Chapter 206 He Saw Me Doing It

Chapter 206 He Saw Me Doing It
Marisa's POV:

He fucked me in several different positions before we fell asleep naked on the bed of this abandoned hotel room. I woke to the sharp sound of something hitting the window.

My eyes fluttered open, still heavy with sleep and the lingering warmth of what Ethan and I had shared. His white shirt hung loose on my frame, only half-buttoned, the fabric soft against my bare skin. The memory of his touch still sent little shivers through me.

Carefully, I slipped out from under Ethan's arm and walked out onto the balcony, I saw the sad sight of a pretty little bird dead on the floor.

"Oh no," I whispered, dropping to my knees beside it.

The little thing was so small, probably just a baby learning to fly. Its feathers were soft gray and white, its eyes closed, tiny beak slightly open. Above me, in the branches of the old oak tree, another bird—bigger, likely the mother—hopped anxiously from branch to branch, chirping frantically.

Tears pricked my eyes as I gently scooped the lifeless bird into my palms. It weighed almost nothing, its tiny body still warm but completely still.

"Oh, little bird," I whispered, my voice catching. I have promised myself not to use magic outside the cowshed, but how could I not?

Her mother was staring at me as if she were telling me that she knew I had some powers that I could use to bring her little baby back to life. With all these thoughts and the memory of my mother, I couldn’t help but steadily raise my hand to my head and untie my hair. As the red hair fell across my shoulders and back, I closed my eyes to do what I do best.

I felt my palm heat up while a little movement and poking made me realize I had done it again. I opened my eyes to see the little bird get up in my palm and look around until her eyes landed on her mother in the tree. She fluttered her wings and spread them, flying away to meet up with her mother. I kept staring at them chirping and having a reunion.

I could never get enough of seeing them be happy when they are given a second chance.

"How did you do that?"

I froze.

Ethan's voice came from directly behind me, rough with sleep but sharp with something else. Something that made my blood turn to ice.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

I turned slowly, my heart hammering against my ribs. Ethan stood in the doorway, his jeans riding low on his hips, his hair still messy from sleep. But his eyes—his eyes were focused and alert, studying me with an intensity that made me want to run.

"I—" I swallowed hard, trying to force a laugh. "It—it was probably just hurt."

I took a step backward, but there was nowhere to go. The balcony railing pressed against my back.

Ethan's eyes narrowed, and he stepped closer. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" The word came out too high, too panicked. "I just—maybe it was just stunned, and—"

"Marisa." His voice cut through my rambling like a blade. "I watched you. I saw you untie your hair, hold that dead bird, and I watched it come back to life."

"I saw the whole thing," he continued, his voice getting rougher. "What did you do? Or should I ask—how did you do it?"

My mouth went dry. There was no way to explain this to an Alpha King. No way to tell him that I wasn't the pure werewolf he thought I was.

No way to get out of this mess.

"Marisa!" His voice cracked like a whip. "I'm giving you one chance to tell me the truth before it's too late."

He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming on the small balcony. "What are you, Marisa?"

The way he said it—like I was something foreign, something dangerous—made my knees weak. But I could see it in his eyes. He already knew the answer would change everything between us.

"I'm a Huldra," I whispered.

The confusion on his face shifted instantly to shock, then something that looked almost like betrayal.

"I was born from a weredragon and a werewolf," I added quickly, but he held up a hand to stop me.

"I know what a Huldra is." His voice was louder now, sharp with anger. "You kept it from me? Why?"

I pressed myself harder against the railing, my heart racing. "I didn't know how to tell you. I was afraid you would—"

"Your father is a werewolf," he interrupted, his voice taking on that dangerous edge I'd heard him use with others but never with me. "What does that make your mother?"

The hatred in his voice when he said 'mother' made me flinch. I could see it in his posture, in the way his hands clenched into fists. If he knew my mother was a weredragon, if he knew she was still alive and hiding in our basement...

"She's dead," I lied.

It was the only way to protect her. The only way to keep him from dragging her out of hiding and... I couldn't even finish the thought.

Ethan stared at me for a long moment, then ran his hands through his hair. "So that's why I can't feel a mate bond with you. That's why no one can feel a mate bond with you."

My mom has told me I would never find a mate, but I will have to find a partner just like other creatures. Werewolves can have only one mate, or more if they are truly blessed. They do get a second chance mate, but only if they reject the first mate or if the first mate dies.

However, dragons have multiple mates. So, when a weredragon is mated to a werewolf, the werewolf can also have a fated mate from his own kind and have a weredragon as a mate on the side.

It wasn’t that complicated, but I never knew about it until my mother told me everything. It was sad because, where everyone had mates, Huldras didn’t have anyone in particular. This means Ethan can be with me but also have a fated mate of his own kind.

But that was beyond the point. He looked upset now.

"Get dressed," he said finally, his voice flat and emotionless. "I'm taking you to Heartfelt Café."