A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing-Chapter 637 - - A mother’s suspicion

Eventually, the mother and son separated again. Gently, Erik extended his hand to wipe his mother's tears away, but Runa rolled her eyes and slapped his hand away.

"Don't start treating me like some defenseless flower now, you hear?!" she scolded him with a soft chuckle. Grinning defiantly, she wiped her face with the sleeve of her cropped shirt.

Erik laughed joyously, feeling more carefree than he'd been in a long time. "Sorry, Mom. Call it a reflex!"

Amused and done wiping her face, Runa looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Wiping the tears of a woman's cheek is a reflex to you? How many times have you made a woman cry?!"

Laughing, Erik threw his hands up in surrender. "Only a few times, your honour! I swear!" His mother joined him in laughter, and within moments, the heavy mood dissolved.

Slowly, a little awkwardly, after what just happened, Runa went back to fixing Erik's outfit. Naturally, he simply stood there and let her fuss over him.

"By the way," she suddenly started, glancing at him curiously. "Why has Elora suddenly started calling you Master? I didn't think you had that kind of relationship…?"

"Hehehe," Erik chuckled smugly, a devious smirk playing on his lips. "We don't, not really. We just do an occasional bet between us, and the traditional stakes are for her to call me Master, or for me to call her Mistress. She lost a few days ago."

"Oh?" Runa answered, raising an eyebrow curiously. "I definitely approve of the equal stakes. Who lost the last bet?"

Erik shrugged indifferently. "Elora as well. Why?"

Runa's interest increased as she raised both eyebrows, and her hands stopped fussing over his outfit. "What about before that?"

Erik shortly opened his mouth to answer… but then frowned and closed it again.

His mother crossed her arms in front of her chest and smirked at him. "I'm starting to see a pattern here, Silvy. When was the last time you lost one of these bets? And who's the one who usually suggests them?"

The corners of his mouth twitched as her meaning dawned on him. "I'm not surprised she's been using those bets to her advantage, but if you're suggesting that she enjoys calling me Master, I highly doubt that…"

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Scoffing, Runa raised one hand from her chest to wave it dismissively. "I'm not suggesting that at all. From what little I've seen of her, I think you're right."

She narrowed her eyes with a hint of suspicion and worry.

"What I'm suggesting is that she's been using this system to manipulate you into doing what she wants!" she exclaimed, becoming a little more animated with every word. "She allowed you to lose a few times to normalize it, make you crave winning more, and now she uses it to influence your decisions! She probably wants what you bet on, rather than the opposite!"

Erik blinked in surprise. He'd not expected such a sudden outburst from her. After she first woke up, Runa had expressed her suspicion of any women in Erik's life because of Edda's betrayal in the past, but he hadn't noticed much of it lately. Perhaps it'd simply been simmering under the surface…

Slowly, a mysterious smile spread on Erik's lips. "You're absolutely right, Mom," he chuckled, looking straight at her surprised expression. "I'm not sure it's the reason she started the betting system, but I don't doubt she actually wanted me to win in the most recent bets."

Runa frowned. "What are you—" But then she noticed the playful twinkle in her son's eyes, and realization dawned. Instantly, she rolled her eyes and started smirking. "Oookay, enough said."

Erik chuckled, but Runa quickly narrowed her eyes again. "Even if that is the case, though, you need to be careful! Just because it seems harmless, doesn't mean it is!"

Erik smiled at his worried mother. He'd prefer if she weren't so suspicious of his wives, but he couldn't very well blame her for it. She loved him, and she'd already lost one loved one because of betrayal.

"I'll be careful, Mom," he smiled, before pulling her into a comforting hug. "But Elora and I love each other, alright? I promise things will be fine. Even if she occasionally lets her worst impulses get the better of her, I know she always acts with the best of intentions towards me."

Runa pouted, but still accepted his hug and responded to it. "Hmpf… fine!" she grumbled while accepting his comfort. "Just promise you'll be careful, alright?"

Erik nodded. "Okay, Mom. I promise," he smiled gently.

He truly didn't believe he needed to be careful with Elora, and he certainly didn't plan on distrusting her. But… telling his mother that would only make her worry needlessly.

Who knew whether he'd still think the same way after discovering Elora truly had underlying motives with their last bet… beyond the obvious. But that revelation would have to wait a while.

As they lingered in each other's embrace, the door suddenly opened and Leila entered. "Oh!" she exclaimed when she saw them. With a wry smirk, she turned around again. "I figured you'd be done by now, but I'll wait a little longer…"

"Hehe, hold on, hold on!" Runa chuckled while disentangling herself from Erik's arms. "Come back. We're done, and we still need to finish preparing Silvy for the ceremony."

Leila turned around and rolled her eyes. "Phew! Honestly, Runa," she continued with an amused, teasing grin. "I didn't think you'd be such an emotional woman!"

Instantly, Runa narrowed her eyes threateningly. "Say that again, and I'll show you just how emotional I can get!"

"Oooh, scary!" Leila grinned, seemingly not intimidated. "We both know you're stronger than me, but you love me too much to beat me up!"

"Hmpf," Runa scoffed, before turning around to face her son again. "I like you just fine…"

Erik smiled softly. He could see his mother truly cared for Leila, and that made him glad. She could use friends, and she certainly deserved them. He just hoped she wasn't treating Leila with the same suspicion as she apparently held for his wives…

"Hehehe," Leila chuckled with playful smugness and bounced their way.

"By the way," she then asked when she reached them, an eyebrow raised curiously. "Do either of you know what's wrong with my brother? I just ran into him while waiting for you, and he seemed a little sullen. He was gone before I could ask him, though."

She glanced at Erik strangely. "I know it's his daughter's wedding day, but I thought he'd accepted your union by now?"

A little confused, but not particularly worried, Erik shrugged. "So did I?"

Meanwhile, Runa provided the answer with a wry smirk. "I believe I can answer that… I gave him a definitive answer regarding his interest in me… and it wasn't what he hoped for."