We walked in silence through, our footsteps muffled by the morning dew on the grass. The air was crisp and clean, carrying the scent of jasmine and roses, but I could barely focus on anything beyond the woman walking beside me.
My birth mother.
A fellow shadow lycan.
"You're beautiful," Merida said suddenly, her voice soft with wonder.
I looked over at her, surprised by the raw emotion in her tone. "Thank you," I managed, not trusting myself to say more.
The silence stretched between us again, and I could feel Morrigan stirring restlessly in my mind, picking up on my emotional turmoil.
Ask her, my lycan urged. Ask her what you need to know.
But before I could work up the courage, Merida spoke again.
"Do you hate me?" The words came out in a rush, like she'd been holding them back for too long. "For leaving you, I mean. For giving you away when you were just a baby."
