>>Clio
Learning about his past, about the hardships he endured as a child, hit me like a ton of bricks. There was this initial disbelief, a sense of shock that someone I cared for so deeply had shouldered such pain silently. It was like discovering a hidden chapter in the book of his life that he hadn't intended to reveal. Yet he opened that page for me.
Only for me,
As the reality settled in, empathy flooded over me. I wanted to understand his experiences, share in his pain, and be a source of support. It was heartbreaking but I don't think I could ever really fully understand his feelings.
No matter how fucked up my life was, I had a very loving family. I had a base, people who wanted to protect me but he didn't.
How cruel the world was to him from the beginning.
"I had passed out the moment I was thrown in the forest, and somehow I still didn't die. I was out for days but maybe because my body was used to being starved, I managed to survive." He paused, "Or maybe it wasn't that, I was out for weeks. It shouldn't have been possible for me to be alive. Being a kid and getting beaten with a silver laced whip is a death sentence."
Tears slipped down my cheeks as I continued to listen to him but I made sure not to make a sound. He was so busy telling his story that he didn't even notice my silent tears, "When I woke up, I was in the hospital of a human city. I don't know how or who brought me there. Or why even." He let out a sigh, his eyes distant, lonely, alone and broken, "I have no clue how I survived-" He finally turned to look at me and paused, "Clio?" He wasn't sure what to do when he saw me. He just stiffened up.
He turned his body towards me and I sniffled, "Nothing's wrong," I shook my hands, "I'm just," I sniffled again and wiped my tears away, "God!" I let out a gasp, "That bitch Ruila,"
His lips curled up into a smirk, "Don't worry, she's dead."
!!!
"Wait, really?!"
His hand reached out for my cheek, "Yes," And he swiped his fingers across, drying my cheek, "She died a pretty brutal death…" His gaze wandered.
"Well," I nodded, "She got her karma!"
He smiled, but didn't reply to that. His reaction was a little off, "Karma…" He whispered the word. It was as if he was thinking that it wasn't karma.
It got me thinking if he had anything to do with it.
"Did you ever go back?" I asked, "To your father or anyone related to his pack?"
He shook his head, "No," He replied, "The need never arrived." He let out a subtle chuckle, "The pack fell."
"It fell?" I was confused, "How?"
"Well, Ruila died, her son was devastated and ran away and my father lost his mind."
"He lost his mind?"
"Losing your mate isn't easy. If a wolf has marked their mate and has spent years with them, they become connected, even more so when they have kids together. Losing a mate then can break the mind of any powerful wolf."
"Oh…" My heart skipped a beat.
I know it's not the time to be thinking about things like these but if I'm his mate and losing a mate can be devastating, he won't ever be ever leaving me, right?
I pursed my lips together
I should be ashamed of myself. I can't believe I'm thinking about that when I haven't even told him I like him.
I cleared my throat, "So, what about the rest of your scars?"
"The prominent ones are the ones Ruila gave me in the dungeon, the rest are what I got over the years. Because I grew up in the streets, having to steal food, and working odd jobs for the thugs would always land me in danger."
Oh…
He stole? Each new piece of information would kill a little part of me inside. No one can look at Matthew and tell how bad his life was.
"You worked under thugs?" I was concerned but he didn't mind it.
"I told you that the underworld took me when I was a kid right?" I nodded my head slowly at his question, "So it's a given I worked odd jobs for them."
My gaze dropped and I quieted down. For a moment, there was silence between us and I thought about his words. I thought till a previous statement popped in my head.
"You mentioned that you killed when you were a kid,"
…
He didn't answer immediately but did reply
"I did,"
"Why?" I asked, "Was it-" I paused, I was a little afraid to say the word but at this point, I might as well just ask, "Intentional?"
"It was," He answered, "I wanted to protect someone," He didn't specify who and how, so I'm guessing maybe he doesn't want to give detail about that
But the fact that he admitted to murdering someone didn't sit well with me. Nothing he said sat well with me. There was a lot of darkness around Matthew, and that is perhaps the reason why I haven't admitted it out loud that I'm falling in love with him.
That part of him still scares me.
And I wonder, can I keep up with him? Would I be able to?
Silence shrouded us and negative words surrounded my mind.
He was clearly the product of his environment. Forced into this kind of life and made the best out of it. I glanced at him. Well, he must have made the best out of it considering he's the CEO of a company now.
I looked down again.
A killer… A mafian man, someone with a lot of enemies.
"Say," I asked, "The person you killed as a kid, was that a bad person too?" I know he mentioned that people die in the underworld all the time and that it doesn't matter since they're all criminals.
But someone he killed as a kid… What was that story? Can I ask him? Maybe later, when I feel like he's ready to answer me. But I'm asking this for myself, because I want some sort of reassurance.
"Well," His eyes got lost again, "Not a criminal like the rest of us bastards in the underworld." I looked at him, "But an abuser similar to Ruila."
"Oh…" Man, I can't even say anything. When he told me his story, I wanted to kill Ruila myself. That bitch! I'm sure the other person deserved it too!
I shook my head.
Let's change the subject
"You were abandoned because you weren't from your father's mate?" I was a little confused, "But from a human?"
"Yes, all children conceived from someone else other than a mate are bastards. It's the same concept as how humans have kids outside marriages. The worst kinds come from humans, considered even lower than ones coming from wolves.'
"So," I felt bad, my heart felt like someone had it in his fist, "A child from a human is considered bad?" I was just on cloud nine thinking about us a moment ago and then this statement hit me.
He paused, looked into my eyes and I was sure my pupils were shaking.
"No," He answered, instantly taking a weight off of my chest, "A child from anyone other than a mate is bad." He held my hands, "A child from a mate, whether it is human, is a blessing."
I know I shouldn't be asking about it. But I can't help myself.
My heartbeat got louder. Well, of course, I was worried. But he did say I was his mate. So maybe I can do something and clear the confusion that I have.
"So, if," I licked my lips, "I'm just asking in case," I felt like my chest was going to burst open. That's how nervous I was, "If you, a wolf, has a family with me," My words made his ears twitch.
!!
It was like how animal ears twitch when they hear something they like.
"Mmmhmm," His eyes flashed a different color for a second and I knew I had seen it before. I guess that's a wolf thing.
"It won't be anything bad?" I felt so shy asking that but I'm glad I got it out!
"No," He gave me an immediate reply, "You are my mate, if we have a family, it would be a perfect family." My heart fell, it dropped, but not in a bad or ominous way. It dropped, making me feel so giddy, I had to purse my lips in order to keep myself from smiling.
"Clio," He flashed me a toothy smirk and I saw how sharp his canines were, "I would love to have pups with you."
Pups!?!?
Is that what werewolves call their children? OH MY GOD!!
What the hell!!
That sounds so CUTE!!!!!
The moment he expressed that with me, a whirlwind of emotions surged through my heart. There was an immediate warmth, a sense of joy at the idea of creating a family together.
The video literally played in my head. An imaginary video. Of me, him and our three kids! He mentioned that werewolves live in forests, so I saw us living in a house with vast fields and thick forest in the distance.
My cheeks flushed a little and my mind raced. His words made me fly on cloud nine once again and I felt like if I thought about it more I was going to expose myself and how much I liked the idea.
I cleared my throat and thought about something else. The first thing that came to mind, I said it.
"Come to think of it, the director isn't here?" I made the statement then remembered I already asked that before, so I extended the question, "It's the first time I've seen a CEO and director live together. Never heard of that before." I let out a subtle chuckle.
Matthew smiled at me as he answered, "That's because we're brothers"