Chapter 47

Eric & Rowena

Eric

Maybe my anger toward Rowena was misplaced—I realized that as she ran out of my room, clearly hiding the tears in her eyes. I knew I would have to apologize, of course, once things calmed down a bit.

But part of me had a reason for pushing her away. Part of me, separate from the anger, knew that the truth about our bond would only unravel the truth about her lineage. And we had to be even more careful now than ever.

As I turned back to my punching bag, I couldn’t stop thinking about that day; not only the party, but the day I had brought the envoy to my parents…

The door had closed behind me with a heavy thud as I stepped into my parents’ study. An ominous silence hung in the air, thick and suffocating as ever just moments after the envoy had scurried out.

My gaze immediately found my mother, huddled in the armchair, her eyes red-rimmed and glistening with tears. Beside her, my father’s face was etched with grim lines, his complexion ashen.

“You wanted to see me?” I asked, my voice sounding shockingly small against the oppressive quiet.

My father gave a solemn nod. “You did well, Eric. Bringing the envoy straight to us the moment you discovered his presence.” His steely eyes bored into mine with an intensity I hadn’t seen in a long, long timer. “As her protectors, you know we must be ever vigilant. Even more so now.”

A shiver crept down my spine at the undisguised gravity in his tone. For almost as long as I could remember, my sole purpose had been to shield Rowena. To keep her safe at all costs.

Memories surfaced then, a puzzle of fragmented images from that fateful day years ago.

The bitter chill of winter stabbing at my exposed skin as I raced through the frozen forest, my ragged breaths clouding the air. Shouts and savage howls echoed all around, drawing closer and closer.

And cradled in my arms, a tiny, blood-streaked form. Even as a child, I knew I had to get her away. Had to protect her, no matter what. I didn’t know who she was, or where she had come from, but I knew that I had to keep her safe.

The little girl’s eyes were half closed, her skin taking on an icy pallor as she slipped in and out of consciousness. “It’s okay,” I gasped, my lungs burning. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you…”

A tremor ran through me as the memories dissipated, the phantom ache of that night’s chase still clinging to my muscles. Even after all these years, I had been her protector no matter what. I wouldn’t let anyone harm her, not if I could help it.

But now, the darkness was closing in once again. People were coming for her. Not all of them for good reasons.

“Eric.” My father’s voice dragged me back to the present moment. “You must listen very carefully. No one can know the truth about Rowena. Not the envoy…” His jaw tightened. “Not even herself.”

Sudden realization washed over me in icy waves. They feared that the ones who wanted to hurt her before had come back for her, that her identity wouldn’t be a secret for much longer. But even worse—they wanted to keep her in the dark about it all.

I opened my mouth to protest, but my father raised his hand in a silent signal for silence.

“It’s the only way to keep her safe,” he said, a hard edge to his words that brooked no argument. “If she has no knowledge of who or what she truly is, then we have to squash those thoughts immediately. There can be no mistakes.”

My mother made a soft, pained sound, lifting her head to meet my gaze with reddened eyes. “Please, Eric,” she whispered imploringly. “You know we only want to protect her.”

I clenched my fists, feeling the sharp bite of my nails digging into my palms. Every instinct rebelled against deceiving Rowena in this way. And yet… the memory of her lifeless form, that day at the pool, still haunted me. I had nearly lost her once before.

I couldn’t let that happen again.

…

Rowena

Choking back a sob, I stormed into my bedroom, slamming the door behind me with enough force to rattle the frame. Hot tears stung my eyes as I flung the journal across the room, watching helplessly as it hit the wall with nothing more than a soft thud and fell to the floor in a gentle flutter of paper and leather.

I had really thought, for one naive moment, that I could make amends with Eric. That we could move past his cruel stunt at the party and regain some semblance of our former closeness. The gift had been meant as an olive branch, a token of my desire to work through this.

But he had hurled it back in my face with venom, once again accusing me of favoring Adrian over him. As if making out with me, his own sister, and claiming that I was his mate wasn’t already a sure enough way to alienate me from him forever.

Sucking in a shuddering breath, I raked my hands through my hair, trying to regain some composure. My fingers trembled as I dug out my phone and typed a message to Adrian.

“Can’t wait for our date this weekend. I need to get out of this house.”

A few seconds passed before his reply appeared. “Me too, gorgeous. ;) <3”

I exhaled slowly, feeling some of the tension bleed out of my shoulders. At least I had Adrian—sweet, caring Adrian who would never dream of treating me so callously.

My gaze strayed back to the leather journal, its pages spread open and bent across the carpeted floor. Such a fool’s errand, thinking I could make any sort of peace offering. Eric had made his stance perfectly clear.

But perhaps it didn’t have to go to waste.

Dropping into a crouch, I picked up the journal and dusted it off, smoothing down whatever pages had gotten bent. If Eric was too blinded by cruelty to appreciate the thought behind such a gift… well, then I would give it to someone who actually would.

By the time Monday morning rolled around, I could hardly contain my eagerness to get away from the oppressive atmosphere of home. I threw on a simple outfit—jeans and a fitted white t-shirt—before grabbing my satchel…

And Eric’s repurposed journal, now carefully bound with a purple ribbon and ready for Adrian.

The warm fall breeze blew across my skin as I exited the house, breathing in the sweet scent of leaves falling from the trees. For a moment, the peaceful serenity almost made me forget the anger simmering just beneath the surface. Almost.

But then I saw Eric sitting in his car, and the fury just returned tenfold.

He looked at me through his car window, but I didn’t go to him. Instead, with a huff, I tossed my curls over my shoulder and stormed away.

A little while later, as I reached the pathway leading through the front gates of the camp, an odd sight made me pause. A long queue of students and staff had formed, with guards positioned at various checkpoints along the way. I frowned, making my way up to the back of the line, and stood on my tiptoes to get a better look.

Finally, tapping the shoulder of the girl in front of me, I asked, “What’s going on?”

She twisted around, her expression grave. “Didn’t you hear? There’s been an outbreak of Wolf’s Fury at the camp.”