Chapter 150
Elowen's POV
I sat on the edge of the bed and watched Ronan. He leaned against the wall near the door, his emerald green eyes catching the soft light filtering through the curtains. His bronze skin glowed warm in the dimness. Everything from earlier still spun in my head—Drake's screams, my mother's hateful confession. The weight of it all was suffocating.
But something else bothered me now.
"Your eyes," I said quietly. "When you look at me..."
Ronan pushed off the wall. "What about them?"
"They're different." I pulled my knees up to my chest. "You don't look at me the way Drake did. Or the way other guys at the pack house do."
His mouth curved into a small smile. "And that bothers you?"
"No." I shook my head quickly. "It makes me feel safe. But it's also... strange."
"Too strange," Juno whispered in my mind. "He's a wolf, cutie. You smell like both twins. He should react. But he doesn't."
Ronan moved closer and sat in the chair by the bed. He kept his distance, which I noticed. Everything about him stayed careful and controlled.
"You want to know why I don't look at you like that?" he asked.
"Yes."
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Because that's not what you need right now. You need protection. Not another wolf trying to mount you."
My face burned. "Ronan!"
"What?" He grinned. "I'm honest. That's my thing."
I bit my lip. "I guess I'm just confused. About everything."
"Fair enough." He studied my face. "You've had a shit night. Hell, a shit few weeks."
That pulled a small laugh from me. "You could say that."
We sat in silence for a moment. Then Ronan spoke again.
"Can I ask you something?" His voice went soft. "About becoming a mother."
My stomach dropped. "What about it?"
"How do you feel about it?"
I looked down at my hands. "It's great. Really great."
Ronan raised one eyebrow. The light caught his bronze skin. "Don't lie to me, little freckle."
"I'm not—"
"Bullshit." He shook his head. "Your heart rate just jumped. Your scent changed. You're terrified."
I took a deep breath. My throat felt tight. "Fine. I'm scared shitless, okay?"
"Why?"
"Because..." The words caught in my throat. "I never had a real family. Jessica wasn't warm or loving. She never taught me how to be a mother. What if I mess up? What if I'm just like her?"
Ronan nodded slowly. "Jessica definitely wasn't the cuddly type."
"How would you know?" I frowned at him.
"I know things." He gave me a half-smile. "Trust me on that."
Something about his tone made my chest ache. "You understand, don't you? That feeling."
"Maybe."
"Tell me." I moved closer to the edge of the bed. "Please."
Ronan studied me for a long moment. Then he held up three fingers. "Three questions. That's all you get. After that, I'm done talking."
I couldn't help but smile. "Seriously?"
"Dead serious." He kept his fingers up. "Choose wisely, Your Highness."
That last part made my heart skip. The way he said it felt different. Important somehow.
"He knows something," Juno warned. "Be careful what you ask."
I looked down at his boots. They had dried blood on them—probably from Drake or Jessica. The blood left faint marks on my sheets.
"Your shoes!" I pointed. "You're getting blood everywhere!"
Ronan glanced down. "Shit. Sorry." He tried to wipe it with his hand, which just made it worse. "My bad, Your Highness."
There it was again. That title.
"Why do you keep calling me that?" My voice came out smaller than I wanted.
"That's question one." He grinned. "And I'm not answering. Try again."
I huffed. "Fine. How do you know Kade and Alaric? You guys seemed... close."
Ronan's expression shifted. The playfulness faded. "We were hired. Me and my brothers."
"Hired?" I leaned forward. "By who?"
"The royal family." He watched my reaction carefully. "When Ethan got engaged to Cindy, they wanted someone to watch Casper. Make sure he wouldn't cause problems during the alliance."
"So you're spies?"
"More like observers." He shrugged. "We report back. Make sure things stay stable."
I processed this. "But why you three?"
"That's question two." Ronan held up two fingers. "The royal family chose us because we're the same age as the twins. We'd crossed paths before, but never got close. We weren't allowed to."
"Not allowed?" I frowned. "Why not?"
He reached out and gently pressed his finger to my lips. "Let me finish."
My heart hammered. His touch sent a strange warmth through me, but not the hungry kind I felt with Casper and Cassian. This felt different. Protective.
"Alaric, Kade, and me..." He pulled his hand back. "We're bastards. Royal bastards."
I gasped. "What?"
"The royal family keeps us around." His voice went flat. "We protect the bloodline. The reputation. Every pure-blood member. We do whatever needs doing."
"But that's—"
"Our childhood wasn't about love, little freckle." He cut me off. "It was about training. Learning to kill. Learning to serve. We're tools. Nothing more."
My chest hurt. "Ronan, I'm so sorry."
He shook his head. "Don't be. It's just how things are."
Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed his hand. "That's not right."
His emerald eyes widened slightly. He stared at our joined hands. "Maybe not. But it's reality."