My Fated Mate Can Have Her-Chapter 173: Sharing A Room

Violet

He stared at me.

I stared back, unable to believe I had just said that out loud.

Something just like this had happened before too.

I looked away, quickly checking myself and forcing the shock down so I could reign it under control. I couldn’t afford to fall apart over something so stupid.

"I didn’t mean it that way... I didn’t say that for whatever reason you’re thinking," I quickly spoke up.

His face slightly twisted in what looked like genuine confusion.

"What am I thinking?" he asked.

I went still.

My mouth opened, but no words came out. What was he... Why would he even...?

I was slightly thrown off balance, and unable to form a coherent response. The embarrassment I had just barely managed to suppress came rushing back in full force, and I felt my cheeks burn a bit.

Annoyed at him, at myself, and at this entire ridiculous situation, I turned around sharply and started walking away.

"Violet, wait."

Rowan’s voice stopped me, but I didn’t turn around.

"We can’t walk there!" he called out. Then I heard him make a loud sound.

I glanced back despite myself to see his hand raised in a gesture. The small carriage that had been riding past stopped and retreated towards Rowan as a man pulled the reigns of the sturdy animal to draw it towards the edge of the road.

Rowan gestured toward me, then toward the carriage.

"It’s far. All the way to the other end of the capital like they said. It would be a waste to just walk all the way there when we could use this."

I hesitated, then walked back toward him slowly, my arms crossed over my chest.

As I drew closer, I caught the faintest glimpse of a small, sheepish smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

[ - ]

It took five more carriages at different stops before we finally arrived at our destination later in the afternoon.

I stepped down carefully, my legs a bit stiff from sitting for so long, and looked up at the building before us.

It was large, especially wide just like Kael’s estate, and with only an upper floor visible above the main level. It looked just like any other building in the capital, and I had learned during the ride that the buildings were that colour because of how much the walls had been bleached by the sun.

It felt like a completely new world when we stepped in, and I was immediately struck by the contrast, along with how beautiful it was.

The entry lobby walls were painted in rich shades of green and gold, that blended together in a way that felt warm and inviting. The green was deep, almost like the colour of leaves in a dense forest, while the gold accents catching the light from lanterns hanging at intervals from the ceiling.

The floor beneath our feet was made of dark, polished wood that gleamed, and the tables and chairs scattered throughout the welcome area were strangely shaped.

People sat at some of the tables, eating and talking in low voices. The atmosphere was relaxed, almost intimate, and while the space was occupied, it wasn’t crowded.

This place looked strange.

Rowan walked up to a wooden counter at the far end of the room, and I followed, still taking in the details around me.

Then I stiffened.

An Omega was seated behind the counter.

A young man, probably close to my age, with long grey hair and kind eyes. He looked up as we approached and smiled warmly.

"Welcome to the Sunweave Inn." His voice was polite and cheerful as he talked. "How can I help you?"

I stared at him, somewhat unable to process what I was seeing.

An Omega. Working here. Behind the counter. Greeting guests like it was the most natural thing in the world.

And no one was giving him strange glances.

Rowan smiled. "We would like two rooms, please."

The young man’s smile faltered slightly, and he glanced down at something behind the wooded slab I couldn’t see.

"Ah." He sounded apologetic. "Forgive me. We only have one room available at the moment. However, you are in luck! It just became available an hour ago."

I snapped back to my senses, alert all of a sudden.

One room?

A single room?

I was supposed to share that with Rowan?

’That isn’t possible.’

"Is there another... inn nearby?" I asked quickly, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. "Somewhere with more rooms?"

The young man shook his head with a regretful look on his face.

"I am afraid not. The nearby inns are all full as well. The ones closer to the port, too." He paused before adding, "The white festival has been going on for the past few nights, you see. While tonight’s the last night, the capital has been a lot busier than usual due to his festive season."

I frowned, confused.

A festival?

I hadn’t seen any banners or decorations. The streets had been beautiful, but the air hadn’t felt particularly festive. Or maybe they celebrated a different way?

Before I could ask anything else, Rowan spoke up.

"We will take the room."

I turned to stare at him, my confusion deepening.

He just nodded at the young man and reached into his bag for some coins.

The Omega smiled again, clearly relieved, and produced a set of keys from beneath the counter.

"Wonderful. I will have someone show you up."

There was an open doorway at the end of the wall behind him and he rushed to it. Peeking his head in, he seemed to talk to someone else and within seconds of stepping away from the doorway, a young woman appeared moments later.

I stood there for a moment, stunned.

We were sharing a room.

I resigned myself to it with a sinking feeling in my stomach and followed Rowan and the woman toward a set of stairs at the end of the entry area.

The stairs led up to a carpeted hallway that muffled our footsteps. The carpet was a deep red, patterned with gold, and the walls here were painted the same rich green as downstairs.

We stopped at a numbered door and the woman collected the keys from Rowan to unlock it before handing it back to him. She then pushed it open and stepped aside for us to enter.

"Please, enjoy your stay," she said kindly, then turned, closed the door, and disappeared.