Shattered - Completed

44 - The North

CeCe

Oh. My. Goddess.

With everything in my power, I stifle the shock and horror. Goddess, seeing this male is like a nightmare come to life, and that's saying something, considering my penchant for making up the worst sort of terrible fake memories in the Knowing.

My bond with Tivo flares, withers, and dies, all within one split second. Almost as soon as I meet his eyes, a much more powerful bond surges forward with a flash of golden eyes and cruelly sharp teeth sunk into the Mark on my she-wolf's neck.

Ouch. I admonish my golden-eyed Black silently. He withdraws from her, licking her wound petulantly and keeping his body pressed to hers in an obvious show of possessiveness. My she-wolf nips at his jaw like a pup, but there's a hint of sass in her move. He seemingly ignores her, but then one massive, black paw steps over her, caging her under his chest. In return, she gives a tiny little wriggle of joy that she can't hide.

I push them away as much as I can. My situation here just grew much more dire and now, more than ever, I need to concentrate on... well... on pretending I can't concentrate.

The quick glance I granted to Tivo was enough to see his look of lust mixed with a hint of disdain. Good to know that nothing has changed on that front.

"Papa," I greet my father a beat too slowly. He is beaming, proud of his daughter. Which can only mean that Tivo told him who I was to him. The future luna of the MoonGlist. Which begs the question; how did Tivo know I was his mate if we'd never looked upon each other before this moment?

That bastard. The answer comes right on the heels of the question, oddly enough flickering through the bond with my black wolf. Tivo knew I was his truemate. He must have seen me before, maybe when I was locked in the Knowing. He was with Amber, always with her, and left me Unclaimed. He silently, cowardly rejected me. I wonder what his excuse for not coming forward before is? He must have told my father a good story.

"Cecelia, my little moon," Dad chokes out as he rises to his feet, slowly followed by Tivo.

"Yes?" I ask, pretending to be dull and so pathetically unobservant that I don't notice my mate. All while praying to the goddess they believe that act.

"Little moon," my fathers says again, "this is Tivo. The alphason of the MoonGlist."

Flames burn as the pack scatters to the four winds. There is nothing left but a dried-out husk that was once the proud pack of the north.

My Black wolf huffs a derisive laugh. I have to bite my tongue to keep from blurting out, 'not anymore.' How I manage to do it, I'm not sure, but I do.

"Hello," I force myself to greet my ex-mate with polite blandness as if the mate bond escaped my notice.

"Cecelia," Tivo says. His eyes are dark today, just like his soul. Huge bags hang under his eyes, the purple-black bruises in stark contrast to the pale, pinched quality of his skin. He's skinnier than I remember from the Knowing, and his clothes are worn and ragged at the hems. His hands curl into loose fists, hiding the worn, broken cuticles from shifting to paws too quickly. Life on the run is rough, but he still stands with the prideful arrogance I remember.

I don't say another word. I just pretend to be as vapid as I can while I take my seat next to Moira and my father. My father and Tivo are slower to sit down, and much to my great displeasure, Tivo moves so that he is across from my father and nearly directly seated opposite of me.

A few wolves bring out dishes laden with breakfast and set them on the center of the table. We eat breakfast and lunch family-style in the clans, no matter the occasion. It's our way of keeping the stiff politeness of the southern packs out of our lives. It isn't customary or necessary for my father to serve himself first or take the first bite. It is common courtesy, however, for males to place food on their mate's plates and wait for her to take the first bite before they dig in.