Chapter Seven
Quin's POV:
Titus had said that he had found a hidden area on the outskirts of the town that we can go to. No one will be able to hear us due to it being abandoned and closed off.
"Alright, we're here." Titus had said, standing in front of a small mountain with his hands on his hips.
"I don't know if I should be surprised or disappointed," I replied, mentally face palming, "Is there something else that I'm missing? If not I'm going to beat the shit out of you for wasting my time."
Titus jokingly put his hands in the air and backed away a bit.
"Oh no no. There is a surprise but I want to figure it out." He said, reapproaching me.
I looked around but didn't see anything near me but figured he chose a place that needed magic. Titus has always had a big thing for anything magical so it made sense. I looked up and noticed a large rock in the mountain sticking out, it looked sturdy enough to hold a lot of people.
I sighed and pulled Titus near me. "Vo-la-re" I cast. We started flying up to the rock and landed somewhat safely. I landed on my feet but Titus got a mouthful of dirt. Though I would be lying if I said it was an accident.
"You would have thought you had gotten better at your landings considering you always flying around like a bird in need of a nest," Titus commented, dusting himself off before walking toward me.
We both sat on the rock and looked in the direction we came from. We could see the village from here but it looked much smaller than it was up close.
"The view is even better than I thought it was going to be." I heard Titus mumble to himself.
"Oh come on you dork," I yelled while elbowing him in the arm, "Give yourself more credit. You always find the best spots for us to hang and chat."
Titus smiled but looked out into the horizon with a serious look.
"You had mentioned that you had something important to tell me if I remember correctly," Titus said, turning his head to look at me. I sighed and moved uncomfortably.
"Yeah. It's not a bad type of serious topic but the more I think about it, the more bothersome it gets." I stated. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder in a comforting way. I smiled at Titus and decided to continue.
"So, don't take this the wrong way because I know what your first thoughts are going to be but I also don't know how to say it in a more defined way. It's difficult to" I got cut off by Titus gently shaking me.
"Hey, take a deep breath okay? You don't have to tell me right away, take your time." Titus spoke calmly. I smiled once more with a nod.
"I have a kid," I spoke flatly. I looked down before I could see his reaction but I caught my eyes drifting upwards anyway. When I caught his face I felt like I made a mistake. His face held a mix of emotion, the most obvious being confusion. Others were more of an upset or jealous type, which is something I also expected. But I couldn't identify one. I looked like anger but not a bad type. It also made him look a bit hurt.
Then it came to me. Betrayal. Why Would he feel betrayed? I thought. His face calmed down after a while and the questions came rolling in.
"Did you find your mate? I think I would have known if you were pregnant before this. Is it your mate's kid? But who is your mate? Or did you decide to take up a babysitting job for Remi? Does-" I caught him off by repeating what he did to me, shaking him.
"Calm down bud. One thing at a time." I was reassured. He nodded and took a breather.
"No, I didn't find my mate so I guess that answers most of your questions. I'm also not babysitting." I responded. I closed my eyes and tried to think of a way to explain this correctly. Eventually, I gave up and chose to say what comes to mind.
I began telling him about Ezra. When I met her, a few facts I learned about her, the odd bond and trustworthy feeling I got from her, and what happened at my house. I took pauses to collect my thoughts or let Titus get a chance to answer questions. Most were expected like "How bad were the injuries, what direction did they come from, etc.
"Okay that's a lot to take in," Titus finally said after I finished my story, "but out of all of it, what is the bothersome part?" He asked.
"How did she end up on my territory? I've set up traps, poisons, spells, and more in every inch of possible entrance! I have questions spamming my head, trying to find an answer. Are my spells getting weak? Did someone sneak her in? But if that was the case then more people should be able to pass. Or…"
"...She's different from other werewolves." Titus finished for me. I silently nodded, once again trying to think this through. "Well, let's think of the smart options first. There is no way you're getting weak on magic. You drink a jar of moon water and a mana potion every single day. And you practice your witchy stuff for 6 hours on end with no breaks!"
I laughed at his true comments. I do spiritually take care of myself unreasonably well. "So it can't be my magic. Let's think of what the next option could be, traps. The traps are pretty old. I'll check them when I go home and see if any need replacing."
"Good idea. I'll come with you. It's been a while since I've visited your home." He commented. I smiled at his gesture.
"Definitely! It would be awesome to have you around for a bit, even if it's for a couple of days!" I exclaimed. He smiled in return and looked out into the horizon again.
"It is a possibility that she's different. From the way you described her, I think that her parents that you saw, when she was having a panic attack, weren't her real parents. She doesn't really look like them, they seemed to have "tested" on her, and she was able to run away from fully trained adult wolves. To me, thats not something a 6 year old pup can do on their own without explanation." Titus spoke allowed eventually it turned into rambling and I quietly listened, taking his ideas into consideration.
Once he stopped, I spoke as well. "She's defently a werewolf, no mix breeds like I am. The only way to tell what she is is when she comes of age. For all we know, she could be the next king. We just have to wait. I also left the day I saw her so when I come back, I'll check for rapid healing and such. You have more knowledge over this type of stuff so I'll introduce the two of you and if she trusts you enough, you'll at least find out who her birth parents are." Titus nodded in agreement. He was obviously starting to get tired.
"Are you going to stay the night or are you leaving tonight?" Titus asked.
"I have to leave tonight. I wrote Ezra a note that I would." I replied. Titus gave a simple nod and lay down, looking at the sky. "Alright you grandpa, you're going to bed. You look like you could pass out any second now." I complained. I lifted him up bridal style and jumped off the bolder. I landed gently on the ground after saying a simple spell. Titus wasn't too shocked but it was still there.
"Even though I've known you for over 3 years, I'm still not used to your chaotic routes." Titus sighed, jumping out of my arms. I laughed and started walking with him through the trees. We made it back to Titus's cabin and said our goodbyes. Once I was far enough away from the village, I shifted into Rin and started running home. I let Rin take control and trusted that they would take us home.