scars of the past.

Zara's pov

I lay on my stomach, eyes closed, as the gentle morning breeze caressed my exposed back. A gentle smile spread across my face.

Vulvan's warm body spooned mine, his arms wrapping around me. His chest rose and fell with each breath, his heartbeat steady against my back. I felt his nose nuzzle the back of my head, his lips brushing against my hair. His arms tightened, pulling me closer.

His small movement made me realize he was awake. My eyes where still close, lost in a haze of sleep, his fingers brushed the hair off my back, and I felt his gaze settle on me, his fingerprint danced across my skin, tracing a gentle pattern.

"Who did this to you?". He said in a husky voice, still tracing my back. my eyes shut opped and I jolted from my sleep after realizing i had a scar there, and I didn't want him to see it. I was carried away by sleep. i didn't realize he was tracing them.

"What do you think you are doing?" I quickly grabbed the blanket and wrapped myself. His eyes were serious, looking for an answer to his previous question. His body language indicated that he wanted to move towards me, but he remained still with his gaze fixed on me.

I could not look him in the eye. My insecurities began to surface, and I felt uneasy as he bore holes into my head with his gaze. He has seen me this way; will he think I am ugly? I wondered why he was looking at me.

"Stop staring at me," I said, looking away.

"I asked you a question. He calmly stated.

"And I do not want to answer it," I responded.

"We are bonded together; how can I protect you if I do not know who is causing you harm?" For a brief moment, I noticed a glimmer of concern in his eyes. He did care about me, and I will not lie—it was comforting to know that he at least thought about me.

I still do not trust him because he might be deceiving me.

"It is fine," I finally said, getting up and wrapping the duvet around my body as I prepared to leave his room.

"All right, then," he stood up and went straight to his closest; I was surprised he did not press further on the issue on my back, but I was relieved. He then came out with a white shirt in his hands and extended it to me. I looked at him, puzzled, unsure what to do.

"You can not go out like this." His hands remained stretched out.

"Oh, OK," I said with an awkward smile, stretching my hands to collect the shirt, but he pulled me into his arms and wrapped his hands around my waist, our faces inches apart.

His words, "You are so beautiful, even with those scars," totally stopped me cold.

His eyes quickly flitted to my lips before slowly putting them there. His deep kiss was tender and soft as he touched my face; I had never experienced this before, and I shamelessly did not want him to stop. he perked my lips one last time before he let go of me.

"I am just making sure I have your sent on me." Something seemed strange," he said, grinning mischievously. I looked into his eyes and saw that he was staring at my chest rather than at me.

I gasped when I realized the blanket had betrayed me and that Vulvan could see every inch of my body. I was so embarrassed that my cheeks were flushed when I stopped to pick up the blanket.

I yanked the shirt from his hands and dashed to the closet. As I banged on the door, he yelled, "See you later, princess," and I heard him laugh before he walked out of the room.

I hurried out of the room after putting on the shirt. When I got to my room, I looked to make sure no one saw me walking down the hallway because I had already experienced enough embarrassment for the day.

When I entered, I saw a girl in uniform packing some clothes into my closet; she appeared to be about my age.

"Good morning, ma'am. I am Erica. "Your new help."

She exclaimed, showing all thirty-two teeth.

"Help?, well, nice to meet you, Erica!"I walked to my side table, making sure she did not notice the poison.

"What are you looking for, Ma'am?"

"Nothing," I answered nervously.

"All right, and the queen Luna is downstairs waiting to have lunch with you," she said with a friendly smile.

"OK, ehrm... sorry I did not introduce myself to you. I am Zara; just call me Zara."

"No, problem ma'am," she said and left the room.

After she left, I closed the door behind her. I quickly checked the side drawer for the poison, exhaling a sigh of relief when I discovered the bottle. I just need to figure out a way to incorporate it into his food.

I dressed and headed downstairs. The queen luna was seated at her table; vulvan was not present; when she saw me, she extended her hand for a hug, which I reciprocated.

"You look so pretty, dear; come sit here with me." I sat very close to her.

The helper began assisting us in serving our meals. My gaze was fixed on all the meals on the table; I have never had this much to eat at Edwood. I only ate leftovers or meals from the Omega district, which were horrible.

"So, dear, how was your night? I choked on my drink, and she patted my back."Are you alright, dear?"

I adjusted my hair to cover Vulvan's mark on my neck and cleared my throat, "Yes, I am fine, thank you."

"Alright," she said, holding my hands. "I know my son can be tough at times, and he may be a stranger to you, but please give him a chance. I understand that building your relationship with each other will take time, but it will definitely work.

She spoke so confidently that I almost felt bad, and the guilt that was building inside me was another nightmare. Given how she has treated me, I have no doubt that she is a nice person.

She wants our relationship to work, whereas I was only here for something else. The thought of repaying good with evil sent shivers down my spine.

"Are you alright, dear? you seemd lost" She placed a hand on my arm after noticing that I was distant in my thoughts.

I gently nodded. We chatted as we began eating our breakfast, and she told me how she first met her mate, Vulvan's father.

I was fascinated by how she spoke of her mate with such affection; despite the fact that he was late, they must have loved each other. Our laughter filled the air, and I ate more mother than I could chew.