Free Through the Veil by Lacey Thorn Page A

such
confidence. “Lynx will not be easily manipulated.”
    Meryll smiled. “And what about you?”
    “Serena,” her mother’s voice rippled through the air and
brought her eyes flying over to where the woman stood. “You shame our family.”
    “No—” Serena tried to speak but her mother wouldn’t listen
to her.
    “That is right,” her mother spoke over her. “You will not
shame us. You will marry Meryll and conceive a child. The continuance of our
line is important and Meryll’s family line is as old and sacred as ours.”
    Never had she defied her mother. Never. “I won’t,” she said.
“I love Lynx and I wish to mate with him.”
    “I forbid it,” her mother said. “You are lucky that Meryll
is willing to overlook this moment of stupidity on your part and take you as
wife anyway.”
    “I will not marry Meryll,” Serena said, her voice gaining
strength. She could see Lynx in her mind, the strength and character of him.
She loved him and knew that he loved her too. Their love would be enough.
    “You think to defy me and run away with your wolf?” her
mother asked calmly, too calmly.
    “I don’t want to defy you,” Serena tried to explain. “But I
cannot marry a man who I don’t love.”
    “Let me put it this way,” her mother said with a tight
smile. “If you try to marry Lynx you will sign his death warrant. I will evict
him from the valley and not allow him or any heirs he might conceive to ever
cross back.”
    “No!” Serena screamed, shaking her head. “You can’t do that.
He’s done nothing wrong.”
    “He is as much to blame for this foolishness as you,” her
mother said. “But I will leave the choice of his fate up to you.”
    “So if I walk away from him then you will let him stay
here,” Serena repeated with tears streaming down her face.
    “Yes, if you do not marry him or engage in any type of
physical relationship then he will be able to stay,” her mother agreed.
    “Then I will agree to stay away from him,” Serena said. “As
long as I have your word.”
    “You have my word,” her mother nodded. “Now we will see to
planning your nuptials to Meryll.”
    “No,” Serena said.
    “No?” her mother thundered.
    “That wasn’t part of our agreement,” Serena said. “I agreed
to give up Lynx. I never agreed to accept Meryll.”
    “Then you would choose to shame us anyway?” her mother
almost screamed.
    “I would choose to remain alone rather than to accept a life
with a man I don’t love or want,” Serena stated.
    “Then know this,” Meryll said. “If you don’t choose me then
there will never be another. I will hold the contract until the day we both
die.”
    “So be it,” Serena agreed.
    “I don’t think you understand,” her mother spoke again,
softer this time, her face showing sympathy for the first time since she’d
arrived.
    “What is there to understand?” Serena asked.
    “My time will pass soon and you will take over as queen of
the valley,” her mother said. “But if you do not mate and produce a daughter
then your time will never cease. Your life will be tied to the valley and if
the goddess decides your time is done then there will be no one here to uphold
the veil and protect our people.”
    “Then I would suggest we all pray that the goddess does not
choose to punish me for falling in love the way that you have,” Serena said and
with her heart breaking she turned away. And never spoke to her mother again.
Not when her father passed, not when Meryll finally died.
    Instead she walked alone, guarding and protecting and watching
over the valley and all its inhabitants. And never once did she think of any
man other than the one who still held her heart all these years later. Lynx.
    She would continue to give her call, to woo those worthy of
crossing and entering the valley. With every call she worried that this one
might be the one to lay claim to her Lynx. But so far the goddess had heard her
prayers. She hated that he was as