Everyone's Mate (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 28

"Seeing as you're acting like a child," She frowned, "I'll treat you like one. ONCE UPON A TIME – "

"Danika!"

"Aaron, don't interrupt me. Once upon a time –"

I groaned.

"– there was a war, and a woman. The girl was human. A bit ordinary, maybe. But she had the kindest heart. She could make anyone love her; absolutely anyone. She had the biggest green thumb, could make any plant grow. Just as she had a way with plants, she had a way with people. Her jokes had half the pack repeating them at the dinner table. If you needed anything at all, she would jump to your rescue and try her hardest. She was the star jewel of this pack. Her name was Anna."

" Anna?" I asked, but I had a sinking feeling. "What does she have to do with –"

"Aaron. Shut up."

"Okay, sheesh."

She shook her head. "Our alpha, Riordan's father, was at war. He sacrificed many of our numbers in failed attempts at getting more territory. Humans were strictly forbidden, as was anything not werewolf and not family. If you can believe it, Riordan had 8 uncles and aunts, 14 cousins. 6 brothers...a mother. You can imagine what happened."

I couldn't speak – wouldn't. I had never known...

"His father caused the loss of all of them. And still, there was no rising against him. With the loss of his wife, his father went insane, and died in a suicide mission. Riordan was the next Alpha, and made the treaty to end the war for good, after a final battle in which he was captured by rogues and most of his remaining family died."

"He was tortured," I murmured, remembering the sickness I felt when I heard that from Riordan himself.

"Yes," she said solemnly. "His scars are proof of what he's been through. But there are deeper wounds he still bares to this day."

Horrified, I swallowed my sympathy and asked, "What happened? What about Anna?"

"Riordan met her and instantly knew she was his mate after the treaty had been signed. She was human, and it was against Krauss pack law to be with one. So he changed the laws all together. He was with her for a few years, and during that time the entire pack grew to treat her and respect her as one of our own. There had never been a human Luna until then, but through kindness she earned the loyalty of all of us."

"She's dead...isn't she?" I guessed.

"Yes." Danika said. She wiped at her eyes, looking away. "It wasn't a rogue attack, or another pack. She was just getting groceries...just getting groceries." Danika had tears trailing down her face, now, taking stuttering breaths. "She was in a hit and run accident – a drunk driver, they thought."

I felt her sadness and put an arm around her to hold her close. I knew this was a tough subject for her, and the fact that she was speaking of it anyway meant a great deal.

"Riordan, above all of us, has lost the most. Most werewolves after the death of their mate, kill themselves, or live as shells of who they used to be."

I suddenly understood. Riordan and I were very similar. I knew I was guarded. I knew many people had abandoned me, had broken my heart, had died. But everything that I had undergone – it was nothing compared to his pain. I understood. I understood with the clarity of a clear sky after rain.

"Riordan is pushing you away because you remind him of her. He feels as if it is a disgrace to her memory, to pursue you, and he also knows of your curse. He knows that becoming invested in you and then losing you will hurt beyond repair. He is too shattered, too broken, to be able to risk himself again. That is why he said those cruel things to you. He is trying his hardest not to love you – "

"Danika."

She looked up at me in question, wiping away a few of her tears. I sighed deeply, staring intensely at the wall in front of us. "Danika, if anything you say is true, then I have no right to interfere. He never should have brought me here knowing what I can destroy. And I won't let him be a casualty of this curse; especially after all he's been through and lost."

"But...but there's potential. I see the way he looks at you. I see how he treats you, how much he cares for you already. Aaron, there's a chance."

"No," I said grimly. "There's not."

"Aaron –"

"As far as I'm concerned, I don't have a mate. Because of what those people did to me, I can't tell, Danika. It's like a living hell in and of itself, being unable to reciprocate feelings because I'll never be able to tell who the right one is. I'm a broken piece without another half. I don't have a mate, and I can't believe that I do because I will just destroy more people in search of it. I've long since accepted that fact."

"Unable to reciprocate feelings!?" She pushed away from me, and I jumped at the loudness of her voice, looking down at her.

"What was that out there then, huh? I saw the way you kissed him. You sure reciprocated then!"

I ground out, "That's different, Danika."

"My ass it is!" She stood up, fire in her eyes. "I saw your eyes change. I know you felt your wolf there for a second."

"First of all, Danika, that was a private moment," I said, arching an eyebrow. "Second of all, that's just coincidence," I shrugged it off. "Third, he marked me. That's the only reason I didn't have enough sense to pull away."

Danika was staring at me, wide-eyed, hands on her hips. She straightened up slowly, a grin spreading on her face.

"Danika. Danika, stop it. You look like the joker just took candy from a baby."

"With how stupid you are, you might as well be a baby," She laughed. "You just proved me right! You did feel something there."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked tiredly, done with the charades.

"A mark bond can't make you feel things that aren't already there, you idiot!"