"Conflict. Duty..." Aedric said.
"You need to be more specific than that."
"Yes, of course. You deserve more than words like conflict and duty," Aedric laughed quietly.
He stepped closer to the river, but did not touch her.
"So here it is, plain. When my mate died, I believed my heart died with her," Aedric continued. "I swore I would never love again. I told myself my only purpose left was duty, to my pack, to my people, and to the crown."
He paused, looking down at her with a gentle, expression.
"Then the queen found me a wife, and I couldn't love her, no matter how hard I tried. You don't deserve that, Rell. You deserve the kind of pure, magic happiness I had with Araya before she died. A love without ghosts or lingering grief."
Rell stood frozen, her breath catching in her throat.
Aedric reached out, his thumb stroking her cheek.
