Page 50 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
“I really like it here,” I admit. “It’s… a warm place.”
“Although, it’s cold,” he says.
“It’s the people that make it warm,” I explain.
Gillean’s eyes light up in joy. “I can’t deny that your words make me happy.” He gestures towards his desk, and I take my seat. “I assume you have lots of questions.”
“That’s true.” I feel like he is the type of person who doesn’t like people beating around the bush. My father is the exact opposite. Everyone always walks on eggshells around him because he tends to lash out when he is in a bad mood. “I think I also have something to tell you, though.”
“Oh?” Gillean raises his brows.
“Yes,” I say calmly. “About the woman in white.” I keep my eyes on his face, noticing how it twitches slightly. Soon he smiles, though, but I have seen enough to have proof.
“It’s just a legend.”
“Everyone keeps telling me that,” I say bluntly. Despite me growing up secluded, I still learned to carry myself with pride. I do not like to be kept in the dark, and it’s about time I own up to my rank and title. “But I know what I saw. I don’t imagine things. Also, I dream.”
Gillean looks at me, surprised, while it’s Quinn’s turn now to raise his brows. A smirk curls his lips, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Why do you think I’d be lying to you?” Gillean asks. His juvenile attitude is replaced by an earnest one now, and he looks at me with an insistent glance.
“To protect me,” I point out. “But I don’t need protection, not this kind of protection. Knowledge is power. I’m not scared of the truth or the unknown, and I know you are well aware that I was born with a gift.”
Gillean leans back. “The woman in white is a myth,” he says. “For the people. However, scholars know that she is a lesser deity.”
“Scholars, like your wife, the Luna Sine,” I conclude. “So, the sightings the others hinted at, the mysterious attacks, and also the blizzard that surrounded me, they are all interwoven.”
Now Gillean looks at me, shocked. “Azadeh, your power. What does it do? Is your knowledge part of it?”
“No,” I shake my head. “The one thing my father did for me was to provide me with lots of books and to have the best teachers teach me. That’s where my knowledge comes from. I’ve done nothing else but learn and study.”
“I’ve heard you are very well educated,” he states. “I just wasn’t aware of how well, though.”
“Knowledge is power,” I repeat. “Especially for me, as I was born with the gift.” I pause. “No one knows what the gift truly does, not even I. I do know I can protect someone if I want to, but other than that, it’s still a mystery.”
Gillean looks at me for a long while. “I don’t know anything about your gift either or, at least, not much. But my Luna told me that it’s peculiar. Azadeh, we didn’t keep things from you to insult you. We just wanted you to feel at home here first, before scaring you with our own terrifying history.”
“I don’t hold it against you,” I assure him. “It’s just… up to now, I was the one everyone was terrified of,” I say. It’s so hard for me to explain how I feel, and why it doesn’t terrify me to have more knowledge, even when it’s scary. “People looked the other way when they saw me because they thought my mere presence was cursing them. I don’t fear the werewolves or other creatures here; I don’t fear the truth… I fear turning into the person everyone is terrified of.”
Gillean’s stance softens, and his expression loses its stubbornness. “Werewolves are used to mysterious gifts and creatures,” he says. “They are used to working with witches. Your gift is making them curious, not terrified. There is the rumor going around that you protected a bunch of children once, with your powers. This nurturing side of you speaks a lot to wolves. But also, werewolves are drawn to strength and power, and they are loyal, which is why alpha bloodlines are strong.”
I nod, his words make sense to me. “What does it mean… the triplets without a fate?”
Gillean stares at me, his mouth opening slightly as if he is trying to grasp what I just asked. Next to me, I can see that Royan looks confused, but Quinn carries the same expression Gillean does.
“Where have you heard that?” Gillean whispers.
“I dreamed of it,” I admit.
Gillean looks up at Royan, his eyes darkening as he looks at him. “Nothing we talk about here will leave this room,” he says, his voice surprisingly harsh and demanding.
Royan’s body tenses, a shiver going through it, before he bares his neck at his king. “Yes, Alpha.”
“My triplet sons… their birth alone was a miracle. Some say it shouldn’t have happened, that it’s a curse, but I see it as a miracle: Three sons born to the same mother at the same time. However, from when they were little, it was clear that there was no mate bond they could feel. It’s not easy to explain, but it’s a void inside them, something that should be there, but isn’t. On the other hand, their powers differ from other werewolves. Their connection runs deeper. They can mind link each other over long distances, and all three at the same time, even as kids. They always know where one of them is and how they feel. They physically can’t fight each other. Growing up, I expected them to have some rivalry, but their understanding runs so deep, it hurts them if they argue.” He pauses. “However, they have no fate that is predestined for them.”
“And that’s bad?” I ask carefully.
“No, it’s just different. They have no mates out there. None of them is stronger than the other, meaning none of them is clearly my heir. They have choices, almost as if they were human. Fate means a lot to us wolves, though, especially fated mates, which is why they struggle with this knowledge.” He looks at me expectantly. “Now, it’s your turn.”
