Rowan dropped the goblet in his hand, deciding to go over to where his cousins stood.
"Howdy," he muttered.
Callum had just left their midst. His cousins turned.
"Rowan!" Erwin smiled.
Nadia gave him a hug. "Great to see you" She smelt like pine needles.
"How's it going?"
"Great" He smiled in a line, nodding. "Uhh, having a good time?" That was all he could manage. Wasn't much of a conversationalist.
"Yup, but I was wondering…Where is she?" Erwin took a sip of his drink.
"Who?"
"Lucian's mate. The Luna?"
"Oh-Uhh" He laughed nervously. "I haven't met her myself."
"Hm" He shared a look with his sister. Another sip. "It's a strange thing"
"It is" Rowan nodded. An awkward silence settled in. He should say something else, keep the conversation going. But he had nothing to say. What else was there to say? Also, he wasn't really in the mood for Erwin's company anyway.
"Uh…Lucian's at the artillery range" He offered. "That his favourite spot…Callum too"
"Oh never mind the bastard"
"Pretty sure he doesn't wanna see US" Nadia chimed in.
"Oh…Well, I'll just go now"
"You can check Floyd at the attic"
"Huh?"
"Floyd. I don't know, he has a thing for attics"
Rowan chuckled. "Okay" And that was his cue to escape Erwin.
The Moon Lit Ritual sure was noisy enough. And the cousins just made it worse. Erwin couldn't take the time to shut up. His mouth was always in somebody's business, remarking, commending, criticising. He had this constant need to voice his opinions even when no one asked. It made Rowan sick. The entire gathering made him sick.
He didn't want to be compelled to meet and greet anymore, so he slipped out the exit.
And speaking of the attic, he'd left his pencils there last night. He'd been unable to sleep, so he marched up to the attic with his sketchbook and a few pencils tucked under his arm. On the ground, he'd sat under the glow of the candlelight, pencil scuffing as it scrawled endlessly across the page. By morning, he'd opened his eyes to a rough sketch of a mountain range.
He twisted the attic door handle, surprised to find it unlocked. Pushing it open, he instantly regretted it. He merely caught his jaw from falling.
By the window, Callum had Selena pressed against the wall. Her legs wrapped around him. Their mouths danced in a feverish kiss. Rowan's eyes widened.
Lucian's mate? The Luna? There was no way.
Selena shoved Callum back. He held his face from squeezing at the at sound of their lips as they tore away. Callum staggered back. He cleared his throat helplessly, while Selena scrambled to arrange her dress.
Why was he still standing there? He wasn't sure. Shock, maybe?
"Ugh…don't worry, I'll leave now, Sorry to interrupt" He made a thinking face."I just wanted to get my pencils, actually. But you know what? Carry on"
"I promise, I didn't see anything" He whispered, and gave them a smile, pulling the door back to his face. Carefully, and mildly awkward. Perhaps it would sting less if he did it carefully.
He needed the solitude of the library. Might pick up a book and read. Last time, he was immersed in a certain book about Vampires.
He shouldn't have spent another second there. Just stood there staring. Why was he so awkward?
He easily found the book at the top row of the shelf. Pulling out the book, he could see a blond haired someone on the other side, with his head bent over a book. Floyd.
His shoes thumped against the wooden floor.
"Oh hey." Floyd gave a lazy nudge of his chin. "Rowan, is it?"
Rowan frowned. "We met three months ago."
Floyd plucked another book from the shelf. He licked his finger and turned another page like he had all the time in the world. "Did we?" He didn't even look up. "Don't think we've met."
"You can't be serious."
He looked up from the book. A lock of blond hair fell over his face. "First off, your humour's dead. Second–" he snapped the book shut, dust puffing off the spine–"I'm surprised you even talk."
Rowan crossed his arms. "What, just cause I'm not Erwin?" Rowan muttered.
Floyd snorted, "Yeah, dude never shuts up" he slid the book back into place.
"What book are you even looking for?"
Floyd ignored the question, dropped into a chair, and fanned the pages of another book like a deck of cards. "You should be at the feast. I'm not here to chat."
Rowan raised a brow. "Could say the same for you."
"I don't do crowds."
"Understandable."
Floyd finally looked up. "Also… what the hell happened to your brother's face?"
Rowan's mouth flattened. "He got into a fight with Lucian."
Floyd winced. "Yeah, it hurts to look at. Your brothers haven't changed a day."
"It's a touchy subject."
Floyd tilted his head. "A girl?"
Rowan hesitated. "…My brother's mate."
"Yeah?"
"She's Callum's girlfriend."
Floyd blinked, then gave a low laugh. "Biggest plot twist. Bravo, Moon Goddess." He leaned forward, tapping Rowan's book. "What you got there?"
"Vampires."
"Really?" He raised a brow. "You should be reading up on your own bloodline. The Moonglade, the Bloodfangs… that stuff."
Rowan narrowed his eyes. "The Bloodfangs?"
Floyd didn't look up from his book. "Mhm."
Rowan's chest tightened. "What do you mean?" Rowan's words edged with panic, curiosity piqued. "We're not even allowed to say that name."
Floyd leaned back in the chair, flipping the book open again. Rowan really needed to stop asking him stupid questions. His looked at Rowan carefully. "You don't know your mom's bloodline?"
Rowan's heartbeat accelerated. "That's… that's not funny."
"Wasn't trying to be funny"
What was Floyd on about? The Bloodfangs were the pack's sworn enemies. And his mother, rarely spoken about. Like some sickness in the air. What did she have to do with that?. "But the Blood fangs…they're monsters–murderers"
Floyd studied him for a while, then exhaled through his nose in a loud sigh. "Figures. They'd rather let you wander blind than choke on the truth."
His mouth opened and shut again.
"Nope. Don't even think about it," Floyd told him.
And he left him with that–his racing thoughts and questions piled up in his chest.