Chapter 58

That would explain why Killian went so rigid and weird when she talked about Lyra with him. As someone who was mourning her mate even though he was alive, Inez could, to some degree, understand his pain. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ (.)net
“She was your sister?” Inez asked, picking up another detail that Nyx had let slide.
The woman nodded with a saddened sigh. “That’s why me and Fenric were so unfriendly towards you. We thought that Killian had brought another woman to discredit and embarrass the memories of our sister. Though we are not against him moving on—he should at least find someone stable and imprint on her.”
She paused and sighed heavily. “We are not against him imprinting but by sleeping with different women—” she trailed off, not finishing her sentence but Inez understood what Nyx wanted to tell her.
“You think he is mocking the memory of your sister?” Inez sounded out and the woman smiled at her embarrassingly.
“I know it feels a bit stupid but we think that Lyra deserved more,” Nyx sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. They were now walking down a cobblestone path that led to another lodge. “She gave Kill everything that she could; she even trusted him when no one else did and you know what he did?”
“What?”
“He hit her.” Nyx’s eyes flashed with anger as she gritted out.
“What!?” Inez didn’t take Nyx’s word for it but she was still surprised by what she had told her. Because what Nyx said was not a light-hearted comment, it was a really serious accusation. A mate was the biggest gift the moon goddess gave to a shifter. To hurt and embarrass much less hit him or her was something that Inez could never think of doing, not that it mattered for her mate had already rejected her.
“You don’t have to believe me,” Nyx remarked when she saw the hint of disbelief on her face. “My sister and Killian sensed that they were mates when they turned eighteen, like most of the shifters. Naturally, we thought everything was going to end well—that was until we saw Lyra returning home with all kinds of bruises.”
“Of course, Lyra never told us what was happening to her. She simply said that it was nothing but we knew what was going on.” Nyx shook her head and took a deep breath before saying, “We tried to confront Kill but Lyra stopped us, saying that it helped him. At twenty we moved away from our old pack as things got tough and Lyra was with Kill at every step but then things got out of control and She trailed off once again.
Her eyes were blurry with tears as she finished off, “And she died.”
She raised her head and took a deep look at Inez. “I am not telling you these things because I am trying to sow discord between you or Kill. I am just putting you on guard—Kill’s not sane and you have long heard of this.”
“So make sure you are careful. Once you are done, get out of here; the last thing you want is catching the attention of that man.”
Nyx then turned on her heel, making her way through the cobblestone path, leaving Inez even more confused than she already was when she came to this pack.
While Inez was lost in her thoughts, Nyx made her way back to her lodge; her eyes flickered slightly when she heard her mother sobbing once again. She sighed and pushed open the door before saying to her mother, “And what’s the point of crying like this now that things have come to this point?”
“You just don’t miss your sister like I do.” Morrineth wiped her eyes as she cleaned the tears off her cheeks. She said to Nyx, “It’s bad enough that Kill keeps bringing all kinds of hussies to the pack every now and then but he just has to bring that one.” Morrineth almost spat on the floor when she recalled Inez’s beautiful face.
“I have to say that his taste has gone down the ruins ever since my Lyra was gone,” Morrineth said bitterly. “He is just going around bringing anyone with a pretty face, while my Lyra was not only beautiful but also smart and witty.”
Fenric stayed quiet. He didn’t refuse what his mother was saying, which meant that he silently agreed with her in his heart.
Nyx, on the other hand, sighed and sat down on the couch. Discussing Lyra was not on her mind. Thus, she changed the topic and said to her mother, “Did you hear that Debby ran away with a rogue?”
“I did hear about it,” Morrineth sighed with a hint of regret in her voice. “I have to admit that Miss Rachel has it hard. But then again, this is what happens when you do not keep good control over your children. What do young people like, you know? It’s us who have seen and faced more.”
She then turned to look at Nyx and stated, “And speaking of this, when are you going to start with your dance lessons? I did tell you that we are going to go to the Moon Ball, didn’t I? Are you going to embarrass me by acting like a complete buffoon?”
Her mother paused and added, “And what’s with the weight that you are gaining? Can you not see that you are about to become as fat as a hippo?”
Nyx pursed her lips and looked at her thin arms and legs. She was certain that she hadn’t gained any weight that her mother spoke of but she knew that there was no point in insisting otherwise. She blinked her eyes and said, “I talked with the healer and I think that she is really here for Selene’s matters.”
“Oh, please.” Morrineth’s aim turned to Inez as she scolded her. “I will eat my kettle if that woman was here to just treat Selene. Just you wait and watch, Nyx. That woman would show her true intentions in a while. I am sure of it.”