Page 78 of Heir of the Autumn Queen

“It makeszerosense to me how you two could’ve ended up together.”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

“Maybe you should, since you clearly don’t know what kind of male your prince is.”

“I know exactly what kind of male he is. And I don’t needyou,or anyone else, trying to protect me from whatever danger you think Finn is to me.”

“You might know the version of him that was trying to bed you, but you have no idea who he truly is,” Shepherd argues, not backing down.

“Unbelievable.” I laugh cynically.“I’m not a child, Shepherd. I’ve taken care of myself so far, I don’t need a knight in shining armor.”

“Do you even know what he does? He’s anassassin, Auri. He follows orders blindly, disposing of anyone his father deems unworthy.”

“I’m aware of his occupation.” My teeth clench, Shepherd's patronizing tone grating on me.

“And you still let him fuck you?” Shepherd’s fists are clenched at his sides as he raises his voice at me in disbelief.

My face flushes, both in anger and embarrassment.“I’m not some whore that spreads her legs for any male who looks my way, Shepherd!” I’m fuming, hating how he just reduced everything I went through with Finn to one, apparently damning, event.“Have you ever considered that maybe there’s a side of him that you’ve never seen? That there’s a person with a heart and feelings beneath the exterior that he displays to the rest of the world?” As much as Finn hurt me, I can’t deny that he showed me kindness, tenderness even, that he doesn’t extend to just anyone.

“He’s called the Reaper of Souls. He earned that title because he doesn’t have one of his own.” Shepherd’s tone is cold as ice, his face emotionless.

“So you’ve never had to kill someone under the king’s orders? You’ve never had to do something that you didn’t wholly agree with?” I challenge him, taking the focus off of Finn for a moment. Shepherd remains quiet, and I know I’ve struck a cord.“Should we define you by those things, as well? Reduce you down to the things you’ve had to do to survive?” Shepherd looks down, and I know I’ve changed his perspective, if only minimally.“Besides… you don’t have to worry about Finn anymore. He won’t be back.”

I get back on Shadow and nudge her forward at a walk, leaving him in the dust. Rowan takes his normal place at my left side and Shepherd catches up to us eventually, but we spend the rest of the day in silence. The atmosphere is uncomfortable, to say the least. I think we all just need time to cool off and move on so that we can hopefully get back to our normal group dynamic, which is actually quite fun.

We check into another inn for the night, and the pack is unusually quiet as we eat dinner together. The food looks delicious, but I barely taste it, still hung up on my last conversation with Shepherd. It seems the whole pack is in tune with their alpha’s emotions because everyone seems just as sullen as he does.

I excuse myself as soon as I finish eating and head upstairs to my room for the night. One of the maids brings hot water so I can take a real bath, and it helps immensely with my bad mood. Soaking in the water, actually feeling clean, the tension starts to melt out of my body, until I’m feeling much better.

Shepherd said some hurtful things, but emotions were running high; and I suppose it was quite the shock to find out that his sworn enemy, someone who’s been a villain in his mind for decades, might actually be a decent male. Either way, there’s no need to let it ruin the rest of our journey to Kelderon.

I step out of the bath and dry off, donning my silk slip and snuggling up in the chair by the fire. I’m almost positive that Shepherd will come by my room to apologize, but I have no plans to seek him out.

A knock sounds at my door.Speak of the devil.I pad over to the door and open it a crack to find Shepherd standing there, a piece of some kind of fruity baked dessert on the plate he’s holding.

“Peach crisp.” He offers.

I open the door further and take the plate from him, walking back over to the chair I was in. The door stays open, leaving the choice up to him to decide if he’s coming in or not. Shepherd hesitates in the hallway for a moment before stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. He comes and sits down in the other chair, bracing his elbows on his knees and running a hand through his blonde hair. I take a bite of the dessert, and it softens me further, which I’m sure he was planning on.

“I know what you’re doing,” I say, and Shepherd looks panicked, his eyes darting back and forth between my own.

“Auri, I’m—” he starts to say, scrambling for the words.

“I’m teasing, Shep,” I cut him off, not getting the same amount of satisfaction from watching him squirm as I would under normal circumstances.

He sighs, instantly looking more relaxed.“Auri, I’m really sorry. I said some really shitty things. And you were right, it’s not my place to judge who you choose to be friends with.”

I raise an eyebrow, torturing him a second longer, before smiling.“Apology accepted.”

Shepherd’s shoulders slump in relief and he nods at the dessert that’s already almost gone from the plate in my hand.“I knew bringing you something sweet would help.”

I roll my eyes and take the last bite of the crumbly, sugary treat.“Am I really that transparent?”

“Actually, no.” Shepherd laughs softly.“You’re one of the most complicated females I’ve ever met.”

“Oh?” I ask, intrigued.

“Without a doubt.” He smiles at me, but there’s a hint of mystery there like he knows a secret about me that I don’t even know about myself.

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