26- Bound by Fire and Fate
POV Lunara Grimwald:
I would never be able to escape Edric.
Unlike Alessio, he would always know my location, as well as my feelings. No matter where I went, he would come after me and find me.
So I decided it was better to stay by his side than fight against him.
Edric was strong. Strong enough to keep me safe and protect me from Alessio.
I hugged my body and rested my chin on my bent knees, perched on the chair where I sat on his porch.
I couldn’t stop thinking about my sister. I should have gone back home, should have met her by the river that connected to the city. She should have been waiting for me.
Only, I couldn’t go back. Not now, and maybe never. I wanted to tell Edric about her, so that there was a chance he could help me find her and bring her to me, but ever since that strange night in the forest, he hardly looked at me, always keeping his distance, barely even stopping at home, as if he couldn’t deal with me anymore.
At least I knew Elowen would be safe for a while, with all of Alessio’s males dead.
I had no idea what had happened to us that night. He had marked me again, as if he wanted to show his dominance over me, then he kissed me, as if he needed to fuck me, and then... he pulled away, as if I disgusted him.
He confused me. And I hated him for it.
I hated the fact that I was trapped, but felt relieved by the protection. I hated how inconsistent he was, a son of a bitch at times and fucking hot at others.
After thinking a lot about it, I decided that was the strongest feeling I nurtured for him: hate.
I stood up abruptly and walked down the stone road, away from his house. After wandering so much in search of a safe place to escape, I had already memorized every damn inch of the village.
I was going to take a walk, try to find something to do.
Normally, Lyris or Nicoleta would keep me company, but something was happening, or about to happen, because not only them but everyone else had spent the whole day running around, busy with some task.
I strolled through the village center, walking distractedly between the houses. People still looked at me with complete distrust and kept as far away as possible.
That didn’t bother me or affect me. If a new she-wolf had arrived in my pack, being presented as the mated mate of the alpha, without anyone ever having heard of her before, I would have been suspicious too.
I liked how the pack was run, how everyone contributed in some way to the growth and evolution of the group.
"Taking a walk of your own free will, or trying to find something to tell someone?" Anton appeared at my side, quickening his steps to match mine.
I rolled my eyes and huffed, ignoring his loaded provocation.
"I thought I wasn’t a prisoner, as long as I behaved and didn’t try to escape."
"And you’re not," he agreed, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. "But that doesn’t mean I trust you."
I let out an exasperated laugh.
"Good. Get in line." I pointed with my chin to the people walking ahead of us, sneaking away from me. "They were here first," I mocked.
He stayed silent as he walked beside me.
"You know, I still can’t understand how Edric lost control and mated with you..."
"That’s the cruel doubt everyone has."
He gave me a serious look.
"Nothing to say about that?"
I took a deep breath and laced my fingers in front of my body.
"Even if I told the truth, you wouldn’t believe me."
"Try..." he urged.
"The truth is..." I looked at him and shrugged. "I don’t know what happened. One moment I was running, trying to escape from..." I cleared my throat. "Alessio, and the next I ran into Edric and... it was all so fast, so wild... and I mated," I confessed, thinking about it again.
I had no idea what the hell had happened. It was my first heat, but the way they talked about it and treated what happened told me it hadn’t been normal.
I knew that not all alphas who lost control around an omega in heat actually mated with them. Most of the time, it was just sex.
But... what was wrong between us? I had no idea.
He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, pulling me from my thoughts.
"Want my guess?" he asked.
"Because I feel like you’re going to tell me even if I say I don’t want to know?"
"Because you’re right, I’ll say it anyway." He raised a finger. "As strange as it may sound, I believe you."
I laughed, and noticed how the people walking along the stone paths seemed to pay attention to the two of us.
"And Edric?"
Anton blinked, confused.
"What about him?"
"Well... it was my first heat. I’m inexperienced in this subject and don’t know how abnormal mating is. Right now, I’m blaming our wild, animal side for what happened. But... Edric is older, he must have seen many omegas in heat. What do you have to say about him?"
There was a different energy in the village that day. When Lyris had first shown me around, people only seemed interested in living their lives and continuing to provide for the pack.
But not today.
They walked back and forth, excited. Some carried little bundles of herbs. I could smell them, though I couldn’t identify which ones. And they looked... well dressed, as if preparing for some festival or event.
"I think Edric is getting old and losing his mind," he confessed.
Anton seemed to be Edric’s right-hand man, his counselor. While Andrei took things lightly, even though he was totally loyal to his alpha, Anton seemed to think through everything, study and analyze every detail.
"And about the ritual?" I asked, lowering my voice a few tones so only he could hear. "It’s an option, trying to remove the mark and be free from each other."
He pressed his lips into a thin line and slowed his pace, making me match him.
"I don’t know what your old pack was like or what importance your alpha gave to it," he said in a harsh whisper, "but know that’s not how things work here. Edric values us greatly and sees the pack as his family. He’ll never do anything that puts his life at risk, not because he values it for its own sake, but because he knows there are hundreds of people counting on him, who need him."