Another curse of not being able to shift... Zen frowned, his jaw tightening a little before he asked slowly, "Then when can you shift?" He didn’t ask if she would ever be able to shift. He knew the answer to that already. His question was when.
But before he could get an answer, the wolf inside Emira stiffened. "Our mom knew," she said quietly. "But I don’t know. Once she realised that I was a separate entity, she wrote everything down in her diary and left those pages for Emira to read making sure to only tell Emira things when I was asleep. Umm... And Emira is very careful not to reveal any of it to me. She keeps those memories close, and she blocks me whenever I try to look."
She paused, "Also... I think you should leave. She is going to wake up soon, and she won’t be happy to find you here, especially with the way she is hurting over shifting back here.
The three men exchanged a look, and then slowly stepped back. None of them wanted to cause Emira any more stress, and the warning in the wolf’s voice made their steps even quieter as they moved toward the door. Behind them, Emira’s breathing shifted, a soft sign that she was already starting to stir.
And as expected, the moment the door closed, Emira opened her eyes.
Disoriented, she turned her head, feeling an odd discomfort, only to realize that she was lying on the floor. Why was she on the floor? Did she fall? But how could she have fallen this far from the bed without noticing anything? Still half dazed, she pushed herself up a little, trying to make sense of the space around her.
As she shook her head and moved to stand, her confusion slowly shifted into a scowl.
Because in that moment, she could sense a faint lingering scent that she knew... But then, she shook her head, "Who would he be here? He’d been spending time with his dear Ramona..."
How can you be sure that he is with Ramona?" her wolf piped up and Emira scowled," Why are you so sure that he is with her. He could have been here..."
"Why are you defending him? Are you my wolf or his?" Emira snapped back at her wolf in irritation.
Emira’s scowl deepened when her wolf shot back, "What is the difference? I belong to you and you will belong to them. I’ve told you hundreds of times.... And they will know soon too..."
The wolf cut itself off sharply, as if someone had yanked a cord inside her mind. Emira felt the sudden silence like a jolt.
Her wolf had never been good at hiding excitement... But this time the excitement had slipped into something else- something careless.
Emira straightened slowly as she felt her wolf trying to slink away in her mind... "Stop. What did you do, Mira?"
There was a beat of hesitation and then a forced, breezy tone followed, "Do? What can I do? I know nothing..."
That false innocence only made Emira’s suspicion spike. She narrowed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and then closed them. The words came to her tongue easily, a chant her mother had taught her long ago to press the wolf spirit into honesty when trust wavered. It was old magic, raw magic, and Mira hated it.
The only time Emira had used it was when she had been desperate to shift for the first time. She had thought that forcing her wolf would be able to help.. Only to be told that it was impossible.
The moment Emira began whispering the first line, her wolf moaned in her head, "Okay, okay—STOP! You are too merciless! How can you torture your own wolf like this?"
But Emira didn’t stop. The chant wasn’t painful in a physical way, but it compressed the wolf’s space, forcing her to press into a corner. It drove Mira crazy every time.
Emira opened one eye slightly. "What did you do? And who was here?"
Mira groaned dramatically. "Why does it matter? I didn’t reveal your plan, if that’s what you’re worried about. And anyway, what can I do?Its not like I can shift and take control of your body..."
Another lie. The forced casual tone gave her away. Emira resumed chanting.
"WAIT—STOP! STOP! Fine! I’ll tell you!" Mira wailed, sounding as if Emira were ripping fur straight off her skin. "His Majesty was here. He wanted to know about your use of black magic. I told them about Evan Aldren... that’s it!"
Emira froze mid-chant, her breath catching.
Evan Aldren.
Of all things her wolf could have blurted out, she picked that.
Emira opened her eyes fully now. Her heart thudded, a dull ache that spread across her chest. "You told them about him?" she asked quietly.
Mira mumbled, "...yes."
"Which part?"
The wolf remained quiet for a moment before mumbling, "All the parts..."
Emira pressed her palm to her forehead, trying to keep herself from snapping. "Why would you do that, Mira? They weren’t supposed to know anything yet. Not until I had everything ready."
Mira huffed softly. "Because I thought they should. They are yours. They deserved to know something."
"They deserve to know nothing! They are happy with their mate! Their mating ceremony is in a few days!"
"Then stop the ceremony and reveal the truth..." Mira said softly.
Emira let out a humorless laugh. "There is no need to stop it, and there is no need to reveal anything."
"But they can help you get your revenge, can they not?" Mira pressed. "Why not trust your mates? Why do you insist on hiding from them?"
"Trust my mates?" Emira repeated, the words cutting out of her like a blade. "The way Mother trusted hers?"
Silence filled the space between them. Heavy. Bitter. Honest.
Mira tried again, voice smaller now. "Emira... they aren’t him. They aren’t her mate. They aren’t Aldren. They wouldn’t betray you like that."
"You don’t know that," Emira said, jaw tightening. "Mother believed that her mates would stand by her. She believed he would protect her, fight for her. And in the end, she died for that mistake. She died because she trusted the wrong heart."
"What if they recognized you and told you to accept the mating bond?
Her voice dropped to a cold whisper.
Emira shook her head," That will never happen... And even if it did happen, I would reject mating. I will not repeat my mother’s mistakes."