Like anyone waiting for time to pass, it went by slowly for Myranda and Metas. It wasn't so bad, though. They had each other to talk to, and the longer they spoke, the more they started to feel comfortable with one another.
At some point, Myranda had fallen asleep. She wasn't sure when, or even for how long, but when Metas shook her softly to wake her as gently as he could, she could hear the sounds of voices muffled by whatever it was they had on the walls to limit sound.
It was yelling, that was certain - and it was angry. The two of them crawled over towards the stairs to hear better, but it was still mostly muffled. Whoever was out there, was having an argument with several others.
The doorknob started to turn and rattle as someone unlocked and opened the door. They both pulled themselves back around the corner and looked at one another with faces of alarm.
No one was supposed to be here, but the argument they heard as the door opened answered why her sister was home so soon.
"You promised me it was for the entire weekend - the entire weekend! We didn't even get to spend a single night. This is the third time you've broken a promise to me," Syrana cried out in frustration.
"'Rana, sweetheart, I had no choice. Harbinger called me back. We've talked about this," Silas returned with exasperation. "I can't say no to him, he's my boss and my dad."
"Syri - go upstairs. I'll be up in a minute to tuck you in, and tomorrow we'll go see auntie Myranda," Syrana said with a sniffle - but she tried to make it sound as though she were fine.
"Are you going to fight?" the innocent girl asked.
"No, sweetie. We're just disagreeing right now. How about you go play with your favorite toy, pick out your favorite book, and I'll read it to you, okay?" Syrana lied with a smile.
Myranda wanted to cry. Her sister was back in the same place they had been trying to escape from for so long.
Metas instantly sensed her pain and snaked his left arm around her stomach and pulled her back into his chest firmly.
"Okay, but don't fight..it's not nice...and it makes me sad," she said softly and sounded absolutely crushed.
It took all of Myranda's willpower to not rush downstairs and rescue her niece from this terrible atmosphere.
"We won't, we promise little pup" Silas tried to sound reassuring, but his tone wasn't comforting at all. He was furious and anyone could smell it from a mile away.
Syri did as her parents asked and started to climb up the stairs slowly, and just like Myranda had done when she was her niece's age in the same situation - the young child stopped at the top of the stairs to listen from afar.
"We shouldn't fight in front of her....I know what it's like and we need to stop. I don't ask for much, but that is something I am willing to beg for" Syrana said in a hushed tone.
"Then you shouldn't have made a big deal about leaving. If you had just been a supportive mate as you should be, there would have been no argument. You can be a real fucking bitch, Rana. I can't help it they need my help to track down two fugitives. They're dangerous, and it's important to catch them in order to keep our home safe, and our lives comfortable," Silas argued back.
Syrana looked at him with shock and fear at his sudden outburst, and in instinct she shrunk down into herself, and tried to appease him to make it stop.
"I'm sorry...I just... I was really looking forward to spending some time together, just the three of us. I've been so stressed out with everything - and I'm doing my best to comfort Myranda and try to sew her and the prince back together," she replied as if to justify her actions, when she didn't need to.
"I keep telling you she's an adult. Let her worry about her own fucking problems, and the prince wants nothing to do with her. Like I said, he's accepting his best friend from childhood as his mate. The Goddess can pair us up, but we still have free-will. Your sister isn't easy to love, Rana... She's got a lot of issues, and her looks aren't helpful." Silas lied and sounded convincingly empathetic.
"She is very easy to love! She's beautiful, and sweet, and perfect for him - and she'd be a great Luna. She would," Syrana disagreed - but her tone got weaker as she spoke on and watched his face dissolve into a frown.
"Don't be such a liar to yourself, Rana...Your sister would upset the entire balance of this kingdom, and send it into ruin. Metas doesn't love her, he doesn't want her - and honestly, Lara is also perfect for him - and she would be the best choice as Luna, next to you of course, my love" he tried to sound as though he were on her side and charming her away from her own opinion.
It was easy to sit there and listen to gather information - but it was hard to do it with Syri's face visible to them. Myranda couldn't stand it anymore. She reached out and tapped her niece's shoulder with her finger already up to her lips to signal Syri to be silent.
The poor thing had tears in her eyes and when she saw her aunt sitting there with Metas, her eyes grew wide, and a smile erupted upon her face. She launched herself into her aunt's open arms and buried her head into Myranda's shoulder.
The elder wolf had never hugged her niece so hard in her entire life. Syrana had been there for her for her entire life - and now, she was going to be there for her daughter when Syrana herself could not.
"Why don't we go to your room and play with some toys very quietly?" Myranda whispered into Syri's ear.
The little pup nodded and took her aunt's hand to lead her and Metas to her room. He would have stayed to listen to the spat - but he felt that his mate and her niece needed his support far more than he needed more information. He had heard enough once his ears got wind of the unmistakable sound of hand meeting flesh as Silas hit Syrana hard.
Unlike Silas - he would save Myranda, and Syrana from the unfair positions they had in life, and Silas would pay for hurting his pack-sister.
Silently, the three of them went into Syri's room to lock out the chaos ringing downstairs.