Chapter 21
Gregory
Hand-thrown clay vases overflowed with massive bouquets along the polished oak walls of Genevieve’s shop. Some blooms seemed to possess a magic of their own, releasing sparkling pollen that danced in the sunlight.
We sat in a small, private area behind the main counter. Lyra knelt at Evan’s feet, her face set in concentration as she tended to the scrapes on his knees and palms. The soft, golden healing magic radiated from her hands as she worked, the flesh knitting back together, whole and unmarred.
Genevieve stood over him, holding his wrist while she cupped his jaw with her other hand. She rubbed her cheek against his in a maternal gesture, leaving her own calming scent on him. “Oh, my Evan. Why the Mother Goddess put those two in your path, I will never understand. Look at you now.”
Evan flushed, the color spreading up his neck and across his cheeks, intensifying the dusting of freckles until even the tip of his nose turned red. He glanced toward me, eyes wide with helpless confusion.
A rumble came from deep in my torso, but it was more like a hurt dog rather than a dragon. I hated it. I hated that she was covering his scent with her own, hiding the sandalwood and smoke that should have been there—my scent. She was marking my mate in front of me.
Genevieve set her mouth in a grim line, though her eyes never left Evan. “Don’t you dare, Gregory.”
My anger curdled into a bitter poison because of where I was forced to sit. Beside me, separated only by a small, carved table, was Alaric. His scent of burnt ash clashed with the sweet, layered perfumes of Genevieve’s shop and the gentle fragrances of the omegas.
Alaric’s gaze bore into Evan, hunting for a glimmer of recognition that never came. The fight drained from the healer all at once, his rage evaporating to leave him hollowed out, like a man who had lost everything.
Lyra stood and brushed dust from her knees. She clapped once. “All done.” She dropped into a nearby chair, not so ladylike, with a sigh, then took Evan’s free wrist. “Are you better?”
Evan nodded, his cheek still pressed to Genevieve’s side. “Yes.”
Genevieve released him, stood upright, and eased herself into another chair.
She flattened her lips, her eyes darting between Alaric and me with clear displeasure.
She folded her fingers over the head of her cane.
“You are both the heroes of this village. The children look up to you, and the spectacle you created is a stain on your name. We are dealing with something more serious than your power displays. You should be ashamed and pray to the Mother Goddess, asking for her forgiveness.”
Alaric sneered. “And why should he pray? The goddess doesn’t respond to a bloodline that keeps tainting her name.”
Genevieve slammed the butt of her cane on the floorboards. “That is not for you to decide. The Asterian Empire’s teachings are still rooted deep in you, Alaric. You need to let go.”
Alaric shot to his feet, the chair legs scraping against the floor. “Enough of this folly.” He ground his palms into his face. “Evan lost his memory because this monster left him for dead. I will never approve of this madness. He’s forgotten everything Gregory has done to him.”
His accusations were shards of ice in my gut.
I turned to Evan, searching his face for any trace of repentance, any sign that he regretted being with me.
Dread twisted inside me as I waited, but I found nothing.
Evan was frowning at Alaric, his disdain clear.
My omega was not fond of him; I knew it with the certainty of the bond taking root between us.
I chose to stay silent. The goddess had already punished me; what could be worse than that?
Something dangerous sparked in Genevieve’s brown-green eyes.
“You are wrong about something, Alaric. Yes, I am aware of what Gregory has done to Evan, and I would love nothing more than to make him pay for it, to bury him deep in the earth. But it is not our place to question a bond the goddess has sanctified. You see only what your hatred allows, and such willful blindness always comes at a great cost.”
The room fell silent, the stillness so deep that only the soft, rhythmic ticking of a clock somewhere in the shop broke it.
Alaric stared at Evan for a long moment and gave a slow shake of his head in defeat.
“If that is what the Mother Goddess wants, then my presence is not needed here, Elder.” He turned on his heel to leave.
Genevieve tapped her cane twice, and a pillar of stone erupted from the ground before Alaric, stopping him cold.
She gave him a sidelong glance. “You missed the council meeting at dawn. It is the duty of betas, Alaric, to provide the reasoning that alphas and omegas often forget in their passion. You would do well to remember that. And it is my hope it doesn’t happen again. ”
Alaric scoffed but said nothing. With another tap from Genevieve, the stone pillar crumbled into debris, and he left the shop without another word.
I exhaled the breath I was holding. I wasn’t sure whether to thank Genevieve for stepping in or ask for her forgiveness. Before I could decide, she pinned me in place with her glare. “And you are not out of the depths yet, Gregory.”