485- The Taste of Blood and Vengeance
POV Thalyndra Moonclaw:
"Alright, since you're supposedly telling the truth." He pointed at Anton and Myrion. "You two are going to the city after breakfast."
"Why?" the Eldoria firstborn inquired.
"Because you're going to look for the two missing idiots."
Myrion leaned back in his chair, furrowing his brows.
"And we, by any chance, have become bloodhounds now?" Edric's eyes lit up with rage at his son's audacity.
"Yes, and you'll do what I say! Especially when I'm certain you're involved, even if you deny it to the death."
"Ask the pack members." He smiled, the tips of his fangs showing.
"I know my pups well, just as I know my people, and I know that only a suspicion of death will make none of them open their mouths, not even to me."
Myrion placed his palm over his chest.
"Us, threatening people? You offend us, Father." He was absolutely insane.
Lunara slapped her hands on the table, making the silverware clatter, startling everyone. Myrion and Anton shrank back at the threat. She stood up and pointed an accusing finger at them.
"You'll do as ordered and without further questioning." She half-closed her eyes, transforming them into small slits. "Like your father, I also believe you're involved. I don't want to hear any excuses, any smart remarks. Understood?"
The difference in treatment was clear; they were more afraid of Lunara than of Edric, although they respected both. Not even Myrion, who always had sharp comebacks on the tip of his tongue, opened his mouth to contest his mother.
"Yes," they confirmed in unison. Edric laughed.
"Nothing like an angry female to keep these two in line," he mocked.
Vladren, Lyris, and Celindra laughed.
"Even I'm tempted to follow orders, and they weren't even directed at me," Vladren teased.
Lyris snorted.
"Then only Lunara could manage to keep you in line, brother."
Edric stood up, scraping his chair's legs against the floor. He tossed his napkin on the table and looked at everyone.
"I have some things to take care of at the charcoal kiln." He turned to his wife. "I don't know if I'll make it back in time for lunch, but I promise to make it up to you with dinner." He took her hand and planted a kiss on its back.
"That's fine, we also have commitments at the school, with the pups." She smiled, adoringly. "But I'll be here for our dinner."
The love between them was clear, almost palpable. It wasn't something I had ever seen before, much stronger and more solid than what my parents had. Perhaps because they were destined partners, wolves born for each other, the perfect pair.
"Do you want help?" Vladren asked. Edric declined.
"With Anton and Myrion out, take care of the lumberyard," he ordered. He said goodbye with a nod of his head and left the house.
One by one, they finished breakfast and went off to their own commitments. I didn't have many plans for what to do. I would continue with my reading.
I felt Anton's gaze on me as he got up from the table. I kept mine on my plate, avoiding him. He and Myrion said goodbye as well and left.
It was strange to have him around, just as it was strange not to. When he was there, I felt embarrassed, and when he wasn't, I missed him.
I needed to come to a consensus about that. Did I like his presence or not? Well, the answer was quite clear to me.
"Do you want to go for a walk with us?" Aurelka asked.
"I have some things to do, but I promise to meet you guys later for a swim in the lake."
"Alright," she smiled.
The truth was that I needed to spend some time alone with my own thoughts before going out to socialize. There was too much happening, too much that disturbed me, and when that happened, only solitude could help me silence all the questions inside my head.
...
I wandered through the forest, lost in thought. My fingers brushed against the low-hanging branches that scratched my skin without causing wounds.
I let out an exasperated sigh and stopped walking, casting a careful look around me.
I had nothing left to do. I had already finished the book I had chosen for my current reading. It was, in fact, time for my training, but knowing that Anton wouldn't show up to help me made things far from exciting—I didn't even feel like practicing.
I ran a hand through my hair, tossing a strand back. I had become so dependent on him that I had barely noticed. Everywhere I went, everything I did, I was always thinking about whether he would be nearby.
I tore off a leaf and shredded it with my fingers, frustrated, throwing the pieces to the ground.
I needed to find something to do. Maybe teaching the children at the school wouldn't be so bad after all. I would be doing something I enjoyed and keeping myself busy with it.
My frustration, however, wasn't just from my boredom. It was also from the silence coming from the other side. The Merchants hadn't appeared again, I couldn't leave, and no one brought me answers about them. My heart cried out for vengeance, and it would only be soothed when I obtained it.
My parents' death was a constant, latent pain. Nothing would bring them back, but ending the lives of those who had taken them from me would bring me some peace, at least.
I moved forward, walking without any exact direction to follow, letting my feet guide me.
I played with the fabric of my blouse, twisting it around my fingers, as I wandered aimlessly.
Birds serpentined above my head, landing on the high branches, watching me from afar.
It was something I had noticed—the animals always knew. Some fled, seeing me as a predator, while others stayed lurking, as if they recognized something familiar in me, something of the same nature.
The silence was broken by familiar voices. I stopped walking, focusing on the sound. They belonged to Anton and Myrion—they were speaking simultaneously, seeming irritated.
With delicate steps, I followed in the direction they came from, taking care not to make noise and reveal my proximity.
I shouldn't be snooping like this—they could be having a private moment—but I couldn't help my piqued curiosity. Edric was convinced they were responsible for the disappearance of the two wolves from the pack—and they indeed were—I just wanted to know how they would get out of that situation, what they would say to their father when they returned home without answers.
As I drew closer, I caught their scent, but I also smelled other men. My body stiffened and my hairs stood on end.
I peeked from behind a tree.