this is how a heart breaks

The concept of what Siren saw was mystifying to Aliana. More and more she was convinced Siren was either some fantastical ethereal being from another realm, or she had been granted a divine power by the gods. How a wolf like Siren remained so humble and graceful when she had been endowed with otherworldly beauty and gifts others could only dream of was just another testament to her marvelousness. She was still reeling from Siren telling her that her aura was of the same kind she was royalty with. Aliana never knew either of her parents, never knew what became of them or her siblings. Could it be so outlandish to believe that perhaps she had been royalty once in her short life? Had her sire been a nobleman who gave her up as soon as she was born? The thoughts stung a little, but it also opened up this wonderful new path for her imagination to run wild down.

Siren answered her question about Chimera's aura with a beat of trepidation, and Ali didn't understand until the caramel and ivory fae spoke again, describing Chimera's aura to her. Shadow and smoke, and red like fire. Ali felt her heart leap up into her throat and her breathing hitched. It sounded positively sinister! But Chimera... he couldn't truly be evil, could he? He was violent, depraved, debased, but he always treated her fairly and took care of her as well. She also noticed how starkly different her master's aura was to those of Siren or the family she described. That was when Ali realized why it all made sense. Chimera was an outcast from normal society, from his own family. He was built and wired differently and that's what set him apart from everyone else. Quietly, Aliana began to wonder what happened when red and silver mixed...

"Thank you for sharing this with me, Lady Siren," she said with a ghost of a smile on her lips. "I... don't often get to just have conversation with others, and I enjoy your company a lot." Who else would she even talk to anyway? Chimera? He was so busy running the island and serving Ashen, he didn't care for casual chitchat. Viper? The woman barely spoke coherent sentences to begin with. Between Siren and Dalila, Ali really only had two friends in the whole world.

"Aliana"