Chapter 25
Fern
She followed the two of them, her gaze fixed on the floor, as they headed towards Darion’s room.
Once inside, with the door closed, he seated Kyntha in a chair, then moved towards Fern.
“Take that off so I may have a look at the damage.”
Kyntha screamed again when his hands touched her, and he spun around so quickly he nearly knocked Fern over.
“You will stop this madness!” he hissed. “She did nothing to provoke you this evening, and I will not tolerate this poisonous jealousy in my own home. Understood?”
Her eyes widened, her mouth dropped, and then she whined softly.
Fern’s ear caught the sound at once, having made similar sounds herself recently as her wolf grew stronger inside her.
Something about it was… off. But Fern couldn’t quite put a finger on why.
Darion leaned towards her for a moment, then shook his head. “Go back to your chair.”
Sniffing, her eyes tearing up again, she did as instructed, and Darion finally took Reinn’s tunic off Fern, pulling back pieces of the tattered gown and clicking his tongue against his teeth at the angry marks Kyntha had made.
“I don’t think these will scar, thankfully, but they will need to be treated.”
Then he swallowed, his whole demeanor thawing into something warmer.
“And I’m sorry I didn’t provide you with clothing. I haven’t kept a Naravekh before, and Kyntha arrived here with all of her own belongings. It simply didn’t even cross my mind I would need to outfit you.”
Fern finally let the shock ebb so her emotions from the ordeal could reveal themselves, and she inhaled a shuddering breath. “I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and you didn’t see me all day, and—”
“Oh, little omega, come here…”
He brought her into his chest, and even the comfort of his scent and his strength was undercut by Kyntha, the smell of her and the sound of her, muttering and growling as her mate-to-be held another in his arms.
But gods, it felt so natural to surrender to him. She cried, and he let her, holding her and rubbing her back.
Her wolf, similarly, was only halfway appeased, enjoying the attention but keenly aware of the competing presence in the room.
I will rip out her throat if she stops this, she growled.
Fern ignored her, just wanting to stay in Darion’s arms for as long as she could.
She’d gone almost a month without touch, and now even a day was too much.
Once everything had been released, he gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head, and then seated her in another chair, standing before the two of them.
“I cannot allow discord,” he started. “You two may not always get along, but the clan will need to see us as a united front. To set an example for them to follow. If a she-wolf comes to me and says she will not accept her mate’s petition for a Solvekh, how can I tell her it is her duty to step aside and allow him his chance for an heir when my own mate openly attacks my Naravekh in public? ”
“But she—”
Darion held out his hand. “Kyntha, I have entertained your empty complaints of her for long enough. She did not seduce me, she does not speak ill of your character or countenance, nor does she plot to take your place. I chose her for my Naravekh because it is my right to have her. And if I did not want her here, she would not be here.”
Her wolf was less than enthused with his defense of her.
He says nothing of his desire for us? Of our beauty? Of how we are a much better mate than that sniveling little imposter?
Imposter of what?
Her wolf merely chuffed.
“So I want you to apologize.”
Kyntha growled low until it petered out, and then something strange happened. Her shoulders dropped, her neck tilted as she blinked, and then she looked towards Fern.
“I am sorry for overreacting today. Surely you can understand why seeing you arrive in my dress was upsetting, but it does not excuse my behavior. I hope… I hope we can become like sisters in the future, raising our pups together with Darion as our alpha. Don’t you?”
She blinked again, her face contorting into something she supposed was meant to look appealing and innocent.
Instead it sent a shiver down her spine.
“Um, sisters. That would be… lovely. Thank you.”
Darion grunted and then addressed Fern. “Your turn.”
Fern frowned, pausing for a moment as words left her.
Then she found them, but she was sure they weren’t the right ones.
“Apologize for what?”
His brow furrowed. “For kicking Kyntha.”
Fern scoffed. “You want me to apologize for defending myself? She tried to claw my eyes out!”
He held out his hand. “She may have been with pup, and a kick like that could have caused irreparable damage.”
She could see the anger lining his face, but it was too much to be told to apologize for something she wasn’t at fault for to appease it.
“I think losing an eye is pretty irreparable too!”
“A blind she-wolf can still bear pups,” he replied, his voice cold and sharp.
The words hit harder than Kyntha’s claws had.
Her lips flattened, her body shaking with anger.
“Omega…” he warned.
She looked the other way, refusing to answer.
“You will apologize this instant!”
Fern stood. “Why should I apologize for anything? She attacked me, I reacted. And I refuse—”
His hand gripped the back of her neck tightly, causing her to hunch up like a kitten being carried by its scruff.
“Are you arguing with me, omega?”
Fern bared her teeth, mimicking her wolf’s response inside her, but did not answer.
Darion then dragged her back outside and down the hall, her feet barely managing to keep up with his long strides.
Her neck and shoulders were cramping horribly, but she knew she couldn’t give in.
She would never apologize to that woman.
“If you cannot even obey me in private, then I have no choice but to keep you in your room until I can trust you won’t undermine me in front of the clan.”
He practically threw her inside once they reached it, standing in the doorway with his chest heaving.
Fern turned and glared at him. “And why should I obey you when I can’t even trust you?”
He stilled, and Fern was sure she’d gone too far, but her wolf was as angry as she was for once.
“I had more food, clothes, and companionship when I served in your dining hall.”
Darion’s eye twitched, almost imperceptibly, but she continued, undeterred.
“You promised me attention and left me alone all day. You promised me a nest and yet it remains bare. So tell me why I should believe you have anything close to resembling my safety and happiness in mind when, if left under your care alone, I would die in a locked room and you would not even know until the guards complained of the smell?”
For a moment, she almost saw regret flicker across his face.
But then his jaw tightened and his back straightened. “I will not stand to have mistakes which I have already apologized for used against me like weapons by the she-wolf who should bring me peace.”
“I cannot bring you that which I do not have, Darion!” she yelled, and he stomped towards her, his arm back as though he meant to strike her.
She closed her eyes to wait for the blow, hoping it would be hard enough to end this for good. Or at least be enough for his father to take one look at her and give her to another alpha.
But instead, he breathed deeply, and lowered his face until his mouth was near her ear.
“I think you need some time alone to think about your actions. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Fern said nothing, and then his hand gripped her neck again.
“Wouldn’t you agree?” he hissed.
When the pain finally got to be too much to bear, she let out a whimpered, “Aye.”
He shook her once. “Good.”
Then he released her, turned around and walked out, locking her in without another word.
Silence quickly filled the space he had taken moments earlier, and Fern’s legs felt weak as the full ramifications of her defiance finally became clear.
He really would lock her in here until he bothered to remember she existed again, and she wasn’t sure if she could count on the other alphas to help her.
As she took stock of what her room actually contained for the first time, a knock sounded at the door, and her heart leapt, hoping stupidly it was Darion, come back to apologize.
“Lady Fern, I am Serich, the healer for the castle.”
Well, at least he didn’t entirely plan on neglecting her, then.
“Alpha Reinn sent for me.”
Oh… perhaps he did.
“May I enter?”
Fern’s eyes burned, and she held a deep breath to ward off the impending sob. “I don’t have the key, I’m afraid.”
“The guard will let me in,” he replied. “I merely wanted your permission.”
Permission? The despair was quickly replaced by incredulity, a barking laugh breaking through the sadness.
No one had ever asked for her permission for anything here.
“Aye, of course.”
Serich entered promptly, carrying a small basket of supplies.
She recognized him as a Lurvekh, though groomed differently than the wolfkin who normally sat in the dining hall. His blonde hair was cut above the chin in the style that human men typically preferred, his face clean-shaven.
“I understand you have some scratches that need cleaning?”
When Fern nodded, he told her to lie down on the bed, and after asking for permission again, began peeling away the tattered remains of the gown, the fabric needing to be removed carefully after sticking to the dried blood.
Serich sang softly as he worked, cleaning off the blood first, then pouring some herbal-smelling tonic onto clean gauze.
The tonic stung when it met injury, and Serich shushed her gently as she hissed.
“I know, but this will help prevent the wounds from turning to pus and fever.”
So she held her tongue as he carefully applied the medicine to the rest of the scratches.
“I will cover these with bandages for now, and when they form scabs in a few days, you will need to let them breathe. Perhaps ask one of your attendants to choose gowns with wider necklines.”
She didn’t bother to tell him there was no point since she had no gowns to speak of.
“I understand, thank you.”