this is how a heart breaks

Siren was such the opposite of her brother in every regard. Tiny, delicate, graceful, feminine, and her words bore her sweet, kind, humble soul. To go from Chimera's aggression and violence and need to dominate to Siren's elegance and genteelness would have given any wolf whiplash. It was hard to believe they were both from the same litter, let alone the same family! Even though she accepted Aliana's compliment with much modesty, the monochromatic woman saw the flush of color across the princess' cheeks. Even in shyness, Siren was flawless, a beautiful being crafted by gods and goddesses. Sitting beside her, Ali felt so... plain. Chimera had called her pretty, but if she was pretty, Siren was beautiful.

The Klein princess asked how her neck was healing, and Ali reached a paw up to feel just beneath the leather confines of her collar where the skin was still raised, but healed fully. She would bear the scars on her flesh for the rest of her life, a mark of the time Chimera had nearly killed her in his need to dominate her completely. "It's healed well, thanks to your skillful work," she said with a small smile. "Your brother hasn't been nearly as rough on me since his accident, which has also helped, I think." Other than when he'd choked her the day he gave her the collar, that was.

Siren reassured the cloud-furred fae that she had simply had a small accident and she was fine now. Aliana smiled with a dip of her head and replied, "I'm glad you're better. When Dalila told me, I grew worried." Now it was her turn to feel her cheeks warm with a pink hue when Siren called her sweet for her concern. "You're the kindest, gentlest wolf I've ever known, my Lady. I know it's not my duty to care for you, but I do. You've been nothing but kind to me since the first day, and..." She hesitated, staring out over the water shimmering in the light of the slowly rising sun. "...and you rescued me from a horrible life I cannot imagine." Siren's kindness and softness when she'd rescued her from the slavers had not only led to her freedom, but had saved her life as well. Were it not for the caramel and porcelain fae... She shuddered to imagine what her life had very nearly become.

"Aliana"