~ I wasn't sure what to say to Jooheon.

 In fact, I doubted there was anything I could say without sounding ridiculous. Somehow, telling him I was sorry for everything he'd been through seemed utterly contrived.

"Does anyone else know about this?" I asked softly.

"No one. To be honest I didn't know if you would even believe me. Does my past not surprise you?"

"To say I was surprised is an understatement, but I suppose that's why I find it easy to trust that you're telling me the truth."

Jooheon chuckled, though the sound was marred by his sorrow so much that it was barely recognizable as sound born of humor.

"I guess the part I don't understand is how no one in Fiore knows of your existence. One would think there would be a great deal of pomp and circumstance behind the birth of the next prince. For you to simply disappear would have been almost impossible, and I'm sure I'd have heard if Taehyung had an older brother who was presumed dead."

"I was 2 when Taehyung was born, too young to remember much of my life in Fiore, but old enough to be scarred by it. I barely saw my father, and I can recall that when we did meet.

However meeting my uncle, he never treated me the way a uncle should treat his own nephew.

His eyes were always full of thinly-veiled disgust, and I think that was the time I started to acknowledge that there was something wrong with me- something that made me strange in his eyes."

"But you weren't a wolf then? You were a human?" I wondered, finding it extremely unlikely that the Queen had given birth to an animal.

Still, asking the question felt awkward, especially if it made him recall unpleasant memories.

"I think so. In my memory I can see flashes of skin, of feet and hands, though the images aren't clear. I wasn't allowed out of doors, but even confined to my chambers I used to go out on the balcony and clamor up the railing to look over the edge of the wall. Each time I did though, my mother would run out screaming and pull me down. I think even then that she knew something was wrong with me. When she grew pregnant with my brother she began to ignore me virtually altogether, and I was left alone."

I thought about the most appropriate thing to say back to him. I had never had the experience of being neglected, and compared to the way Jooheon had been raised in Fiore, I couldn't blame him for hating it either.

"But how did you end up here?" I wondered, as he had left that part out of his telling. His eyes scrunched up, like he was seeing his memories play out in front of him.

"It was dark and cold. I could hear Taehyung crying from the next room. My uncle picked me up and carried me through the castle, covering my mouth with his hands so I couldn't cry out. We went down for what felt like ages until he left me outside to fend for myself."

My heart clenched with sympathy for him. The Duke, in our limited encounters, hardly seemed like the sort of man to treat anyone so cruelly let alone his own nephew. I was upset at myself for having misjudged him so. I had always felt that I was an impeccable judge of character, although lately I found myself wanting on two accounts.

"I think it was then that I became what I am now. I remember being confused, and most of all hungry. But that was when the Aryan's found me, and I've been with them ever since," he finished rather matter-of-factly, as if he was trying to convince himself that the pain he had been feeling before was nothing more than a lapse of momentary weakness.

 I wished he would stop trying to be strong, if only for a moment.

"And you've never told Talia, or her mother?"

"How could I tell them I was the nephew of their greatest enemy? Even though I know they wouldn't have cast me aside I didn't want to cause any mistrust between us."

I wondered if Jooheon felt relieved to finally share this with someone after so many years, and also why he would choose to share it with me. We didn't exactly have the best rapport with one another, and yet despite all of that I knew I was the only one able to understand where he had come from.

I wouldn't hate him for his background, since it was one that we shared.

"You said that you went down to go to the wilds. Is there an entrance in the Duke's own home?"

"Perhaps, though I can't be certain. If not in the same way, then how did you and your father come to be here?" He wondered.

"We had to break through one of the trade corridors. Taehyung helped me break down the same wall my father used."

"I see. Then he's kept it a secret from everyone then hasn't he? Our family's curse- or at least my curse. I think he would do anything to keep the secret, and for all of the years I've had to think on the subject, the more I believe that I am not the first child that this has happened to. Who knows how long this curse has been going on, and I worry that soon Taehyung and his unfortunate child will share the same fate."

I couldn't stand the thought of Taehyung doing the same thing his uncle had to a child, and I wondered if enough time had passed he would have developed that same callous attitude that the Duke undoubtedly had towards his actions.

"Maybe if you tell your brother the truth you can stop it from happening again," I offered. I wanted to try my best to be useful l to him, even though I was positive that there was little I could do to help him deal with the pain he must have been feeling.

It was clear that he didn't think that my idea was overly helpful as he chuffed indignantly.

"Or he won't believe me. He has no reason to trust me over the uncle who raised him."

He made a good point, especially since Jooheon hadn't been overly friendly towards his brother during their brief acquaintance.

The wolf looked heavy, as if the burden of his past was weighing him down so much he could barely move.

 He looked into the pool of water below us, and seemed distracted by his reflection for a moment- almost as if he was trying to remember a time when a wolf was not what he saw when he looked at himself.

 It was apparent that the sight of himself made him grow angry, so before he got upset with me again I decided to speak.

"You must be tired Jooheon. Why don't you rest for now? Your problems will still be there for you to muse over in the morning, and perhaps some sleep will help you look at them in a new light," I said while awkwardly his snout in an attempt to seem sympathetic.

He looked at me, fatigue evident in his eyes.

"You are an unusual girl, Rose," he whispered softly.

I laughed a little at that, considering it wasn't the first time someone had told me so.

"And you are an unusual wolf, so together we make a fine pair. I promise you I will do everything in my power to help you uncover the truth behind your curse, and what happened to my father. Tomorrow we can even help Taehyung return to Fiore before the Duke learns he's come here so that he'll be safe. Everything will be alright, and although I can understand why it's difficult for you, please try and put your trust in me."

 I smiled as warmly as I could, but I was feeling very tired myself so it probably looked quite foolish at the effort.

I struggled to get to my feet. I had been so comfortable on the ground that the very idea of walking back to the small cottage was exhausting. It was so gentle it could have been the wind, but I was certain it was Jooheon's voice. It was as if the words he'd left unspoken in his heart were so strong they had called out to me on their own- words that someone who acted as strong as Jooheon did could never speak aloud.

"Please don't go."

I wasn't sure what I should do then.

Should I pretend I hadn't heard anything?

The likelihood that I hadn't was strong to begin with, so I doubted I could be blamed for ignoring such a heartfelt plea if I acted like I'd never realized it had been said.

 The fact of the matter was that although we seemed to be getting along rather well of late, Jooheon still frightened me a little- and now, knowing his past, made me even more ill at ease.

"You know I'm a little too tired to make it back to the cottage. Do you think I'll be able to stay here t