Chapter 180: What exactly are you talking about?

Chapter 180: Chapter 180: What exactly are you talking about?

"You nearly got everyone here killed."

Selka stared at her.

"You survived."

Swanly’s head snapped around.

Silence.

Selka shrugged.

There.

That was it.

That fucking attitude.

Swanly’s ears flattened.

"People died."

"And yet you’re standing."

Selka looked her slowly up and down.

Healthy enough.

Protected.

Loved.

Her expression twisted.

"You always are."

Nerin’s green eyes hardened.

"Selka."

She ignored him.

Swanly stared.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Selka laughed.

"Look at you."

She jerked against the ropes.

"You come into every place and somehow everything becomes yours."

Kael growled.

Selka kept going.

"Food."

Her eyes moved toward the fields.

"Protection."

Toward Kael.

"Males."

Toward Soren.

"Power."

Toward the people around them.

"Even when disasters follow you, everyone still treats you like some precious female who must be protected."

Swanly’s expression went flat.

"You contacted creatures that butchered people because you’re jealous of me?"

"JEALOUS?"

Selka’s voice cracked across the clearing.

"Yes!"

That seemed to shock even her.

For one heartbeat, Selka looked stunned that she had admitted it.

Then something inside her snapped completely.

"Yes!"

She surged against her restraints.

"Why shouldn’t I be?!"

Her eyes filled.

"You had nothing!"

Swanly froze.

"In Sunmane, you were nothing!"

Nerin’s ears flattened.

Selka pointed at Swanly despite her bound hands.

"You followed Arion around like a stupid little female begging him to look at you!"

Arion’s face changed.

Maela, standing among the former Sunmane survivors, went rigid.

Selka laughed bitterly.

"And now look at you!"

Her voice rose.

"A panther would tear out throats for you!"

Kael’s golden eyes became murderous.

"A snake ruler puts an entire settlement in your hands!"

Soren said nothing.

"Even ancient things follow you!"

Selka looked toward Druun.

"The giant brings you food!"

Then Thalara.

"The Root-Eyed Mother protects your children!"

Back to Swanly.

"And me?"

Her hand pressed against her still-soft postpartum stomach.

"I give birth behind bars!"

The wolf cubs whimpered.

For a fraction of a second, pain crossed her face.

Real pain.

Then hatred swallowed it.

"Why do you get everything?"

Swanly stared at her.

"You think I asked for this?"

"YOU HAVE IT!"

"That doesn’t mean I stole it from you!"

"You always take!"

Nerin stepped forward.

"Enough."

His voice was not loud.

That made everyone look.

Nerin rarely raised his voice.

Rarely interrupted.

Rarely challenged anyone unless he had to.

His silver deer ears were pressed flat against his hair.

His hands trembled at his sides.

But he looked directly at Selka.

"Just stop."

Selka stared at him.

Nerin swallowed.

"You did this before."

Something passed across her face.

He continued.

"In Sunmane."

His green eyes hurt.

"You mocked her because you knew she wouldn’t fight you."

Swanly looked at him.

"You embarrassed her in front of others."

His broken antler caught the light as he lifted his head.

"You made people laugh at her."

Selka’s lip curled.

"Nerin."

"You hurt anyone you thought was weaker than you."

His voice shook now.

Not fear.

Old anger.

Old memories.

"And somehow, even now, with people dead because of your choices..."

He looked toward the covered bodies in the distance.

"...you are still trying to make Swanly responsible for the consequences of what you did."

Selka’s face became ugly.

"Keep quiet."

"No."

The word surprised everyone.

Including Nerin.

His chest rose.

Then fell.

"No."

Swanly stared at him.

Soft, shy Nerin.

The male who struggled to look her in the eyes when giving her a piece of fruit.

Standing in front of an entire settlement.

For her.

Selka laughed.

"Oh."

Nerin stiffened.

"There he is."

Something in her voice changed.

Nerin’s face went pale.

Swanly noticed.

Selka noticed Swanly noticing.

And smiled.

Slowly.

Nerin’s broken antler seemed to ache.

His hand lifted toward it unconsciously.

"Selka."

For the first time, his voice held fear.

"Don’t."

Interesting.

Very fucking interesting.

Soren looked between them.

Kael’s golden eyes narrowed.

Selka’s bound fingers moved behind her back.

The sharpened bone finally slid from the leather band at her inner thigh.

Hidden between her palms.

Scrape.

One rope fiber weakened.

Nobody saw.

Soren turned toward Swanly.

His voice cut through the clearing.

"Enough."

Everyone quieted.

He looked at Selka.

Then at Brea.

"Brea will be dealt with separately."

Brea sagged.

Then his eyes returned to Selka.

"She has betrayed this settlement repeatedly."

Selka lifted her chin.

"She endangered cubs."

Swanly’s expression changed.

"She brought enemies to our land."

Soren continued.

"And people died."

Absolute silence.

Then he looked at Swanly.

"Choose."

Swanly blinked.

"What?"

"Death."

Selka’s eyes widened.

"Or banishment."

Every breath in the clearing stopped.

Swanly stared at him.

"You’re asking me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because she has repeatedly made you the center of her attacks."

Soren’s silver eyes remained cold.

"And because you are the one still considering her cubs."

Swanly looked toward the three newborns.

Fuck.

Selka saw it.

Saw the hesitation.

Saw everyone waiting for Swanly.

Swanly.

Again.

Deciding whether she lived.

Something inside Selka shattered.

The sharpened bone sawed faster behind her wrists.

Scrape.

Scrape.

A strand snapped.

Her breathing changed.

Nerin saw her expression.

"Selka..."

She looked at him.

Then smiled.

He went still.

Swanly opened her mouth.

"I think..."

"No."

Selka’s voice stopped her.

Swanly frowned.

Selka slowly stood as far as the guards allowed.

The loosened rope shifted around her wrists.

Her eyes never left Nerin.

"You think she gets to decide whether I live?"

Soren stepped forward.

Selka laughed.

"No."

Her gaze snapped toward Swanly.

"If I’m going down..."

Then back to Nerin.

His face had lost all color.

Selka’s smile became vicious.

"...you’re coming down with me."

Nerin stopped breathing.

Swanly frowned.

"What is she talking about?"

"Nerin?"

Selka whispered his name almost lovingly.

He looked sick.

"Don’t."

She smiled wider.

"She still doesn’t know what you did."

Swanly’s eyes slowly turned toward him.

Nerin’s green eyes met hers.

Fear.

Pure fear.

Selka pulled once against the nearly severed rope.

And whispered:

"But today, I’ll tell her."

The entire clearing went dead silent.

Even the wind seemed to stop.

Swanly stared at Selka.

Nerin had gone pale.

Not nervous pale.

Not his usual shy, embarrassed flush disappearing from his cheeks.

This was different.

His silver deer ears had flattened completely against his hair.

His fingers trembled.

And that alone made Swanly’s stomach twist.

Kael stepped closer to her.

Soren’s silver eyes narrowed.

Arion frowned.

"What exactly are you talking about?"

Selka smiled.

There it was.

That horrible little smile.

The one that said she had finally found something sharp enough to throw.

"Oh, nothing important."

Nerin’s head snapped toward her.

"Selka."

She ignored him.

"Only the night Swanly lost her innocence to Kael."