Violet
I got to my feet on the other side of the bed, putting distance between myself and the woman.
I couldn’t shake the feeling I had noticed in her wild stare. She looked unsettled and sothing wasn’t quite right about her.
I hoped I was wrong.
"This is the guest room," I said carefully. "Rowan’s room is the one opposite this one."
The woman shook her head slowly. "No. This is Rowan’s room. That one’s mine and... Aldric’s."
Her face soured at the ntion of the second na.
I did not know who that was but one thing surely clicked for .
This must have been Rowan’s room as a child, and the one he was likely occupying now used to belong to his parents.
His mother seed stuck sowhere in the past.
I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could speak, the door swung open.
Rowan stepped inside, and his eyes imdiately found his mother. Surprise flickered across his face, followed by a weary sigh.
"Mother, what are you doing here?"
The change was instant.
The wildness in her eyes vanished and the hard edge in her posture softened. She blinked, and when her gaze focused on Rowan, it was clear.
Her eyes started to water.
"Rowan?" Her voice cracked. "Is that... is that you?"
Rowan stopped mid-stride, and I watched the shock ripple across his features.
His reaction shocked too.
"Yes, Mother," Rowan said quietly, a note of caution in his voice. "It’s ."
She rushed toward him, her hands reaching up to cradle his face. She was tall, but he was taller, and she had to tilt her head back to look at him properly. Her fingers trembled against his cheeks.
"Where have you been?" she whispered, her voice breaking. "Where have you been?"
A raw look of pain flashed across his face as she hugged him. He stood motionless for a second before wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.
They stayed like that for a long mont, neither speaking. His eyes were closed, his jaw tight, and I could see the tension in his shoulders as he held onto her like she might slip away.
She pulled back slightly, her hands moving to his arms, squeezing gently. She looked up at him with wonder in her eyes.
"You’ve grown so big," she murmured.
I stared at them, perplexed.
She was looking at him like she hadn’t seen him in years. Like he was still a child who had suddenly beco a man overnight.
Rowan glanced at over his mother’s head, and sothing apologetic flickered in his gaze. He gave a faint, tired smile.
His mother noticed. She turned, following his gaze until her eyes landed on .
"Who is this?" she asked.
"This is Violet," Rowan said gently, his hand resting on his mother’s shoulder. "You will see her soon. But for now, let take you back to your room."
He guided her toward the door, and she went willingly, her hand clutching his sleeve like a child afraid of being left behind.
At the doorway, Rowan paused and looked back at .
"I’ll return shortly," he said quietly.
Then they were gone.
I stood beside the bed, my mind spinning.
What had I just witnessed?
I didn’t want to draw conclusions as I didn’t know enough, but with the way she had looked at him, I felt sothing was very wrong.
I slowly sat back down on the edge of the bed and waited.
[ - ]
Rowan returned so ti later.
I sat up after having laid back down minutes ago. He closed the door behind him and crossed the room slowly, sinking onto the edge of the bed beside . He didn’t look at right away.
"I am sorry you had to see that," he said quietly after a sigh. "I hope my mother did not cause you any trouble."
"She didn’t," I quickly told him.
He nodded but didn’t seem convinced.
I hesitated, uncertain if I should ask. But the question pressed against my lips until I couldn’t hold it back.
"Is she... is your mother okay?"
Rowan shook his head slowly. "No. She isn’t."
The simple honesty of it made my chest ache.
He then glanced at and added, "Don’t worry. She is getting better, thankfully. She is herself on most days now, more than before." He paused, his jaw tightening. "It’s just... sad to see her like that."
I didn’t know what to say.
I hesitated, then reached out to gently pat his back which made him stiffen. His eyes widened with surprise.
Then his expression changed and he looked away.
"There is sothing I wanted to tell you." His voice had shifted, becoming more serious. "About my family. I couldn’t find the right mont earlier and I didn’t want to ruin our night."
I looked at him, a thread of worry curling in my chest.
"What is it?"
He t my eyes, and there was sothing braced in his expression. Like he was preparing for a blow.
"My family led the genocide against your kind," he said quietly. "We contributed more than any other bloodline to the extinction of the Lycans."
My hand froze on his back. I stared at him.
"I wanted you to know before you discovered it yourself," he continued. "Our private library contains records from that ti. Observations and all sorts of docuntation." His jaw tightened. "Much of it is biased. Deaning. I did not want you to stumble upon it without warning."
He eyed his hands on his lap.
"You are free to hate for this," he said. "I would understand."
"Rowan."
What was he even saying?
I stared at him, genuinely bewildered, especially with how downcast he looked.
"Did you do it?" I asked him.
He shook his head. "But my family—"
I was really confused, and a bit relieved, because I had thought he was going to ntion sothing very grave.
So this might have been likely why he was certain his kingdom had more information on Lycans?
"You did not even exist during that ti period. Why would I bla you for sothing your ancestors did?" I asked him.
Rowan’s head turned sharply, his eyes widening.
He looked stunned.
And I was stunned by his shock.
What was this reaction?
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