I kept my steps fluid and my posture rigid, refusing to let the trembling in my core manifest in my stride. I looked straight into his calculating eyes, anchoring myself before delivering a carefully calculated truth.
"Unfortunately, I don't know," I said, my voice smooth but carrying a deliberate touch of sorrow. "My mother ran away with me while she was pregnant, and I don't know my father. I grew up completely severed from that world."
Marcus's eyes narrowed slightly, the silver rings in his irises shifting as he weighed my words, trying to scent for a lie.
"I am still learning," I continued, keeping my chin high as we navigated a sweeping turn across the stone floor. "We are currently talking to a marsh witch named Eloise about getting a bloodline test done to find out where I come
