85- Whispers of the Past
POV Lunara Grimwald:
“What’s all this?” I asked, holding a small wooden sculpture shaped like a wolf.
Edric’s dining table was crowded with several of them, while Celindra, Lyris, and Nicoleta amused themselves trying to carve new ones. Some looked better than others, depending on each she-wolf’s skill.
“Didn’t you celebrate Samhain in your old pack?” Lyris asked, running the tip of her knife along the wood, shaping what would become the wolf’s head.
I raised my eyebrows. “What’s that?”
Celindra laughed. “It’s the beginning of winter. Kind of like the turn of the year for us. We light bonfires, carve wolf statues”—she raised the one in her hand for emphasis—“we drink and roast meat. Everyone is responsible for something. And since carving is the hardest part, it always falls on us.”
“Yes,” Lyris agreed. “And now that we have you, sit your ass down and help us.”
I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth. “I’m sorry, but carving wooden statues isn’t on my list of talents. I can cook something instead, any dish you want—just as long as Thalira doesn’t show up.”
Nicoleta chuckled, focused on the figurine she was working on. Lyris huffed.
“With the way Edric’s been avoiding that she-wolf, I wouldn’t be surprised if she tried to barge into the house.”
“I don’t think she’d do that. Thalira might be a bitch, but she’s not stupid. She knows Edric would rip her head off if she disobeyed an order,” Celindra remarked.
“She already has,” I said, sharp and cold. “On the day of Ruda’s funeral. He’d already forbidden her from coming, and she showed up anyway. Edric isn’t that cruel when it comes to his mistress.”
Just mentioning their affair made my stomach churn. It was such a deep, boiling anger that I lost control of my words and actions whenever the subject came up.
Lyris looked at me from beneath her dark lashes. “That’s in the past.”
“What do you mean, in the past?”
“Well… I heard she’s kind of losing it,” she said, drawing out the words slowly.
Celindra nodded. “I heard something like that too.”
I pulled a chair and sat down, trying to contain the anxiety spreading through me. Nicoleta, as usual, stayed out of the conversation. She was always careful about anything involving Edric’s private life. The alpha trusted her — she was one of the few who had full access to his house, including his bedroom. That was the greatest honor a wolf could receive: the pack leader’s trust, and it made her even more cautious and grateful.
“Just say it,” I urged, breathless.
A mischievous smile curled Lyris’s full lips. “Seems like Edric’s been avoiding our dear Thalira for a few days. That’s never happened before.”
“Never,” Celindra agreed.
“At least not since Catalina died and they got close,” Lyris added.
I bit my lip and stared at them. “He told me about Catalina.”
They exchanged startled looks. One’s expression mirrored the other’s.
“And what did he say?” This time, it was Nicoleta who spoke. I shrugged, pretending it wasn’t a big deal.
“That she was killed by a Tharengard wolf, and after what happened, all wolves were forbidden from wandering between territories.” They blinked, astonished. “He was kind of… drunk when he told me all that, and I asked a few questions, but I was afraid to dig too deep and make him lose it.”
Lyris snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Honey, the fact that he even talked about Catalina with you means a lot. He doesn’t say her name to anyone. And when I say anyone, I mean absolutely no one.”
“Why not?” I straightened up. “I mean, death is hard, especially when you’re close to the person, but… not even saying her name?”
“Ever heard of guilt?” Celindra said. A frown creased my forehead.
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“Well, she wasn’t exactly that nice…” Celindra began.
“Celindra!” Lyris hissed, shooting her a sharp look.
“I’m not naming names; let’s just call her ‘she’.” Celindra made air quotes with her fingers. “Anyway, she was arrogant, a bit rude, and completely spoiled. The truth is, no one really missed her after she died — but that’s something no wolf in this pack would ever admit, for fear of his reaction.” She didn’t mention a name, but none of us needed her to. “She was a lot like Thalira.”
“That explains a lot.” I rolled my eyes. “Now I understand why he lets Thalira do whatever she wants — she reminds him of his precious beloved.”
“But that’s the thing,” Lyris continued. “He’s never been like that with anyone in the pack. He’s always treated everyone with respect; that’s why everyone adores him. He threatens and instills fear when necessary, but he’s a great leader, most of the time.”
“They were destined mates; of course he’d accept anything that came from her,” I countered.
“We don’t know if he feels that way because he loved her above all else or because of the guilt of having failed as an alpha and as a mate.”
“But… did he fail?”
“She died within his own territory. A she-wolf who was part of his pack. Obviously, he carries the weight of what that failure caused. He was devastated after it happened — he even changed as a person.”
“Deaths happen all the time,” I argued.
“Not one so… bizarre. Everyone lived in perfect harmony, wandering around, trying to find their destined partners. It was so unexpected that neither he nor anyone else was prepared for it.”
“So he truly wasn’t to blame.” Lyris sighed, arching her brows.