522- Blood of the Heir, Fire of Revenge
POV Thalyndra Moonclaw:
I looked at Anton, admiring him, trying to sculpt the image in my mind. I wanted to take something of him with me, if only a memory. If what they said about death was right and there really was a life after it, I would like to carry for eternity the memories of Anton Eldoria, the wolf who entered my life through a stab wound. Arrogant, dangerously attractive, powerful, and protective to the extreme. Who was capable of shaking my foundations from the very first encounter, when I was nothing more than an innocent little girl.
I couldn't hold on any longer, my body gave in. Anton held me, laying me on my back gently and resting my head on the soft leaves.
He turned to Myrion, who was silent, dismayed by the situation. They exchanged a look, a silent dialogue that only brothers could understand. Then he looked at Aurelka, who nodded, the gesture so simple, almost imperceptible.
Anton approached me and kissed my sweaty forehead.
"I'm sorry, I always wanted to give you a choice about this, but living without you is not an option," he whispered.
Edric shifted, restless.
"No," he protested.
And then everything happened too fast. Anton pushed his father away and Myrion moved, placing himself between the two. Vladren tried to approach, but was intercepted by Aurelka.
"Damn it, Anton!" Vladren shouted. "Do you know the real meaning of what you're about to do?"
Anton elongated his nails and tore the skin on his wrist, letting the blood flow.
"Yes, I know, and no one is going to stop me," he replied, bringing his wrist to my mouth. "Drink my blood, Little Beast, please."
I blinked, slowly, my vision growing increasingly blurry. He placed his wrist over my parted lips and the blood ran down my throat. My eyes widened, shocked by the taste. It wasn't bad, much less disgusting as I thought it could be. Anton tasted of something ancient, powerful. It was as if fire were going down my throat.
He was giving me something I had desired since the first moment, even without understanding it properly, without understanding why I wanted it so much.
Edric moved, but Myrion pushed him away, always placing himself between our father and us, preventing him from reaching us.
"I cannot allow this to happen, I will not let Anton put himself in danger this way. She has the right to choose and he is taking that away from her, he doesn't know if she wants this." His tone of voice deepened. "I am ordering you right now to stop, as your alpha."
"Of course she wants it," Anton stated, full of presumption in his tone. "And I am disobeying your orders, Father."
Myrion bent forward, ready to engage in a confrontation against his own father and leader, all to defend his brother's desire, showing where his true loyalty lay.
"And I will not allow you to interrupt him, Father," he contested. "It's Anton's choice, and we agree with him."
Vladren also tried to move, dodging Aurelka, but was intercepted by a much faster Myrion. He threw the wolf far away, who flew through the air, falling to his knees meters away.
Aurelka approached her brother, forming a circle between us and them. Lana also joined them, although she was the weakest, she was ready to help.
"She has the right to choose, it's something that will change her life forever," Edric stated with a growl.
"You and Mom didn't have that right, you were taken by instinct and lost control, and it worked out perfectly. Sometimes, we need to take some wrong actions to discover that, in the end, they weren't so bad after all," Aurelka retorted.
Edric ran his hand through his hair.
"It's different."
Anton turned his face to him, raising his lips and showing his fangs, growling.
"There's nothing different. You mated with your predestined companion, just as I will do with mine."
Edric gasped, in shock.
"She's not..."
"Yes, she is. There's no choice, she is my companion and I will not allow her to die."
"There's no way to be so certain."
"Believe me, Father, I have the most absolute certainty of all." He turned to face me and caressed my hair. "I love you, Little Beast, from the very first moment we met, and living a life in which you don't exist is not an option."
He pulled his wrist from my mouth, the wound already healed. His taste was still on my tongue, so perfect, so delicious. Nothing compared to that, nothing I had ever tasted. It was supreme, absolute, sovereign.
Anton caressed my hair a little more and stared at me, without taking his eyes off mine. They alternated between blue and gold and emerald green. He lowered himself, sinking his fangs into the side of my neck.
I gasped with the pain, letting out a deep sigh, but it was soon replaced by pleasure. I was weak, with slow heartbeats.
My wolf purred, approving, completely in agreement with what he was doing. I could feel her strange satisfaction.
He sucked my blood, letting out a moan, approving the taste. I closed my eyes and waited, expecting death to reach me, but that's not what happened.
My body began to tingle and heat up. The slow heartbeat became accelerated and the shallow breathing became deep. It was as if my strength was being revived.
I opened my eyes, my vision a little clearer.
Anton released me, standing up. He looked at me with his head slightly tilted, analyzing every fleeting reaction on my face. His eyes dominated by gold and emerald green. Mine pulsed, brown taking over the irises. He smiled, receiving back a smile that appeared on my lips. Our beasts communicating silently, approving what had happened.
I felt something like... love, unconditional and omnipotent, but the feeling didn't come only from me, it was as if I could feel the same thing he felt.
He lifted my shirt and leaned in, licking the wound, which soon began to heat up, being healed by his saliva.
I blinked, confused. I was exhausted, but I had no more pain, nor did I feel like I was dying. Not anymore.
He pulled me, making me sit up and pushed my hair back from my shoulder.
"How do you feel?" I shook my head, confused.