“Don’t you know?”
“I was assigned to care for him. Thewhyof it was confidential, even to me. I suppose the Council worried that if I knew his past life, I would want to tell him. So they withheld that information.”
I fold my arms across my chest. “It isn’t your business. All you need to know is that the past will never repeat itself.”
“Does Soren know?”
“About what?” I snap.
“That you let him go.”
I bite my tongue. Anger heats my face. I despise the accusatory tone in his voice. “Not yet.”
“Why not?”
I take a deep breath. “I’m getting there.”
“He deserves to know the truth, wolf. Don’t keep it from him.”
I laugh, the sound coarse as sand in my throat. “You’re in no position to lecture me on secrets.”
He arches a brow. “I could say the same for you about keeping secrets from him.”
“I will tell him when he’s ready. It’s been hard enough learning what became of his family. I don’t want to overwhelm him.”
I hate the bitter taste in my mouth. It tastes a lot like lies.
The truth is that I have no idea how Soren will react when he finds out that I chose to let him go. Even if Past Soren had insisted that I stay with my family, it’s always felt like an excuse I used to avoid fighting for us like I should have. The Soren I knew had learned the agony of losing his own family, and he hadn’t wished that upon me. The Soren I know now has known abandonment and heartache. I’ve only just convinced him I would never hurt him like the others.
When he finds out why we were separated, will he understand? Or will it only hurt him more?
“Lyall, ready to go?” Soren closes the bathroom door behind him. His face has a pleasant shine to it, and he’s trimmed his stubble a hair shorter.
“Aye, love.” I force myself to smile as I rise to meet him. He kisses me, tasting of crisp, cool mint. Soren laces our fingers together and lifts our hands in a wave.
“See you later, Gramps.”
“Have a good day. Both of you.” Fergus smiles, but his gaze never strays from mine.
He’s watching, waiting for me to ruin everything.
Chapter 18
Soren
There’s still so muchI don’t know about the day I was exiled to the future. I haven’t had the courage to ask Lyall to show me. It was hard enough just hearing about it. Seeing it would be devastating. I feel like we have to, though. It’s something we need to move past if we want to have a future together.
By the time my shift is done, I’ve made up my mind to ask Lyall more about what happened that day. We’re meeting tomorrow. Lyall really enjoyed going ice skating, so I want to take him again. When I get upstairs to my apartment, I’m surprised to find Fergus still up. He’s relaxing on the sofa, a book in hand. He looks up, glasses crooked on his nose, and smiles.
“Have a good shift?” he asks.
I take off my shoes and put them in the cubby. “Sure. No drama. You?”
He nods, setting his book aside. “Nothing to report. I had a talk with that boy of yours this morning.”
A sigh puffs out of my chest. “You’re being too hard on him. Lyall’s a great guy.”
Fergus folds his arms. “I’d believe that if you hadn’t shown up in this timeline alone and heartbroken.”
