Chapter 91
~ NYSSA
He went still, his spine going straighter and his lips flattening into a thing line.
I waited patiently, hands crossed over my chest for him to speak, but he never did. He just stared at me, his expression blank and his eyes careful assessing.
“Are you not going to say anything?” I asked, my head cocked to the side.
He sighed. “What do you want me to say p>
“The truth maybe. This whole thing with Henry is getting very confusing. How the hell do you even know each other? Why do you hate each other and why does he say that you’re not a good person p>
“You shouldn’t take much stock in that he says. He was upset p>
“Don’t bullshit me,” I cut him off with a hand. “I’m not a child so don’t insult my intelligence by making me think it was just Henry being upset. He meant it, what the hell did he mean p>
Rowan said nothing, but I couldn’t help but note the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed. His hands twitched at his sides and he looked everywhere but at me. It was obvious he was hiding something and I was fucking tired of not knowing.
“I’ve known Henry all my life,” I continued. “I didn’t even know that he knew until about a year ago, We were best friends and he never once spoke about you. What the hell went on between you two p>
“It’s not important p>
Frustration bubbled up inside of me, coating my skin in a thick discomfort. I swallowed down the scream of frustration that had gathered at the back of my throat.
Every dismissal, every shrug, every nonchalant wave of his hand made me want to beat him over the head with a fucking stick.
“You don’t get to tell me what is important and what isn’t! I am so fucking tired of this, Rowan. Can you just tell the fucking truth p>
He remained silent.
It was then I knew that he wasn’t going to say shit, no matter how much I screamed or begged. He’d made his choice and so fucking be it.
“Fuck you, Rowan,” I hissed, brushing past him.
He reached out for me but I side stepped him easily, gritting my teeth to stop from cursing as I stormed up the stairs towards my room.
The most frustrating part of it all was that he didn’t even try to follow me.
Thankfully I didn’t meet anyone on my way up the steps. If I had to interact with even one person, I would have lost my fucking mind.
The door slammed harshly behind me, the loud sound echoing through the otherwise quiet room. It didn’t do much to calm me down.
I ripped off the dress, cursing at how stupid I was to think that things could be fine. I’d cosplayed a princess in the hopes that it would fix the cracks in our relationship and it was fucking stupid. Nothing could fix what was wrong because Rowan didn’t trust me and I couldn’t trust him.
I angrily wiped the makeup on my face before washing off the remnants at the sink when I heard a noise over the running water.
I turned off the tap immediately, wondering if I’d misheard, but it came again… a frantic, hurried knocking… more like pounding if I was being honest.
Grabbing a robe from the bathroom, I headed for the door. I’d barely even opened it when Rowan was pushing inside, his hair disheveled as if he’d ran his fingers through it a couple of times.
Just like that, my annoyance came flooding back. “I need you to leave p>
“No p>
My jaw dropped at the refusal. “Excuse me? I don’t want you here. I don’t want to see you, I don’t have shit I want to say to you p>
“Good, then listen p>
“You don’t get to talk p>
“I met Henry in college p>
I went silent at his declaration.
All the fight bled out of me as I realized he was explaining things to me. I wasn’t sure what caused the change in thought, but I wasn’t about to fight it. I was finally getting answers and I’d be damned if I let that slip away.
With a sigh, I gestured to the work table. “Sit p>
He hesitated for a moment before doing as I asked, lowering himself into the chair. I shut the door behind him and took a spot by the edge of the bed
For a moment, he didn’t speak, merely looked around the room as if trying to calm himself. The silence stretched out for a full two minutes before I heard his voice again.
“I wasn’t a student at the same time he was. I haven’t been for a long time, but we met on the campus. We were both guests at the school. He was fucking brilliant. He didn’t give a shit that I was a lycan and the king, and that was fucking refreshing p>
It sounded very on par for Henry.
He was too self-absorbed to think about anyone else for too long.
“How long were you friends?” I asked quietly.
“A year.” He shook his head. “Funny how this whole shit is because of one year p>
“What happened p>
He went silent again. “I don’t think you want to know p>
“Then why did you come here?” I asked, throwing my arms up in frustration. “Why the fuck are you sitting here if it isn’t to tell me what I want to know p>
“I’m trying to protect you p>
I snorted. “Bullshit. You’re trying to protect yourself. This is some fucking pissing contest between the two of you and I’m being dragged into shit that doesn’t concern me. If you’re not going to speak p>
“He used Aria p>
I fell silent, brows knitting in confusion. “I don’t understand p>
“When we met, Aria was with me. They started talking, he even visited the palace a few times p>
I shook my head. “Henry has never visited the palace. If he did, the pack would have known p>
“I don’t know what lies he told your pack, but he was here. He was seeing my sister but he was using her to gather information and perks for his pack. She wanted to mate with him, and she found out that the bastard was playing a game p>
He exhaled deeply.
“That’s why I hate him, not because of shit he did to me, but because he played my sister p>