Twenty-four

Zazriel woke to Mourgent carrying her and looked around. Last she remembered was falling asleep with Zelda whispering soft words. Her eyes felt swollen now, and her mouth was dry. She even felt more exhausted.

"Are you going to tell me what is going on with you?" her mate asked as they entered his home. "You were quiet this morning, Zelda found you crying earlier, and now you look ready to bolt."

Zazriel relaxed, having not realized she really was preparing to fight and flee. "I'm sorry."

Mourgent set her on their bed and knelt, looking worriedly into her eyes. "What is wrong, Z? I need to know if I am to help you."

Zazriel shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. "There's nothing you can do. There's nothing anyone can do."

"Why not?"

"Because the only one who could died several years ago." Zazriel wiped her face and closed her eyes. Then she told him.

[DREAM]

"Hush Little Zazriel, don't say a word. Momma's gonna buy you a mocking bird…" … "Little Zazriel, do you want to know a secret?"

"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!"

"I am not your mother. Your mother abandoned you…"

Zazriel stared back into her mother's eyes with a scowl. "No! You're my mother! I know you are!"

Her mother gave a sad smile. "And how do you know that?"

"Daddy said so." Zazriel thought for a moment, then pointed to her eyes. "We have the same eyes!"

Her mother gave a sad laugh and rocked them gently back and forth. "We do have the same eyes, but a lot of people have our eyes."

Zazriel shook her head. "No they don't!"

"I know many who have the same eyes as us."

Zazriel crossed her arms now. "What is abandon?"

"It means left. Your mother left you, Zazriel."

"Why?"

Her mother let go of a tear that dropped onto Zazriel's cheek. "Because she couldn't bear to see you being unable to walk."

[END OF DREAM]

Zazriel woke and let out a shaky breath. Beside her, Mourgent sat up and rolled so he could look at her. "Z?"

"I'm not weak," she whispered more to herself than to him. "Just because I can't walk doesn't mean I'm weak."

Mourgent furrowed his brows and shook his head. "No, you're not weak."

"I'm strong!" she said defiantly. "I trained with father for years! I made sure I could fight without legs, made sure I could use my lack of height as an advantage! I am not-"

"Zazriel, you don't need to tell me this. I know how strong you are, and how strong you will always be."

She blinked up at him. "Why would my mother abandon me?"

Mourgent jerked back in shock. "Zazriel, your mother died. She didn't-"

"She wasn't my mother," she said, almost inaudible for him. But Mourgent heard, then remembered that Zelda had said Zazriel was whispering about her mother.

"Zazriel, how do you know she wasn't your mother?"

"She told me. When I was five."

Mourgent brought her into a sitting position and held her in his arms. "I'm sorry, Z. I don't know why or how, but I know you are perfectly capable of being independent without legs."

The next morning was chaotic. That night was supposed to be the feast. A party of sorts. Zelda and Orion were making sure the final preparations were being done, the guests and Mourgent were having the final meetings, and children were running about wildly, sensing the excitement to come.

Zazriel waited for Mourgent in the room she stayed in the day before and thought about her mother, the one she had believed was her real parent, the one her father had loved. If she wasn't her real mother, then who was? And why would she tell Zazriel the truth at such a young age? It didn't make sense.

Another thing that didn't make sense was why her mother began to pull away from the family before she died. Why would she want Zazriel to dislike her after everything they'd been through? After everything she'd done to prove herself?

"Z?"

Zazriel sat up and looked around to see Mourgent. She gave him a shaky smile. "How did everything go?"

He shut the door and sat beside her. "Everyone is happy with the terms made." He looked her over and tilted his head to one side. "But I want to know about you. I know you've been thinking."

Zazriel shrugged and hugged herself. She didn't want to say anything more about her dream and what it consisted. More than anything, she wanted to forget about it. "I still don't understand anything."

"Maybe if you gave you brain time to relax, you would understand later," Mourgent suggested.

"But I can't stop thinking."

He shrugged this time and leaned closer to her. "Then think about something else." She gave him a skeptical look that only made him chuckle. "Like tonight? Zelda and Carlotta are hoping to have fun with you tonight. Jasmine is wanting to get drunk and play games, even though I have a feeling it will only create chaos. And I want to have a dance."

"I can't dance."

Mourgent shook his head, gazing at her with adoration. "If you're being held by me, you can."

Zazriel rolled her eyes. "Even if I could dance, I wouldn't know how. We both know I'm not the dancing type."

"Who cares?" He cupped her face with both hands and smiled. "It's only for tonight. It's only for a few hours. And I doubt anyone will notice because they're having too much fun."

Zazriel looked down, then her face turned pink. "I don't want to disappoint you in front of the other alphas."

"Did I forget to mention that you will also kill Eva tonight?"

Her eyes snapped to his. He grinned. "You're serious?"

"I told you I would let you show your strength to whoever dares to think otherwise. Not only that, but Eva hurt you. I want you to feel like she gets what she deserves by making her hurt as well."

For the first time in what felt like days, Zazriel gave him a smile that showed how grateful she was.