“And who are you to make such declarations?” he spat, finding her insolence positively tiring. He’d done his time and for a large portion of his life he’d sworn loyalty to the clan, offering his life up for everything that it stood for. He’d have died for them without a second thought, just as he’d still die for Kaena to this day. He’d fought and he’d bled for Inferni, and he’d bowed his head to a crown that felt wrong, and yet here she pretended as though he’d done nothing for his family. This infuriated him. She was nothing more than a naïve, ignorant child. He was allowed to see the world and make his own destiny. He was not a slave to them.
Kaena had left for what felt like an eternity, tearing a dark, gaping hole into his life. Even Gabriel had left and fought his distant war across the land. Talitha herself didn’t hold a spotless record with Inferni. He’d tear out her throat were she not a Lykoi, thus belonging to his mother in his eyes. No matter his feelings, he recalled his loyalty to that blood and to anything blessed by Kaena. She’d gone out and procreated, and it was now his duty to carry on where age slowed her down. Eterne had reinforced this within him, turning what he did naturally into a legitimate purpose. He would father as many mad, Lykoi children as he could until the air was torn from his lungs and the life from his veins.