles you, dear. Thin, light eyes, dark thick hair.” She paused, her thin lips cracked by time parting slightly. “Oh, by the Goddess… dear, were you from Eastern Twilight too?”
“It’s not possible…” I gasped, pulling my hand away and bringing it to my mouth.
Before the tears fell, they burned inside me.
“I can’t understand why she was never rescued or searched for. You and your sister weren’t close?”
Weren’t close…
Her words crashed over me like an avalanche, carrying the weight of a cruel realization.
Lunara, my sister—the person for whom I had risked my life—was married… and pregnant.
A life built, happy and complete, without my presence, without even my knowledge.