I close the door behind me, leaning against it as I exhale. The air in my room is still, heavy with thoughts I don’t want to have.
Aries has been quiet since I left Alma’s, but the weight of his presence lingers like an unsaid word.
I step toward the bed, kicking off my boots, my mind circling around the conversation with the Queen.
Why does it bother me?
Cain is the reason I almost died in Moonhaven. The reason I spent nights covered in wounds that refused to heal.
The reason I was in a coma for I dunno how long.
He's also the reason I'm currently mated to his younger brother, and part the reason why all these insane rumours about me were even created in the first place.
He is the one waging war against his own family, not caring if their blood stains the battlefield.
So why does the Queen’s acceptance of his death feel… wrong?
"Because you think a mother should never abandon her child."
Aries’ voice slithers back into my mind, a smug lilt in his tone.