533- The Queen's Crown Forged in Ashes
POV Thalyndra Moonclaw:
For him, the truth didn't change his love for me. He warned me about death, called the Eldoria, tried to free me from it, to save me.
I fell to my knees, supported by Anton.
He, my first love. The man who taught me everything I knew, who was always available to help me, who could always help when no one else could.
And now he was dead, destroyed by the woman he swore to protect, with whom he thought he had formed the perfect family.
Deceived, betrayed, scorned.
What did he feel when he died, besides pure and complete disappointment? Did he suffer in silence and alone? Even in the face of all this, he loved me, going against everything he felt, against everything he believed.
Half Moonclaw, half Mercante.
That didn't even match. They were natural enemies. One preserved our history while the other destroyed it.
I knew which blood pulsed stronger, which family I truly belonged to. The truth didn't change the facts.
I raised my face and stared at Severian full of hatred.
For a time, I missed having some figure like that. A grandmother or grandfather I could turn to, who would indulge my wishes when my parents wouldn't, as I saw happening with other children.
I didn't feel love, I didn't feel anything good, nothing that should be common to feel when looking at such a figure. I felt anger, hatred, resentment.
I blinked, pushing away the tears, fixing my vision.
"What business?" I asked, standing up.
The naive girl who was in the forest trying to understand who Severian was and what he wanted no longer existed. There was a new Thalyndra.
Half Moonclaw, half Eldoria.
Maybe Anton was right and destiny really existed. I was born into a clan I detested, even without knowing it, but life led me to one I learned to love. I was never a Mercante and never would be, because I was an Eldoria.
I tilted my face and pressed my teeth together firmly. I calmed my breathing and controlled my heartbeat. I looked at him, firm and resolute.
"That's how I like it," Severian said, smiling. "So strong, intelligent, and determined, like a Mercante."
"I'm waiting for the answer," I cut in.
My mother was smiling too, believing everything was fine, that everything would work out.
"Since our families have united, we can do some profitable business. I know that with the Eldoria name with us, no one else can stop or halt us. We are already respected and recognized among our people, but soon we will elevate our status even further."
Money, power... they were so predictable, always desiring the same things.
"With one condition," Anton replied, crossing his arms in front of his body, beside me. "I want the head of Thalyndra's possible fiancé on a platter."
He knew, he would always know, because of our bond, but even more so because of the connection we shared before the mating.
Myrion snarled.
"You can't be serious! We're not going to do business with these thieving pigs." He pointed at Sorina. "That damned bitch isn't even trustworthy, she was capable of betraying her own husband and deceiving her family."
I felt like laughing seeing her face contort, suppressing the offense that bothered her, but I managed to control myself.
"With your protection, the deal is sealed!" Severian replied. "As Sorina said, it's an important and influential family, but nothing that some gifted wolves can't help us resolve."
I licked my lips and arched an eyebrow.
"I thought the Mercantes were a little more... prestigious, to fear humans."
She batted her eyelashes, blinking her green eyes in which I now knew what familiarity I had found in them, just like in Silas's.
"And we are, but it turns out that when you work in the illegal market, you end up knowing too many people, some dangerous, whether human or not. Which is the case with your ex-fiancé's family. A few auctions later, and they know all our weaknesses."
I nodded as if I understood what he was saying. I looked at Edric.
"If you want to forgive them, we will accept your choice," he replied. "I will not make an agreement with them, however. I will never be open to negotiations with these wretches." He looked at Anton and Myrion. "But my pups are free to choose as they wish."
Anton cast a look at his brother, a subliminal, silent communication that somehow he understood. I would never understand the magnitude of their connection, how they managed to communicate that way. But I envied them for it.
"I'm with Anton, even if that means having to work with thieving pigs," Myrion retorted, making Anton smile slightly.
Severian seemed to ponder.
"Well... because of our kinship, I expected a better offer." He made a gesture with his hand. "But two gifted wolves are better than nothing."
I approached him, smiling. Tears welled up in my eyes and I sniffled, emotional.
"I... can I give you a hug? I always wished I had a grandfather." He opened his arms and smiled.
"Of course, pup. Come greet your grandfather, this is just the beginning of a long and prosperous cycle." He looked me up and down. "I'm proud of Sorina, of the daughter she raised. You are much better than I expected."
It was William Moonclaw who did that, not Sorina. She was a present mother, but not as much as he was a father. He who taught me to read, to ride a bike, who was present at all my school meetings, who took me for walks when I felt bored, and who supported me when I feared an exam.
I approached him and hugged him, wrapping my arms around his slender body. I laid my head on his chest and inhaled, closing my eyes. My brain buzzing with the scent. The scene of blood, the debauchery of what I felt that day, all the destruction, the suffering, the torture, hit me squarely.