Damian
Ethan and I exchanged subtle glances the moment we heard Hayley's question. Miranda has been talking a lot lately, and now she was beginning to say things that she shouldn't be saying, especially not to Hayley.
"We'll talk about that after lunch, okay?" I replied silkily, hoping that she would forget with time, but Hayley was not done with her questions just yet.
"She mentioned something about me being from the Forgers bloodline, is that true?" She lifted her head from the food beneath her and fixed them on me in hope of a reply. She was curious, and it was obvious. Answering the second question was easy, I just didn't know how I'd get around the first one.
She was right, Miranda and I had almost gotten betrothed, and the blame was all on the elders. The pressure to find a mate had been severe, and the rumors that I was cursed to never find one had spread across the entire kingdom. We were in a pickle, so to curb the lies and keep the public in check, the elders had suggested getting me betrothed to Miranda. The lie would be that the mate bond between us was weak because Miranda wasn't a wolf.
At first it seemed like the only way out, until we learnt that Miranda couldn't bear a child. We had tried on many occasions, but it never worked. It was meaningless getting betrothed to her if she couldn't give me an heir. In fact, it would only give my enemies more things to talk about. They'd probably start another rumor, claiming that I was cursed to never have a child, and I didn't want to deal with that. Because of that, the betrothal between us was called off.
It was something we were supposed to keep secret, but Miranda had gone ahead to spill everything to Hayley without even asking for my permission first. She was doing too much, and I wasn't enjoying it one bit.
"Let's eat first, I'll explain everything after we're done eating." Hayley looked at me with a mix of curiosity and frustration, but she nodded, albeit reluctantly.
The rest of the meal passed in relative silence, the tension palpable. I could see the questions still lingering in her eyes, but I needed time to gather my thoughts and explain everything properly. I didn't want her to misunderstand anything.
Ethan kept the conversation light, talking about some of the latest developments in the kingdom and subtly trying to ease the tension. Hayley listened, but her mind was clearly elsewhere. I couldn't blame her. I could tell she wanted to know why Miranda and I weren't betrothed anymore, and she was probably jealous that I had something with Miranda, something so serious that it almost led to getting married. But that hadn't been the case at all.
Lunch ended with Hayley barely eating anything out of her plate. She clearly had no appetite for food, the only thing she was hungry for was answers, and it was finally time for me to tell her the truth.
"Could you excuse us for a minute, Ethan." I requested and Ethan lowered his head in respect before taking his leave. Even though his presence wouldn't really change anything, I wanted to give Hayley the comfort she needed to react as she pleased.
I took a deep inhale before revealing to her every ordeal surrounding Miranda and I. I left no details out, she wanted honesty, and I was going to give her just that. And as for the question about her bloodline, I had been waiting for when she was emotionally stable to discuss that. I didn't want her to feel pressed, and I didn't want to rile up any emotions that she might have kept buried.
Hayley was speechless for a moment, she clearly had not expected me to be as intricate as I was with the explanations. She didn't need to hear some things I had said, but I wanted to be fully transparent with her. The last thing I wanted was for her to take me as a liar.
"Why didn't you tell me about it sooner? What if I'm like Miranda, what if I can't have children—"
"Don't talk like that, Miranda is different." I shunned her. "Learning magic comes with a cost. You have to give something up for a power like that, and unfortunately Miranda and her people don't get to choose what they lose." I explained, and Hayley seemed to freeze up for a second. Her reaction was odd, but I assumed it had to do with my revelation. It was the truth, magic wasn't something to be trifled with, learning it came with a cost, one that nobody could predict.
"Is something the matter?" I asked, but she shook her head in denial.
"No, it's nothing." She answered before throwing her hands around me in a warm embrace. "Thank you for everything, I'm really grateful that you came into my life."
The hug had taken me unaware, and so had her words. I hadn't expected them, but I was happy to see that she was opening up and becoming more verbal with her feelings. For someone whose life had changed so dramatically, she was adapting faster than I had anticipated, and I couldn't be more proud that she was my wife.
"I'm the lucky one, Hayley. Finding you was like finding another half of me. I don't know what would have happened to my people and the kingdom without you. I'm the most grateful man on earth, and I couldn't be happier that you're my mate." I replied, and she immediately broke down in tears.
"I never thought I'd be important someday, you taught me what it means to have worth, and I promise I'm going to pay you back for everything someday." Hayley continued, her tears flowing endlessly.
I held her tight, and kissed her before she had any time to continue crying out her heart. I didn't need her to pay me back, having her was already enough, and I was content with that.