Black Pearl

Chapter 37

In respect to all of the things Leo had witnessed, this should have been the least strange. He saw me throw myself at his feet, begging him to take me when I clearly didn't want it. He watched me dance and sing in the rain as if possessed by the water gods. I had cowered in a puddle before him, so afraid of every man around me that I could barely speak. Yet, somehow, sitting in a quiet secluded forest and sharing cheese and wine was more uncomfortable. I nibbled on the snacks as daintily as I could, fully aware that there was nothing surrounding us to distract his eyes from me. 

"So Archer is good at archery," I said dumbly.

If Leo found it strange, he didn't let it show . "One of the best. It's rare that werewolves learn to defend themselves in human form as their wolf is more natural for them. However, if you've ever seen a dog play with a cat, going into battle face first isn't always the best option. They have come up with a new training program for their guards that make it easier to battle from a distance, even just adding a sword gives them an advantage."

"That makes sense," I mumbled, wishing I had something, anything, more concrete to add.

"He runs a pretty strict kingdom. This is the most relaxed I have ever seen him or his men and I'm quite grateful that I can learn from them."

"It's good to see that you two can be civil."

Leo took a hearty swig from the bottle of wine, glancing towards our horses that were tied to a nearby tree, drinking from a fresh water stream. "Unfortunately, I think that I was a big part of why we didn't have a relationship like this before. We were allies because of treaties, but my parents hated him, my brother hated him, and then, when it was time for me to take over, I hated him and his people. Not because of anything that they have done, but because we don't understand them as a species. They have all of these weird things like predestined mates and the ability to shift."

"It can be confusing," I agreed, pulling the wine bottle from his fingers. "But, at his core, he is good and that is what matters."

"I know that now," he sighed. A chunk of bread was in his hand, but completely forgotten as he watched me. "He kept alerting my parents and then my brother and then me about what was going on in Riverstead, but I did nothing."

"You didn't know."

"But I did," he argued. "I knew. Maybe I didn't know the extent of it, but I knew that men were targeting werewolves. I knew that it was a place of unrest."

"You did what you could once you saw how bad it was," I reasoned. 

His eyes darkened, almost as if they shifted from tropical waters to a stormy sea. His hands curled into fists, the crust of the bread crumbling in his palm. Frustrated, he tossed the brutalized food aside. "But it was too late, wasn't it? People had already been hurt. That child will be afraid of humans forever. And you...I was too obsessed the chase, as if catching the criminals were a game, and you got hurt. I let the woman I love fall into dangerous hands."

It was true. I knew that it was. I had gone after the crooks while they had finished off their beers, probably coiled with excitement over their future win. And because of that I had ended up covered in swamp water, scurrying away from the very man that saved me. But seeing him like that, tossing the bread aside, looking as if he hated himself, I only wanted to make it better. 

"Hey," I whispered, gently touching his wrist. His gaze flashed up to me right away as I flicked away stray crumbs. Then, my fingers were gliding up the inside of his wrist, tracing a vein beneath the skin. "I'm fine. You saved me."

His free hand moved upwards. A thumb brushed against my cheek and I watched his lips part once then twice before he was able to find the words. "I know that you might not believe me, but it's true. I love you. I didn't want to, but I fell in love with you so quickly, before we were even married. And I know that I was awful. I know that I let harm come to you, but I will never let anything happen to you ever again. I swear it."