I stare at him for a few seconds and then let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding. “You should have just let me die.”Balin frowns, “Why?”“I’ve–” My breath catches. “I’ve got nothing left in this world, Balin. I’ve got no one left. Everyone I loved is dead. My brother, my mate, my child. What’s the point of living?”He studies me and then responds, “I am aware that wolf shifters live in packs, that your kind heavily depends on your bonds with each other. But we all come into this world with some purpose. You mentioned that your mate and your brother died protecting you. That was their purpose in this world. To die so you could live. You think it did not occur to them that you would grieve for them or that your continuing life wouldn’t be easy?”I go still at his words.“It was a selfish decision.”“No,” Balin’s voice is hard. “Your decision to stop living, your refusal to honor their sacrifice is a selfish decision.”His words make my blood boil and I burst out, “Th
My brows knit together as I say slowly, “Not much. Like I told you, my brother never really taught me any kind of history. We were too busy trying to survive as rogues.”Balin exchanges a look with his companions before murmuring, “It might be easier to show you.”“Show me?” I blink and then he’s reaching out and his finger enters the flames, and they rise higher than before, making me scramble back in shock and fear.“Watch,” he advises in a grim voice. And I do.I see figures in the fire. “A time ago, a long time ago, there were three worlds. One for humans, one for the Others, and one for the demons. Demonkind was never satisfied with what they had. The Others were prideful individuals. And humans? Humans were still discovering themselves. They were little more than animals at that point.”I see three floors in the fire with beats with horns on the top level and strange shaped creatures in the middle and then ape like things on the bottom.And then suddenly, out of nowhere
The next few days are more hectic than our previous routine.The elves are more alert and more protective, surrounding me when we travel.They don’t let me leave to take a bath by myself. It is always Balin who accompanies me when I wash myself in the nearby stream or river. The more time I spend with the three of them is beginning to give me an insight into their personalities. Idril is more abrupt and short tempered. Aldon is calmer but more wary. Balin is the more levelheaded of the three and has a calm temperament which makes him the most dangerous of the three. He’s also the oldest of them all, by his own admission. Despite me knowing that once they discover that I am not the Righ, they will most probably kill me, I can’t help but get along with Balin.I find myself drawn to him.It’s been days of travelling with them, but Balin always manages to catch my eye. There is a sense of security about him, a security that I lack in my life right now. That’s the excuse I use to
I wake up with a scream on my lips only to find myself restrained by Aldon and Idril, their eyes wide with anger and shock.“Balin?” They look towards their leader who is staring at me, an unidentifiable emotion in his eyes. “Step back,” he says calmly.And it’s when they release me that I feel the searing burn in my arm, the same place where the serpent had broken my skin.Balin’s hand goes to my arm and my back arches in pain at the white-hot heat I feel flow through my arm into my whole body. He restrains me and Aldon holds out a piece of cloth to my mouth, advising, “Bite on this.”I do and I’m glad I do so because the scream that leaves my mouth is piercing.Balin is pale as he sends more and more healing energy into it, and I can’t even think past the pain. At some point, I pass out, unable to handle anymore.*When I come to, I am laying on the ground, my body heavy and aching. My eyes barely open and I groan.“She’s awake,” Idril’s voice comes and then he is h
Balin looks shocked at my actions, but my chest is hurting at his cruel words.“That was low,” I stare at him, my voice harsh. “That was below the belt for someone who I was beginning to admire as a person.”I see sharp regret in his eyes, and he steps forward, “Isa-”“I’m glad,” I murmur, my eyes hollow. “I’m glad you showed me this part of you, now. You are the most despicable person I’ve ever met. Knowing - Having gone through losing your own loved ones, you would throw my loss in my face? You think it’s easy for me to find myself attracted to someone? Even if it’s just my body’s reaction? Wolves are physical by nature. I have been holding myself back, repressing myself. If anybody is to judge me for my thoughts, it is only ever going to be me. Not you. Never you.”Balin’s face is pale, and I turn around, “I’m going to go for a walk. I’ll be fine since there are so many people here. You should rest.”It’s difficult to control myself as I walk away, to keep my tears at bay, to p
“Who was that?!” Balin demands as Aldon and Idril take off after Damion.“I – No one!” I feel alarmed. “He was just talking to me.”Balin grabs my upper arm in an excruciatingly tight hold, giving me a violent shake, “Tell me the truth!”“I am!” I wrench my arm back, feeling both angry and just a little terrified of him. “Why would I lie about something like that?!”The look in his eyes makes my blood go cold and my voice is steadier now, “I just met him. I gave him my food because he looked hungry. That is it.”Perhaps it’s my cool tone which makes him relax.He lets go of me and I let out a breath of relief. I don’t know what’s his problem, but I take a step back from him.His eyes narrow, “What was his name?”I open my mouth to tell him, but something stops me. Maybe it’s irritation at how he’s treated me this whole day. “I don’t know,” I lie. He looks suspicious but finally says, “You’re not to leave the room without one of us.”The way he phrases that, as if it’s a co
“What?” I stare at her before looking at my own palm and then glaring at her. “It doesn’t say anything like that here!”The witch studies me, “There is love written in your fate. Love and destruction. The choice you make will carve the path of the worlds.”I shiver, “You know you don’t have to sound so ominous. And there is no love written in my life. My mate is dead. You’re just full of shit.”I try to get up, but she yanks me back down by my hand, looking down at it and frowning, “I see no past mate in your life. I see love lines. You loved two individuals. A different for each. And they left you in blood.”My jaw tightens, “Let’s just stop.”But she doesn’t listen to me, her grip ironclad as she keeps staring at my palm, “You will have your heart broken still but there is only one who is truly yours. Your souls are aligned.”Her voice turns quiet, thoughtful, “They have been aligned for so long. Your soul-” She looks up at me baffled, “Your soul is so old.”I snatch my hand b
I slip out, making sure that Balin is fast asleep. In his recovery, he is a sound sleeper, so I’m not worried about him waking up.I just have to be careful that the other two in the next room don’t wake up as well. However, as soon as I close the door to the room I’m sharing with Balin, I brush against something large and furry and nearly scream out.However, when I turn around, I see there is a large black dog. It looks quite friendly, its tail wagging as it looks at me.“That’s a first,” I rub his head. “Dogs are usually terrified of wolf shifters.”It just laps at my face, making me wince and push it back.It across to me that if it makes any sound, the three elves will wake up. “Come on,” I nudge him. “You have to leave.”It lets me pull it outside without so much as a whimper and I groan at its weight, “How did you even get in here?”It just gives me a grin and laps at my hand again.“Sshh!” I press my finger to my lips. “Not a sound.”I begin walking down the empty