Veritas

Chapter 27

Aislinn immediately jumped between Drystan and Kenji, holding her arms out to demonstrate she was defending the vampire.

"What on Earth are you growling about, Kenji?" She demanded, legitimately confused.

"He was getting closer to you! You can't be so stupid to not realize his end game, he just plans to bite you" came the mind-link from Ryan.

Aislinn let out a frustrated sound, shaking her head in disbelief. "What gave you such a ridiculous idea? He was showing me the difference in our body temperatures, that's it" she explained, trying not to lose her temper at his behaviour and insults.

"A likely story. I can't believe you bought that! He'd have moved in real quick if Kenji and I hadn't interrupted" Ryan insisted stubbornly.

"He has had so many opportunities to kill me, and hasn't! I'm telling you, I don't know how or why I know it; I just know that we can trust him" Aislinn insisted back, matching Ryan's stubbornness.

Drystan, who hadn't moved since Kenji had entered the cave, suddenly stood up and turned to face the two werewolves. "I presume that you believe I was trying to drink her blood," he said, suspecting that was what Aislinn was referring to when she said he could have killed her. "It may be worth mentioning that the blood of werewolves is...Particularly disgusting. I suspect it's a built-in natural defence that the Moon Goddess gave us" he explained.

Kenji snorted at "us", since he didn't believe that Drystan ever was a werewolf to begin with. He believed it was a scam to gain Aislinn's trust, and he and Ryan hated that it was working. The realization of his words sunk in, though, and Kenji began to growl again.

"He admits to tasting the blood of our kind, Aislinn! He's a monster! Why don't you see it?!"  Ryan demanded angrily.

Aislinn stood her ground, narrowing her eyes at the growling beast before her. "Stop being so prejudiced, Ryan! Drystan, tell him how you know what werewolf blood tastes like" she demanded, although less harshly than she spoke to Ryan.

"I did not drink any werewolf blood, if that is what he is insinuating. I was attacked when I returned to my home, and several times since then...By rogue, lone wolf, and pack wolf alike. Biting was sometimes my best offence or defence, depending on the situation..." Drystan explained, walking forward to Aislinn's side. "I can take my leave for now if you wish, I do not want to cause issues amongst your family...I merely feel a draw to Aislinn" he continued, directing his words to Kenji and Ryan now. "I wish to protect her" he finished simply.

Despite Ryan and Kenji sharing the same goal, hearing the words come from the bloodsucker's lips enraged them. Kenji snarled at the vampire, causing Aislinn to once more jump between them.

"Stop it! Why are you behaving like this?!" She shouted.

"Why are you choosing an outsider you don't even know over your family?" Ryan demanded, letting another snarl from Kenji.

Aislinn's eyes widened in shock when the man she trusted most in the world, and his wolf, snarled at her. Grumbles and growls she could handle, but she had never seen such a serious show of aggression from them. She took a step back instinctively, bumping into the cold wall that was Drystan, trying to fight back the tears that sprung to her eyes.

Seeing and realizing his mistake, Ryan's heart broke over making Aislinn so upset when his aim was to keep her safe. He was being a hypocrite, so determined to protect her from someone else, only to end up being the cause of her pain. Despite this, he was still a stubborn and proud werewolf; so, he turned away from the two and walked to the mouth of the cave. A quick mind-link to his mother assured him that she'd be back to keep an eye on the vampire within moments, so he chose to run from the cave without a word back to Aislinn. He only stopped briefly on his way out to grab some of the rabbits he'd brought back for their dinner, then disappeared into the blizzard.

Watching Kenji disappear into the snow without a word, Aislinn let out a soft sob. She reached out to them through mind-link, only to feel that there was a mental block up to keep her from reaching him. This was the last piece of heartbreak she could take; Ryan had never blocked her before. It was an unspoken agreement between them, they could always depend on each other. She sunk to the ground and covered her face, letting out another soft sob.

Drystan looked down, saddened for the girl and feeling partly responsible for her pain. Granted, his existence was his only fault here; but, he still hated to put such a wedge between Aislinn and someone she loved so dearly. He placed a hand on her head gently, in what he hoped was a comforting gesture, and said "I can smell Rei's wolf is near...I will take my leave, so you can have some privacy. I will not be far, and will watch over you."

Before Aislinn could gather herself enough to respond, Drystan had already left. As Drystan had promised, Rei entered the cave not long after. She dropped her own kills by the entry and rushed over to Aislinn once she took in the sight of the distressed girl.

"Sweetheart, what happened? What's wrong?" She asked gently, but urgently, worried something serious had happened.

"I just don't understand" Aislinn answered, sniffling as she tried to compose herself and stop her tears. "Kenji and Ryan just came in and blew up at Drystan, and accused him of wanting to kill me, then when I told them they were being ridiculous they got mad and actually snarled at me" she explained, with some rogue tears slipping down her cheeks due to her recollection.

"Ohhh, sweety" Rei cooed, pulling Aislinn into a hug. "He's just protective...Unfortunately for us, male werewolves are very protective, possessive and aggressive when it comes to their loved ones. Ryan and Kenji love you very much, and they don't think it's wise to trust Drystan...I have been growing to accept him more, and I think your gut is telling you to trust him for a reason...But Ryan is so used to being the only man in both our lives, and I think worrying about you, while also having less of your attention than he's used to has just...Pushed him over the edge. That doesn't make such a show of aggression towards you okay, and I'll be talking to him about that...For your sake, though, I want you to understand that it's not your fault, okay? Ryan and Kenji just need to learn to accept things won't always be the way they think things should be. I'll talk to them, okay?"

Aislinn cuddled into the comforting arms of Rei, listening to her soothing voice that helped calm Aislinn's aching heart. Hearing it put that way, she felt a little better, and decided she'd talk to Ryan when he came back later that night. To her dismay, though, Ryan chose not to come back that night.

So, for the first time in many winters, Aislinn was sleeping without the soft fur of Kenji curled around her for warmth. Instead, Thaila took up the protective stance of guarding Aislinn from the cold. Sadly, the mother wolf could not protect her from her broken heart.