507- A Family's Welcome
POV Thalyndra Moonclaw:
Myrion snorted and gestured in disdain, pulling out the chair to sit down.
"Not with those exact words, but he also didn't seem so angry after he found out the place belonged to the Merchants, so I can see that as a good thing." He picked up a slice of cake and put it on his plate, helping himself. "And our mother didn't get involved in the matter, which means I'm right about him approving my actions last night."
"She didn't get involved because it wasn't necessary, Myrion, and not because you were right," Aurelka exasperated.
He took a piece of cake to his mouth and began to chew, ignoring his sister. He looked at me.
"And you, how are you? I heard you killed a Merchant yesterday and that it was quite a death."
Lana and Aurelka turned to me immediately.
"It wasn't that much."
He pondered, tilting his head to the side.
"Considering it was Anton who said it and he thinks everything you do is amazing, maybe you're right." He fixed on the mark on my neck and then smiled widely, his eyes taking on a glint of amusement. "Oh, but it seems you went out to celebrate." He inhaled, flaring his nostrils. "I was smelling Anton strong, but I thought he was here somewhere. And in the end, you really went and had sex in the woods." He chortled.
I prayed, begging for a hole to open right under me and drag me into the earth.
"You disappeared last night," I commented, changing the subject again.
If things continued like that, I would have to spend the rest of the day locked in my room, avoiding any contact.
"I had to go sort some things out," he said, stabbing his fork into the scrambled eggs. "But believe me, it wasn't as fun as your and Anton's end of the night."
That breakfast was a routine event I was getting used to. Usually, it was just us, since Edric and Lunara left early for their commitments. Most of the time they were in Eldoria, but on a few occasions, they went to other packs to visit the alpha's brothers.
"More important than killing a few Merchants? I thought your spirit was a bit more bloodthirsty," I mocked.
"And who told you I didn't kill some of them?" he retorted, raising an eyebrow.
"Good morning!" said Anton, striding into the room and stopping next to his brother, at the end of the table.
My heart raced. I raised my face and stared at him, observing him. Handsome and intact, without a single sign of the adventure we had gone through the night before.
"You look very well, little brother," Myrion commented, analyzing Anton from head to toe. "I'd say you even look happier. Did I miss something important?" he provoked.
I breathed slowly, controlling myself, ignoring his jokes and the urge to die.
Anton ignored his brother and approached me. He left an object next to my chair. He leaned in, aligning our faces. His eyes observed the mark on my neck intently, and I swore something like purely masculine pride shone in them.
"Are you okay?" he whispered.
I nodded, unable to give him a verbal answer.
"I brought you something." He pointed with his chin to the floor.
I looked down. I gasped, in complete shock. My eyes blurred with tears and my breathing became heavy. Anton pulled the painting and placed it on the chair beside me.
"But... how?" I asked, my voice faltering, choked by the emotion I felt.
"That was the thing I had to go sort out," Myrion said. "While you were having fun in the woods," he added, mockingly.
"I know the painting belonged to your father; I noticed how interested you were in getting it back. I sent Myrion to sort that out while we handled the rest," Anton cut in.
I ran a hand through my hair.
"I thought... I thought it had burned along with the hotel."
"I would never allow an inheritance, which is rightfully yours, to be destroyed as if it were nothing." He gestured. "That's why Myrion disappeared and needed the car to escape. He didn't wait for us because more Merchants could show up, and I didn't want to risk losing the painting again."
I reached out and touched the edge of the frame with my fingertips. It was as if I could hear my father's voice again, so vivid and so close to my ear that I almost turned around.
"Thank you," I whispered. "It meant a lot to me."
Myrion took a deep breath.
"It wasn't that hard. I killed a few wretches who were on guard duty, broke into a silver vault, and stole the painting. They tried to keep the object safe, but they didn't imagine who would go after it." He winked.
Anton pulled up a chair on my other side and sat down. He poured a cup of coffee and brought his body close to mine, leaning in to whisper.
"Don't be so affected, Little Beast. We're your family now, and we'll do anything for you."
I swallowed, the saliva passing slowly down my constricted throat.
"Does that include stealing objects?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood a little.
"That and anything else that might please you."
He had told me I didn't need to run anymore, that I had finally found a home. I knew he spoke the truth, but I wasn't ready to accept it yet. However... what they did, how they cared about something, just because it was relevant to me, went far beyond what I could ignore.
I brought my hand to my chest and scratched my skin, feeling the rapid beats of my heart.
They were changing things for me, making me see Eldoria with different eyes, wanting much more than I thought I wanted. Imagining a life out there, teaching, as I had always wanted, no longer seemed enough.
It was those small gestures that changed everything.
Anton turned his body to me and touched my neck with his fingertips, startling me. He circled the bite delicately.
"How was your night? Did you sleep well?" he inquired.
"I'm sure she slept like a log, all satisfied and tired," Myrion cut in. "At least, that's what I expect from my brother."
I stiffened.