Page 90 of Destined to the Lycan
“No, my love,” he said softly, a hint of concern in his voice. “Lyall has red sclera with no irises. The only thing they have in common is the vertical pupils.”
I placed my hand on his shoulder in an appeasing gesture while shaking my head, my gaze still locked with the Weaver’s.
“That’s the way they looked by default,” I conceded. “But when he’s happy, when he shows his more vulnerable side, they change to look exactly like hers, with the white sclera, purple irises, and vertical pupils.”
The strangest expression crossed Cliona’s face.
“Lyall showed you his true self?”
Although she worded it as a question, it was more of a statement to herself, as if she was trying to digest information she never expected.
“I believe so,” I said carefully. “He was beautiful, with a divine aura and ethereal wings… or at least luminous forms behind him that reminded me of wings.”
“The silly boy truly loves you that he should reveal himself to this extent,” she said pensively.
“So you do know him! Is he your sibling?” I asked.
She snorted, her wistful expression fading to be replaced by her usual mocking demeanor. “My sibling? Oh, how you flatter me child! No, Lyall isn’t my brother.”
“Do you know of his whereabouts?” Remus asked. “We haven’t seen or heard from him since the night of the full moon. I just want to make sure that he’s well and unharmed.”
Cliona looked at my mate as if she was seeing him for the first time. “You truly are unique, Remus Beltaine. Whatever resentment you may bear Ranael, he has passed on to you his protective and kind heart. Most other males would wish ill on one who coveted their female.”
“We owe him a lot. Without him, we likely wouldn’t be here,” Remus said.
She smiled. “No, Remus. Without him, you would both be dead,” she said with an unnerving finality. “But yes, Lyall is fine. There was no point for him to linger and torture himself staring at what he can’t have. But don’t be sad for him. You helped him make the right choices.” She glanced at a bare section of the wall behind the spinning wheel and appeared to examine something before returning her attention to us. “Thanks to you, the path to his happiness now lies before him.”
I blinked in confusion before looking at the wall. Like on my previous visit, it was completely bare. But this confirmed that she could see something there that remained invisible to our eyes.
“Safe journey to you both, and enjoy your new extended life Amara,” the Weaver said.
With this, she turned her back to us, and the stool she was sitting on glided silently back to her spinning wheel. I shook my head, unsure as to what feelings I felt towards Cliona. Fear, awe, respect, but also an inexplicable affection.
Remus gently tugged on my hand, snapping me out of my wandering thoughts. Hand in hand, we walked out of the room towards freedom and a new life filled with possibilities.
REMUS
Heart pounding, I pushed open the heavy doors into the Howl Inn. The boisterous voices inside turned quiet the moment they saw me standing there with my mate by my side. More than eight weeks had gone by since I walked out of here with Amara on our way to what was deemed not only impossible but flat out suicidal.
Although we were returning victorious, the whole way here, I dreaded the type of welcome we would receive. After years of being treated as a pariah, I had made my peace with the fact that I would never really be welcomed. But now that I had a mate, things weren’t the same. I didn’t care about disrespect towards me, but I wouldn’t tolerate anyone treating my soulmate the way they had treated me.
Granted, her poison had never been a threat to others, but they could be mean to her simply because of her association with me. My back tensed as we entered the room, every eye leveled on us. To my surprise, they were curious, not hostile as had previously been the norm.
“Remus!” Misty exclaimed, rushing from behind her counter towards us.
We smiled, her infectious joy spreading to us. She drew us both into her embrace, kissing our cheeks in turn, before giving each of us a separate bone crushing hug. Amara giggled at the excessive demonstration of affection from the older woman.
She held my mate by her shoulders, examining her from head to toe before leaning in and taking a good whiff. Under different circumstances, this would have been deemed an extremely rude behavior. But throughout the room, everyone else was doing the same but in a more subtle fashion.
“I knew you would come back! I knew you would beat this,” Misty said, her voice suddenly thick with emotion. “There’s no more sickness in you! There’s no more sickness in either of you!”
As one, everyone started muttering their shock and disbelief.
“Yes, Misty. We’re both cured,” I said, stunned that I could still speak without my voice cracking.
“And the full moon will no longer turn him rabid,” Amara said proudly, slipping an arm around my waist as she leaned against me.
The mutterings went up another notch as the same incredulous expression could be seen on every face.
