- So, what made you come to the northern lands? - His question was addressed to Thea.

She tilted her head slightly, noting that there was no longer the ferocity in his gaze that had been at their first meeting.

- It’s difficult to explain it like this, because in fact... I’m not sure we should be here. - she bit her lower lip.

- What do you mean? - his dry lips pressed into a thin line.

- We came from Eastheve. – she began. – There is an unhealthy atmosphere among witches now, such things are happening that can be considered strange. Our mentor told us to leave Eastheve because young witches began to disappear.

- And what does it have to do with werewolves? - he bared his teeth slightly, sensing that she was trying to put noodles on his ears.

- Nothing to do with it. This is just one of the reasons I decided to start with. The main reason is that our mentor is a seer and she foresaw a big war that will happen sooner or later on our lands.

- Again, what does it have to do with werewolves? We do not interfere in other people’s conflicts. - There was a slight growl in his voice.

Thea was already starting to get nervous, because all her arguments were far-fetched and really didn’t matter much to the werewolves, but she had to come up with something so that her presence here would be justified in Marcel’s eyes.

- I know who creates these bliars. – she said and lifted her chin, boldly meeting his gaze. – My father is involved in this.

Marcel chuckled, but his gaze was still hard on her.

- My father and my stepmother. My stepmother is the supreme witch and it is they who create these monsters to incite them against vampires. – she gave out as if in spirit.

- The Bliars don’t choose who to attack, they’re too brainless. Anyone can become their victim. = he assessed her with a skeptical narrowed gaze. –And you claim to be a Riliya princess? Ha! Why would I believe you?

- And what’s the point of me cheating? We came here to hope for your help in the upcoming war, but you say that you do not interfere in other people’s conflicts. So how am I supposed to convince you to believe me? What evidence can I provide?

Marcel tucked his leg under him and rested his hands on it. He had no definite thoughts about the girls he picked up. They were young and not on his territory, so he didn’t do anything with them. And later he brought one of the witches to his territory to heal. But it was not a noble impulse. He really thought there was a serious reason for their dangerous journey.

But he didn’t think he would get such an absurd answer. Of course, he was surprised by the statement that she could be one of the princesses of Rivaldi, but there was no confirmation of this, and besides, she wanted to enlist his support? Her mentor should be wiser to know that werewolves are not allies with anyone and never.

However, even if he thought that she might actually be the Princess of Riliya, he was worried about the number of bliars they had to deal with lately. They caused too many problems and couldn’t be controlled, crossed the border and attacked werewolves.

Their main feature was that they always attacked from behind, catching the victim by surprise and the fact that their smell was similar to the smell of werewolves made them even more dangerous, since it was quite difficult to track them.

If she really is related to the Rivaldi family, maybe he can use her to solve this problem. That’s why he decided to take his time and take a closer look at her.

- Tell me about yourself about this war you were talking about. – he insisted, and Thea began to slowly initiate him into what she knew herself, keeping silent only about her connection with Raphael, knowing that vampires and werewolves can’t stand each other.

- So you’re saying you know Klaus? – she noticed how Marcel released the claws on one hand, carefully examining them and disturbing Thea’s stormy intense fantasy. – This is curious.

His voice suddenly became cold and aloof. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

- He came to us a few months ago and was the first and only reasonable bliar whom we accepted as our own. And now I’m starting to think that the witches are up to something, sending him to us first, and now the three of you... I don’t like it.

- None of us knows for what purpose Klaus went to you. – she retorted. – And everything I said is the pure truth. We didn’t have any bad intentions towards the werewolves.

He rubbed his chin, noticing one of his friends walking towards him. He was already dressed and put in order. The man leaned over and whispered something in Marcel’s ear, casting brief glances at Thea and the silent Nicole. Marcel nodded and immediately waved his hand, allowing the other man to leave.

- Your friend is marked. By whom? - he said after a short pause. - Was it Klaus?

Thea frowned, feeling some kind of psychological pressure under his gaze.

- What do you mean marked? - she asked a question that she really didn’t know the answer to.

Previously, she did not even know about the presence of other races except witches, and later, when she found out, she did not attach much importance to the study of other creatures. That’s why she couldn’t have known about any marks.

- Which werewolf was your friend involved with? – he pressed his question.

- Only with Klaus. He’s the only werewolf we all know. – she replied.

- Bliar. He’s bliar. – he rasped, squeezing the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath. – How much can I repeat?

- Ok. What about the mark? What does it all mean? – she persisted.

- A mark is a kind of marriage between werewolves. But she’s a witch, not a werewolf, and that’s weird. Is this one of the abilities of the bliars?

- What do you mean by a feature? What’s so strange about him marking a witch?

- If she had been bitten by another werewolf, she would have already died, but not only did she not die, she is also the bearer of the mark. It is interesting. I had smelled it earlier, but I didn’t attach any importance to it. Now everything has fallen into place.

- So they are now considered a married couple?

- Yes. But besides, they are now connected. By marking his companion, he made himself dependent on her. Klaus won’t be able to find a mate anymore, and if she dies, then he will most likely die too.

- Why "most likely"?

- We can’t live without our mate. Some prefer to end their lives on their own, while others just slowly die from apathy. He bound their souls with this mark, that’s what I want to say.

Thea finally understood everything Marcel had explained to her, and it was a little disturbing realization, because now the two friends lived as one and depended on each other as much as possible. It was dangerous.

She looked sideways, feeling that Nicole had not been heard for a long time and noticed that her friend was curled up on the sandy shore of the lake.

It was really amazing that the lake was surrounded by warm air and the water was as warm as if magic reigned here or hot springs flowed under the water. In any case, this made it possible to keep warm even sitting by the shore, despite the fact that snow mounds already stretched in the area of twenty meters from the water surface.

The men of the pack built a fire on the shore and laid out fur mats around, offering the same place for their guests to sleep. Nicole immediately moved to the warm fur and sniffed softly.

Adeline was still lying in the water. As Marcel said, it will take a whole night to remove the poison from her body, since much time has passed since the infection. One of the men stayed with her all night so that she wouldn’t accidentally slip into the water and drown. It wasn’t his own wish, but there were always lookouts in the pack while the rest of the pack rested.

Thea sat down on her fur cape and tucked her legs to her chest, looking at the unquenchable flame of the fire. The flames danced playfully in the wind, creating warm streams and transmitting wonderful smells of fried fish to Thea’s nostrils.

Marcel handed her a skewer with one fish when she was ready.

The girl who was in the pack came up to Marcel and snuggled between his legs, earning him a kiss on the neck. An inviting smile played on her lips and she cast a brief glance at Thea again.

There was something unfriendly and cold in that look. Thea understood that she didn’t have to like everyone, and especially isolated werewolves, but her insides were unpleasantly shaken by the feeling of uselessness in this company. She felt out of place here.

- Irma thinks it’s better for you to go back. - Marcel said. - But I have decided that we will take you with us to Norland. By morning, your friend will recover a little, and we’ll be on the road again.

The girl in his arms curled her lips in displeasure.

- I am grateful to you for what you are doing for us. – said Thea picking out a small piece of fish with her fingers and putting it in her mouth.

She noticed that everyone around did not stand on ceremony and bit into the fish with their teeth, tearing off decent pieces like animals, but she was brought up a little differently, which seemed to make Irma even more angry.

- It’s amazing how the princess was able to stay so long in such harsh conditions. – she urged. – You must miss your ladies-in-waiting and nannies.

- I didn’t have any ladies-in-waiting. - Thea replied dryly. – And I have never been a spoiled child. Moreover, as nomads, you probably know that circumstances can change the personality of everyone. We all adapt, and those who can’t do it die.

- A bold statement, considering that if Marcel had not arrived in time, you would not have been able to leave the forest alive. – she said sarcastically.

Thea lost her appetite and put down the skewer with the half-eaten fish.

- You have a biased attitude towards us. I can’t be sure how my next step will turn out, but I know that I will always fight for my life until my last breath.