Page 15 of Alan

5

Alan

“That stupid woman!” I slammed my fists against the wall until I went straight through the sheetrock, revealing the cave wall beneath. It had been a long time since I’d seen it, as we had updated and renovated the cave as soon as the opportunity had presented itself.

“I resent your use of that word,” Tamhas growled.

“Fine,” I growled in return. “That foolish woman. That troublesome woman. Is that better?”

“You know it isn’t.”

“And you know she was wrong to run away like that!” I punched the wall once again, knowing I would certainly regret the damage once I was no longer angry. Then again, it would likely be a long time before my anger dissipated.

“Throwing a tantrum helps no one, especially Keira.” Ainsley placed a well-meaning hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged her off. The last thing I needed was her comfort when all she seemed prepared to do was undermine me.

“How dare you?” I snarled.

She fell back a step.

My rage wouldn’t be controlled. “A tantrum? Do not forget who you’re talking to.”

“I know exactly who I’m talking to, brother.”

“No.” I faced her straight-on, staring into those eyes that looked just like mine. “You are speaking to the leader of your clan. I am not your twin at the moment. You would do well to remember it.” I turned and went straight to the communication center, though I wasn’t certain why. It seemed like the most logical place to disappear.

I should have known better, as my sister and her mate and that stupid, thoughtless woman’s mate followed me. It was difficult for me to think about Tamhas as anything but, as he was so thoughtless in his support of her.

Too many questions, too many courses of action, yet they insisted upon following and thus making it impossible for me to think.

“Do you plan to find her?” Tamhas demanded.

“No, I plan to do no such thing.”

“How can you say that?” he shouted.

“You realize we’ll simply go without you, do you not?” Ainsley stood beside him. I couldn’t believe she would take his side over mine, over the clan’s. She refused to see this for what it truly was. They all did.

“Have you all forgotten? Have you?” I pointed to Klaus. “I do not expect him to understand, and I would not expect Keira to, gods know. But you ought to. For a thousand years, we have done all that was within our power to protect ourselves and each other. How can you be so selfish?”

“It is not a matter of being selfish. You speak of protection?” Tamhas asked. “What about protecting what is ours?”

“Keira is not ours!”

“She is mine! You know what that means to us! Simply because you’ve never known it yourself—”

“Don’t.” Ainsley stepped between us, facing him. “Do not say such things. You cannot take them back.”

The two of us stood there, glaring at each other. He was correct, naturally. I had no mate and had never come close to having one. And I understood all too well what it meant when one of us found the one person we were meant to be with for eternity.

Concerns such as one’s clan, the wishes of the leader, seemed to take second place.

Even so, I could not simply allow him to forget everyone and everything else in favor of what he wanted.

“Our history with the Priestesses is far too fraught.” I managed to keep myself somewhat in check, much to my own surprise. A leader did not allow emotion to take them as far as I already had allowed myself to go. I needed to be smarter.

As Gavin would have. I’d never seen him get into screaming matches.

He took a deep breath, let it out slowly. “I realize that. I remember it well.”

---