MATES

T H I R T Y - S E V E N

"The best actors are the ones who can lock away their own feelings" Wynter let out a sigh "Mother has alternative ways to deal with her sorrow now." 

"Like what?" I asked as she led me outside. 

"Like Dust." 

"Dust?" 

"I keep forgetting that you were raised human" she shook her head "Dust is the equivalent to your human Opiates." 

"And you mother uses that stuff?" I gaped at her "Regularly?" 

"Ever since her lover died." 

"And Weylyn is your half-brother?" I asked. 

She smiled at me "He is." 

"Does he know?" I asked "Does Wáil know?" 

"Wáil chooses to be ignorant" she frowned "And Weylyn doesn't know he's our brother." 

I stopped in my tracks "So you sentenced him to be a servant?"

Lady Wynter turned to me, a hard look passing over her face "If it was my choice, he would be right by our side, standing proud and tall like he deserves to be." 

"Then why can't you make it happen?" I said, my voice rising "Why does he have to hide because of your mother's secrets? Why does he have to be forced into servitude because of your father's prejudice? Why does he have to grow up without knowing his father or a mother who cares more about the man she lost instead of the one piece of himself he left behind?!" 

"It's not that simple Princess" Wynter hissed, tears in her eyes "I'm not the firstborn nor am I a male heir. I have no voice here. The only reason why I'm top warrior and able to represent my family is because my brother is the next ruler of the tribe and cannot afford to get injured. I'm the spare. Did I prove myself? Yes. But did I work my ass off despite what my family or the rest of the tribe thought? Also yes" 

"With all due respect Princess" she glared at me "You haven't acclimated enough to our customs to realize that unless you're next in line for the Crown, us women don't have a say in our fate. In all honesty, Weylyn is in the best possible position he can be in. He has more freedom than I do, which is saying something. He doesn't have the shackles confining him to a place that sucks your soul out little by little until only darkness is left in its place. A place that crushes your soul so badly that you turn to vices just to numb the pain." 

I looked at her, really looked at her, and found underlying sadness mixed with anger and defeat. 

"I'm sorry" My own anger lessened at the sight of her "You're right, I really don't know enough about what you go through on a daily basis nor do I have the right to stick my nose in your business." 

She wiped the few tears that managed to fall while we were having our heated discussion. 

"It's no one's fault but my own Princess" She forced a smile "I'm sorry for raising my voice or disrespecting you in anyway." 

"Don't do that" I grabbed her arm "Don't pretend to be someone you're not. Not in front of me. Not when we've come so far." 

She gave me a little smile "Does that mean you still want to meet my brother?" 

"Is he better at conversation than Wáil?" I blurted out, wincing at how rude I sounded "I'm sorry..." 

"I know what you mean" She cut me off with a laugh "Wáil is very conceited and loves to talk about his own accomplishments, especially to those who could elevate his status."

I snickered "As long as Weylyn is better at conversation than I'm all for meeting him."