Chapter 90 – Challenge

Brianna felt something strange when she saw that both Noah and Priscilla did not come for breakfast. However she did not dare to ask her mother about it when she saw dark as the rain clouds look on her face. Her mother was undoubtedly in a foul mood, so she decided to mind her own business for the time being.

But an even greater surprise waited for her at lunch, when she saw that her mother took a seat at the other end of the table across from Noah, instead of sitting near him as usual. Before she could ask what was going on, her questions were answered once Priscilla entered the dining room.

Her sister, who always looked like a teenager barely a few years older than Brianna herself, now looked like a young woman in her early twenties. And it was quite clear how this could happen. She has passed the stage that she was stuck in for years.

Brianna looked in shock at Priscilla when she sat down across from her, on the other side of the table, then she looked at Noah and quickly checked her mothers face. Her guess was without a doubt correct. Noah was sitting with a worried face when he saw the look on her mothers face, while her mother sat in total silence with a cold as ice look in her eyes. She was furious.

Only Priscilla seemed to not have a care in the world looking in total elation.

Brianna bit her lip from nervousness looking around the table between her mother and Noah a few times, as if waiting for a fight that would break loose any moment, however when their lunch passed in almost total silence with only Priscilla trying to have a chat with Noah occasionally, with nothing else happening, a new type of realization downed on Brianna. Their mother actually approved of this.

After lunch both Tessa and Brianna quickly excused themselves and left the room promptly one after the other.

"Cil…" Said Noah when they were left alone to finish their dishes.

"Yeah?" Asked Priscilla looking at him with infatuation on her face.

Noah looked into her eyes and then shook his head.

"No. It's nothing."

And at the dinner Tessa did not join them at all. Which as Brianna noticed made the worry in Noah's face deepen.

In the next few days Brianna noticed the situation gradually worsened. Noah and her mother almost stopped contacting with each other at all, briskly meeting only at the dining table where Tessa joined them barely once a day.

The relationship between Priscilla and their mother was getting tenser as well. There was a permanent smile of elation on her sisters lips and every time their mother saw it her frown would deepen. Also at the dinning table Brianna noticed that sometimes Priscilla would look at their mother with a provoking look as if daring her, which made their mother so furious she would bend the cutlery in her hands.

Maids were quite tense as well. It looked like they understood the situation as well so they tried to stay as less noticeable as possible. Only whispering between each other when no one was around.

These days Brianna would rarely talk to Noah as well and try to skitter away after every lunch to close herself in the lab. Noah did come to the lab as well for his alchemy experiments but she seemed too awkward to start a conversation with him and tended to avoid him too.

Brianna also noticed that either Priscilla or Noah would be leaving from each other's room in the morning, leaving no doubt as to what their relationship was.

A few days after all this began Brianna was sitting behind the table, swirling her leftovers from the lunch around the plate without leaving as she tended to do these days.

Both Noah and Priscilla noticed how she seemed to linger around on purpose instead of running away and looked at each other with raised brows, however did not comment on it waiting for her to speak her mind herself.

Once they were about to leave the room leaving Brianna alone however, she finally spoke asking to have a talk with Noah alone.

Noah and Priscilla looked at each other and then Priscilla nodded and left the room excusing herself.

"Noah…I understand what's going on and it is not my place to comment on it in any way, so I do not wish to talk about the relationship between you, Priscilla and mother. I want to ask you for a favor only." Said Brianna staring into her knees while she spoke as if afraid to look him in the eyes.

"What is it?" Said Noah sitting down across from her behind the table with his hands crossed. Listening to her attentively, while she seemed to linger thinking through what she wanted to say.

"I want to ask you to take me on the trip with you when you decide to leave." Said Brianna finally lifting her eyes looking at him.

"Leave? Why do you think I was going somewhere?" Asked Noah surprised.

"It is inevitable as I see it. You should know that as well by now." Said Brianna and saw that Noah opened his mouth for a moment but then closed it back.

"I do not blame you for anything. As I see it you saved Priscilla's life and as I understand it you did it on our mothers insinuation. But you should have noticed what is going on." Said Brianna.

"It's getting worse, right?" Said Noah quietly breathing out as if deflating.

"Yes." Said Brianna, nodding. "I saw that you wanted to make it better, but I'll tell you clearly. It is impossible. They will not be able to go against their instincts."

"I asked Cil to not provoke her mother with that challenging look a few times, but each time after that she did it even more as if on purpose." Said Noah.

"She can't help it when you are inside the room with both of them around. The cause for it is the mate bite mark. They can't go against it, Noah. Placing a bite mark on the already marked mate is a challenge. No arachna would ever tolerate another one challenging her by marking her mate. If it was any other arachna than our mother she would have already killed either you or Priscilla. Mother is holding herself in hands only with her power of will, but it is only a matter of time for her to succumb. It is akin to how Cil was tortured by her first mating period while unable to find a mate. I understand that for ritual completion she had to mark a mate. However you were already marked. Now they are against another problem, Noah. The challenge between them for the right to be a true mate for you. And as long as you or the challenger are around they will not calm down." Explained Brianna. "However the bite mark they left will not disappear until one of them is dead, so even if one of them leaves the house nothing will change in your relationship. You will always remind them of being challenged as long as they feel both marks within you."

"Also you might have noticed that Cil is getting stranger by the day. She is in her mating period and feels elation from your relationship. But the more she gets satiated the more she feels the influence of the bite mark challenge just like her mother. Only if our mother is able to hold herself in hands to a degree, Priscilla will not be able to do it. Once her mating period elation ends, she will succumb entirely to it and challenge our mother openly. Then one of them will kill the other or kill you to make the object of disagreement disappear. You should leave before it escalates to this. They will hate each other, yes, but as long as you are not here anymore, they will not be provoked and will just live on. Maybe separate and live in different places."

"I see. I still underestimated that bite mark. I thought that maybe given time,...but…it is the end if us right?" Said Noah with a drooping head.

"I am sorry, but yes." Said Brianna quietly watching down at her knees while squeezing the cloth of her dress in fists rightly.

"Why do you want to go with me?" Asked Noah, looking at her after a moment.

"I don't want to spend my days living an utterly miserable life when my turn for stage crossing comes, like Priscilla did all these years. Sitting still while waiting for my mother to find a mate for me, knowing that she will most likely fail and I am probably going to end up as a monster. I want to travel around, see the world, and find what this world has in stock for me. Feel freedom while I still can. But traveling alone is dangerous for…a monster. However if it is with a man that can pretend to be a tamer, it may actually be possible. Besides, I am a master of puppetry second only to my mother, Noah. I know how to battle, I will be of use to you and won't hold you down on your travels, so please take me with you." Said Brianna.

"I will think about it." Said Noah standing up.

"Thank you." Said Brianna when Noah was leaving.

A few days after their talk Noah finally admitted that he could not do anything and it was time for him to leave this house.

******

"What are you doing?" Asked Tessa entering the storage room while looking at her daughter that was sneaking around.

Brianna turned around with startle with a shocked expression on her face. Then she turned to the corner of the room seeing a few spider webs at the ceiling.

"Snitches!" She muttered and the small spiders skittered around in different directions.

"Do not blame them, it is their job. So what are you doing sneaking around the house for a few day, young lady?" Said Tessa looking around the room and noticing that some of the food stock was missing, probably now inside Brianna's pocket ring.

"Preparations." Said Brianna after breathing out heavily.

"Preparations for what?" Asked her mother with a raised eyebrow.

"For travel." Said Brianna looking into her mothers eyes with a firm gaze.

"Where to?"

"Anywhere. Wherever legs take me."

"Bri, this is nonsense. You know how dangerous it is for a monster to…"

"I know. That's why I asked Noah to take me with him. But if he does not agree I am going alone anyway. I am not going to sit around watching this family crumble while waiting for my own demise." Said Brianna.

"Wha…hold on! What do you mean you asked Noah to take you with him?" Said Tessa surprised.

"Mom. Let's be clear. You and Noah are over. He is not welcome here anymore."

"What are you saying!?" Said Tessa with an angry voice.

"Then what? Are you going to kill Cil?" Screamed Brianna, shocking her mother with a sudden outburst.

"I…I…No dear… I would never…" Stuttered Tessa.

"How are you going to do that mom? You are an ancient monster with a will firmer than a mountain to hold yourself in hand for so long. Torturing yourself just for your love for us. I understand that. Love you for it dearly. But we are just…we are kids compared to you, mom. Priscilla is just a kid. Her instincts are taking over. If you don't kill her, she will challenge you herself soon. Then it will be my turn."

My mating instincts will take over after her too. We are the only sentient arachna family in all kingdoms. What can you do about it? If Noah does not leave one of you will kill him or kill each other. Then I will jump him, marking him too. What are you going to do with us, Mom? Tell me. What answer did you come up with in these few days to prevent all that? We both know that by sharing Noah with Cil, you only postponed her demise. Simply changing the reason you would kill her for, from turning into mindless monster to challenging you over a mate's rights. Her time is running out now. So tell me what answer have you come up with?"

Tessa stood rooted to place, unable to answer her daughter. Answer? It took her all her will just to hold herself from killing Priscilla. She did not seek an answer at all.

"As I thought. This family. It was over the moment we started nearing the first mating period while living in the human domain, mom. With Noah as the only possible mate there is no way for us to be a family, mom. You know that. If you don't wish to kill us to keep him for yourself, the only way for us to keep living is to separate into different parts of the world and never meet each other again. I love you mom, but this is the end. You have to let us go. I am sorry."

"I love you." Whispered Tessa with her eyes full of tears. "I am so sorry. I failed you both."

Brianna suddenly jumped at her mother, hugging her strongly.

"You gave us life, mom. Gave us sentience. It is more than any monster could wish for. You did all you could. You are the best mother we could hope for. I love you, mom." Said Brianna crying her eyes out.

Both women stood in the dim storage at night bowling their eyes out.