Duskfire Glacier You see that guy? Super weird

Imaq had to fight the urge to laugh at his sudden outburst of a reply, thinking he might take it the wrong way. Even so, she had to bite back a bemused smile -- the mirth in her oceanic gaze not entirely hidden as her speckled crown dipped, attempting to conceal the grin that wanted to curve her lips. 

The spotted she-dog hadn't been too worried about whether or not Rye would help to raise their children, even without Lane's reassurance. What had her on edge the most was what this would mean for them. She had always thought of Rye as a friend and pack mate but her feelings for him and Iana had always been tangled, confused. What did it mean for her to love a woman? What did it mean if she loved a man and a woman? Things were different in these southern lands, she had entertained the notion of founding a Kallalit only momentarily. The merle didn't want to hurt either of them but if they both felt the same way...a day would come where she would be forced to choose. 

"Imaq always want Rye." She blurted the words out before she could consider them. There it was again, always. A cold flush of fear ignited her bloodstream.

The huntress couldn't really explain why she was so scared. Maybe it was just that this was new territory for her, having been banished from the island before she had a chance to be courted in any sort of way. More likely were the many glaring obvious reasons that she was wrong for him. 

How could he still want her when she could barely speak to him? Would he even want her once she could, when he found out she was Sedna's cursed daughter -- an un-woman hexed with death?