The Lycan King's Healer
The Lycan King’s Healer – Chapter 36

He did not take it back, nor look ashamed. That’s the part that most affected me.

I stared at him in disbelief. My accusations and defenses wanted to convince him out of this confession, to manipulate him into thinking he did not love me, to tell him that I didn’t believe him.

The sickest part of it was that I believed him.

I felt the wind blow against my face, moving tendrils of hair past my shoulders. I saw the moon in the sky like a glistening silver coin, judging us. I smelled the dead flowers and the moss that started to vine up the cottage boards.

I did anything but think about what this meant.

There was a large gap of time that passed after he said it in which I did not say anything; I merely turned around and made my way back inside the cottage.

My knees did not feel strong enough to hold me up anymore. I sat down on the empty floor, leaning against the wall again. I felt like my whole body was quivering, like an earthquake was occurring only beneath me.

He walked in after me, his gaze flickering around with distaste and a twinge of a guit. “So this is what it looked like,” he mused reluctantly, “before you found yourself.”

I grimly nodded, looking past him at the wall.

Aldrich sat down beside me. He stayed silent.

Eventually, I murmured, “It was easier to believe that you were just using me to get to Theo.”

He nodded. “Harder to accept that you now believe otherwise.”

I paused before whispering, “Yes.’

Slowly, he slid his hand onto mine. My palm was still stained with his b***d. “I’m sorry I love you but I do. You’re going to have to accept it one day.”

I sighed. “One day.”

“Plus,” he added quietly, “your belief I’d discard you after your confession was defective the second I walked out that door after you.”

“Did you actually come to find me?” I turned my head to look at him.

He chuckled, his smile dazzling in the dark. “I told you that already. Did you think I was out here stargazing?”

“I thought you came to yell then banish me from the estate,” I muttered, shrugging.

“Why would I banish a healer while looking like this?” he pointed at his gash. “Or does that too accurately apply to my apparent ‘using you’ agenda?’

I laughed. He seemed surprised at the sound, and a smile curled his full lips.

I finally told him what had been happening at the estate. The arrows being shot at everyone, the two ominous notes. His jaw clenched and unclenched in anger, his body tensing and untensing as I gave my account of the last couple months without him. He seemed to be most bothered by how the paranoia was affecting me. His face only showed anger at the parts where I told him about my lack of sleep, my nightmares, my loss of appetite and sanity. And especially when I admitted I had not been going outside to the garden. He looked like someone was murdered when I told him that part.

I could tell he was trying to hold back any aggravation from his voice when he asked, “Why did you not tell me any of this?”

“It was very imperative that you not find out,” I admitted, feeling the heavy bags under my eyes, “It was the last thing you needed to worry about.”

“You’re the first thing I have to worry about, my Cathy,” he insisted, a lazy smile on his face.

I closed my eyes and breathed in his woody lavender, anchoring myself to the moment. I was finally safe with him. He knew everything, and I didn’t have to worry about him finding anything out.

“Please don’t get mad at Alan, by the way,” I said, opening my eyes, “he just wanted to protect you.”

“Like you did,” he looked at me pointedly, “you went through all of that to avoid letting me find out. The guards could have protected you, the King would wage war. I want you to be protected, Cathy. But I’m not the one fighting a war.”

His expression darkened at that. “I do have some things to admit, myself,” he said, his brown freckled eyes glowing in the dark.

I looked at him encouragingly, hoping he’d admit why he had returned home so prematurely.

“Prince Benjamin deceived me. He forced my most trusted warrior to betray me by threatening the man’s family,” Aldrich said, “I don’t know why he would commit such treason, or who else knows about it. Because of his schemes, most of that stationed troop died.”

“What?” I straightened up, appalled. “He can’t get away with that, Aldrich. We have to do something.”

“We are not doing anything,” he chuckled, patting my hand. “It’s too dangerous for you to get involved in Ben’s affairs. He’s too short tempered.”

“I will if you don’t do something. You must tell the King,” I demanded, standing up from the floor. Rage pricked at my bones.

“My first priority is to find out who is shooting at my wife and what woman is taping arrows to my son’s back.”

“Well, I can help with that part,” I said, folding my hands behind my back, “what if it’s Emily coming after me again for revenge?”

“Emily,” he considered, looking into the distance. Eventually, he shook his head. “Her talents do not roam past tampering with wine.”

“She could have someone shooting for her. And think about it…she went as far as drugging us. Who knows what she’s capable of?” I shuddered.

He shifted, gently feeling along his cheek. The wound was now scabbing thanks to my b***d, but it would leave a scar without stitching. I did not fret over that idea; he would look beautiful regardless.

“You may be right,” he said, “because this was from an arrow.”

My chest caved in on itself as I sucked in a breath. Hands feeling clammy at that, I unfolded them, nauseousness sloshing in my stomach. “They’re going for you now too.” I instantly thought back to the ominous note.

“I was running through the lavender fields looking for you, and an arrow grazed me,” he admitted.

I narrowed my eyes. “Emily would never hurt you.”

“Exactly,” he sighed.

Theory debunked. My mind raveled over all of the options of who would want an army general dead–and there were many–but not for me. I had two enemies, and one had already been discarded.

“Maybe it’s the Queen,” I suggested hesitantly.

He cocked an eyebrow at me. “Go on.”

I continued pacing the room. “They have access to the best archers and inside information to what everyone is doing. The maidservants hate me, who probably have loyalty to the Queen they serve.”

“My mother would never hurt me,” he said with defensive finality. I could tell he was torn about this theory; mostly being, his mother adored him, but hated the girl he adored.

I just nodded. “We need to figure out who is doing this before they hurt Theo.”

Just as he opened his mouth to agree, there was the ghost of a sound outside. Both of us perked up as the sound of a foot pressed to the dirt path in front of the cottage.