The Demon Wolf

Chapter 15

When Kevin woke up, it was to Evan pulling himself away and out of his arms. Kevin's hold tightened on instinct and he grumbled his vague discontent.

The swelling ache in his heart felt sweet.

"You have to let me go eventually."

"Just a bit more," he whispered the into the other man's ear and kissed it. "I love you so much, sorry I tired you out yesterday.

"Kevin don't tease me first thing in the morning "the other man said, his breath hot on Kevin's neck, but he couldn't seem to summon up anything else, just clung to his mate.

"I love you," Kevin said.

"Me too Kevin but-"

Even Evan didn't know what he wanted to say. That was okay. It didn't matter anyways. Whatever he said or thought couldn't hold a candle to the euphoria he felt as Kevin ran his hands through white hair.

"You're my mate. That means you're enough just as you are. And you can always talk if something is bothering you"

And Evan cried. All the confusion, frustration, fear, and love was overwhelming him. He shook as Kevin pulled him to his and muttered sweet words in his ears.

And maybe minutes, maybe hours later, when Evan was out of tears, he tried to pull back. Kevin didn't let him go far, cradled the pale face, blotchy from tears, between his hands and brushed the salty liquid away with his calloused thumbs as he looked directly into the beautiful red eyes that stared back at his, wide and scared in a way that made Kevin want to burn down the world to make that look go away.

He smiled instead, and rested his forehead against Evan's
Kevin kissed him and felt the other man laugh

"Kevin," the other voice said with a quiet warning but amused"Stop. We need to get up."

"No,"Kevin mumbled again, felt the aching sweetness again, and couldn't help but plant a kiss on Evan's forehead.

Kevin decided then and there that this was the only kind of pain he ever wanted to feel from his mate. The kind where his heart felt to big for his chest for all the right reasons. Even as the words made him smile, the feeling made him melt.

But Kevin had to speak now as much as he hates it. It was now or never

He told Evan about the constant ache in his heart. And Evan looked at him in shock and Shame.

"I am sorry you had to go through that because of me" He kept on apologizing.

"Don't apologize ever love, but I would like to know about everything about you?" When did you know I was your mate? Kevin asked earnestly

Evan didn't answer for a moment, just rolled in Kevin's arms to face him, to rise up on one elbow and face the man who he'd loved for years from just out of reach. His face was unreadable in a way it rarely was anymore.

"I wasn't trying to kill him that day, but he was attacking me I couldn't stop," Evan confessed, but Kevin just felt confused. It must have shown on his face, because Evan swallowed, grimaced, and clarified. "Steven. That day."

Whatever his face did, it was clearly everything Evan had expected and feared. The ache was back, burning cold in Kevin's lungs, and Evan pulled back. Untangled them. Broke every bit of contact between them as he sat up, rolled over and sat with his back to Kevin, his knees drawn up.

He actually felt ashamed. Kevin felt his own horror rise, and hoped for one brief moment, that Evan wouldn't feel it and misunderstand.

No such luck. The pale shoulders hunched, hitched as he said, "I had always smelt you on my brother. And I had known since the first time I saw you on the battlefield two years back. I couldn't do that to you. Only monsters hurt their mate and you- I know what I am, but I just wanted-"

He didn't finish. Just buried his face in a hand, and muttered, "I'm sorry. I'm not-"

But Kevin had heard enough. He sat up himself and rose onto his knees behind Evan. The other man tensed as Kevin draped his whole body over his back.

"You are not a monster" Kevin kissed his temple his neck, "It was war, I can understand babe"

Kevin planted one last kiss in his ear thankfully before drawing the shell-shocked Evan back to the center of the bed. He laid him down there, his white hair splayed on the pillow as Kevin leaned over him and looked down on the only man he could ever imagine loving.

" I love you " he kissed him.

"And I have never been more grateful for anything in my life."he kissed him again.

Finally, finally, he felt his mate believe him.

That was the start. And after that Kevin learned what had been going on the entirety of the other man's existence. He kept quiet and listened as his mate described each experience. His mother's death. His friends backstabbing him.

Evan told him about the stares and murmurs about him being a demon. Hurting as he relieved each incident

Kevin couldn't help but notice how careless word from someone, could tear Evan apart.

Kevin had to helplessly listen to Evan how he had turn down invitations to his own Pack's gathering for fear of making others uncomfortable. And how he had noticed as the inviter, who had clearly only done so because Evan was too important to ignore, actually look relieved.

Later, Kevin viciously promised. Later, he would hit Celine and Devon for not noticing how hurt their brother was.

As Evan whispered secrets he'd carried his whole life into Kevins Ears

"Babe you don't have to tell me if it's hurting so much" Kevin whispered to him.

Evan huddled under his arm, against Kevin's own chest, the words ghosted, heard but unseen, away and into the dark, even as Kevin held him tighter. Kevin wasn't sure whose pain was whose as Evan clung to him just as tightly.

"Its okat. It's all in the past now" Evan said, and Kevin felt all of his words tie in knots as he remembered how young he was when he'd felt Evan's first pain.

How much he'd been hurt.

Every word spoken carelessly had put this man through so much suffering.

If there was one thing Kevin was good at, it was hating. It hated his mates pack and wanted to annihilate each and everyone. But what else can he do. He himself was one of them. Unintentionally hurting his most important person. But he couldn't say that to Evan. He felt guilt and wanted nothing but to ask for forgiveness. But he couldn't not with the fear of Evan leaving him.

Instead, he coaxed his mate up, held the head just inches above his own as Evan came willingly, and said, again, because he could never say it enough.

"I love you, and I am so grateful to have you in my life. I love you Evan"