The Wolf Star: A Rejected Mates Story のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 51 - チャプター 60

Ariadne watched Archer run up the stairs after the group. She kept North close as she opened the door to their room in the inn. Even watching him now, her mind still couldn’t convince her that he wasn’t the boy she used to know. She ran through her normal nightly routines, trying to settle North, who was fussing, and then getting herself ready for bed.The room was large, with deep green furnishings and orange curtains. Peggy and Mikael had already taken the double bed on one side, Eli had taken the couch… So there was just the large master bed in the middle of the room. Ariadne glanced around for Archer, but he was in the bathroom.She hesitated. She didn’t want to be in bed with Archer, really, but with all the other spaces taken up, she may not have another choice… She settled onto the bed, settling North onto one of the pillows in the middle of the bed. Closing her eyes, she tried to settle and let herself sleep.After a few minutes, she felt the mattress dip. She tensed. Then, s

CLANGPeggy stirred from her sleep. Glancing around the shared room, the moonlight was filtering in through the window, and the shadows were a deep violet. She yawned and cuddled back into Yonus.PINGShe slowly opened one eye. Looking around again, she quickly counted all the bodies she could see…Someone was missing.BANGShe sat up. North wasn’t on the pillow where Ariadne had left him. Peggy frowned. Of course, she knew that North wasn’t just an infant, but would he really have been so stupid as to get up in the middle of the night and cause chaos?THUNKShe shifted around Yonus and started to stand, her mind drifting back to her last conversation with North…“I talk because I special.”“Special?”He nodded.“Special how?”“Is a secret,” he grinned. “And don’t tell mommy.”“... What happens if I do tell your mommy?” Peggy asked. North pushed himself up and crawled over to her. He gestured for her to lean closer. Peggy nodded and obeyed.“... She’ll never believe you,” North whispe

[CW- References to abuse recovery and the effects of gaslighting/unreality. Only reference, not graphic.]Peggy watched the scene for a moment, her heart hammering in her chest. Some part of her knew that she was being silly by covering for North; there was no reason not to be honest with Ariadne about what happened…Well…Aside from the fact that she would sound crazy telling Ariadne that her baby spoke. And climbed on the ceiling. Or maybe Ariadne would take issue with the fact that North nearly got hurt under Peggy’s watch. She sat back on the edge of the couch. She felt something nudging into her back. Turning, she was met with Yonus’s dark eyes.“Restless night?” he murmured to her in her mind.“Something like that,” she said, reaching down to scratch his chin. He leaned into the touch eagerly. She could feel him probing around her mind. She attempted to close off the memories of the night before, but he stopped her. Not harshly, or roughly. But like someone gently unwrapping her

[CW- References to marital abuse and racism against fantasy races. Please take care of yourself while reading.]The statue was made of adularescence, the moon goddess’s expression soft and serene. Her arms were loosely wrapped around each other, as if cradling something to one side, her back gently curved, her legs apart in a strong stance.“The pose…” Peggy said softly.“It’s like that in these parts,” Eli explained, their eyes shimmering with interest. “It’s part of the difference in how Lycans worship her versus how werewolves worship her.”“They worship her differently?” Peggy asked, sitting up a little straighter.“Yeah,” Archer

“He bit me!” Archer cried out.“Uh-huh,” Eli said, using their magic. Their hands glowed as they used magic on Archer’s wound.“He’s a baby! Are they even meant to have teeth at this age?!” Archer fumed.“I don’t know,” Eli said.“Do you even care I was bitten?” Archer scoffed.“Archer,” Eli looked up at him. “I care you were bitten. I’m not surprised you were bitten, though.”“Huh?”“Ariadne is North’s mother,” Eli said, like explaining something to someone very slow.“...Yeah?”“You and her were yelling at each other,” Eli said.“And? North shouldn’t understand words yet.”“He understands intention, though,” Eli sighed, wrapping Archer’s arm with bandages. “But-”“Even when we first met him, you seemed to pick up that North could at least understand intentions even as a young baby,” Eli said, looking up at him. “I’m not saying that Noth has a perfect understanding of the theological debate you were having. I’m saying he knew that his mother was being yelled at by a grown man. Now,