Chapter 121: Will you leave his arms or not?
"Where are my clothes?"
Soren tightened his arm around her.
His forked tongue slid over her cheek.
Swanly went rigid.
"You do not have to rise," he murmured.
Her head snapped toward him.
"Did you just lick my face?"
"You smelled distressed."
"That does not make it better!"
"Stay."
Across the chamber, Kael’s claws scraped stone.
"Release her."
Soren’s pupils narrowed.
A low hiss entered his throat.
Swanly shoved at his chest.
"Let go."
His arm did not move.
"Soren."
"You are exhausted."
"My mate is bleeding!"
"So am I."
"That was you!"
"He attacked first."
"You threw him into a wall!"
"He was running toward me with claws."
"He was running toward me!"
Kael stepped forward.
"Will you leave his arms or not?"
The pain in his voice cut through everything.
Swanly stopped fighting for one heartbeat.
Kael looked furious.
But beneath the fury, he looked wounded.
Terrified.
Heartbroken.
He had spent hours trying to reach her.
He had blood on his hands, mouth, and shoulders.
And the first thing he saw after breaking inside was his female sleeping naked on another male.
Swanly pushed Soren harder.
"Release me."
Soren’s jaw tightened.
His tail moved beneath the water.
A warning hiss escaped him.
Swanly stared into his eyes.
"Now."
For several breaths, he did nothing.
Then his arm opened.
Swanly immediately slipped into the water up to her shoulders.
"Turn around."
Neither male moved.
"I said turn around!"
Kael turned instantly.
Soren remained facing her.
"Soren!"
"I have already seen you."
"That is not the point!"
"What is the point?"
"The point is that I want you to turn around!"
He looked offended by the request.
Then he turned his head slightly.
Swanly opened her storage and dragged out the first clothing she found.
A hide wrap.
A clean top.
One boot.
A second boot that did not match.
The system pointed.
"Your clothes are floating behind the stone."
"We are pretending they no longer exist."
She dressed so quickly she nearly put the top on backward.
Her hands shook.
Kael watched the wall.
Soren watched her through the reflection in the water.
Swanly caught him.
"Stop."
"I am looking at the flowers."
"The flowers are behind you."
"They reflect."
She wanted the grotto to collapse and bury her.
Once dressed, she stepped from the water.
Her knees weakened.
Kael moved before she fell.
So did Soren.
Both males caught one arm.
They looked at each other.
The temperature in the chamber dropped.
Kael pulled.
Soren did not release her.
Kael’s voice became deadly.
"Let go of my female."
"She is also my female."
Swanly closed her eyes.
There it was.
The disaster had grown legs and started speaking.
Kael’s claws extended.
"She was drugged."
"So was I."
"You still marked her."
"She accepted me."
"She could not think!"
"Neither could I."
Kael’s chest heaved.
"You knew she had a mate."
Soren’s expression did not change.
"I knew."
"You did not care."
"My mind was breaking apart."
"And now?"
Soren looked directly at him.
"Now I care that she is mine."
Kael lunged.
Swanly shoved herself between them.
"Stop!"
Both froze before touching her.
She pointed at Kael.
"You are injured."
Then at Soren.
"Your core is broken."
Then at herself.
"I have pollen in places pollen should never be!"
The system nodded violently.
"Many places."
Swanly glared at it.
"You are not helping."
Kael could not see the system.
He thought Swanly was glaring at empty air.
His expression became even more concerned.
Swanly rubbed both hands over her face.
"I swear I can explain."
Kael laughed once.
There was no humor in it.
"Explain what?"
"I did not come here for him."
Soren’s eyes narrowed.
Kael stared at her.
"Then why were you here?"
"Nerin."
Both males paused.
Swanly looked toward the stone wall.
Her face changed.
"Nerin!"
A weak knock answered from behind the rock.
"Swanly?"
Swanly rushed toward it.
Kael caught her waist before she slipped on the wet stone.
"Nerin is trapped behind there."
Soren looked at the wall.
"Why?"
"Selka came to camp with his bloodstained cloth. She said he fell near the eastern path."
Soren’s eyes became colder.
"Selka."
Swanly pointed upward.
"She led us here. Tovan said the ground was unstable. I tied my rope to a stone pillar. It broke."
Kael’s breathing stopped.
Soren looked at him.
Kael said quietly, "Brann confessed."
Swanly turned.
"What?"
"He weakened the ground because Selka ordered him to."
The grotto became silent.
Swanly replayed everything.
Nerin’s real blood.
The stolen marker.
The weakened pillar.
The second collapse trapping Tovan outside.
The dormant flowers opening the moment she fell.
Selka screaming that she had warned her.
Her innocent tears.
Her perfect panic.
Swanly’s ears slowly flattened.
"That bitch."
Soren’s eyes sharpened.
"She heard Nahla speak about my core."
Swanly looked at him.
"What?"
"She may have believed any female could stabilize it."
The truth struck all three of them at once.
Selka had not merely tried to kill Swanly.
She had wanted Swanly dead so she could take Soren’s strength for herself.
Kael’s claws scraped across the stone.
"If she had not done this..."
His eyes moved toward the mating mark on Swanly’s thigh.
He could not finish.
Swanly’s anger faltered.
She reached for him.
"Kael."
He stepped back.
Not because he hated her.
Because if she touched him, he might break in front of Soren.
Swanly’s heart twisted.
"Kael, I did not choose for it to happen like this."
His eyes flashed.
"But it happened."
"Yes."
"And he marked you."
Her throat tightened.
"Yes."
"You are his female now."
She had no answer.
The silence answered for her.
Soren rose from the water and dressed with infuriating calm.
Kael’s head snapped toward him.
"I am taking my female back."
Soren secured the hide around his waist.
"She is also my female. I am taking her back."
Swanly stared between them.
"I am standing right here."
Neither looked at her.
Kael stepped closer.
"She returns with me and my cubs."
Soren moved between Swanly and the opening.
"She returns with me."
"Back where?" Swanly shouted. "Riverbone is destroyed!"
Soren paused.
Kael almost looked pleased.
Swanly pointed toward the wall.
"Nerin is trapped. The cubs are waiting. The flowers may open again. We need to leave before all three of us lose our minds for a second time."
The system raised one finger.
"Technically, the panther was not exposed the first time."
Swanly’s eye twitched.
Soren glanced at the flowers.
Several pale petals trembled.
He moved instantly.
His tail struck the wall beside Nerin’s voice.
Stone shattered.
Nerin fell forward through dust.
Swanly caught him.