.Chapter 13-2
“Why?”
He was quiet for a long moment, his hand still covering mine against his cheek. I could feel the slight tremor in his fingers, and my heart ached for whatever he was about to tell me.
“The mother of my son…” he began, his voice rough with old pain. “She wasn’t happy when I told her our story was done the very same night it started. I was not searching for a mate, just having fun. I’d just turned eighteen.”
His jaw tightened, and I could see him forcing himself to continue. This was clearly a story he’d never told anyone for a long time.
“But she became obsessed with me. Started showing up at court functions uninvited, sending me letters, trying to corner me in hallways. My guards had to escort her out more than once.” He shook his head. “Two years later, she appeared at the castle with Kellan, claiming he was mine. I accepted him, of course. He looked enough like me that I couldn’t deny the possibility, and I wouldn’t turn away a child who might be my blood.”
I stayed quiet, sensing there was more to the story. Much more.
“What I didn’t know was that she was a witch. A powerful one. When I refused to marry her and make her Queen, when I made it clear that accepting the child didn’t mean accepting her, she lost her mind. Started screaming about how I’d ruined her life, how I’d stolen her youth and left her with nothing.” He swallowed hard. “Before she left, she cursed me. Said I would never touch another person for the rest of my life without killing them.”
My stomach dropped. That was why he’d been so panicked when he’d found me unconscious against his chest. He’d thought I was dead.
The cruelty of it was staggering. To curse someone with the inability to touch another human being was psychological torture of the worst kind. Lycans were pack animals, social creatures who needed physical contact to maintain their mental health. To deny him that for so long…
“But why didn’t you test it? You never tried?” I asked, though I had a horrible feeling I already knew
the answer.
“I did,” he choked out, his voice breaking. “Because I didn’t believe her. I thought it was just the ravings of a scorned woman, empty threats from someone who wanted to hurt me emotionally. So
when my mother appeared in the throne room, I didn’t warn her. And then she touched me…
He stopped talking, his gaze going distant and lost in memories I could see were still tearing him
apart.
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Chapter 13-2
“Oh no,” I whispered, understanding flooding through me.
Claum
“She died the moment her hands touched my skin,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Her skin lost all its color, her body went slack. I could feel the life draining out of her, could see the light leaving her eyes. My mother died in my arms, and it was my damn fault.”
The pain in his voice was so raw, so devastating, that I felt tears prick my eyes. My wolf was mourning inside me, hurt by the amount of grief and guilt his eyes carried. I could feel his anguish through our bond, the self-loathing that had been eating him alive.
“She’d been so proud of me that day,” he continued, his voice hollow. “I’d just successfully
negotiated a trade agreement with the neighboring kingdom, something my father had been trying
to accomplish for years. She wanted to celebrate, wanted to tell me how well I was doing as king.
And I killed her for it.”
“But, Kane… it wasn’t your fault. You must know that.”
He let out a bitter laugh that held no humor whatsoever. “I was the one who didn’t believe her, little
wolf. I should have listened. I should have run away the moment she made that threat. I should
have locked myself away where I couldn’t hurt anyone else. I should have-” His voice broke completely. “I should have died with her.”
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