453- Mattered
POV Thalyndra Moonclaw:
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“Who are you?” I countered.
The knife at my waist burned against my skin, reminding me it was there.
If he got too close, I would pull it free and drive it into his chest.
“I'm Tiberiu, from Eldoria.”
I managed to suppress the sigh of relief that almost escaped me.
He wasn't a stranger, a wolf from another pack, or a Mercante.
I would still kill him if he posed any threat to me.
“Uh, I'm—”
“I know who you are,” he interrupted. “Everyone in Eldoria does.”
I narrowed my eyes, confused.
“All right, then.”
Being that popular didn't seem pleasant to me, but at least it saved me from introducing myself to everyone I met.
“Anton made a point of talking about you to every available male.”
I opened and closed my mouth, unsure what to say to that.
“And why would he do that?”
Tiberiu remained where he was, making no effort to move closer. He had noticed the warning signals my body was giving off.
He didn't seem dangerous.
But I didn't know him.
I didn't even know whether he was telling the truth.
So I remained alert and cautious.
“Because he doesn't want any other male near you.”
I pressed a hand to my face and pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to calm myself.
Anton needed to put an end to that unhealthy obsession of his once and for all.
I'd been trying to understand his behavior, blaming his animal side for it, but I was reaching my limit.
I shook my head, straightening my posture and forcing the anger away.
It didn't matter.
I wasn't looking for a husband in Eldoria.
I wasn't interested in anyone, and I didn't care if they were forced to stay away from me.
The only thing that irritated me was having no control over my own life.
“Whatever,” I hissed. “Do you know which way the town is?”
I needed to focus on what actually mattered.
I wanted clothes.
I wanted books.
And I wanted to eat something heavily processed.
“I do.”
“Could you tell me, please?”
Tiberiu placed one foot on an exposed tree root and bent his knee, resting a hand on it. He leaned forward, looking bored.
“I can't.”
I stared at him in silence, absorbing his refusal.
It wasn't something I had expected.
I thought he would be at least a little more polite and courteous.
“May I ask why?”
He let out a heavy breath.
“Because you don't have permission to go to town alone.”
My entire body stiffened.
“I don't have permission?” I whispered.
“That's exactly what you heard.”
The heat of anger climbed up my neck and settled in my face.
It wasn't the coolest summer day, but the shade made the weather fairly pleasant.
At least until I began burning with pure fury.
Sweat broke out across my forehead, and my heart started pounding.
“I don't need anyone's permission for anything. I'm an independent adult woman. If you don't want to give me the information, that's fine. I'll figure it out myself,” I growled.
I turned my back on him and prepared to continue on my way.
If he made a single move toward me, I would pull the dagger from my back and stab him.
Maybe I wouldn't kill him.
But I'd injure him badly enough to vent my frustration.
“Yes, you do. You're in Eldoria. Therefore, you're considered one of us. Which means you obey the orders of our alpha.”
“Uh-huh...” I muttered, continuing to walk away.
“And you don't have permission to leave because all of us patrolmen received explicit orders to keep you in Eldoria.”
I stopped immediately and turned back toward him.
“From whom?”
“From Eldoria's future.”
Gods.
Was everyone in this place insane?
“Who the hell are you talking about?”
He shot me a sideways look, as though the answer were painfully obvious and I were completely stupid.
“Our future leader. Anton.”
My hands clenched at my sides.
I couldn't believe this.
Not in any way, shape, or form.
“And who said he has authority over me?” My voice came out as a low hiss.
“He has authority over all of us in Eldoria, including you, since you live with us now and have become one of us.”
“Tell your leader that I'm going to town. I don't care what his opinion is on the matter.”
He sighed.
His brown eyes looked increasingly bored, as though the conversation itself exhausted him.
He was treating me like a child throwing a tantrum over something ridiculous.
“I'm sorry, female. But I can't and won't let you leave. You're in my sector, during my patrol shift. It's my responsibility to keep you safe and keep you in Eldoria. Those are the orders of my future leader, and I will not disobey them.”
I wanted to scream at him.
To argue.
To shout to the heavens that I was free, that no one controlled me or dictated my every move.
But the poor man was only following orders.
This wasn't his fault.
It was Anton's.
That arrogant, controlling, self-important idiot.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
If I moved quickly, I could knock him out and leave him unconscious for a few minutes—or even a few hours.
In that time, I could run as far away as possible, even if it meant getting hopelessly lost in the forest.
It would be reckless.
Impulsive.
An act of pure rebellion designed solely to prove to Anton that he had no authority over me.
But it would also be selfish.
Besides causing trouble for Tiberiu and getting myself lost, I would eventually need rescuing.
And that would be even more humiliating.
“Where is Anton?” I whispered, focusing all my anger on the idiot with two meters of ego.
“I think he's at the lumber mill.”
My teeth were clenched so tightly that I could feel my jaw muscles grinding.