My Fated Mate Can Have Her-Chapter 242: Courting The Lycan

Violet

Rowan’s question hit me like a splash of cold water.

I stared at him, my mind going blank for a moment before panic started to creep in.

Why would he ask that?

I opened my mouth to ask him exactly that, but the words caught in my throat.

Because when I really thought about it, I could see exactly why he might think so.

I had been quiet all evening, and I had been so self absorbed in my thoughts that I had barely looked at him since we left the castle. I had told myself I was being careful, but from his perspective...

I must have been cold.

The realization made something twist uncomfortably in my chest. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

He did make me uncomfortable, just not in the way he seemed to hint at.

"No," I said quickly. Perhaps too quickly. "You don’t make me uncomfortable."

Rowan studied my face, his green eyes searching for something. I wasn’t sure if he found it.

"You have been quiet," he said softly. "I was not certain if I had done something wrong."

"You haven’t." I shook my head, looking away toward the river. The lamplight danced on the water’s surface, flickering gold and white. "I’ve just... had a lot on my mind."

It wasn’t a lie.

Rowan was silent for a moment. Then he nodded slowly.

"I understand."

I clutched my hand to my stomach. He looked dejected. Was it because I had asked him not to go around telling people I was his mate?

He started walking again, and I fell into step beside him.

Now I didn’t know what to say.

The air was cool, and I found myself glancing at Rowan as we walked.

The breeze caught his dark hair, blowing strands across his forehead and into his eyes. He brushed them back absently, and the movement drew my attention to the faint shadows beneath his eyes.

It was barely there, but he looked tired.

Had he even rested since we arrived?

And now, instead of sleeping, he was here.

I quickly looked away.

I couldn’t afford to feel this way.

I had made a decision. I needed to create these boundaries for everyone’s sake.

But it was hard to remember why when he was right there beside me, patient and so clearly trying.

The boats drifted past on the dark water. Somewhere nearby, a child laughed, and the sound echoed across the river before fading into the night. A couple walked past us in the opposite direction, the woman leaning into the man’s side as he murmured something that made her smile.

I looked away from them too.

"Violet."

I glanced at him.

He had stopped again.

His expression had shifted to something more serious now. The faint fatigue was still there, but beneath it was a resolve that made me go still.

"I would like to court you."

I blinked.

The words didn’t quite register at first. They floated in the space between us, strange and unfamiliar.

"Court?" I repeated slowly. I don’t think I have heard the word used this way before.

What did he mean by...

My eyes slowly widened as understanding crept in. What else could it mean when he was saying it like that?

Rowan held my gaze, steady. "I want to romantically pursue you. With the intent of marriage."

My heart stopped.

Then it slammed against my ribs so hard I thought it might break through.

"I—" I started, but no other words came out.

Marriage. He was talking about marriage?

The breeze picked up, rustling through the trees overhead and sending a few leaves drifting down around us. One landed on Rowan’s shoulder, and he didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were fixed on me, waiting.

"I know you have feelings for Kael," he continued, his voice quiet but firm. "I am not asking you to abandon them. I am not asking you to choose either. Not yet."

He stepped closer, and I found myself rooted to the spot, unable to move.

"I only ask that you do not act as though I do not exist." His eyes held mine. "I am also your mate, Violet. Not just him."

The words echoed what he had said that night in the underground city.

I turned away sharply, unable to hold his gaze any longer. My heart was thrashing wildly in my chest, and I pressed a hand against it as if that might calm it down.

It didn’t.

"The others," I heard myself say. "Bei and Ana and Corin, they—"

I stopped.

Why had that been my first thought? Why had I jumped to them instead of Kael?

Guilt churned in my stomach.

I took a breath, steadying myself, and turned back to face Rowan.

"I won’t be here for long," I said, forcing my voice to stay even. "I still need to find where the pull is taking me. I can’t just—"

"I will go with you."

The words came out so simply. So matter-of-factly.

I stared at him.

"When you leave," Rowan continued, "I will accompany you. But for now, just hold on for a few months. Rest. Recover." He paused, and something in his expression softened. "And let me court you."

"The others—"

"We can be discreet," he said quietly. "They do not need to know. Not until you are ready."

He stepped closer, and the breeze stirred his hair again. This time, he didn’t brush it away. He looked more open than I had ever seen him. "I am only asking for a chance, Violet."

"I know you care about me." His jaw tightened, and pain flickered across his features. "I know you are fighting it, and I understand why."

My throat constricted.

Because he was right.

He was right, and we both knew it, and I had no answer to give him that wouldn’t sound like an excuse.

Kael and I had not gotten into any sort of commitment yet, but he cared about me—

’So does Rowan...’

I stood there, speechless, my heart pounding so loudly I was certain he could hear it.

The silence stretched between us. Then I slowly nodded.

His eyes softened, something like relief and hope and longing all tangled together in his gaze. And for a moment, he looked much younger.

I looked up at him, worried. "I am sorry if I—"

He stepped closer, and before I could process what was happening, he dipped down and pressed his lips to mine.