Chapter 69: The Fox’s Alibi
Ermin’s attention snapped towards Tera, and the shift in his expression was immediate. The rigid fury in his posture softened, and the hard, serious look he had been wearing while talking to Feron faded.
He looked surprised to see Tera, then relieved.
His tail, which had been lashing with irritation seconds ago, went completely still before swaying in a slow, excited rhythm that he clearly wasn’t aware of.
Why were Xavi and Ermin behaving like such adorable puppies this evening?
Even though Tera knew it was because they were happy to see her, it was still a bit surprising to see it from Ermin, but her chest softened at the sight.
He looked like he wanted to run to her, but stopped himself when Xavi approached them, looking between him and the jackal.
"What is happening?"
Ermin’s jaw tightened. The warmth in his eyes cooled as he glanced back at Feron, and the serious expression returned.
Tera was puzzled. It was strange. Ermin wasn’t exactly the type to look for trouble, so why was he cornering this beast male?
"I just remembered seeing him in front of Tera’s shelter when she was on heat."
Feron flinched.
Xavi’s face changed. The calm, attentive expression of a leader gathering information hardened into something darker.
"I think I remember seeing someone..." Xavi glared at Feron, and some of the clan members were already standing from where they were seated.
Ermin nodded. "He was unconscious."
"But what were you doing there?" Xavi questioned Feron, his voice dangerously low.
Tera stared at the whole thing, not liking that there was going to be another scene. Ermin had literally said Feron was unconscious, so couldn’t they maybe give him a break?
Feron’s face had drained of colour. His mouth flapped as he tried to talk, and his ears were pressed so flat against his skull they had nearly disappeared.
The beast looked genuinely confused, and it was to the point that Tera almost felt sorry for him. He looked around for someone to explain what was happening.
"I don’t—" Feron stammered. "I don’t remember being there. My head—"
"Your head?"
"I woke up against a tree. I don’t remember how I got there!"
Ermin’s eyes narrowed. "You expect anyone to believe that?"
Feron looked around desperately. "I don’t—I wouldn’t—" His voice cracked. "I don’t remember going there. I don’t remember any of it. I swear on my bloodline! I woke up with a splitting headache and—" His eyes widened with relief. "I remember talking to Kiri before any of it. She was with me earlier. She can explain!"
’Oh, for fuck’s sake.’
Tera’s attention sharpened. She had a terrible feeling that this must have been no coincidence. But her memory was fuzzy around that time. What was she playing at by having Feron knocked out in front of her shelter?
While Xavi frowned in thought, Ermin looked confused. "Kiri?"
"Yes! Kiri! We talked. She wanted to... she said something about... I don’t remember." Feron’s face scrunched with the effort of recall. "But I remember us meeting..."
Every head turned. Kiri was just coming out of one of the shelters, stretching as if she was just waking up.
Tera doubted she had truly been asleep, but Kiri went rigid when she noticed every head turned in her direction.
"What does Kiri have to do with this?" one of the females asked, confused.
Feron scratched the back of his head. "She pulled me aside before I ended up at the shelter. I remember her dragging me by the wrist. After that, my memory is... not good."
Kiri quickly walked up to them, wearing the perfect mask of confused innocence that Tera had seen her wear before.
"What is happening?" Kiri asked, her voice soft and slightly breathless. "Why is everyone gathered? Has something happened?"
"Feron was found outside Tera’s shelter during her heat," Xavi said, his tone making it clear exactly what he thought of that. "He says you were with him. That you can explain."
Kiri’s eyes widened. She looked at Feron, then at the gathered clan members, then back at Feron. Her hand drifted to her stomach, a subtle gesture that wasn’t so subtle.
Everyone noticed.
"Oh, Feron," Kiri said, her voice heavy with what sounded like disappointment. "You really don’t remember?"
Feron stared at her. "Remember what?"
Her expression shifted into one of hurt surprise. Her ears drooped. Her tail curled close to her body, and she pressed a hand to her chest as if Feron’s words had physically struck her.
Xavi turned to Kiri, a somewhat tired look replacing his anger. "You have nothing to do with this?"
Kiri flinched, alarmed. "I didn’t do anything. Why are you looking at me like that, leader? Everyone can clearly see that he hit his head very badly." Kiri waved her hand at Feron. "He cannot even remember what happened. If he said something silly, it is because his mind is scrambled!"
Feron looked like he had been slapped across the face.
[Head?]
[(꒪⌓꒪)]
[Ah! Host!]
Tera’s gaze quickly darted to the screen before returning to the drama happening before her.
’Wait. If it’s not important, give me a second!’
Tera could not take her eyes off the spectacle happening in front of her.
[( •̀ ᴖ •́ )]
Kiri’s eyes were already glistening. "Yes, I spoke to him that day. But..."
She lowered her gaze, letting her lashes flutter with practised vulnerability.
"I pulled him aside because I wanted to be with him. He is not my mate, but I—" She paused, a delicate flush creeping up her neck. "I wanted to spend time with him. Privately. Is that a crime?"
Several of the females exchanged glances. One of them looked mildly sympathetic.
Kiri turned her attention to Feron. "We were together that evening. You and I. I was feeling left out since all the other females were pregnant, so we mated. After that, you said you needed to clear your head and left. I waited for you to return, but you didn’t come back."
Feron’s mouth opened. Closed. "We... mated?"
"Yes." Kiri’s voice was gentle, almost sad. "I looked for you after. I was worried. I came back thinking I would find you here, but you were not at the settlement either. I was so tired from—" She paused again, that careful flush deepening. "From our time together. I fell asleep before I could search more. I didn’t even know what had happened to you until the next day when they found you injured."
Several clan members nodded. Yara spoke up hesitantly. "Kiri did return to the settlement alone that day. She looked worried, like she was looking for something."
"I remember seeing her."
Another male added, "She asked if anyone had seen Feron."
The clan members murmured amongst themselves. Some nodded. The story was plausible enough on the surface, and Kiri had delivered it with the wounded dignity of a female whose private romantic encounter was being publicly dissected.
A few of the females even looked uncomfortable on Kiri’s behalf, as if embarrassed that such intimate details were being dragged out.
Feron looked even more confused than before. His brow furrowed deeply as he stared at Kiri, clearly trying to reconcile what she was saying with the scrambled fragments in his damaged memory.
"I... I suppose that could be what happened," he said slowly, not sounding convinced but also not sounding like he had any better explanation to offer.
’This bitch!’
Tera knew who she was dealing with, and she did not buy the story one bit. The sly fox had woven just enough truth into her lies to make them stick.
But what exactly were they interrogating Feron for?
Just because they found...
Tera’s thoughts halted to a stop when it actually dawned on her what all this was about.