His Little Fae

Seraphic Truths (II)

His eyes narrowed. "I never lied."

"A lie of omission is still a lie, Livius, you don't need me to tell you that," I bit out in response. "I can't believe you. All this time, you never thought it was a good idea to tell me that my older brother was alive? Even with all those visions of my family I've been having, even with everything I've been feeling."

It was only after I'd said the words that I realized I'd never told Livius about those memories. He'd caught me waking up from them a few times, but I'd never explained what they entailed.

"Visions?" I closed my eyes at his question, and both his hands came up to my face, his eyes seeking out my own.

"It doesn't matter now," I muttered. "What matters is that you never told me."

Livius inhaled, as though he truly wanted to avoid this conversation. "I truly was going to, Alexandria. That letter I was planning on showing you was my trackers' report on his first sighting. But then it became clear that all Fae's look very similar when shifted."

My mind reeled to a halt as I recalled the document he'd intended to show me so early on. But he was cut off... and we never got back to it.

"The last thing I wanted to do was give you some sliver of false hope, which is why I let it go," he continued, those eyes never leaving my own. "But I'll be honest, moon, I received the official confirmation of his survival a few weeks ago, when you were upset with me."

"But you still withheld that? We promised, Livius. We said no more lies. I don't understand why you wouldn't tell me." I had so many questions for him, so many doubts.

"You would've left. Don't even try to say otherwise, love. Even now you're itching to go see him on your own terms." He sighed, rubbing at his jaw. "But back then, when you and Victoria were     going at it, I had no doubt in the world that you'd up and leave, especially with all that I'd put you through. And even after, you were still tiptoeing around me.

"When I finally had enough and planned to lay it all out, Alaric and Aria were murdered. And then my concern shifted from you leaving out of anger with me, to you leaving out of anger with him. They already tried to kill you once. Risking it again was out of the question." His eyes were so dim, and there was clear worry there.

But it was still so upsetting. "That wasn't your choice to make," I murmured, pulling away from him.

Instead of responding, his gaze fell away from my own. "You're really holding back from strangling me, aren't you?" He asked, both our eyes drifting down to where my fingers were still curled around his stupidly expensive tie.

"It's an ugly tie."

"No it's not."

"It's atrocious."

"Moon, don't misplace your anger. This isn't about the tie."

I growled and turned away from him, running a frustrated hand through my silver locks. "I just don't get how you could keep that from me, Livius. I know I would've acted recklessly, but you had no right."

My mate dropped his gaze to his desk, those ocean blue eyes filled with so many unreadable emotions. "I know and I'm sorry, moon. But I don't regret it. It's always been my instinct to protect you, and I'll never stop acting on it."

"I do not need protecting," I hissed, glaring at him as he spoke.

"You almost drowned in a lake, Alexandria. I don't think you realize that I could've lost you that day. You can't expect me to believe that your brother didn't know about that? Didn't order it? The sudden death of his only competition for the throne, who also happens to be my Luna and the Queen of every werewolf alive, would very much work in his favor." He but out incredulously, those pale eyes filled with fear, doubt, and disbelief.