Chapter Twelve
1146 Words
The ride back felt longer than it should have.
By the time they reached the packhouse, Rowan was exhausted.
Mentally.
Emotionally.
Spiritually.
Possibly physically.
She wasn't entirely sure anymore.
Nobody spoke as they dismounted.
The silence from the Council chamber had followed them all the way home.
And now it seemed determined to move into the packhouse with them.
Rowan handed her horse to one of the stable hands.
Nearby, Kael was doing the same.
Evelyn stood several feet away.
Quiet.
Thoughtful.
For once, she didn't seem to have anything to say.
The realization was unsettling.
They entered the packhouse together.
No one spoke.
A servant greeted them.
No one spoke.
They crossed the main hall.
Still nothing.
Finally—
"This is the funniest thing that has ever happened to me."
Everyone stopped.
Lyra looked delighted.
Jace closed his eyes.
Immediately.
"Lyra."
"What?"
"Don't."
"I haven't even started."
"You never start. You arrive halfway through."
Rowan snorted before she could stop herself.
Lyra pointed at her triumphantly.
"See? She gets me."
"Unfortunately."
"That's basically friendship."
"It isn't."
Lyra ignored him.
Again.
Her grin widened.
"Can we talk about the fact that the Council just ordered courtship?"
A strangled sound escaped Kael.
Evelyn closed her eyes.
Rowan considered walking back outside.
"Lyra."
"What?"
Kael sounded tired.
Deeply tired.
"The Council did not order courtship."
"The Council literally ordered courtship."
"They ordered a trial."
"That includes dates."
Nobody answered.
Because unfortunately—
She was right.
Lyra looked unbearably pleased.
"They even said the word dates."
Jace pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You are enjoying this entirely too much."
"I am enjoying it exactly the correct amount."
"Nobody should enjoy this amount."
"That's a personal opinion."
For the first time since leaving the Council chamber, a laugh escaped Rowan.
Small.
Brief.
Gone almost immediately.
But it had happened.
Lyra caught it.
Of course she did.
A softer smile appeared.
One Rowan was beginning to recognize.
The one Lyra wore when she wasn't trying to be funny.
The one she wore when she was trying to help.
"Hey."
Rowan looked up.
"Ninety days sounds scary."
The teasing had vanished completely.
"But ninety days also isn't forever."
The words settled unexpectedly in Rowan's chest.
Before she could think of a response, Lyra clapped her hands once.
Loudly.
"Now."
Everyone groaned.
"Since we're all apparently participating in a courtship trial..."
"Lyra."
"...I think we should establish some rules."
Jace looked toward the ceiling.
As though asking the Moon Goddess why she kept testing him.
The frightening part?
Lyra looked serious.
By the time Rowan finally left the gardens, the sun had already begun to set.
The sky above Silver Moon glowed gold and orange through the trees.
She hadn't intended to stay outside that long.
But after returning from the Council meeting, the idea of sitting through dinner had felt impossible.
So she'd escaped.
Nobody had stopped her.
Which she appreciated.
The fresh air had helped.
A little.
Not much.
But enough.
Eventually, however, she realized that if she stayed much longer, she was going to fall asleep on a bench.
Or in a flower bed.
And while that sounded surprisingly appealing, she suspected it would raise questions.
So she headed back inside.
───
The packhouse was quieter than usual.
Most people were eating dinner.
Others were finishing the day's work.
The long corridors felt strangely peaceful.
For a while, Rowan simply walked.
No destination.
No urgency.
Just movement.
The events of the day replayed endlessly in her mind.
The Council.
The trial.
Ninety days.
Dates.
The thought alone made her groan.
Then, unfortunately, she remembered Lyra.
A mistake.
Immediately, a memory surfaced.
"I have rules."
Jace had looked alarmed.
"Why do you have rules?"
"Because somebody has to."
"You absolutely do not."
Lyra had ignored him.
Naturally.
"Rule one: Nobody is allowed to fake being miserable."
Rowan had blinked.
"What does that even mean?"
"It means if you're miserable, be miserable."
Lyra had pointed between her and Kael.
"But if you're having fun, you're not allowed to pretend you aren't."
The memory made Rowan roll her eyes.
"That's a terrible rule."
"It's an excellent rule."
"It isn't."
"It is."
"Who made you the authority?"
"I did."
That answer had somehow ended the argument.
───
A small smile tugged at Rowan's mouth.
Then vanished.
Because a familiar voice drifted through a partially open doorway.
She froze.
Kael.
The realization came instantly.
The room beyond was his study.
Rowan should have kept walking.
She knew that.
Instead, she slowed.
Just slightly.
Evelyn was speaking.
Her voice sounded strained.
Upset.
"I don't understand how they can do this."
A pause.
"I thought..."
The sentence broke apart.
Kael said something too quiet for Rowan to hear.
Then Evelyn laughed.
A sad sound.
"Three months."
The words landed heavily.
Rowan's stomach tightened.
"You heard Cyrus."
Kael's voice was calm.
Steady.
"We'll get through it."
"You don't know that."
Silence followed.
The kind that hurt.
Rowan knew she shouldn't be listening.
She really shouldn't.
And yet—
She couldn't seem to make herself move.
Inside the room, Evelyn looked away.
For the first time since Rowan had met her, she looked young.
Not poised.
Not polished.
Just hurt.
"I've spent years building a future with you."
The words were quiet.
Honest.
Raw.
Kael's expression softened immediately.
And suddenly Rowan felt like she was witnessing something she was never supposed to see.
"You still have me."
The words came without hesitation.
Without doubt.
Evelyn's eyes lifted to his.
Searching.
Hopeful.
Terrified.
Then slowly—
She stepped closer.
Kael didn't move away.
The sight hit Rowan harder than it should have.
Then Evelyn reached up.
And kissed him.
The world seemed to stop.
Just for a second.
Not a dramatic kiss.
Not passionate.
Not desperate.
Familiar.
Comfortable.
The kind of kiss shared by people who had done it a thousand times before.
The kind of kiss that belonged.
Rowan's chest tightened unexpectedly.
The sensation caught her completely off guard.
Confusion.
Frustration.
Jealousy.
Sympathy.
Guilt.
All of it collided at once.
She hated it.
Every second of it.
Because only hours ago she had stood before the Council asking to sever the bond.
She wanted to go home.
She wanted her life back.
She didn't want Kael.
Didn't want this.
Didn't want any of it.
So why did seeing him kiss Evelyn feel like someone had reached inside her chest and twisted?
Inside her mind, Nyra stirred.
For once, the wolf didn't say a word.
She didn't need to.
Rowan stepped away from the doorway.
Quietly.
Before either of them noticed her.
Before she had to examine what she was feeling.
Before she had to admit she was feeling anything at all.
And as she continued down the corridor toward her room, one thought followed her relentlessly.
Ninety days suddenly felt a lot longer than it had this morning.
- Writer
