Page 237 of Night's Fall
“I know that too.”
Then,Timotheepointed to the very top corner of the wall, where, on the ceiling, flying creatures hovered, and on the wall, land-based ones milled, but it clearly depicted a gathering.
And they were all looking up to a nebulous being in the night sky.
“The night before theBattleof theChasm,Caelyncalled all his warriors together, and together, they all beseeched theNightGodfor bravery, victory and glory, and not insignificantly, the return ofCaelyn’smate.Itisn’t known if theNightGodanswered their prayers, because they won, obviously, but she was killed by the demons in retribution for the routing of their troops.Butall the male shifters suffered her loss like they’d lost their own mate.”
What he was saying started penetrating.
BecauseIknew all of this.
I just didn’tunderstandit.
Until now.
“And all the male shifters vowed, from then on, to fight and die for the protection of the chieftain’s mate,”Timotheesaid. “Andthat vow was definitely heard, and as such, bonded into the males by theNightGod.Since, if the leader ofNight’sFall’smate is threatened, we all rally to her defense.Itisn’t a choice.It’singrained in us.Andin doing so, we experience a significantly heightened sense of protection to the females of our own clans or families.”
“Okay,Iget that,”Isaid. “Sowhy didn’t it happen the first time there was an attempt?Theone at the gallery?”
“Because we didn’t know you wereAleksei’smate yet.Butthat beam was aimed at him.Noone would want theTrueHeir, or simply the next king, harmed.But, right or wrong, he is not as vulnerable as a female.He’sconsidered a warrior, and you are not.He’sbetter able to defend himself.Though, the bottom line is, theNightGodinstilled in us all the uncontrollable drive to protect our queen, or the one who would be her, and at the same time, it ramps up our already seriously developed inclination to protect the females in our clans.”
“So is this whyAlekseiis acting like a jerk?”
I was lulled by our precarious camaraderie,Isaw, after asking that question, andIregretted it the instant he smirked.
“Aleksei’s acting like a jerk?” he asked.
“Forget it,”Imumbled, turned from him and studied the wall.
TheTrollInvasionwas the next thing depicted.
I feigned fascination (well, not feigned, exactly, the mural wasinsane, it was so cool), and in so doing, hopefully,Idismissed him.
“I don’t have a mate,Laura,” he said.
“I’m aware,”Itold the wall.
I heard his heavy sigh.
“In other words,I’veno idea why he’s acting like a jerk,” he went on. “AndI’msurprised he is.Ina time like this,I’dthink he’d be acting the opposite.”
I would think so too.
That said…
I looked at him. “Youshouted at your mother in front of people she barely knows at the breakfast table.”
His chin ticked to the side in visible shock at this, like he didn’t realize he’d been a jerk too.
“So is this a thing with you males when you sense your females are vulnerable?Lettingyour hormones dictate your behavior?”Iasked.
“I’m worried about her,” he returned.
“Okay, but she’s an adult female who doesn’t make a move unless she considers the consequences to this family and the entire realm.Maybeyou can share your feelings without yelling, throwing your napkin on the table and marching from the room.”
He was no less shocked when he shared, “Ididn’t really…have any control over that.”
Interesting.
