Cursed Lycan's Scarred Mate
Chapter 119: Planting a seed in the mind

Chapter 119: Planting a seed in the mind

The young coven master shook his head out of his thoughts, deciding to focus on the matter at hand. He couldn’t delay his plans for much longer since Rowan was in a critical situation.

"For now, rest," Orion advised the Ashenhold Coven Master. "I must speak with Mrs. Wolfsbane. I’m very certain that Lady Morgana will choose execution and if there’s anyone who could prevent that, it must be Mrs. Wolfsbane."

"And why is that?" Lord Eldric raised a brow, intrigued. "I do not think she has any authority here."

"The dear Lycan duke is head over heels for his mate. Undoubtedly, he will demand to have the right to decree what punishment Rowan should receive. He will choose the same as Lady Morgana and only his mate can make him see reason," Orion explained and Lord Eldric nodded with understanding.

And a moment later, the older man gently clasped Orion behind his neck, his eyes reflecting concern.

"Do not do anything reckless, Orion," he warned, his brows furrowing. "We will deal with this together and find a way to prove Rowan’s innocence if that is the case. Do you understand?"

The tone in Lord Eldric’s voice was rather commanding and left no room for defiance.

Somehow being scolded by him wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

"Yes," Orion said somewhat obediently, followed by a chuckle. "What will you do if I don’t listen?" He teased, the corner of his mouth hooking into a smirk. "Punish me?"

Lord Eldric’s gaze smouldered almost darkly and unexpectedly, he gripped Orion’s chin.

"Punishment is too good for you. I’m very sure you would find it more rewarding than punishing." It was Lord Eldric’s turn to flash an arrogant smirk and Orion quickly rose to his feet.

Orion cleared his throat before speaking again, "Take care, Lord Eldric. I will be back soon." With that being said, he left abruptly.

And Lord Eldric wondered if he’d overstepped his bounds.

But that moment brought Orion to the current situation, where he interrupted Vivian and Ronan’s intimate session.

The Lycan Alpha wasn’t exactly pleased with the intrusion. He stood up from the bed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What do you need with my mate?" Ronan demanded to know, averse to the idea of leaving Vivian by herself with anyone but himself. "Whatever it is, I’m certain you can discuss it in my presence."

Vivian could sense and recognise the subtle urgency in Orion’s eyes. She didn’t know what matters the young coven master could possibly have wanted to discuss with her since they weren’t even acquainted, but she had a feeling that she shouldn’t turn him away either.

She gently touched Ronan’s arm and immediately his expression softened when he looked down at her.

"It’s alright, my Lord," Vivian said, squeezing his arm with reassurance. "I don’t believe Lord Orion has any ill intentions so would you please allow us a moment to speak?"

Ronan was reluctant.

Nothing good ever came from leaving Vivian alone, but he refused to be the same as those controlling Alphas who kept their mates suffocated and caged behind authority.

Vivian should have her own free will.

The Lycan Alpha breathed a heavy, somewhat exasperated sigh.

"Fifteen minutes. I will leave you alone with her for that much time before I return," Ronan conceded, bending down to kiss Vivian’s forehead. "Scream for me if you need me."

"Alright, big bad Lycan," Vivian teased with a chuckle and tapped a finger on her cheek, demanding a kiss there, which Ronan readily gave her before he shortly took his leave.

Orion was somewhat surprised to see such an affectionate exchange between an Alpha and his Omega but he reckoned that the sight was quite heartwarming.

Vivian stood up and sat by the window of the infirmary, absentmindedly tracing her fingers along the wooden pane. The moonlight radiating from the night sky pooled around her, bringing an almost shimmering appearance to her silver hair.

Orion, who didn’t speak just yet, seated himself on the edge of one of the infirmary beds in silence.

Vivian had been trying to make sense of the events that unfolded—events that she wasn’t entirely privy to but which undoubtedly brought conflict. She’d heard much about the situation with Rowan and didn’t know what to make of it.

"Forgive me for intruding at such a late hour, Mrs. Wolfsbane," Orion apologised, crossing one leg over the other with his arms delicately folded just below his chest. "I was concerned about your health after the failure of the binding ritual."

Vivian half-turned to look at him, trying to understand what kind of person the young coven master was. She admitted before that she admired his sense of fashion but that wasn’t enough to discern his personality.

Under Ronan’s influence, she knew she had to be wary of anyone.

Vivian simply shook her head with a smile.

"It’s alright. Thank you for your concern, but I don’t think that’s the only reason you are here, is it?"

It would be strange for the young coven master to simply be there on a courtesy visit when he specifically wanted to speak to her alone.

Orion chuckled to himself, commending her for her sharp intuition.

"Perhaps not."

Orion stood up, sauntering over to the same window just a few feet across from Vivian. He opened them to allow the cool night breeze to sway in, leaning against the wall next to the glass.

"I am sure you have many questions, Mrs. Wolfsbane," Orion said, his gaze following the first dusting of snowflakes falling from the sky, a sign that winter was close. "Perhaps I could offer you clarity of mind."

Vivian eyed him suspiciously, but she decided she would see where the conversation would lead them.

"That is a kind thought," Vivian said, leaning close to the open window to inhale the fresh scent of snow outside. "But clarity about what exactly?"

Orion smiled faintly in a way that was meant to be warm. He gestured to the part of the window pane just a few inches away from her.

"May I?" He asked politely and Vivian nodded.

Orion sat down, folding his hands neatly on his lap. For a moment, he was silent as though he were collecting his thoughts from earlier.

"You must feel as though you’ve been hurled into a storm, Mrs. Wolfsbane. The situation with the binding ritual has put you in a position where you’re expected to navigate murky waters you’re unfamiliar with."

Vivian blinked questioningly at the poetic phrasing, wondering why Orion was speaking in a roundabout way.

Though perhaps he wasn’t entirely wrong.

After the binding ritual failure, she had no direction of what she should be doing. She’d never been in such a helpless situation other than when she was captured by Alaric and had her fate changed forever.

What exactly was Orion getting at?

Orion’s gaze shifted back to her, his eyes showing signs of tension.

"There are those who make decisions hastily based on limited information, especially in situations like these. But I’ve always believed that even the most tangled threads can be unravelled with enough patience."

Well, he was certainly testing her patience by not being direct and straight to the point.

Vivian’s brows furrowed slightly and she pressed her lips together before speaking.

"Patience? Are you referring to the decision that Lady Morgana made regarding Rowan’s punishment?"

"Exactly," Orion said, pleased that she was smart enough to catch onto his meaning. "And haste has a way of clouding judgement, doesn’t it? Imagine a garden—if we rush to uproot a plant at the first sign of decay, we might never realise it simply needed tending."

Vivian considered his words more seriously than before.

"So you are implying that Lady Morgana and Soran are rushing into this without thinking it through and investigating more about what happened?"

"I’m suggesting," Orion replied with another smile, "that understanding requires time. I know little of Rowan myself, but... from what I’ve heard, he seems to be someone gentle, someone who wouldn’t harm a flower, let alone another living being." He paused, reaching out to catch snowflakes in the middle of his palm. "Doesn’t it seem strange that someone of such a nature could be capable of the things he’s accused of?"

The statement settled deep into Vivian’s mind.

It reminded her very much of the injustices that were done to her by her own pack and family.

Vivian sighed heavily. There was much on her mind and while she could understand Rowan’s circumstances, who was she to make any decision regarding who was the perpetrator and who wasn’t?

What grounds did she have to say anything?