Mom was full out sobbing now. I reached out and wiped her tears away. I was crying now, too. This was all so awful. But at least I knew now that my father loved me, wanted me. He wouldn’t have died for me if he hadn’t.
“I got to safety that night, but I knew the Black Claw wouldn’t stop hunting me, not even if I was queen. I needed to get you far away, so the Black Claw wouldn’t find us,” Mom stuttered. “I rejected Lycus’ mating bond so he wouldn’t come after me, and ran away to Detroit with you. Lycus was devastated, but he chose another queen. And I did what I had to, to keep you safe.”
“Did the king ever know?” I whispered.
“No,” Mom whispered. “I never told him. He never knew about Anastazy or the pregnancy. He died thinking I rejected him because I didn’t love him, but that wasn’t true.”
I put the pieces together. “So… you think people are going to figure out you cheated on Lycus?”
“Yes. I’m sure people have already been discussing it. Gossip runs thick in the Arcanean circles. I’m sure they think you’re some sort of bastard. They don’t realize you were conceived within the legal confines of a mating relationship.” She took a tissue out of her purse and dotted her eyes.
“Does that matter?”
“To the Arcanea? Yes. Bloodlines are everything. To have a child with someone who isn’t your proclaimed mate… it’s basically sacrilege. People think I’m damned to the underworld.”
“You aren’t going to hell, Mom. You had to make a lot of tough decisions.” I pondered for a moment. “But couldn’t you tell people about Anastazy now?”
“And admit that I was fooling around behind the king’s back? No. That would only bring humiliation upon you, and Lycus’ memory. It’s better if people just speculate your parentage rather than know the truth. Then they can’t use it against you. And people would never believe me if I told them I bonded with two shifters. They wouldn’t consider it possible. The only thing that protects your reputation now is that people don’t know the truth.”
“This is some medieval sexist shit, Mom.”
“I know. But it’s how our world works. Adultery is the worst sin the Arcanea know. No one will forgive you if they find out you cheated on your mate. It goes that way for boys, too.”
Mom bunched up her tissue. “I just wanted you to know the truth. Though I suggest you don’t tell anyone about this. If word gets out what really happened, you’ll be outcasted from society forever. And I don’t want that for you. You seem different, Emma. You’re so happy here.”
“I am.” I reached out to grab her hand. “I just want to make sure you’re happy, too.”
“I will be. There are a lot of memories here. But in time, I’ll learn to heal.” She took a ragged breath.
I felt so bad for her. Both of her mates had died, and she was alone in the world. But she wasn’t completely alone, because she had me.
“Mom? Do you think you could take me around town and show me all the places you and my dad went? I want to learn more about him,” I asked. It was crazy to hear the words come out of my mouth, but if my father wasn’t alive, I at least wanted to hear about him and find out what kind of man he was. Maybe we shared more in common than I knew.
Mom took a small mirror out of her purse. She fixed her runny makeup before forcing a watery smile. “I think that’s just what we both need.”
* * *
Momand I hung out for the rest of the day. We walked around campus and explored her favorite spots, as well as my dad’s. One in particular was a small lake within the school grounds in one of the inner gardens. We laughed and talked about what Anastazy was like. I learned that he’d liked pasta, like me, and didn’t take creamer in his coffee, and that his wolven fur was a deep, rich brown. It was so little to go on, but already, I felt like I knew him personally. These little details made him a real person instead of a phantom in my mind. It almost felt like he was still here with me.
When darkness fell, Mom went back to her cottage and I returned to the dormitory. When I got to the top of the steps, Ethan was waiting there for me. He appeared much better than earlier— like he hadn’t been sick at all. It was kind of weird looking at him knowing that my mom had an old fling with his dad, but at least she hadn’t had sex with him.
Something I couldn’t promise I didn’t want to do with his son. Damn this double-mating thing.
“You look like you’re feeling better,” I said.
“I am,” Ethan said. “It was some passing thing. I just needed to sleep.”
“That’s a relief to hear.” I leaned against the wall. I was tired from walking around all day. I wanted to rest. He needed to hurry this up, so I could climb into bed and pass out.
Ethan bounced on the spot. He seemed… nervous. “Emma, can we talk?”
Oh, gods. “Depending on what it’s about.”
“It’s serious.”
Wasn’t it always? “Okay. Shoot.”
“Let’s go somewhere more private.” Ethan turned on his heel, and I suppressed a groan. My legs felt like they were gonna fall off. I was gonna get old walking around this school.
