Page 89 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

“I’m not in the mood to be courted,” Tharan hissed.

“It is no bride.” He banged his staff on the floor, and a doorway opened, revealing an elven woman with long auburn hair and verdant green eyes—Tharan’s eyes. She wore a beautiful white satin gown that cinched at the waist, and a diamond diadem sat atop her head.

Tharan’s heart leapt into his throat, and he nearly lost the ability to speak. “Mother?”

21THARAN

“Yes, child, it is me.”With arms outstretched, his mother beckoned him forward.

Tharan’s heart tore in two, half filled with anger and resentment; she had been alive all this time and never reached out to him, and half desperate to feel the warmth of a mother he’d never known.

“I… I don’t know what to say. I thought you were dead.”

Her expression darkened, and her shoulders drooped.

“In a way, I was.”

“My father… ” Tharan’s words caught in his throat. He moved closer to the stranger claiming to be his mother. Elves were cunning. Could this be a trap? A way to manipulate him? The resemblance between the two was uncanny. Was this his mother or just a woman who looked like her? Shaking off his thoughts, he continued, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what to call you. My father never spoke your name.”

Her lids lowered.

“I had hoped you’d call me Mother, but I understand if you’re not ready for that. My name is Elowen.”

Tharan chuckled.

“My fatherwouldfall in love with someone named after a tree.”

She moved closer, taking his face into the palm of her hand. “You look like him, you know? Your father was so handsome when we met. I’m sure he was just as handsome when he passed.”

Tharan couldn’t help but lean into her warmth. He wished to have a mother all his life. Only… now that she was here, the feeling was bittersweet. Had she tried to find him? Had his father known she was alive all this time? So many questions left unanswered. A tear trickled down his cheek for all the time lost between them.

“Do not cry, my child. I am here now.”

He fell into her embrace, taking in the scent of pine and mulberry on her skin. Despite being a head taller than her, Elowen ran her fingers through his silken hair. “Shh, my child, we have much to discuss.”

She led him out of the study.

“Think about my offer,” Arendir called after him.

With their fingers linked, Elowen led him to her extravagant chambers, where six human servants dressed in fine linens waited for them. Each had their hair pleated in neat braids, and each wore a golden collar, not unlike the ones the Highland servants wore. Tharan couldn’t help but wonder whether they were actually here of their own volition or if something more nefarious was at play.

His mother took a seat on a plush circle of satin pillows. “Sit.”

Tharan did as she commanded. One of the servants poured them each a chalice of wine, and Tharan drank deeply, hoping to calm his nerves.

“We have so much to catch up on. Tell me what your life has been like. I heard some rumors while in exile… but… nothing until you were crowned Alder King.” She stared longingly outthe window. “I am sad I did not get to say goodbye to Eoghan. He was my first love, and I have never stopped loving him. Even when my father sent me to live in the Great White North.”

“Is that where you have been all these years?”

She nodded, her eyes lowered in shame.

“I was foolish to think Arendir would allow me to keep you. But for a moment, I held out hope we could be a family.” She took his hand in hers, and he couldn’t help but share in her pain. “I wanted you; you know? I wanted to be your mother. I wanted to raise you in the Woodlands. Perhaps if I had been there…”

A storm of emotions raged inside Tharan. Why would she reveal herself now? She was likely a pawn in Arendir’s game. A tool to distract him—to soften him. He’d yearned to have a mother his whole life. Looking at her now, he was transformed into that little boy who wished for a mother to hug before bed. He resisted falling into those emotions. If this was the game Arendir wanted to play… he would play it.

“Shh…” Tharan whispered. “It does neither of us good to dwell on what might have been when we both know our fates were sealed long before either of us took our first breath.”

She nodded, her auburn hair falling in waves over her bare shoulders. He noticed the freckles dotting her skin, just like his when he was a boy.

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