MaNan: The Shattered Bond

13. The Truth.

Nandini

If I said I didn't feel suffocated at the moment, I would be telling a big lie.
Because that's all I percieve right now. My nostrils are working so slow and I'm scared they'll stop working completely by the end of whatever this is going to be.

The old woman walks until the middle of the room, and both Manik and Sir bend themselves and kiss her hand.

She gives them a small smile, before turning to me and grinning as she extends her hand to me.
I look at Manik, who blinks at me, so I put my hand in her and move closer.

The distance between her and I reduces, but my hand slips from Manik's, which makes me miss his warmth instantly.

The elderly woman's smile widens even more once she touches my right cheek with her palm.

A sudden softness spreads at that part of my face and I intake some oxygen trying to calm my raging heart.

"Nandini, isn't it?" I gulp the shiver forming down my throat as I nod my head to answer.

"You've grown so much, but those almond eyes still remain." I blink too many times before stretching my lips a little bit.

She lets go of my cheek and instead holds both my hands in her palms, giving them a little squeeze as she looks me directly in the eyes.

"Whatever we're about to tell you, is not going to be easy for you, but you have to understand that everything we say, is for your benefit." I analyze her eyeballs trying to find the amuse hidden behind them, but find none.

She lets go of my hands and motions me to sit on the opposite couch, which I instantly do, mentally patting myself for having survived this.

The moment I look up, she's sitting between Sir and Lady, having an eye talk session, which permits me to move closer to Manik and hold his hand again.

I mantain my eyesight on them, even though I know Manik is looking at me.
I have no answers to this, all I know is that I need this. Now, more than ever.

My slightly relaxed body stills again, when all three of them turn to us.

Manik tightens the hold as the woman opens her mouth dropping her first words, "You belong to a Werewolf family."

I close my eyes for some seconds, before opening them again.

"You belong to a very rich and wealthy family, Nandini. Your parents were the most loved people in the Full Moon Pack. Everyone admired them." She takes a pause and I fist the couch in my left hand, "There was another pack called New Moon Pack. The Alpha and Luna of that pack had always envied your parents for having the biggest pack. So 18 years ago, they ganged up with the Rouges and attacked on your parents pack when they least expected. No one understood what was happening, from where were they coming. In seconds a chaos was formed. Thousands of people died. Including your parents." Once she stops, my eyes crystallize feeling a pang of hurt, to which Manik presses my hand.

"Your mother was a fierce woman. She gave you to one of her maids and made her run away, while she herself stayed back to fight." A sarcastic chuckle leaves her mouth as she stares at the floor with nostalgic eyes. "That woman knew something, no one did. Not even your father." She wipes the invisible liquid from the corner of her eye as she focuses on me, "You are a grey wolf, Nandini. One of the biggest wolfs ever existed. One of the most powerful ones. One of the most strongest ones."

I want to laugh ever so loud. I want this to be the biggest prank someone has played on me.
Or just, make every inch of this dissappear and get back to my normal life.

"That maid left you on Murthy's doorsteps, who raised you like their own daughter. They raised you a like human, completely unknown to your real self." As she finishes talking, I voice my thoughts louder than I intended, "Why now? Why are you telling me all this after all those years? I'm not supposed to be here and listening to all this, when I could be with the parents who raised me and live my life ever so happily." As I cease, I feel the water sliding down my cheeks in an unstoppable way, but that is not enough for the woman to stop.

"We wouldn't be telling you this, if you didn't have a weakness." She holds a small, ancient looking mirror in front of me in which there's not my reflection, but a mocha eyed wolf staring back at me, "This, right here is your biggest strength, but also weakness."

My eyes open wide as I move away from the mirror and the image disappears, but as soon as I get back in front of it, the same wolf appears again.

More and more tears fall as I keep looking the wolf face in front of me, trying to process the picture.

When she moves the mirror away, and puts it back into a black bag I hadn't noticed earlier, "Why is that my weakness?"
She glances at Manik, I do the same thing and manage to notice how his eyes blink at her.

"Your weakness, is your mate." As I gaze back at her, Manik's hand starts feeling clammy.

"My mate? Who's my mate?" As soon as I say those words, Manik's grip looses, but I don't let him take his hand back.

"We don't know who your mate is, Nandini. But being a grey wolf comes with a curse that states: Every grey wolf is to be paired with a mate who doesn't belong to the same kind. Those who keep the bond will suffer miseries and those who shatter the bond will survive 'till glory."

I furrow my eyes not understanding a word of what she said, to which she explains, "Your mate is not a werewolf, that's why you have to choose between your mate and survival, Nandini." I wipe my cheeks with the back of my hand as I speak, "I don't even know who my mate is. How am I supposed to choose? And especially, aren't mates like two bodies one soul, so what would happen after I choose?"

The old woman hardens her features before speaking, "If you choose to stay with your mate, both of you will suffer a lot. Which may cause your death." My eyes open wide, which she doesn't seem to notice as she continues, "If you eliminate the bond, you will never have a mate and not meet him ever." Shock would an understatement in front of what I'm feeling right now, but no one moves or even says a word as if they already knew what was coming.

"Would something happen to us if I choose the second option?" It's difficult to swallow an option that wouldn't hurt the soulmates when they are being kept away.

"You will not feel anything, but he.." I lift my right eyebrow waiting for her to finish the sentence, whilst everyone else find a sudden interest in the floor.

"You will be safe and keep going with your normal life Nandini-" I interrupt instantly, wanting the whole answer, because now I'm sure there's something big she's not telling me, "What will happen to him?"

She swallows, before answering something I wouldn't have expected at all, "He will die."

As a reflex movement, I get up from the couch perplexed with her words.

"I'm not going to take someone's life!" Relax, Nandini. Calm down.

They all get up as well, and Lady speaks up, "Nandini, it's the best for the both of you."

"She's right Nandini, you're the one that matters and not your mate, you must cancel this bond." I shake my head abruptly and look at Manik, "Take me home."

He doesn't say anything and neither moves, to which I hold his wrist, "Manik, please! I don't want to be here. Let's go."

He peers at them for a second before nodding and walking out of the door with me, without acknowledging any of them.

I don't want to come back here ever again. Who are they to decide anyone's fate!? I would never kill someone for my sake, especially my mate.

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