281- Ashes of Betrayal and the Queen’s Judgment
POV Aldren Valmorin:
Looking at that loyal omega before me, I was filled with the feeling that loyalty was not a value on the brink of extinction. I trusted her, and in my absence, she had done what she could to protect my mate.
“Nerin, I thank you for everything you have done and continue to do. Know that you have my eternal loyalty. I will support you in whatever path you choose to follow.”
I always left the door open for her to leave if she wished. I knew she was happy in that house, but if she had other dreams, I would be honored to support her.
Even with the fortress-like composure she usually carried, her eyes grew moist.
“The elders acted in the name of the law, but I did not, Aldren. I acted in the name of my love for you, and now for Elowen as well.”
I touched the hand of that angel resting on the stone island.
“It is mutual.”
In silence, I finished all the food in the bowl. I felt stuffed, my stomach warning me that I had overdone it. I swallowed the growing urge to vomit and went upstairs to shower before going down to my mate.
With her there, the colors of the world seemed more vivid to me, and the air purer. We were reason and purpose. Cause and consequence. Pain and, at the same time, healing.
After a quick shower, I put on a pair of sweatpants and went down to meet her.
Opening the door, the melody of a piano reached my ears.
She was playing.
Seeing her in a short beige dress, seated at the piano, I realized I was a bastard in love and that my entire life had been a lie.
That right there, what I was feeling, was fucking real.
All my worries dissipated.
I would burn the entire world to avoid losing her. To protect her.
Turning her face and bright blue eyes toward the door where I stood, she gave a shy smile and stopped playing.
“Continue,” I asked as we locked eyes, watching her cheeks warm.
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
I walked to her, stopping at her side in front of the wall of books. On the shelves arranged in the center of the library, I noticed that my meticulous organization was undone.
“I promise I’ll fix it. I was just separating some to read.”
“My books are yours now.”
Her lips parted.
“Hmm… did we get married in complete community of property and I wasn’t informed?” She raised an eyebrow in challenge as I leaned my body over hers, resting one hand on the piano top. “Look, I swear I’m not complaining, because if that’s the case, I just became very rich.”
I shook my head, laughing at her innocence.
“You are mine. My mated companion. My queen. That is enough.”
“I liked that,” she said with a wide smile.
Even before her expression abruptly shifted to sadness, I felt the anxiety take over her chest. I touched her face with one hand, concerned.
“What troubles you, mate?”
She rose from the bench and took my hand from her face, pulling me toward the reading armchairs. She guided me to sit in one and settled sideways on my lap. I wrapped an arm tightly around her back and rested my hand on her thighs.
Before speaking, she brushed our lips together.
“Where is Orion?”
Apparently, Nala’s revelation worried her as well.
“In the United States, still.”
“Does he know what happened…?”
I shook my head.
“One of my guards is responsible for moving away from the village once a day to get signal and call me. He updated me on everyone’s health and told him nothing.”
“That’s good.” She sighed in relief. “When do you think he’ll return?”
“His fiancée had a significant improvement. So he should be returning with her, my guards, and the family in a few days.”
“When he arrives, I need you to arrest him. Can you?”
I was surprised by her request.
“Is there something I need to know beyond what Nala revealed?”
My mate swallowed and touched my face, distressed.
“Orion may have been your friend, but he isn’t anymore… he is enchanted.”
I looked into her eyes and felt through our bond that this was truth to her. I looked away, my head heavy with disappointment.
“I understand. I will do it.”
“Aren’t you going to ask how I know?”
I faced her again, letting her see my sadness.
“I feel what you feel, remember?”
“The day I first saw him at the village gathering, I felt something strange. Korlina communicated with me through thought before she died and confirmed my suspicions. She told me my mission was to bring justice, and I didn’t understand it very well, but I believe this is it.”
That intrigued me.
“Korlina?”
“Yes. She contacted me after death while I was holding her. It was so strange.”
“Fuck… And who enchanted Orion to turn him into an enemy?” I clenched my fist.
“What if it was Kehin? He knew his grandmother’s magic and might have sought another witch, or invoked some dark force,” she pondered.
The obsession he had with my mate, the way he looked at her… he would have had reasons for it. Perhaps the motive was simply to want everything that was mine.
But the equation did not add up: although Kehin had proven himself a traitor, his impulses toward Elowen were neither natural nor rational. Was he only attracted to her because she was a witch like his grandmother?
“You know he is dead, don’t you?” Her eyes widened, proving she did not. “Didn’t you hear? It was before I threw myself into your cell.”
She shook her head.
“I felt like I was going to die, I was in too much pain to notice anything.”
“Kehin is dead. But I wish there were a way to break Orion’s spell. I can’t bear losing more people,” I confessed, allowing myself to be vulnerable beside her.
“The elders forbade me from studying magic… it must be very difficult. Wouldn’t they help?”
I shook my head.
“They must be fed up; they would kill Orion. I also would not allow you to risk yourself studying magic and putting your life in danger. I know you want to be a wolf, and that is what you will be. A wolf. My wolf. I will deal with Orion’s betrayal alone.”
“Korlina was clear, she said: arrest him or kill him. By any chance… did you notice anything different about him?”
I wished I could say no. How I wished.
“Orion never suspected any she-wolf, but he returned from the trip determined to make me suspect you. I do not doubt that it was he, together with Felibér, who poisoned you, and that all the help he gave me was merely to deflect blame from himself. My friend is enchanted, fuck, enchanted.”
“Aldren…” My mate pitied my pain.