13. The Sisters
thirteen
The Sisters
*AZADEH*
I appreciate how the royal family always has dinner together with their ranked members, and that Simin, Shayan and I are invited to it too, despite not being part of the family and not having a high rank here. A pack is like an extended family, and while I always knew that to wolves, family matters a lot, I wasn’t aware of how much so until I encountered it myself.
Wolves also really like their meat, it seems, and they can eat a lot! It’s fascinating how much they can eat at one sitting. Seeing how much they train and work, though, it’s not really a surprise. Only Kilah seems to hold back, although she eyes the plate of ribs with sad envy.
I wish she knew that her slightly curvier body is perfect the way it is. She doesn’t need to starve herself that way.
On a funnier side, Tynan has taken his place next to Shayan, and keeps offering him the best pieces of meat. Shayan isn’t used to receiving that much attention from anyone, but it’s kind of endearing to have someone dote on him like that.
“How do you like the food?” King Gillean asks me.
“It’s fantastic. The fish in particular,” I say.
“I hoped you would like it,” he beams.
“Aza is right,” Shayan nods, surprisingly using my nickname, too. Seems like it’s slowly rubbing off on everyone. “Where do you get your fish from?”
“We have ponds and lakes here,” Endellion explains. “Caelan is a great ice-fisher and loves fish. It’s his doing that we also added fish to our menu.”
“I didn’t even know it was possible to fish from a lake that is covered in ice,” I say, my interest peaked. I’ve always had a thing for nature, and this just sounds fascinating.
“We could explain it to you,” Flinn says with his signature smirk. “Or, we’ll show you.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Endellion nods. “Let’s make a trip to go ice-fishing with Aza. What do you think, Caelan?”
Caelan looks flustered, but then he shrugs. “If we can make time for it,” he says gruffly.
“Grizzly,” Flinn whispers, making the table chuckle.
“I want to come too,” Eibhlin exclaims excitedly. “Let’s go and kill fish!”
“Eh, sweetheart, they are going to fish, fish; not kill, fish,” her father tries to reason.
Eibhlin is dressed in a black puffy dress with a dreamy pink hair bow, making her look like a doll. Now, however, she blinks at her father. “Where is the difference? I mean, we are eating fish here. We certainly didn’t pet it to death.”
At her words, Simin snorts, immediately angling for her napkin to hide her face and suppress her giggles.
“Sometimes you say really disturbing things,” Ita says with a grin. “Good thing I know you well enough to know that you aren’t a psychopath, or I would have difficulties falling asleep at night.”
“Don’t worry, I’d never kill you in your sleep.”
Ita smiles brightly. Now that I have visited her mother, I notice her resemblance to Doreen. Just that Ita wears her hair shoulder-length and is more athletic than her mother, but they look very much alike. They also have a similarly kind aura. “That’s very reassuring, Eibhlin, thank you.”
“I’m good at hunting,” Eibhlin says proudly. “You know, Aza, I was once outside, playing, and got attacked by a bear. I won against it.”
“That’s true,” Gillean says, and I can see a hint of pride in his eyes. “And, she was only twelve then.”
“Our crazy little sister,” Nevyn says with a gentle smile. Despite calling her crazy, though, he looks at her in an endearing way. He is always nice and warm towards his siblings, I have noticed.
“And, Nevyn here got his wolf on his eighteenth birthday,” Endellion explains to us.
Shayan eyes the young boy with interest. “I’ve heard that’s very rare.”
“It is,” Flinn explains. “None of us got our wolves so early.”
“Technically, you can receive your wolf spirit at the age of eighteen, at the earliest,” Caelan says. “But, it rarely happens.”
Nevyn blushes. “I don’t know why my wolf spirit woke up so early, but well… he is here now.”
“You truly have very special children,” Shayan says to the king, who looks like he is about to burst with pride.
The table gets a lot livelier after Shayan’s compliment, with everyone playfully boasting about how awesome they are. Simin and I just exchange an amused glance, and Royan, who is sitting next to me this time, keeps telling me funny little anecdotes from the siblings’ childhood.
Eventually, the chatting dies down, and we soon talk about other things. Shayan and I ask questions about the kingdom and the lands that surround it, and everyone at the table is eager to answer.
“I really like Flinn’s suggestion about taking you to go ice-fishing,” Gillean muses before he looks at his triplets. “Maybe you should really plan that, boys?”
The three brothers exchange a gaze, their eyes glossing over. “We will think of something. Maybe we can take Azadeh on a trip,” Endellion offers. “Of course, General Shayan and Simin would be invited, too.”
“I think if it involves horse riding, I better stay at home,” Simin proclaims.
Alana laughs heartedly. “But you already made so much progress today.”
“Yes, here… in the safety of the training hall,” Simin says shyly. I’ve noticed her shyness has become less, but talking in front of the whole family still seems difficult for her.
“We won’t force you,” Flinn assures her.
“I think it would be a good idea if I stay back, too,” Shayan says, to my surprise. “It will give you the chance to really learn things from the wolves, Azadeh. What do you think?”
If I’m honest to myself, I like the fact of being alone with some of the werewolves and getting to know them better without a chaperone with me. “I think I like the idea.”
“Then, it’s set,” Endellion smiles at me, and again, seeing his genuine smile warms me up inside.
“First, though, we need to make sure that Azadeh is being welcomed accordingly,” Gillean says.
“What are you thinking, my king?” Beta Quinn asks.
“A welcome party,” he says, looking at his family and ranked members expectantly. “How about we make it a winter ball?”
“It’s always winter here, Dad,” Flinn says with a grin. “No need to emphasize the word winter.”
His father just shakes his head at him. “Winter themed,” he says. “A masquerade, maybe.”
At his words, Kilah perks up fractionally. She has been awfully quiet during the dinner, but the word party seemed to have finally woken her interest.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Beta Quinn says and sounds surprised. His king glares at him, making the other man just shrug. “I’m just saying the last idea you had didn’t end so well.”
I have to suppress a laugh at the two men bickering. My father would have never allowed one of the members of his military staff to talk to him like that. But Gillean is different. He seems to really cherish his friendships.
“I’m not one for parties, normally,” Alana interrupts their bickering. “But, this is a fantastic idea, Dad. I’m intrigued.”
“How about you organize it, Alana?” Gillean asks with a cheerful smile. “I know, you are busy with training, but soon you will participate in an outside mission. I’d like to take advantage of you still being here, before I have to let you fly out into the world. Also, you have a good strategic mind. I’m sure you can put something together in a short time.”
His voice sounds warm, and Alana smiles. Before she can even answer, Kilah frowns. “Alana is not feminine enough to get assigned such a task,” she grumbles.
“What does femininity have to do with that?” Flinn asks, annoyance in his tone.
“I have to agree with Flinn,” Caelan tilts his head. “I don’t understand the point.”
“It’s just… you need to know about clothes, and style and decoration,” she points out. “And, Alana is more like a man than a woman. What’s your mate going to say when they see you?”
Hurt flickers through Alana’s eyes, but soon she puts up a calm front again. “Just because I wear my hair short and like to be outside, it doesn’t make me less of a woman.”
“Not very princessy of you to say that, Kilah,” Flinn sneers, and unlike his usual teasing tone he sounds actually angry this time. “What would your mate say?”
Endellion elbows him and shakes his head.
“Enough of that,” Gillean says sharply. “As far as I’m concerned, any person would be lucky to be mated to one of my children. That goes for you,” he says while looking at Flinn, before turning his attention to Kilah. “But also you, Kilah. And Alana will organize the party however she sees fit. End of discussion.”
Alana doesn’t say anything, but I can see Ita exchanging a gaze with Tynan, both of them clearly looking upset. It reminds me of what Royan told me before… how these three are really good friends. The dinner continues, but eventually, Kilah puts her knife and fork down. “I’m finished,” she says calmly before getting up. “I’m not hungry anymore. Excuse me for tonight, as I have something to study.”
Her father nods at her. The others aren’t really paying attention, but I can see her lips quivering slightly. Opposite me, I can see Endellion watching her leave. He sighs but doesn’t say anything.
“I apologize,” Gillean says earnestly once Kilah has left, and the dinner gets wrapped up. “You must be truly horrified by our awful behavior.”
“Not at all,” I say. “It’s so lively here. I’m not used to this.” When the others look at me, a hint of pity in their eyes, I realize I probably gave away too much. I make sure to smile at them. “It’s just not one of our customs. Family means less in my country.” That’s a blatant lie. Family means a lot to the desert people, just that I wasn’t included. Shayan seems to think the same as he frowns at my words but doesn’t argue with me.
*ALANA*
“Hello, my girl,” I say softly while petting my mare’s neck. She is a beautiful horse, tall, with off-white fur that blends into the surroundings. She is quite tough to ride on as she doesn’t easily accept a rider, but she accepted me from the first moment on. Just like me, she is different, and we instantly bonded.
“I knew I would find you here.” Ita’s voice reaches me from behind.
“It’s not like I was hiding,” I say evasively.
“I have a better idea for what we can do instead of sulking here,” Ita tells me. “Let’s go for a run.”
“I like that thought,” Tynan chimes in. “We could go for a hunt!”
“Of course you are here, too,” I sigh.
“Come on, Princess,” he grins brightly. “Let’s go and hunt!”
His and Ita’s excitement is contagious, so I find myself nodding. I just briefly link my father to tell him I’ll be out. The last thing I need is someone looking for me and then sending a search party after me. Ita, Tynan and I don’t go far, just to the forest that is part of the royal pack lands. We undress swiftly, putting our clothes in a small bag that we carry around for such occasions, and tie them to our legs before shifting. That way, we’ll always have something to dress in when we shift back.
Soon, we run through the forest in our wolf form. The hunt clearly was just a trick to lure me away from my gloomy thoughts, yet Tynan gets serious about it all of a sudden and makes sure to hunt down a rabbit and a squirrel.
Weird that we see a squirrel at night , Ita links us, her being a Gamma giving her the privilege of being able to do that. They aren’t nocturnal animals.
Don’t spoil this with your logic , Tynan grumbles. Just be glad we found something!
He is aware that he isn’t subtle, isn’t he? Ita asks me.
I laugh. He is so easy to read. I bet he is going to give it to someone special.
I bet that’s why he even suggested the hunt , Ita answers.
We allow Tynan to have his victory, though, and soon return to our favorite spot at the top of a hill. Now, at night, only the stars above us illuminate our surroundings, but below us there is the town and the castle; lights still shining out of the windows. We shift back in silence and dress again, before sitting down on a blanket Ita brought along. Sitting here in the night feels surreal. Everything is so silent, the snow swallowing every noise. Just here and there, I can hear some rustling. Even my wolf is completely relaxed here. She loves to be outside.
“Hey, Warrior Princess,” Ita says into the silence.
“Hm?” I look at her.
“You know that it’s not true, don’t you?” Ita asks. “Just because you train and fight, you aren’t less of a woman.”
I shift my gaze away from Ita and up to the sky. Why did Kilah have to say this out of all the things she could have said? Does she think I truly never feel hurt? I know there is a chance that my mate will be disappointed, that I’m not a typical elegant and regal princess. I’m just me, and I hope when the time comes, that’s enough.
“Maybe I will go for a chosen mate anyway,” I say, looking at Ita with a smile.
She sighs slightly. “Don’t say that, Alana. Someone out there is waiting for you.”
“The mate bond is barely there,” I admit. “I feel a hint of it, but it’s so weak already. Maybe they are about to break it.”
“But, we don’t know that,” Ita protests.
“I don’t know what the both of you are talking about,” Tynan says. “But your mate is going to be a lucky bastard to be mated to you,” he exclaims.
“The same goes for you,” I tell him. “Maybe you should tell him, because I doubt he is getting your not-so-subtle hints.”
Ita laughs, the heavy atmosphere suddenly gone. “For real, I was dying inwardly when you offered him your cutlet,” she groans. “Please tell me you are not going to drag this rabbit to his chambers now!”
Tynan looks flustered. “What’s wrong with presenting him my prey?” he grumbles.
“You are trying to woo a human, not a wolf from the North!” Ita sighs. “Even I would expect more than having some meat served.”
I nudge her with my shoulder. “How would you like to be wooed?”
“I don’t know.” She looks flustered, much to my surprise. “I think I just would like to be surprised.”
Tynan grumbles. “But gifting them my prey is a surprise!”
We both laugh at his sullen expression.
“I am romantic,” he emphasizes, glaring when Ita just laughs more. She leans her forehead against my shoulder, barely able to contain her amusement.
“Very funny.” Tynan furrows his brows. “I should have brought some alcohol.”
“Yes, you should have!” I tell him. “Haven’t you learned anything?”
Tynan throws a snowball at us before jumping up to his feet. “Then, come girls, let’s head back. I have a brand new whiskey from my father.”
“That’s something you probably should gift a certain hot general,” Ita teases as we follow Tynan down the hill and back to the pack. This time, we stay in our human form and enjoy the walk through the night.
“But we will happily accept this gift, too,” I tell him.
He smiles playfully, looking almost boyish again. “I have a second bottle. Who knows, maybe I will discover my inner romantic.” He pauses. “He is hot, isn’t he? He smells heavenly.”
“When did you find out?” I ask him.
“When we met at the border,” he admits. “I wasn’t sure at first because there was an entire group of people, but once we entered the town at the border… well…”
“I didn’t know you liked guys,” Ita says. “You never said anything.”
He shrugs. “It was never important to me. I like both.”
“Same,” I say.
“Girls for me,” Ita clarifies.
We chuckle. As we make our way down the hill, I can’t help but think how truly privileged I am, to be born into my family and have found these friends. They all accept me the way I am… well… mostly, at least. Werewolves honor the mate bond and the goddess, but being mated to the same gender has not always been welcomed in the past.
To see Tynan embracing the fact he has found his mate, although he is a human man, is truly beautiful to see.