The Lycan King's Healer
The Lycan King’s Healer – Chapter 35

My eyes detached from his wound and reluctantly met his. “I wanted to leave before you could ask me to.”

He frowned at me, a mix of confusion and exasperation clouding his features. “Why would I ask you to do that?”

I stood up suddenly, wanting to increase the space between us as my confessions plagued the air. The willow watched us wearily.

“You do all of this because you think you care for me.” I insisted, waving my arm toward the garden that he made glow.

“I know that I care for you,” he corrected me matter-of-factly as he leaned back on his hands, “but go on.”

“No, you don’t,” I said, turning my back to him.

“Why do you think that?” he demanded with annoyance still in his tone. “That makes no sense, Cathy.”

I whirled back to him. “Just listen,” I hissed through gritted teeth, glaring. He stayed silent when he saw my expression.

“I believe you when you say you care for me. I see it in your eyes, your words,” I mused, pacing back and forth. “You protected me, you moved me into a beautiful home. But it’s not for me.”

He raised an eyebrow, not amused. “Then who is it for?” he asked, as if he was entertaining a child’s wild theories.

The sunset was long gone, and so the moon saturated him in silver light. Despite how angry he had gotten at me, and how much I did not want him at all when knocked over the chest, I knew he was still too good for me. He looked like a fallen god, and practically was one. An army general, a decorated soldier, a handsome lycan prince. It wasn’t possible in this world that he did everything for me.

My face wanted to crumple in on itself, my l*p trembling. “You do it all for Theo.”

He scoffed immediately. But when I did not say anything, the snide look on his face disappeared. “Of course I do it for my son,” he said, confused, “what are you getting at?”

Hurt dug its claws into my heart. My insides felt bruised. “So it’s true.”

“What is? Is that not automatic nature for a father to do things for his son?” he frowned, tilting his head.

“No, that’s not what I’m saying,” I shook my head, sighing. “You do it only for Theo.”

Realization hit his face. “Cathy, that’s—”

“True,” I cut him off, “it’s true.”

“When did you start thinking like this?” he murmured, his confusion looking more like outrage now.

“From the very beginning,” I said, and just realized my voice came out in a ragged, weak whisper. “That’s why I never told you, even when I began to trust you.”

He sat quietly for a moment, registering this.

“You think you care for me, but it’s all for our son,” I continued, crossing my arms tightly as I cringed at my own words. Our son felt so foreign on my tongue.

Aldrich launchd up from the ground. “You’re not going to tell me how I feel,” he demanded, looking at me as if he smelled something rancid. “I’ve cared for you since the moment I met you.”

I laughed with an acidic tone. “Oh, yeah? Even when I had hideous scars on my face?” I sneered, challenging him.

He hesitated. “I didn’t know your real personality when we married. It was not different…it was like every other girl. A girl who agreed to my every word and looked at me like I was worth more than her,” he said, “but when I met you that day in the cottage…”

“I was beautiful,” I snapped/

“You stood up for yourself,” he finished, glaring at me, “no woman has ever done that to me, not even the conniving Emily.”

I looked down, holding myself. “I haven’t changed much. Only my looks and my mischief,” I said quietly, “You began to care for me after we met a third time because you knew Theo was your son.”

Aldrich stared, his eyebrows permanently frowning.

“You came back for him.” I recalled when Aldrich returned, and I knew it was to investigate Theo, “not me.”

“So what?” he asked gruffly, “what does that have to do with any of this?”

“So,” I murmured, staring at the dead flowers as my voice broke from the tears, “you don’t need me anymore.”

Aldrich took a step closer, as if it was instinct for him to fight my tears. I stepped back.

“I don’t have it in me to be dismissed by you a second time,” I clenched my jaw, willing my scolding gaze to look up at him, “so just go. You didn’t have to replace me to make sure I’m alright then leave.”

“I never needed anything from you,” he said, hurt flashing in his countenance as I stepped away. His wound had stopped bleeding.

“You know he is your son now, you don’t have to lie,” I whispered, my tears kissing my lips. I licked them away, swiping the ones away from my cheek.

“And you’re my wife.”

“I wouldn’t still be if Theo was not born,” I stated coldly.

His response came out in a clipped tone. “I would replace out if he was my son with or without your company. I could’ve done it in a goddamn day. But I cared for you, respected you…so I waited.”

I looked at him through the distorted blur of my tears. “Until now.”

He let out a sigh at that, looking suddenly guilty. The frowning line between his eyebrows vanished, along with his physical conviction. “I was going to apologize for that,” he admitted, and he reminded me of a reprimanded Theo. “I should have never let myself become that angry with you. I never want to make you scared of me.”

“That anger single handedly proved my point,” I nodded, grinning without humor, “you got angry because after kissing me, you expected me to hand Theo over to you as your son. Then you realized you had to spend even more torturous time with me.”

“What?” he demanded, his voice hardening, “no! I…The anger was for a completely different reason. I-I was mad that you were still keeping secrets from me.”

“The secret you needed to finally get away from me.”

“No,” he growled.

I paused.

He stalked toward me, fuming. “I was mad that the girl I missed every day and every night still feels the need to keep things from me. That you clearly don’t…don’t care enough about me,” he said, looking slightly shameful and embarrassed.

“How dare you accuse me of not caring for you?” I sniped, outraged.

“You do,” he said acidly, “just not enough.”

“Because I know you’re going to leave me!” I insisted loudly. “Why would I let myself fully care for you, while knowing after you get what you want, you’re just going to leave?”

Aldrich stepped in closer to me, glaring. “Why in this god forsaken hell would I leave the girl I’m in love with?”