After her mate marked another and expected her to be the side chick, Dani vowed never to let a man fool her ever again. As her wolf faded away without her mate Dani was resigned to being a human among her kind. Until case of mistaken identity led he...
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Dani
She was weeping.
Though no tears raced down her smooth cheeks Dani felt the flood of them inside her. Why was it so hard to find happiness, even contentment? It seemed life was made to devastate the poor suckers who were caught in its tangles. She knew people in her pack called her strong. They saw how she held herself, the picture she presented and never looked beyond it.
Dani thought it was because they too had their heart-wrenching realities they didn't want anyone seeing. So they became blind to others in a bid to have the others be as blind. Or maybe it was just that people were that self-absorbed.
As she walked through the empty halls of the castle she was glad for the time alone, pleased that she hadn't just opened the door and found herself with her family. People she knew would take one look at her and see more than she wanted them to.
As she struggled with herself she remembered what her unci had always told her. Mit'ákoja (mygrandchild)strength is shown and proved when the world around you is falling apart. If you keep true to who you are during these times then you show true strength even when all you do is keep still. Never let even the bitterest of betrayals change how you behave for then you have already lost. Never hold grudges for they will betray you in the end.
Dani realised she'd come close to betraying who she was, what she'd been taught. She'd resigned herself to death when she'd been taught to welcome it when it arrived but to fight for life. She'd held a grudge against Eric and had justified wanting to use him without giving anything of value. Even after all these years, she was letting Dean control who she was, holding on to pain her heritage told her was best let go and learned from.
The hardest thing was to realise how far she'd fallen, how close she was to letting the seed of darkness taint her soul. Closing her eyes, she composed a short lowan (song) to soothe her spirit for the rest of the day. As the notes that she took from various ancient songs she knew, took root she realised that in her despair she'd let go of the traditions that had been such a central part of who she was.
Dani was dismayed to realise she hadn't really sung anything since she'd escaped from Dean's pack. Under the influence of the transcendent notes, her heart opened, truths she'd hidden from became clear. She became aware that she'd partly blamed her voice and the songs for not being able to stand against Dean. He'd been able to use his alpha command to bend her to his will, yet her own formidable power had washed over him ineffectively.
Acknowledging that fault, she let it go in favour of finding momentary peace, knowing that now that she knew what was going on within her she'd need a greater song. One that she couldn't afford at this time as she knew everyone was waiting on her. She felt the urgency in the air, as her song opened her to the ancient paths that still dogged the modern world they resided.
As her song ended, she found herself before a door she knew would lead her to the secret library of the dragon kingdom. A darkly amused smile graced her lips at that irony as she realised that with the number of werewolves who now knew it existed and had been within it, calling it a secret was ridiculous.
