Roderic’s thoughts struck me, sharp and cold, carrying disdain and command: “Apologize to the woman who desecrated your daughter’s resting place.”
At that instant, a tide of sorrow surged through me, almost unbearable. I glared at him, teeth bared in silent fury, and sent a thought as resolute as iron: “Never.”
“Roderic,” Katelyn’s presence coiled around his mind like a serpent, “you claimed your mate is virtuous and kind, yet see how she rages. A madwoman for all to witness. Would the pack not whisper and mock you?”
Roderic’s eyes narrowed at me, glinting with disgust. “Do you hear her? Do not shame me. Go home, to Aeliana. How can you leave her alone?”
I clenched my jaw, teeth grinding. “Do you even care for Aeliana?”
“What nonsense?” His mindlink came firm and confident. “Of course I care. I may be burdened with work, but all I do is for her. She is my only daughter. When she joins a mate of her own, I will give her the greatest treasures of the pack. She will be proud of her father.”
His words struck like cold iron in my chest. Rage and grief roared through me. “Roderic, stop pretending! If you truly cared, you would not have left her alone in the woods, vulnerable, for Katelyn’s sake! She was but six cycles old! Did you ever sense her fear, her helplessness?”
“Why do you persist? Why torment me over trifles?” His patience snapped; his roar shook the clearing.
With a brutal movement, he struck the urn lying by the mound of disturbed soil. Bang!
The urn tumbled, rolling over itself, scattering Aeliana’s ashes across the earth. My mind shattered. When I had first seen her struck by the carriage, my soul had broken; now, seeing her remnants desecrated by her own father, the pain plunged deeper still.
The wind rose, carrying the ashes like drifting mist. “No! Don’t!” I struggled against the guards, reaching desperately to grasp the ephemeral remains. But the ashes slipped through my fingers, fleeting as the life they once held.
The last tangible piece of Aeliana was gone.
Shattered, I fell to the soil, clawing at the earth, desperate to reclaim even a fragment. Tears carved trails down my face.
Katelyn stepped forward, crushing the scattered ashes beneath her foot, her voice a serpent’s hiss: “Riana, it is but a stranger’s remains. Why this spectacle? If you wished to deny Danny her rest, these theatrics are needless.”
“Away from me!” I snapped, rising and shoving her. She stumbled, striking the ground with a thud.
Roderic’s rage erupted like wildfire. Without a word, he advanced, striking my face with a sharp blow. The sting was nothing compared to the ache gnawing at my heart.
“You left Aeliana alone to torment Katelyn in petty jealousy. You fail me utterly! How did our daughter come to have such a mother?” His voice thundered, laced with fury. “Cry over a stranger’s ashes as you wish. But from this day, Aeliana is mine. You are unfit to guide her, to nurture her. I will protect her from your influence!”
A cold weight settled in the clearing as Roderic’s mind linked outward, his command reaching the one who served him. “Maelis, take Aeliana to the private sanctuary. Riana is not to see her without my leave.”
A pause, hesitation in her reply. Then her thought arrived faintly, trembling: “Lord Ravenshade… Aeliana perished the day you failed to fetch her. The daisied grave where Ms. Crowe wished to lay her hound… that is where Aeliana’s ashes rest.”
