Chapter 185: Her Last Three Gifts

Chapter 185: Chapter 185: Her Last Three Gifts

"I knew."

Brann’s eyes widened.

Selka stared at the cubs.

"I always knew."

There was no excuse in her voice now.

No performance.

No attempt to be forgiven.

Just something horribly close to honesty.

"I knew what I did to people."

Her fingers moved weakly across one cub’s back.

"I just..."

Her lips trembled.

"...didn’t care if it got me what I wanted."

Swanly’s throat tightened.

Nerin stood several steps away.

He had not moved since the arrow struck.

His green eyes were red.

Selka noticed him.

Their gazes met.

Nerin stiffened.

Selka did not apologize.

She simply whispered:

"You were right to hate me."

Nerin’s breath caught.

Then her eyes moved to Brann.

"I did not deserve you."

His head snapped up.

"Selka."

"Any of you."

"Stop talking like that."

She smiled faintly.

"Like what?"

"Like you’re leaving."

Her expression changed.

Something gentle appeared there.

Almost pity.

"Oh, Brann."

He broke.

"No."

She lifted one trembling hand.

He grabbed it and pressed it to his face.

"Do not."

His shoulders shook.

"You don’t get to say goodbye."

Selka’s thumb barely moved over his cheek.

"I hated you yesterday."

"I know."

"Because you stopped me."

"I know."

"You were right."

Brann squeezed his eyes shut.

"Please."

Another breath.

Shallower.

Then:

"Varek."

Brann froze.

Selka’s eyes moved toward the cubs.

"They have his ears."

The first newborn made another soft sound.

Brann looked down.

Gray wolf ears.

Varek.

Gone.

Dead protecting a child while Selka’s schemes tore everything apart around them.

Selka stared at the cub.

"His death..."

Her jaw trembled.

"That was mine."

Brann immediately shook his head.

"Selka..."

"Don’t forgive me."

He stared.

"I’m not asking."

That silenced him.

Selka took another ragged breath.

"I just..."

Her eyes closed briefly.

"...don’t want to die pretending I didn’t know."

Brann bent over her hand.

His tears soaked her fingers.

"I know what I was."

No absolution.

No sudden transformation.

No beautiful redemption.

Just acceptance.

Her life had reached its final wall.

And there was nowhere left to run.

One of the cubs squeaked.

Selka looked down.

Her expression changed.

"They don’t have names."

Brann stared.

"What?"

Her lips moved.

"They need names."

"You can name them later."

"No."

"Selka..."

"Later."

Brann’s voice cracked.

"You will name them later."

She looked at him.

They both knew.

Brann’s face folded.

Selka turned toward the first cub.

The one with the folded gray ear.

Her fingers touched its tiny head.

"Vara."

Brann stopped breathing.

Too close to Varek’s name.

Everyone understood.

Selka kissed Vara’s forehead.

Then the second.

A slightly darker cub, pressed against her ribs.

"Renn."

A kiss.

The third was smallest.

Restless.

Already trying to crawl over the others.

Despite everything, Selka smiled.

"Sela."

Brann gave a broken laugh.

"You named one after yourself?"

"Someone should remember I existed."

He laughed again.

Then sobbed.

Selka kissed Sela.

Once.

Twice.

Then kissed all three again.

Her tears disappeared into their fur.

The cubs did not understand.

They only knew Mama was finally holding them.

Vara pressed closer.

Renn whimpered.

Sela opened a tiny mouth, searching.

Selka pulled them against her.

As tightly as her failing body allowed.

Brann helped.

Swanly looked away.

She could not fucking do this.

Kael’s hand found hers.

Swanly grabbed it.

Hard.

"I hate her."

Her voice broke.

Kael looked at her.

"I know."

"I hate what she did."

"I know."

"Then why..."

Her mouth trembled.

"Why does this hurt?"

Kael looked toward the three newborn cubs.

"Because they don’t."

Swanly started crying.

Quietly.

Kael pulled her against him.

Across the clearing, Maela turned her face away.

Her proud jaw trembled once.

Arion stood beside his mother, fists clenched.

Nerin wiped his eyes.

Even Raku’s usual hard expression had gone still.

Thalara watched Selka with her central purple eye half closed.

There was something ancient and unbearably sad in her face.

She had probably watched thousands of lives end.

Apparently it never became ordinary.

Druun sat very still behind everyone.

He did not fully understand.

But he understood crying.

He understood tiny things losing something important.

His huge head lowered.

...

Selka looked at Brann.

Her focus was fading.

"You."

He leaned closer immediately.

"Yes."

"Take them."

He shook his head.

"No."

"Brann."

"No."

His grip tightened.

"You take care of them."

"No!"

His shout startled the cubs.

Sela whimpered.

Brann immediately lowered his voice.

"No."

He pressed Selka’s hand against his chest.

"You will."

Selka’s lips curved faintly.

"I can’t."

"Then stay."

Her eyes softened.

"I can’t."

Brann started shaking.

"Please."

She looked at him.

For all her cruelty, perhaps this was the first time she truly understood what she had done to one of her males.

Not what she had cost him yesterday.

Not Varek.

Not exile.

This.

Leaving him bound to a female who had spent years hurting him.

Then dying in his arms while he still loved her anyway.

Selka whispered:

"Take care of them for me."

Brann shook his head.

Again.

Again.

Like refusal could change the world.

"Say yes."

"I can’t."

"Brann."

His face collapsed against her hair.

"Please don’t make me."

"Say it."

He sobbed.

"I’ll take care of them."

Selka’s eyes closed.

He tightened his arms around her.

"All three."

A tiny breath.

"With my life."

Selka smiled.

Barely.

"Good male."

That destroyed him.

Brann cried out.

Not loudly.

Not dramatically.

Something lower.

Broken.

He crushed his face against her shoulder while trying not to hurt her.

Selka’s hand slipped from his cheek.

Her breathing changed.

Nahla saw it.

She leaned forward.

"Selka."

No response.

Brann lifted his head.

"Selka?"

Her eyes opened once.

Barely.

She looked down at the three cubs.

Then at Brann.

Her lips moved.

He leaned close.

"I’m tired."

Brann sobbed.

"I know."

Her eyes closed.

One breath.

Another.

A long pause.

Then a tiny exhale left her.

And nothing followed.

Brann waited.

"Selka?"

Nothing.

His face went blank.

"Selka."

He shook his head.

"No."

Nahla reached for her wrist.

Brann slapped her hand away.

"No!"

Everyone froze.

Nahla looked at him.

He knew.

He fucking knew.

Still:

"No."

He pressed his ear to Selka’s chest.

Nothing.

"Selka?"

The cubs whimpered against her cooling body.

Brann’s face twisted.

"Please."

Nahla’s eyes filled.

She touched his shoulder.

"She’s gone."

Brann screamed.

The sound ripped through Ironwood.

One of the other marked males collapsed to his knees.

The other doubled over as if something had been torn directly from his chest.

The mating bond snapped with her life.

The pain hit all of them.

One shouted her name.

Another clawed at the dirt.

Brann simply held her.

The cubs trapped safely between their bodies.

His whole enormous frame rocking.

"No."

He kissed her hair.

"No, no, no."

Swanly buried her face against Kael’s chest.

She could not watch anymore.

But she could still hear the newborns.

Tiny whimpers.

Searching for a mother whose scent was already changing.

...

High above the boundary, Azren had stopped smiling completely.

He stared down.

"Oh."

Apparently this had not gone the way he expected.

He looked at the bow.

Then at Selka.

Then at Swanly.

He slowly raised both hands.

"For clarity..."

Nobody looked at him.

"I genuinely thought that was helpful."

Soren’s head turned.

Very slowly.

Azren swallowed.

"She wanted to kill my female."

Kael’s head snapped toward him.

Swanly lifted her tear-streaked face.

Azren pointed toward her.

"My female."

Soren’s scales lifted.

"She is not your female."

Azren considered correcting him.

Then saw Soren’s expression.

Maybe later.

Raku slowly raised his spear.

Arion reached for his weapon.

Dozens of Ironwood warriors remembered at exactly the same moment that an outsider had just fired a weapon across their boundary and killed a prisoner in the middle of their settlement.

Azren looked around.

"That is a surprisingly hostile amount of gratitude."

Soren’s voice came dangerously quiet.

"You interfered with my judgment."

Azren blinked.

"Yes."

"You fired into my settlement."

"Yes."

"You killed a prisoner."

Azren looked toward Selka.

Then back.

"She was charging at Swanly."

Soren’s tail began sliding over the ground.

Azren frowned.

"I feel this detail is being undervalued."

Swanly wiped her face.

"You killed her before I decided."

Azren actually looked guilty.

Only slightly.

"I..."

He hesitated.

"I thought you were about to be stabbed."

Swanly had no answer for that.

Because he was right.

And wrong.

And everything was too fucking raw to sort through.

Then a distant female voice exploded from the forest.

"PRINCE AZREN!"

Azren froze.

His eyes closed.

"Oh, no."

Every Ironwood head turned toward the sound.

Another Veskari voice roared:

"DO NOT MOVE!"

Azren looked down from the tree.

"I am currently sitting."

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!"

Azren winced.

Then another furious shout came from somewhere behind the ridge.

"HOW DID YOU GET OUT OF YOUR CHAINS AGAIN?!"