The Pack Thief

22

Willow's POV

The presence of my creeping anger took solace in the room that Cyrus and I were in. Though it was only us in the room I'd attempted to seclude myself in, the room felt crowded. Too crowded. Like there was no room to breathe, no room to speak. No room to do anything other than to wallow in my own self-fury.

I was beyond furious at Celeste, at the way she treated me. But more so at my own mate for allowing his sister to beat and belittle me in such a manner. Did he think that she was helping? Did he think that she was actually teaching me any useful survival skills?

He was a fool if he did.

Being around him did nothing to soothe the rage that cracked me in two. In fact, it amplified every single sliver of it until anger was all I could see, all I could hear. And I needed him to leave me alone, needed him to allow me to cool off. There were things that I was just itching to say, things that would be sure to backfire. Things that were better left unsaid.

But his presence, his voice was sure to bring the hurtful words that I wanted to say, to life.

I wanted him gone. It was the only thing that would keep me from unwinding.

He didn't leave me alone though. Cyrus stood opposite of me, face soft and perfect.

"Would you like to tell me what went on between you two?" He asked with a voice that was serene and calm. It made my skin crawl. I so desperately wanted to scream at him. Instead I said,

"No."

Please accept it, I thought to myself. Cyrus, my wonderful mate, needed to leave. He needed to give me space so that I could collect myself. My own self control was slipping through my finger tips.

"I need to know what my beta said to you, so that I can correct her behavior."

"She's your sister," I retorted, "You're not going to correct anything."

My temper was rising. Cyrus's face remained unchanged, though against the bond, a layer of frustration had begun to wedge itself in-between.

"And you are my mate," Cyrus responded with unwavering calmness, "Your comfort and happiness is my absolute goal."

My comfort and my happiness...

Did he know that I was anything but happy? The entire time I had been here, my own mind had been eating me alive, consuming me with feelings of guilt and self-hatred. And comfort...Comfort wasn't something nearly possible in this pack. Not with a beta that loved to hate me, and a pack that was being picked off one by one.

There were words at the tip of my tongue. Words that I didn't want to say. Words that would hurt him. It took every last bit of control I had to settle with saying,

"Cyrus, please just leave."

He didn't leave. He wasn't going to leave. He made it clear.

"You're upset, Willow. You're upset so you want to lock yourself away. You don't have to hide anything from me, though. The good, the bad, whatever it is, it doesn't scare me. So tell me what it is. Tell me so that we can work to fix it together."

Fix it together.

Those words stung. They hurt, more than anything he had ever said or done. Not because they were wicked or vile words, but because they were the most purest indicator of his true character. My mate cared about me, he cared about me enough to accept my imperfections and work on them together.

But my imperfections, they weren't small. They weren't hiccups from the past that could be erased with just one conversation. They were massive sinkholes spanning from the very top of me, to the very bottom. I couldn't fix them. Neither could Cyrus.