The Secrets Between Us | ✓

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Restlessness had gnawed at Anaya's bones all night, and now she felt dead like a wilted flower, reluctant to get out of bed. She heard Icarus moving toward her, checking on her as he had already done several times, but she pretended to be asleep, making sure to keep her breathing slow and steady so he wouldn't know she was avoiding him. She counted each minute until he finally left the room.

His warm eyes would be enough to open the floodgates of her tears, which would then lead to questions to which she had no answers.

She recalled Icarus telling her that Lupinneaus had existed for centuries, even before his grandmother was born, so what she had seen didn't make any sense. But she had a lot of time to analyze, and there was no denying the truth. Icarus had transformed into Lupinneaus, the beast feared by everyone for its menace.

She should have connected the dots sooner. Cy's eyes were like molten fire, blazing with an intensity that could illuminate the darkness, mesmerizing her since the day they first met. And thinking back to the glowing amber eyes of Lupinneaus, it was as if a light bulb had been switched on in her mind. Icarus' blood could heal the worst of injuries. He had healed her hand with his touch a few times. It seemed to have also cured her hallucinations and fever until the day they went to the orphanage. But after they had mated, he closed her mark with his blood, and she again stopped hallucinating. She finally understood why the beast had followed the pack when they migrated to another land.

It made her heart ache because, while she would do anything for her kingdom, she could never harm Icarus nor let anyone else lay a finger on him. Her thoughts cleared with the finality of her decision, giving her much-needed strength despite the exhaustion weighing her down like a leaden cloak.

She rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom to finish her morning routine. Once she felt calm and composed, she sat down on the bed and called her mother.

Rasharaya appeared in a flash of shimmering blue light, looking as enchanting as always. Her flawless smile remained intact as she occupied the space beside Anaya on the bed. Silence hung in the air, thick and awkward, with neither of them breaking it. Anaya's apprehension grew, as she knew all too well her mother's tendency to dominate conversations and steer them in the direction she wanted. But the truth had been churning inside her, consuming her with guilt and fear, so she couldn't keep it buried any longer. "We can't kill Lupinneaus."

"Why?"

"The beast is Icarus, Mother," she whispered, her voice trembling as tears welled up in her eyes. "I-I saw him last night."

"I was hoping you wouldn't find out."

"You knew?" The words came out as a gasp, tinged with betrayal. She must have heard wrong, right?

"Does it matter?" Rasharaya couldn't see the relevance of the topic when she had other things to do. "We need the cure."

Her stomach dropped. "How could you send me to kill him?"