Conflicting Thoughts

Chimera's renewed snarl drew a flinch from the recoiling fae on sheer reflex. The sight of his teeth bared in anger reminded her of the slavers, of how he had been with her when she'd first arrived to their family as a product and not a person. It was almost enough to bring her to shut down again, but Aliana forced herself to remain steady, no matter how difficult it was. Chimera stopped his pacing and stated that her input did matter, that if it hadn't he would have already had his way with Reila, yet he hadn't. Then he made sure to emphasize that he was sharing his concerns with his mate. That struck Ali right in the heart, and the flinch of pain that crossed her features was visible in the firelight. Chimera began to settle, just enough for him to begin sharing the deepest secrets of his past. His abandonment by one parent and the apathy of another, the revulsion of his siblings, left to survive in a world that seemingly didn't want them. Aliana looked up from the fire to meet his gaze as he spoke, giving him the attention he deserved for bearing his wounded soul like this. She'd never known about Chimera and Siren's past, and the little tidbits Siren had let slip had given away nothing. It explained why Chimera clung so possessively to the wolves he cared about. Secretly, Ali believed he was scared of losing any of them.

Aliana was glad that Chimera had shared what he had—because it meant he would understand clearly where she was coming from then. "That's exactly it, Chimera. You have very few you care about, yet you keep gathering more, like we're belongings to be collected. I don't have anyone... just you." Chimera and their children were the only family Aliana had in the world. Siren was growing to be a friend, and she had a sort of kinship with Dalila, but there was no one she really felt close to besides Chimera. "When Siren bought me for you, you had her and Viper. Dalila was already here, and I was the newcomer. I was the one disrupting your home. That's why it didn't bother me when you had me and Siren and Viper as your lovers. I wasn't even bothered when you brought Dalila into your harem because she had been here before me. I understood. I was the exception, the newest one, and I thought that was how things would be." Aliana stopped speaking, choking up on the hurt and the emotions knotting in her throat. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and fixed her gaze on her mate's, trying her best not to let her eyes begin misting up. "But then you kept going. You brought Erystotle into the group, and while it bothered me that you didn't seem satisfied with us, I understood that as well. You had... certain needs and desires that called for a brute. But now... now you're bringing yet another woman into your bed and I just..."

A shaking huff and quiet growl pulled the clouded fae's lips away from her teeth in a rare show of anger and frustration. "Where does it end, Chimera?! If we're not enough now, will we ever be to you? Will you never be satisfied with us? You love me, you call me your queen, but how much weight will that title hold when you have five, then ten, then what, a hundred lovers? Every one you add, you increase the risk of finding someone you love more than me. What happens if you love one of them more, Chimera? I'll have nothing left. Nothing! And you just... you won't stop! You make all of us wait on you and you just keep taking for yourself. You'll never be satisfied and I'll be left with more nights of going to bed alone, wondering who you're sticking your cock in that night and asking myself if I'm losing you." The tirade was more emotion than Aliana had ever let spill out before in her entire life. It was cathartic and draining, and it left the clouded queen quivering and shaking, fighting back tears and snarls alike while she fixed Chimera with a furious and heartbroken look. The fae was breathing hard, slim sides rising and falling with each breath to try and steady herself. It bothered her that he was so nonchalant about taking more lovers when he expected all of them to remain loyal to him. It bothered her that she could risk losing her stability and life with him when he didn't seem to care. But Chimera wanted a discussion, so she would give him what he wanted. She would be brutally honest.

"Aliana"