Chapter 40

Roman lets out a soft whimper behind me. I spin around to face him.

“Where’s my mommy?” His words shatter my heart. He looks so lost, like a child trapped in a man’s body.

“How old are you, Roman?” He gnaws on his lower lip, deep in thought.

“I’m twelve. But I’ll be thirteen next month! I’m not a baby.” A sad smile tugs at my lips. He believes he’s twelve. This is a nightmare. I have him back, but not really.

“Resurrecting someone isn’t as simple as it sounds. I must’ve messed up somewhere, causing him to lose his memory.” I let out a heavy sigh, ignoring the witch’s annoying voice.

Roman’s eyes widen at the witch’s words.

“Where’s Accalia?” My face drains of color. Accalia... the girl he thought was his mate. I blink rapidly, fighting back tears. How am I going to fix this? I offer Roman a sad smile.

“I’ll go get your mommy, okay?” Roman nods eagerly. I pull the witch along as I exit the room. Once we’re far enough away for Roman not to hear us, I whirl around to face her.

“GIVE HIM HIS MEMORY BACK!” The witch rolls her eyes as if I’ve just said the most ridiculous thing. I swear, if I didn’t need her, I’d kick her ass.

“I can’t just restore his memory. I don’t know what went wrong. You followed the spell exactly.” Her words stop me in my tracks.

“What do you mean ‘I’?” The witch starts fiddling with a bracelet I hadn’t noticed before.

“A life for a life. The king’s life for Roman’s. ‘A life of one close to the one that will be facing death.’ You burned the king, giving Roman his life back.”

I run my hands through my hair. This can’t be happening. This isn’t my life. How am I going to explain this?

“Why... Why would you do that?” So she tells me.

She spills her entire story.

How she ended up with the king, how he forced her to cast a spell to make him powerful.

How she made this choice. By the end of her tale, I feel a pang of sympathy for her.

I give her a quick hug and a nod.

“Go get Honora. Tell her what happened to Roman. Make sure no one follows you.” The witch rolls her eyes again.

I notice now that her fiery spirit was shaped by the king.

“Why me? You can go get her.” I’m losing patience. I throw my arms up in the air.

“Because I need to take care of my mate who thinks he’s twelve and only survived because I killed his father!”

The witch’s eyes widen as she looks past me. I slowly turn around to see Roman standing there. Without his usual confidence and strength, he really does look like a child.

“My daddy is dead? You killed my daddy?” His lower lip trembles and his eyes well up with tears. I take a step towards him, but he quickly steps back.

“Roman, please. Let me explain. There’s a lot you don’t understand, buddy.” My voice is softer than it’s ever been.

I watch as Roman crumbles before my eyes again. The tears start to fall, streaking his face as he takes another step back.

He spins around and bolts, and I sprint after him.

He dashes into his room and slams the door. I can hear his sobs through the door.

I rub my face, trying to hold back my own tears.

He’s just a child now, a child who just found out his father was killed by the same woman who’s keeping him in a strange house.

I pace back and forth in the hallway, trying to come up with a plan.

A mirror on the wall catches my reflection. I look like hell.

Dark circles under my eyes, a defeated expression on my face.

I stare at myself for a few minutes before a plan forms in my mind.

I yank the mirror off the wall and tuck it under my arm as I open Roman’s door.

He’s in his bed, curled up like a baby.

“Roman? I need to tell you something, sweetie.” He curls up even tighter, his shoulders shaking as he tries to suppress his sobs.

“Once upon a time, there was a prince. The prince was handsome, with black hair and green eyes that found beauty in everything. One day, the prince went to a festival to find his mate.

“When she first saw him, she was stunned by his beauty, so she ran away. The prince was afraid he’d lose her, so when she fainted from shock, he marked her. He marked her so she could never run away from him.

“She went with him to his pack and met his mother, the queen. She met his father, the king. A king who didn’t seem to like her much. For a while, things were tough, but the prince and the girl fell in love.

“The prince would do anything to keep the girl safe. So he sent her away, knowing that he’d die if she was gone for too long.

“But the king wouldn’t let his son die for a girl he didn’t like, so the king brought her back. He had a powerful spell that would protect his son. He ordered his men to kill the prince’s mate.

“So the prince challenged his father to a duel. Now that he was old enough to rule, he wouldn’t let his father hurt his mate.

“But the king cheated and cast a spell on himself to become stronger. The king’s witch disagreed, so she created another spell. A spell that would trade one life for another.

“Overwhelmed by grief, the prince’s mate let her flames engulf the room, holding the dead prince in her arms. Little did she know that her flames burned the king and gave the prince his life back.

“But when the prince woke up, he didn’t remember. He forgot all those weeks with his mate and many years before meeting her.”

By the end of the story, I’ve moved around the bed. I hold up the mirror for Roman to see himself. His eyes widen as he stares at his reflection. He touches his face as if he’s seeing it for the first time.

“The story’s about us? You and me?” His voice wavers, caught between disbelief and the undeniable truth in front of him.

I give him a sad nod. He leans in, scrutinizing his own image with a furrowed brow.

“But you hurt my dad.” His eyes, full of hope, meet mine. I nod again, at a loss for words.

“Because my dad wanted to hurt you?” I give him another nod, softer this time.

“So what did you do to make him mad?” I open my mouth to respond, but no words come out.

How can I possibly explain everything that’s happened to him?

How can a twelve-year-old boy comprehend emotions he’s yet to experience?

The door swings open. Roman springs up and rushes into Honora’s arms.

“Mommy, they hurt daddy. I don’t want to see them anymore,” he whispers. Honora holds him tight, tears streaming down her face as she locks eyes with me.

I return her gaze, my heart heavy. I brace myself for her harsh words.

“It wasn’t their fault, wolfie. Your daddy was a bad man.” Her words bring a small smile to my face. Maybe everything will be okay.

Roman releases his mother and turns to face me. He stares at me for what feels like an eternity.

“I don’t care if he deserved it. I never want to see you again. You’re a murderer!” He storms out, pulling his mother along with him.

I’m left standing alone, staring at the empty space long after they’ve disappeared.