Histurukhuffed at him in loathing.
Soren collapsed into one of the kitchen chairs, pushed away from the table to make room for jamming. Tired and dejected, he didn’t even bother neatly folding his wings away, instead letting them slump to the floor.
Balar and Kiri blew out breaths and rolled their eyes, but Imogen, ever reasonable, level-headed, and kind—all reasons why she was his favorite sibling now—merely wiped her stained hands on an equally stained rag and hurried to fetch him a slice of dried salmon over a freshly made biscuit.
Soren groaned as his teeth sunk into the meal, the buttery warmth of the fresh biscuit making his whiskers twitch.
The others remained silent as Soren ate, although he didn’t miss the dirty looks Kiri shot him as the cub mashed his bowl ofberries.Ibás,he’d had school at least one of the two days Soren had been gone. No doubt there’d been…questions.
And Soren, like the coward he was, had left Kiri behind to answer them.
His stomach turned around the meal as he put his empty plate on his lap.
The moment the final bite was swallowed, Balar asked, “Well, what’s wrong with her, then?”
Imogen elbowed her mate, not gently. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” she told Soren.
“Everyone’stalking about it,” Kiri pouted, smelling blood and going for the kill. “The village, the school—over a dozen people sawsaba tem pash-keté.”
Groaning, Soren caught his spinning head in his paw.
“I tried to avoid telling them,” Kiri continued, “and Miss Maeve doesn’t seem bothered. At least, she didn’t say anything. You’re lucky she wasn’t offended.”
“He’ll be lucky if she accepts him at all,” Balar harrumphed. “Running away from akigara. The very idea is—”
His words caught on a cough, and Soren looked up just in time to see the end of Imogen hip-checking his brother. Balar squinted down at his mate, who met his imperious expression with a calm one of her own. “Next time, I step on the tail,” she threatened.
Balar’s brows shot up, and Soren could see how much he fought to contain his laugh. “You had good reason, of course,nitlam. A large, strange male in the forest—you should always avoid those. You did the right thing, indeed.”
Soren, Kiri, and Imogen waited patiently as Balar talked his foot out of his mouth and bestowed over a half-dozen kisses to Imogen’s hair and temple.
When Balar finally felt himself out of danger, he pinned Soren with a serious look. “We’ll hear you out, of course, but Ibetter get a good reason for all this.”
Soren’s lips thinned. He doubted any of his reasons would be calledgoodby any of his brothers. His reasons were entirely his own—none of them could truly understand, not even Kiri, and especially not beloved, golden Balar.
Yes, Balar and the others had gone into exile, too. But that had been their choice. Soren was the only one banished. The only one scarred, marked by theirerezas a traitor. He hadn’t been the one to let the fire get out of control and endanger the pride, but he’d accepted the blame.
Balar was the darling of his mother’s eye. Soren’s birth came at the price of his own mother, the favorite sister of the pride’serez. All his life, he was told what a bad bargain it was, that if given the choice, anyone would trade him for his mother. Even when Soren and Balar’s beloved, gentle father was still alive, there were many long nights Soren had wished for that very fate—that his mother could be returned to them and he may slip back into shadow.
Her death had surely cursed him with his unrulyturuk. Harboring alukan, a dangerous, violent beast, was not only taboo but feared amongst all mantii.Lukancouldn’t be trusted. They were unpredictable, aggressive, often mad.
Such a person wasn’t worthy of respect or happiness. Soren had grown into a man knowing that none of the females of his pride, or any other, would choose him. He worked hard to control histuruk, was useful as a hunter, and Balar liked him, so he was kept within the pride. But when one of those things became untrue…
Their exile had become a long journey looking for a place to plant their spears, build homes, and find mates. At least for his brothers. Soren had devoted himself to raising Kiri, and even though that was soon to be at an end, he hadn’t in any way turned his thoughts to finding his own mate. Not even with Balarfinding Imogen had he entertained the thought that such a thing might happen for him.
Soren wouldn’t know what to do with a woman,kigaraor not. He’d no experience, no charm. He knew his own mind well enough—he was quiet to the point of sullen, with little to say and less desire to say it.
What could a woman like Maeve Brádaigh ever want with me?
Nothing. So best never to invite the idea.
It was Imogen who stepped in again in his defense. “He doesn’t owe us an explanation. I’m sure it was surprising, realizing she was yourkigaraall of a sudden.”
Soren tugged on his ear. “I was…shocked.”
“Just because he didn’t pounce on her right there doesn’t mean all is lost.”
Balar’s lips curled upward into a sultry grin. “Should I have pounced on you,urisá?Would that have made you sweeter for me sooner?”
