Amory listened as Mirella explained her side of the story and his heart clenched in pain and rage. Had Rune taken advantage of her and was she playing it off—as was Mirella's nature.
His anger was suddenly distracted when he felt magic and heard a scream. He immediately caused himself to appear within the cabin and saw Yavanna gripping her hair, looking like a madwoman, and Mirella sitting at the far wall, blood seeping from a wound in her forehead.
He felt… conflicted for a moment before Rune rushed in and ran to Mirella, calling her name. In that time Amory was watching Yavanna curiously, her hands had torn the veil from her face and tossed it to the ground, her knees had buckled and she was now kneeling and shaking her head. If she was capable of speech then he was sure she would be muttering madly.
"Get her out of here!" Rune growled and Amory's head snapped up to look at the animal, his gaze shifted to Mirella's small form in his arms before he hauled Yavanna out the door.
He sensed that she was beginning to hyperventilate and shook her shoulders, "Yavanna! Snap out of it!"
Her face twisted and in the next instant she had materialized a few paces from him. He drew back and watched in a disturbed fascination as she began to walk to and fro in the snow, her mind seemingly whirring.
Her eyes abruptly lifted and met his and he froze. They were glowing, along with her hands. At that moment she looked every bit the witch she was; her hair was a massive rat's nest, her eyes held a wicked anger that made his throat bob, and her glowing hands shook with an unstableness that made him wary. His eyes darted to the ground when a hissing sound made itself apparent. She was melting the snow. Now he feared to touch her.
But he quickly concealed his emotions and watched her with uncaring eyes as she stepped towards him, her hands and eyes still glowing. When she stopped she stared up at him with eyes that nearly made him choke. He wondered not for the first time what was going on behind her glowing orbs. She was questioning him.
He realized then that she was asking him why? Why he'd not told her he knew? Why he'd hated her so? Why he'd been so callous towards her. He swallowed and said all he could say, "I have no excuse." He pressed his lips together to stop more excuses from escaping.
Something happened in his heart when she blinked and suddenly her fiery temper was gone and he saw nothing in those dimming eyes. He shifted his shoulders and looked around the snowy village for assistance, but found none.
She crumpled to the ground, staring blankly at the vast expanse of Lake Turitin. The glow faded from her hands and eyes and he again raised his head and looked around for help. Maybe he should find Clark, or one of her maids.
Not knowing how to deal with the situation made his skin crawl. But what was wrong with her? His nose twitched when he smelled the pungent odour of magic again and he looked down to Yavanna but saw she was still unmoving. Her head slowly turned to look at the trees to their left and he straightened.
Mist was pooling from the trees and he narrowed his eyes. Looking back at Yavanna she still sat staring at the mist but her eyes were focused on something and she began shaking her head slowly.
He recognized the situation. She had acted almost the same in the stone circle, except then she had been speaking. Hearing a faint whispering he swiveled his head hastily.
He didn't like this.
Picking up Yavanna he moved away from the tree and the melted snow and towards the cabin that he knew Rune had been preparing for Yavanna. He threw the door open and set her down, she steadied herself and looked around the small interior. The healer stood abruptly from her three legged stool and he pointed at Yavanna, "Your patient."
He shut the door and heard the healer ask Yavanna how she was feeling. Amory waited for an answer but none came and he stormed off, towards Rune's dwelling. As he neared it he could hear Rune whispering softly to Mirella, her frantic voice broke through his gentle words though, "That was magic, Rune! You can't just ignore it."
"I'm not ignoring it—" He replied sternly but she broke him off.
"Mother always said Yavanna was special, but this?! Rune… I just. What have I done?" The regret in her voice made Amory's eyes shift. She regretted what she'd done to her sister, but not to him? He appeared inside without warning and Rune immediately stood and stepped in front of Mirella.
Amory ignored it and merely walked to the window to peer at the black lake.
"Rune, it's alright." She said quickly and Amory assumed the dog had made a movement towards him. But his back was turned, he had no fear of the alpha. "Could you give me and Amory a moment, please?"
Rune growled, but obliged and Amory watched out of the side of his eye as the animal stalked off and slammed the door behind him. His eyes narrowed when he saw him walk to the cabin Yavanna was staying at.
"You look well." Mirella's unsure compliment brought him from his thoughts and he turned to look at her directly for the first time. He swallowed and his chest squeezed when he saw that she looked more beautiful than he'd ever seen her. Her skin was a fuller colour and her hair was longer and more vibrant, the cut in her forehead diminishing nothing. But her eyes.. her eyes were what made his heart yearn for her, they were what had attracted him before.
"I suppose from the way you're looking at me, I also look well?" She said wryly, but he didn't miss the way her eyes darted.
"Has Rune hurt you?" He asked and she reared back, her dark eyes going wide.
"No," She breathed, "He would never." Her expression changed and he knew she would say something that was supposed to be funny, "Except when we're having fun."
He glared at her words and at the jealousy that rose him when he thought about the fact that Rune had gotten to have her. He'd gotten to touch her and hold her and had gotten to make her his. The animal.
"How could you have gone with him? And why did you wait so long to tell me?" He asked, hating that his vulnerability was showing.
Her eyes turned apologetic and she bit her lip, looking into the flame, "I never planned for it to happen." She was quiet for a long while, as though reliving past memories, before she spoke again. "Did you know that werewolves have mates? Their wolves find the perfect match for them. For an alpha, it's different. Rune once said that, 'Lunas are born, not made.'" She paused again and met his eyes with a small smile, "He found me, Amory. And when mother and father found us in a…a compromising position, they told him to take me and leave. They never want to see me again."
Amory could only watch her as she relayed the story. He knew that Yavanna had to come to him so that the prophecy could be fulfilled, but to have to watch the woman he loved be torn from him. It was enough to make him tremble in anger.
"As to why I didn't tell you sooner. I uh," She cleared her throat, "Things have been busy around here. But I sent you tarts, did you like them?" She asked, her smile strained.
He looked away from her beauty and at the mantle lined with homey touches, "No."
He sensed her disappointment and hurt but she said nothing. They sat in silence for a long while, both puzzling out their thoughts and emotions at finally being confronted with one another. And the truth.
The silence was broken by Mirella, "Amory… what we had wasn't love. It was infatuation. You were a king, something new. You were… exciting and the sneaking around wasn't the most exciting thing about you. But I realize now that I didn't love you, and you never loved me. It was infatuation, Amory. Desire. Nothing more."
He left. He couldn't stand in that stuffy room any longer. Couldn't stand in there with Mirella. Couldn't listen to her sudden wisdom. His heart was tearing in anger and pain. If it wasn't love, what had he been feeling?