Page 40 of The Wolf and Her Shadows

My gaze drifts to Mariane, finding her own golden eyes already focused on me as well. The way she smiles leaves me powerless to do anything but return it.

Slivo grunts, breaking our brief moment of intense eye contact. “Eh. Enough o’ de sappy hogwash,” they grumble, stabbing their fork into a slice of what looks like pork. “Sit, Rosie, eat while it’s still hot fer once.”

Their adoptive daughter giggles softly, obediently taking the chair between them and Mariane.

While we all begin filling our plates with both baked goods and meat alike, I can’t help but to continue stealing glances at Mariane out of the corner of my eye. There’s a smile on her face as she laughs at the way Rosaline and Slivo tease each other and even though she’s no doubt still in pain, it doesn’t seem to be forced. Perhaps she needed this small bit of “normalcy” as much as I did.

Just a casual dinner between old friends and new acquaintances.

No sooner does the thought crosses my mind than Slivo leans towards me and whispers, “Soon as we dones eatin’, I got some news te tell ye.”

My brows furrow, dread and anticipation fighting for dominance of the sudden swirling vortex in my gut when I take in their serious expression. “Alright.”

A moment later, Mariane’s fork clatters to her plate and she gasps, “Oh my gods! I haven’t even introduced myself to either of you!”

Rosaline bursts out laughing. Slivo on the other hand lifts their brows and says, “Figured der was a reason fer dat. Considerin’ ye had te sneak into town covered in fur an such.”

“Ah, right.” Mariane’s cheeks grow pink as she slumps further into her chair. “Suppose you have a point there.”

Not wanting her to feel either embarrassed or somehow left out, I grab her hand and shoot a meaningful glance to both Slivo and Rosaline. “Amara. For now, her name's Amara.”

They both nod, then Rosaline holds out a hand to Mariane. “It’s nice to meet you, Amara.”

I receive a grateful smile before she takes the offered hand, chuckling as she gives it a small shake. “It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Rosaline.”

While the previous casual conversation resumes, Mariane turns her hand over to give mine a brief squeeze before pulling free so we can return to our meals.

Popping the last bite of a hot roll into my mouth, I give Slivo a subtle nod. Taking that as my cue I’m ready for our “talk”, the goblin nods back, then makes eye contact with Rosaline and dips their head to her as well. The devilkin makes no indication she noticed the brief exchange, but she turns to Mariane and begins enthusiastically telling her a story about a raccoon that had snuck into the kitchens one night.

Slivo quietly hops off their chair, and I stand as well, moving to follow. After a moment’s hesitation, I lean down, brushing my lips over Mariane’s ear as I whisper, “I’ll be right back.” She shivers at the contact, briefly glancing up at me before turning her attention back to Rosaline.

Taking a deep breath, I brush aside the curtain and step back into the shop itself. Slivo’s impatiently waiting for me with their arms crossed in the corner of the room furthest from the kitchen. My previous dread returns, news and information alike are hardly ever positive if they require this level of secrecy. Each step I take towards them feels as if I’m walking through quicksand.

Never one to beat around the bush, they barely wait for me to cross the room before blurting out, “I knows who was leadin’ de wolves, Vann. And who dey was workin’ fer.” They shake their head, exhaling heavily. “And trust me, ye ain’t gone like it.”

Our heart starts hammering so hard in our chest it feels as if it intends to break through our ribs. My vision blurs, breath turning ragged as I fight against the waves of emotions washing over me. Us. Slivo knows. They actually know. We’ve spent years seeking out even a scrap of information and yet a single chance reunion…

Two small hands grab mine. “Breathes, Vann. Ye looks like ye about to pass out on me.”

My lungs burn as I suck in a deep breath. Closing my eyes, I slowly let it back out. When I open them again, our vision has cleared. Forcing a shaky smile, I mutter, “Thank you, friend. Apologies for my reaction.”

Letting go of my hands, they wave away my apology and grumble, “None o’ dat. Now, sit down. Clearly ye shouldn’t be standing when ye hear dis.”

Nodding, I lower myself to the floor so I’m sitting cross-legged in front of Slivo, putting us at eye-level with one another.

Crossing their arms again, they drift their gaze over my shoulder and whisper, “De one leadin’ de pack o’ wolves, he wasn’t der with de rest Aren killed. No. De bastard was leadin’ another group. Aroun’ on de other side, makin’ sure te catch anyone fleein’ inta de forest like yous was.” They look back at me, eyes narrowing. “It was de bastard now running Cyrel. Name’s Mielviroth. Mielviroth Onyxclaw.”

I choke on a gasp. No… No, it can’t be…

Shaking my head, I mutter, “Are you… Are you sure, Slivo?”

They nod, reaching out to place their hands on my shoulders. “I’s sure, Vann. One o’ de wolves dey was leadin’ dat day came through here couple years back. He en a few others was apparently lookin’ fer de bastard’s daughter.” They let out a pained sigh while my own lungs cease to function entirely. “I was in de tavern havin’ a quick drink, overhead ‘em all talkin’ ‘bout how Onyxclaw was plannin’ te marry de girl off to de prince as part of his ongoin’ alliance wid de king. De alliance dat first started when de king had promised Onyxclaw Cyrel in exchange fer his wolves joinin’ in with the massacre of…”

“My people,” I finish, my voice breaking.

Fate has a cruel sense of humor it seems.

Slivo immediately wraps their arms around me in a fierce hug. “I’s so sorry, Vann. Aren. Rayne. All o’ ye.”