“Fine!” he gritted his teeth interrupting me. “I saved her because… because when I first saw her, she reminded me of you. She had the same innocence, the same vulnerability you once had".
The words stung more than I cared to admit. I took a deep breath, steadying myself. Arguing won’t get us anywhere.
“Rowan, there’s something you need to know. She’s a witch – not just any kind of witch, she’s a dark witch".
His eyes widened in surprise. After a few seconds, he scoffed and looked away. “Are you confusing being a healer or being a witch, Freya?”
“No!” I shook my head tightening my grip on his heart. “I mean what I said".
“How do you know that?”
“I can sense it,” I lied smoothly. “My wolf… She’s warning me. Amara might be dangerous. Maybe she was even a dark witch.
Rowan’s brow furrowed. “That’s a serious accusation, Freya. We can’t just turn away someone in need based on suspicion".
“I’m not saying turn her away,” I said quickly. “But perhaps we could find her a safe place elsewhere. With another pack".
“Enough,” Rowan cut me off. “We’ll discuss this later. For now, Amara stays".
As he walked away, my gaze met with Amara’s across the room. The witch’s emerald eyes glittered with something that sent a chill down my spine. ‘Challenge accepted,’ that look seemed to say.
That night, as we prepared for bed, I tried once more to reason with my mate. To my surprise, Rowan seemed more receptive. Gone was the coldness I had felt earlier.
“You may be right,” he admitted when I brought up the matter again. “We should be cautious. Tomorrow, I’ll make arrangements to send her to a neighbouring pack".
Relief flooded through me. “Thank you,” I whispered, reaching for him.
But as I tried to deepen our kiss, Rowan pulled away. “I’m tired,” he murmured. “Goodnight, Freya".
That was strange, Rowan would never turn down an intimate time between us.
The next morning, I woke to find Rowan already gone. When I finally tracked him down, my footsteps faltered when I saw him in a deep conversation with Amara in his study.
“Ah, Freya,” he said as he spotted me hovering at the door. “I was just about to send for you. There’s been a change of plans".
My heart sank. “What do you mean?”
“Amara’s staying,” Rowan announced.
First, why would he make a private discussion public and right in front of the same person we had talked about? It was so unlike Rowan.