the delicate balance (of me and you) | tsireya x y/n

Betrayal (chapter twenty six)

notes: hey guys, its been a while lmao. sorry i havent been updating for like two weeks i just had absolutely 0 motivation 😭 ill try and get back into a routine i promise and tysm for still being here <333

also sorry to come back and just drop a plot twist like this but ive been planning this for a while so... anyways 😍

Tsireya's POV:

I wake to someone grabbing my arm tight. As my eyes open slowly, my vision blurry, I see my mothers face above me. Her mouth is set, her hand clenching my arm, her nails digging into my. My face hardens as I look around, seeing that it's dark. It's still night. 'Mothe-' I begin, but before I can even finish the word, her other hand whips around, covering my mouth. Hard. My eyes widen, and I try to scream, but she's got me good. And all I can think is, my own mother would do this to me. The woman who raised me, loved me. And when I look in her eyes, it's not my mother that I see. It's a different person, a cold, calculating person. One who doesn't love me, not in the slightest.

Y/n's POV, earlier that day:

You're wandering the village aimlessly, enjoying the light breeze as you watch the water lap at the edge of the paths you walk upon. Without realising it, you're walking towards Tsireya's house, where she usually is at this time of day. Your footsteps halt outside of her family's marui pod, and you stop, surprised. Shit, you think, grinning mentally. She's conditioned me. You're about to knock and ask for her until you hear someone yelling inside. Intrigued, you press yourself up beside the door, shrugging off your guilt. If it involves Tsireya, I can go in and back her up, and if it doesn't, she'll want to know the tea, you tell yourself. You listen carefully, hearing the voices of Ronal, Tonowari, and Aonung. As soon as you hear Aonung's voice, you freeze. He didn't. But as you keep listening, it's clear. 

He's gone and fucking told them, you realise, your anger brewing. I'll fucking kill him, you think savagely. You're about to barge in, but stop yourself. If I go in there, they'll only think worse of me, and it'll be worse for Tsireya. You feel a heavy fear in your stomach as you imagine her shipped off to be mated without her consent in another clan. No. I won't let that happen. You press yourself against the wall, listening as you think. If I keep listening and it gets resolved, then everything'll be fine. But if they plan to take Tsireya away, I can tell her, and we'll figure something out. You sigh, and listen again.

'I've told you everything I know,' you hear Aonung say calmly. 'Why did you not tell us earlier? This could have been prevented if you were a better son, one more loyal to the preservation of our bloodline and our village,' you hear Ronal hiss. Your eyes widen at her anger. 'Would you prefer that he had not told us at all?' Tonowari points out, his voice raised above hers. 'You have done the right thing, son. You may go,' he says, and you hear Aonung's footsteps heading towards you. You freeze, with nowhere to go as the door opens. Your eyes meet his, yours full of fear, and his full of smugness and self-righteousness. He smirks as you press yourself against the wall. 'I kept my promise. Now there's nothing you can do.' You press your lips together, holding back a reply. He smirks again, and turns to leave. All you do is watch as he walks away, fighting the urge to take out a knife and stab him in the back until his blood drips through the gaps of the boardwalk, staining the water red. 

Then you remember what you're meant to be doing, and you're focused again. Protecting Tsireya is more important than any vengeance you want to get against Aonung. 'She has betrayed our clan,' Ronal yells, and you hear Tonowari sigh. 'She is but a child. And it is not like we do not have another child who can give you an heir.' You peek through a gap in the door, and see Ronal step back like she's been struck. 'You cannot be defending her.' 'And what would you do? Rip her away from us and send her to another clan, just because you feel she has done wrong? Give her a chance, Ronal, for she is still our daughter. Who we love. That is all I ask of you.' She sighs, and you see the flames flicker, subdued, in her eyes. 'Alright. But only for you, my love.' As she leaves through the back door, you see Tonowari sink to his knees in the middle of the room, his head in his hands. You know how he feels, because you feel the same. Both of you have no idea what you are going to do next.

If I tell Tsireya, it'll just stress her out, you think as you pace up and down on the beach. They're not going to do anything, right?  You're convinced, and turn away from the ocean, heading home, to peaceful quiet. And as you turn your back, the waves swell, growing exponentially until they come crashing down with a deafening roar.

Tsireya's POV:

'What are you doing, mother?' I growl as she pulls me by my tied hands. We're far enough away from the village now that she's taken her hand off of my mouth. He must've snitched. There's no other reason she'd be doing this. I don't feel fear, though. All I feel is burning anger. If I scream now, maybe someone would hear me. But I don't; I wait to hear her out. Without turning to face me, she says, 'you have committed a crime against our family's name. And trust me, Tsireya, you will pay,' she says, yanking me viciously forwards until I stumble. I clench my teeth, sick of her bullshit. And I open my mouth, preparing to scream. But then her hand's shoving something in my mouth, and I'm gagged; I can't make a noise. 'I didn't want to have to do this,' she says, her voice distant. 'But this is what's best for you, Tsireya. You must understand that.' And then I'm dragged off into the darkness, until my heart's beating fast, and I can barely breathe. And then, finally, I'm afraid.