Page 7 of Orange Lake
Stop it, stop, Crix. I wanted to say but my tongue felt heavy.
“Stop!” Roqs shouted and the room remain silent. I was standing on my two feet. Roqs knew better than to support me. He stayed where he is. I do not show my weakness to anyone. My parents is a sore, an open wound, that I do not want to discuss with anyone. Everyone in this room knew that.
My ears are ringing. It’s the quietness of the room or I’m fucked up right now. Sometimes I experience blank moments when thoughts of my parents becomes too much. I have to remind myself. These three are males I trust.
“Continue,” I said quietly.I folded my arms in front of my chest and leaned back on one of the hospital beds.
Crix sat on the edge of the table and wiped his face with his hand. He did not look at any of his mates but looked at me and sighed. “We know that your parents took a female from one of their trips. Unknowingly brought her here. Yes, it’s different because Brynn literally fell from the sky. You did not take her from her planet. But, that female and this female, have iron blood. What I’m saying here is that there might be something in your genes that is reacting to her iron blood. The serum is not capable of you bonding with her. What we know is only your parents had this same bond with a female.”
Bond? My parents bonded? This is the dirty secret of the Silver Tribe. My parents, the previous Alpha pair of the Silver Tribe, did not bond with the female. No, that is what we told the Council. What we told our friends. Those outside the tribe are told of this great love story that ended in a tragedy. But what they do not know is that my parents almost killed her. Broke her like a child’s toy. If my parents did not die, we would be at war with the female’s kin who talked with the Council and the Elders to bring her back.
All of the manasties in the Silver Tribe, except those who were not present, took the Uijr’s oath. Such is the power of the oath because we cannot tell them the truth.
Roqs know this and I can feel his body vibrating with rage. He too wants to tell them the truth so that we know what is happening to me.
“Are you saying my blood is tainted?”
Crix and Jigen groaned. Volks growled.
“No! I knew you would be like this. So stubborn!” Crix’s outcry is enough to appease me. I know they only meant to help me. “Zirc, that is just one possibility that we simply cannot overlook. It is a fact so we don’t know if any of our kind are affected by someone with an iron blood.”
“You might be right. We use iron blood for regeneration.”
“Those with iron blood at The Stable are aware of what they signed up for.”
Crix will know. His Tribe is not above using others who will benefit our race. Those with iron blood sell themselves. Their blood is pure and can heal any diseases. Because of our limited population, we need our species to stay alive.Aside from the crystal, the next best thing is an iron blood. I will not be surprised if this town, Crix’s town, has a vast supply of iron blood.
Still. I looked at Roqs. He has his Alpha face on but I know him enough to know that his heart is sad. For me.
I turned away from them and rushed out the door. I feel like punching things. My feet are light as it carried me away from Crix’s mansion. Away from bad memories.
But not far enough so I’m not too far away from Brin.
***
I arrived at the clear lake and roared. I roared away my hurt, my pain. Dark thoughts swirl inside of me, trying to control me. I do not care that the birds and animals nearby scatter away. They know when a predator is nearby. I roared until I was reduced to gasping. My knees touched the sand and ignored the small shard piercing me. That pain is soothing. Nothing compared to the anguish I feel remembering my parents' betrayal to the tribe. They were the Alpha before Roqs took over when he was old enough. I wasn’t strong enough for Roqs to be at his side. I have wondered many times, maybe my guilt of being my parents’ son is preventing me from being Roqs’ mate.
Roqs has always been with me. Even now, I felt the wind move beside me and he is there. Just there. We used to be like this. Sitting quietly and trying to remind myself that I am not my parents. I tried to hate them but could not.
“You don’t believe that bullshit Crix told you, right?” Roqs told me quietly.
I know what he’s asking. “I do not have a chance yet to think things through.” That drew a chuckle from Roqs.
“Sorry about that, lover. You are literally a quick thinker, I kind of thought you would figure it out by now that what is happening between you and Brynn is not the same that happened between your parents and that female from Krad.”
I stood up and faced away from Roqs. The lake looked so peaceful, unlike this boiling anger inside me. “You heard Crix. There must be something in my blood line. A defect.”
Roqs stood up suddenly so now he’s in my face. “You are not a defect!” He shouted, his fangs showing. His steel eyes are blazing mad. “Even if there is something, it is better to know so we can fix it.”
“Ah,” I shrugged my shoulder. Roqs and his desire to fixeverything. It is this particular trait that the Elders in the Council and our tribe have in common. Like them, I also like to fix things. Make things right. It is the pride of the Silver Tribe. However, this is something that I want to stay broken. What my parents did to that female. I briefly but intensely closed my eyes.
Sigh, I want it to stay broken as a reminder of what I can become becauseitcan happen. I cannot seem to communicate this well to Roqs.
“Roqs, you of all people should know that I am my parents’ child - “
“Bullshit Zirc. Bullshit!” he roared at me. “We’ve been fighting about this non-stop. And the crux of the matter is, you don’t even listen!”
I took a step back. Roqs is showing his alpha vibes that is messing with my beast. What could he be talking about?
