Odysseus

Chapter 18

Valentina snapped her eyes open at the sound of Odysseus screaming, she was beside him in less than a second, wrapping her arms around him. Once again, his claws dug through her flesh, but not for long. He soon relaxed as the pain subsided, sighing in relief when he finally recognized his mate's touch. Valentina's hammering heart didn't calm down though, she was wide awake with shock, adrenaline coursed through her as she stayed still. After thirty minutes, she finally relaxed and tried going back to the bed, but as soon as her touch left him, he started again. 

The bedroom door swung open to reveal a curious Jen, she frowned when she saw Valentina lying beside her cousin. Her tank top was stained with her blood and her arms were tightly wrapped around him. She silently closed the door before running over to the exhausted she-wolf, she knelt beside them, sighing. 

"What happened?" she asked.

Valentina released a breath, "I have to always touch him or be near him, I guess." 

"Well, yeah, the third and fourth days are the roughest days." Jen replied.

"Oh."

It was silent for a moment before Jen pursed her lips, "Why were you so set on killing him? I understand he screwed another woman, but that doesn't mean he deserves this." she asked.

Valentina sighed, "I was being an idiot, okay? I was hurt and wasn't listening to anyone...now, no one will listen to me when I tell them how truly sorry I am."

"Now you know how Odysseus felt." 

"What?"

Jen folded her arms across her chest, "You refused to believe he was truly sorry for killing your mother. What a hypocrite you are." 

Valentina was silent for a moment, she rested her head on Odysseus' chest, listening to his beating heart. She could almost fall asleep, but under Jen's glare, she couldn't. She looked back at the fuming girl, she frowned. 

"I know. I messed up...I get it." she finally replied.

Jen rolled her eyes, "Now you get it? So, it only took for him to knock on death's door-

"I get it, Jennifer. Okay? What more do you want from me? You want me to convince him to go to your witch friend and have him destroy the bond all over again?" she snapped.

"He can't. There is no more bond." 

"It's growing stronger, thanks to us being close to each other for the past two days. So, he could destroy it again." she whispered. 

Jen sighed, "To be honest, you deserve to have all of that pain. Not him. Odysseus is like any other male, he was tempted, and this time he was an idiot and fell into it. You had men between your legs, doing things that they shouldn't have been doing. What makes you any better than him? You're a slut. He made a mistake."

"Luckily, for you, Odysseus is as heartless as you. He would never do this to you, which is a shame. You deserve to have someone just as heartless as you for your mate." she spat. 

Valentina narrowed her eyes, "What the hell crawled up your ass and died?" 

Jen watched as Valentina sat up, but she kept her hand on Odysseus' shoulder, refusing to let him feel that pain again. She glared at her future Luna, disgusted with everything she has done within the three weeks she has been living with them. 

"Nothing. I just can't stand women like you. My mom was just like you. Your type is the worst." she snapped. "You have these perfect lives and act as if the world revolves around you! Well, news flash, it doesn't!"

"You think I have a perfect life?" Valentina snarled.

"Yes."

"Well, guess what, I don't have a great life either. I watched my mate kill my mom, I watched my dad turn feral, I was thrown into a basement and abused, I watched as my pack and father slowly turned on me, and those guys who were in between my legs...weren't supposed to be there. But I couldn't do anything, I was drugged. But I never told my grandmother that, I didn't want her to worry! My own father hated me for something that wasn't my fault!" Valentina growled, her eyes shined with unshed tears as she held Jen with her gaze. 

"I'm sorry I'm messed up, I'm sorry I was scared of losing him because of me being...me. I'm so fucking sorry! I was trying to protect him from myself, I'll just tear him down. So, I pushed him away and then became an emotional mess and did something completely stupid. I know, I'm a horrible person. I'm sorry for that." 

Jen glared at her, "If you think this will make me feel bad for you, it won't. You have your chance at happiness laying right beside you, but you're a coward and pushed him away. Maybe he's better off with Sylvia and not you." 

She got up and stormed out of the room, slamming the door beside her. Valentina sat there in stunned silence, just staring at the door. The first tear fell, then the second, and then more. Small, choked sobs escaped her lips as her body began to shake. She curled up in a ball and sobbed, trying to stay quiet so she didn't wake Odysseus up. However, it didn't take long before she felt him wrap his arms around her. 

"Shhhh, it's okay baby girl, it's okay." he whispered, rubbing her back.

She shook her head, "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"For everything." 

As she continued to sob, Odysseus silently held her, supporting her as she fell. He placed a gentle kiss to her temple, smiling when he felt her relax a little. He then nuzzled his face into her neck and kissed her there as well. He could feel the self doubt coming off of her and it broke his heart, she shouldn't be doubting herself. To him, she's the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, and she would always look like that to him. She could gain weight and not be skinny anymore, he wouldn't care. Because in his eyes, her looks are only a plus, it's the personality he cares most about. 

"You're okay." he whispered again, trying to calm her down. 

She only continued to give a voice to her pain, letting him see the years of torture that she went through. He tightened his grip around her, placing soft kisses every now and then. He continued to whisper that she was okay until she fell asleep. He carefully wiped the tears away before picking her up and climbing into the bed with her. He kept her against him, wishing this would be enough to protect her from the harshness of the world. 

"I love you, baby girl." he whispered. "I always will."