Chapter 186
~ NYSSA
It felt like I was floating off the ground.
I pushed my legs to go as hard and as far as possible, laughing as I breezed through the trees like a flash of light. I heard footsteps behind me but I didn’t stop to check because I knew who they belonged to, and hearing him so close only made me even more excited.
I pushed my legs harder, heart pumping wildly in my chest as my ears rang from excitement.
I could see the house in the distance, victory was so close that I could touch it. Unfortunately, I never got to experience it because Rowan slammed into me and we both went flying to the ground.
He flipped us over at the last minute, absorbing the force of our fall with a loud laugh.
His body vibrated with laughter and I could not help but smile as my head fell into his chest, his hands wrapping tightly around me as his lips pressed into the side of my head in a soft kiss.
"Are you hurt?" I asked, pulling back to get a good look at him but he wouldn’t let me go far.
His arms wrapped around my tightly, pulling me back into his chest. I placed my hands out in front of me to brace my fall, staring down at him with narrowed eyes.
He laughed once more, brushing my hair out of my face as he lowered his mouth to mine, kissing me softly.
"You’re faster," he murmured as he pulled back. "have you been training in secret?" I shook my head earning a surprise look from him. "Are you sure?"
I smacked his chest lightly. "Stop patronizing me."
"Believe me, little wolf, that is not what I am doing," he lifted me slowly, pulling us both to our feet as we began the short walk back to the house. "You were lightning fast. For a moment I thought I wouldn’t catch up with you."
I rolled my eyes, thinking he was joking but to my surprise, the look on his face was pure seriousness. I stopped in my tracks, turning to him. "You mean that."
"I do," he admitted. "Why is that surprising?"
"I... I don’t know. It just is. I never knew I was that fast."
"Maybe it’s because you’re getting comfortable with your wolf," he suggested. "When you first started out, you had just shifted. As of now, you and your wolf would have assimilated. It could explain it."
I hummed to myself, unable to stop the small smile that tugged at the corner of my lips. I all but skipped the rest of the way, unable to hide my grin.
It felt good to be good at something.
When we walked into the house, Rowan turned down the hall, heading towards the kitchen. "I’ll make breakfast while you get freshened up. By the way, I left the bottle on the dresser."
I slowed down. "What bottle?"
"I don’t know, some pink thing I found next to you yesterday after you slept."
The vial.
"Thank you." I managed out, heading towards the stairs quickly but his words stopped me in my tracks.
"What is it anyway? It didn’t smell like anything I know."
"It..." I trailed off, swallowing thickly, as I tried to appear unbothered. "It’s some kind of weird perfume thing that you put on your clothes. I’m just trying it out."
I turned to him but he wasn’t even paying attention to me anymore. He busied himself in the kitchen humming to himself as he did.
"I should go clean up, I feel sticky," I murmured, dashing up the stairs before he had the chance to ask any more questions.
Once I was safely within the confines of the room, I grabbed the vial and shoved it into the closet beneath some of my clothes. Rowan trusted me, but he wasn’t a fool, sooner or later, he’d realize that it wasn’t what I said it was and I didn’t have it in me to tell him the truth, not until I was sure if it worked or not.
"I think it’s worth a shot trying to find out what’s actually in it," my wolf offered.
"Yeah, but I don’t know how."
She snorted. "You’re Luna, you don’t have to do shit yourself. I’m sure the palace has researchers you can ask... or you can tell Eric or someone to help you."
I realized she was right, so after freshening up, I slipped the vial into my pocket, trying to ignore the weight as it settled by my side but it was hard to ignore. It burned through my clothes, warming the skin around my thighs.
"Are you alright?" Rowan asked when I was downstairs, shoving pushing my breakfast around on my plate. "You look worried."
I shook my head. "I’m good, I swear."
He frowned, obviously not convinced. "You’ve been acting weird since yesterday. Is there something you want to tell me?’
My heart hammered inside of my chest, fear instantly crippling me as I began to wonder if perhaps Eric or someone else had told him the truth.
"No! Why? Is there something you want to know?"
He cocked his head to the side, his hands folded across his chest. He stepped closer to me, slow steps echoing across the quiet room until he stood in front of me.
He bent over at the waist, eyes locking on mine. "You’re a terrible liar."
"I’m not lying," I began immediately but he clicked his tongue, shaking his head slowly.
"Yes, you are, but it’s alright, you’ll trust me soon enough. Are you safe?"
"What?"
"Are. You. Safe?" he asked, punctuating each word.
I thought about it for a moment. Other than drinking some concoction, I was.
I nodded slowly. "Yes."
"Good," he leaned forward, pressing his lips to mine softly. "You can keep your secret for now, but if I think that you are in danger, even for a moment, then all bets are off. Understood?"
I nodded slowly. "Understood."