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“They seem like good people,” I added.
She nodded and smiled at the thought of it. “I’d do anything to keep them safe.”
I knew she meant every word, and I shared the same sentiment with the people in my life. That extended to her as well.
I had the feeling there was a second meaning in her words, especially as she threw me a stern glance.
“I swear I don’t mean any harm,” I said, somewhat forlorn that she still assumed it of me. “I don’t plan on hurting anyone. If I had any choice in the matter, I wouldn’t have dragged my men here and begged Kai for a truce. But we need the help, and there’s no escaping that fact. I had no interest in making matters worse between our groups.”
Willow gave me a prolonged look as she crossed her arms over her chest, making the soft and airy material of her sleeves move with her. “Was sticking with your hometown worth it in the end for you?”
I could feel the resentment in her eyes still. It nearly burned my skin like hot coals, but I had to push through it.
I knew what she meant immediately. How I had chosen to leave her and Rose Valley behind after we realized our mate bond.
Sighing, I couldn’t try and ignore the question. She deserved every answer she could ever want from me. “I made more mistakes than I care to admit, but I had to learn the hard way like I often do with most things. But I’m not my father, and I’ve had to learn to separate my father’s thoughts from my own.”
Despite how I anticipated it, Willow didn’t seem appalled by my answer. I took that as a good sign.
Instead, she wiped beneath one of her eyes and gestured inside. “Coming in?”
The question took me completely by surprise, but I wasn’t about to deny the shred of opportunity she offered me. So, I gave her a short nod and went with her inside, still keen on helping her in.
I shouldn’t have been surprised by just how whimsical the inside of her house was, since the outside was just as intriguing. There were more plants than I could count, some with long vines as they grew from wall to wall. Some flowered, while others only seemed to stretch on and on. There was an occasional stained-glass window that would surely let in colorful rays of light during the day, and I thought it was an interesting touch.
Hanging from the ceiling in the living room was an ornate chandelier that caught my attention at once. On nearly every surface was an object of some sort, from crystals to small, whittled statues, more potted plants, and various other trinkets I had never seen before.
“Here, take a seat,” I said, guiding her over to the couch.
While Willow didn’t seem all that impressed to be following my instructions in her house, she did so anyway and landed gently on the couch.
Eager to ensure she was stable, I made my way into the quaint kitchen and looked through her cupboards before landing on one brimming with different mugs and glasses.
Grabbing the first one I saw, I brought it to the tap and let the water fill to the top.
As I made my way over with the water, I handed it to her.
Willow looked almost pleasantly surprised as she took it, glancing between me and the glass. “Thanks.”
With a nod of acknowledgement, I took a seat beside her. She drank the glass heartily, and I felt relief just from watching.
When it was half gone, she looked over at me, eyes still tired from it all. “Why are you being nice to me now? What has changed?”
Letting go of a deep breath, I knew being vulnerable was the best, if only, option I had. “I’m not the naïve young man you briefly met all those years ago. I had a lot of growing to do, and it hurts to think back on how I handled things.” When I knew I had her attention, I took the chance to continue. “I’m sorry for rejecting you and our bond that day. I wasn’t thinking of anything else but the fact that you were a witch and how my dad would’ve been livid. I know how hurtful it was of me and that I was an idiot for never giving you a chance.”
Willow just looked at me, almost forlorn at the thought of that moment all over again. “It’s hard for me to accept any apology right now, and while I appreciate it, I can’t just pretend like it didn’t happen.”
“And I don’t expect you to. I just needed to say it.”
Willow sighed and nodded slowly.
“Whether or not you can believe it, denying the bond hurt me too. It was the most agonizing pain I had ever experienced, and I did that to the both of us,” I said, trying not completely to spill my guts onto her raw-edge coffee table. “I won’t ever be able to forgive myself for it fully, and I don’t expect you to either.”
“I’m not usually one to hold grudges,” Willow began, letting a small, humored smile pull on her lips. “And while that moment did warrant some grudge holding, I don’t want to dwell on that moment for the rest of my life.”
I couldn’t help but smile in return, glad to even hear those words coming from her mouth. But it turned sad as the thoughts reminded me of exactly why I was in Rose Valley in the first place.
“Not being able to reach my wolf feels like having a piece missing from my soul, like there’s an empty place waiting for it in my chest. I’ve never felt more vulnerable before the moment I lost it, and that loss has been monumental,” I began, sighing through the pain of it. “I miss being able to tap into that side of me and to feel the full extent of who I once was. While it had been a humbling experience, with each passing day I can’t feel him there, I feel less like myself. I long to have that part of me back.”
