The memory was disturbed into a murky black and grey, but the distant crying still rang in his ears. Nothing hurt more than the emptiness inside his heart. It didn't matter how long he was beaten for until someone had caught them and stopped it. But the boy who had collapsed on the ground never fought back. He didn't feel the need because he'd just get a bloody eye or lip in return for his attitude.
Beer bottles, feet or fists were used on him, and he lost count how many times. But the boy never lost count of the amount of times he sat alone in his room praying to be free from this pain. All alone he had taken the beatings, but the thing he detested the most was when his siblings got involved and took the beatings for their little brother. His siblings that suffered the same loss had also suffered the same abuse.
Never once did he forget what he was told over and over again. That he was the cause of their family's fall into complete and utter darkness. He was the cause of his siblings' pain and their suffering.
Kill yourself, he thought to himself. Kill yourself. Be free. It whispered in his head like a melancholy ghost that had tormented the boy all his life. But he never gave in, although sometimes, the pain had numbed his soul to the point of death.
The boy had felt death and it wasn't because he had been beaten, his bones broken or crushed; his hair pulled and ripped; his lips bloody; his teeth gnawed together so they wouldn't break; his eyes swollen from tears or blood- he never knew, but that never killed him inside. What killed him was his brother would sit by his bed mending to his wounds and crying until they fell asleep at sunrise. What killed him was the morning when he couldn't go to school because it would raise questions to something even he didn't understand. What killed him was the looks he got when people asked if he was okay, but he smiled and reassured them, rather than crumbling in their arms and showing them that he was broken, lost and even exhausted.
The boy never let anyone know his pain because no one would be able to fix it- fix him. It was all a fool's dream, that he once thought he could recover and live a peaceful life. He wasn't blessed with that, and it was proven when his mother was taken from him. If he didn't deserve a mother than he didn't deserve anything. He was a murderer, a murderer of a woman who had protected her family but failed to protect her last-born child. But he never resented his mother, it was the opposite for him. He felt closer to her than anyone else because she had never left his memory or his thoughts.
But it was never to be expressed to anyone. The boy wasn't allowed to utter his mother's name, otherwise he wasn't allowed food because his stomach had been badly beaten to point that he couldn't stomach a crumb or drink. So, he kept it all locked away. He kept his love and longing inside his heart, locked away for no one to tarnish or call unworthy.
No matter how many nights passed when he was called impure or a mistake. The boy didn't pay attention. He paid attention to when his siblings sat with him and told him the stories of what happened at school, because his legs hurt from being stepped on, beaten and bruised or broken. The boy smiled and laughed with his siblings and friends who were beaten too when they protected him, but they fought back regardless. His siblings would scream and curse at their father. But the boy never saw the point because their father would find a different way to torment him.
Words cut deeper than his fists. Sometimes, the boy preferred when his father grabbed the metal fireplace poker-stick to make him yield into submission, because the beatings didn't last longer than an hour and healed in a week or two. But the words cut his skin raw and burned through his mind, they imbedded so deep that he felt himself merged by its fatal, bitter truth.
Many said to not let it bother him; to get back up and fight; to kick and scream. But the boy had no desire to do that. He knew that if he didn't take his father's rage all to himself than someone else would be the target. And the boy would never let anyone suffer because of him. He already lost his mother, he wouldn't lose another even if he had to die in their place. No one would die for him, no one would be in pain because of him. No one...No one...
Klaus sat in front of his father; completely empty and numb inside. He recognized how his body filled with a surge of ice. Ice, that was so delicate, that it'd would break with one touch, and that's how Klaus's heart felt and it always felt like this since he could remember. He thought he overcame this dread a long time ago, but it seemed he hadn't. He failed getting stronger it seemed, which wasn't much of a surprise to him. He knew he had demons that haunted him. No, that was wrong. Klaus only had one demon that tormented him, and he was sitting in front of him right now.
Klaus faced his father with the whisper of a prayer of his goddess on his lips, otherwise who knows what he would've done. Unlike when he was a kid, he wasn't going to get beaten, but that didn't mean that Klaus was spared from feeling his father's hatred.
Klaus stared into his father's sunken gold eyes that were blood-shot red; full of fury and rage and disgust, like they always were. Robert always dressed in a suit, but this suit appeared disheveled and improper, which Klaus didn't understand why because Cedric was a very vigilant worker for Robert. Apart from those red eyes, Robert's skin seemed as if it hadn't met the sun in years. Pale and icy-cold skin has masked his twisted expression. He smelt of heavy cologne that only veiled the stench of booze. But Klaus smelt his father's favourite whiskey from behind the cologne. It wasn't a pleasant scent nor was it comforting at all. Instead, a flood of memories drowned inside his mind.
Klaus remembered how frightening his father used to be to him as a kid. His resilient and robust built hadn't deterred with old age. His wolf's pheromones were as powerful as Klaus sensed them as a kid, which was one of the things Robert always used on Klaus to pressure him to yield. Robert's towering height, firm shoulders and neatly cut hair was all still the same. However, something seemed off about him. Klaus felt a weakness; a sick flaw that distorted those horrific eyes.
"Cedric told me the news of your mating," said Robert, his voice nothing but callous.
Klaus's gut sank and he closed his eyes looking away from Robert. "You heard correctly," he replied.
Robert's eyes narrowed on Klaus. "You got a mate," he ridiculed. "The child that killed his mother can't have a mate."
Klaus didn't have the voice to fight anymore. He didn't want to speak; to feel; to be understanding of his father's torment anymore. "It's been over twenty years," Klaus sighed tiredly. "I would think that you made peace with mom's death." Like Klaus had slapped Robert by using the term 'mom' in front of him, that's how Robert reacted.
Klaus was forbidden to use that term in front of Robert. But that never stopped Klaus, even if Robert would have beaten him to death each time he had.
Robert recoiled. "Maybe if your mate dies, then you'd understand-" it was sudden when Robert started to cough sickly. Out of the goodness of his heart, Klaus was close to passing the glass of water, but he bit back the urge. Robert instead poured himself water and chugged the content desperately. His eyes watered and his voice grew coarse. "I pray that your mate dies, like mine did."
Klaus clenched his jaw. "You're going too far," he gritted out. Klaus didn't care what was said to him, but not to his mate.
His father sneered. "You think you deserve a mate after you killed mine?" he asked like he was astounded by Klaus. "You're disgusting. I want you to know what it feels like to lose your mate and suffer as much as I did."
"That's enough!" They both gaped up and found King towering over them. Klaus's stomach flipped and he almost wanted to push King out of the building because he didn't want King anywhere near Robert. "Get the fuck out of my face if you know what's good for you!"
Robert smirked. "Better than a dead mate is a mate like this one," he remarked. "You got a sick bastard who only knows the scent of blood and death."
King seized Robert by his collar. "If you know what type of man I am, then I suggest you get back in your car and leave as far as you can get from me, because the only thing that's keeping me from killing you is my mate."
Robert fixed his collar after King shoved him away. His eyes glared down at Klaus, his eyes didn't express love. They looked at Klaus like he was a sick monster and not his child, his own blood.
Klaus's eyes were blocked when King stepped in front of him. King blocked Robert's sinister gaze. "Fuck off, asshole," King threatened, his wolf emerged in his savage sapphire eyes.
Robert cursed under his breath. He fixed the collar of his shirt and left the restaurant without looking back.
"Sick bastard," sneered King with a repulsive scorn. King turned towards Klaus. "Are you okay? What did he say to you?" King searched Klaus's face and down his body for any injuries. "Klaus-"
"Take me home-" Klaus clutched onto King's shirt- "Let's go back."
King put his arm around Klaus and pulled him away from the crowd in the restaurant, that was watching them at this point. But it didn't matter because King protected Klaus from them. They came out onto the open street when Bone spotted them from the car.
"What's wrong?" Bone asked hurriedly when he noticed King and Klaus rushing out.
"Start the car, Bone," growled King. He opened the door for Klaus and got his mate into the back of the car.
"What about the ring?" asked Bone.
"Later," said King hastily. He followed after Klaus, slamming the door shut. Bone rounded the car and got in as well.
The car glided over the streets. Only the sound of the other cars filled their car and nothing else.
King sat with Klaus who had grown quiet- too quiet. The type of distant silence that echoed in empty and desolate chambers, which was home to only darkness and ghosts. King didn't ask anything or utter a single word of what he saw earlier. He simply slid over the seats, closing the space between them and he gathered Klaus close to his body. Klaus didn't pull away or shrug off King, instead he moved closer too. He tucked his head into the crook of King's neck and closed his eyes.
Klaus was cold to the touch. His warmth that brought King such joy had vanished merely from meeting Robert Centauri. King's wolf was on edge from seeing Klaus like this; so broken and distant although he was close.
King lifted his head, his eyes landed directly in the centre of the rear-view mirror met Bone's concerned eyes. King's scowl was enough to let Bone know that all hell broke loose back in that restaurant. Apart from that disaster, King's right coat pocket weighed down on him like an anchor. The rings stayed in his pocket and he lost his chance to make Klaus his forever.
"Klaus," King's voice came out in a soft whisper. "I'm here for you if you want to talk."
Klaus didn't say anything, but his grip tightened on King's arm and his breath was coming out in shattered pants, like he couldn't breathe. That was all King needed to know that Klaus wasn't okay, no matter how much he denied it to them.
"We've arrived," announced Bone grimly.
King looked up to find themselves at the Centauri gates. Bone drove along the path and they parked in front of the manor. King got out with Klaus. King thought that Klaus would want to go home after this, but Klaus simply made his way towards the school, that still had tons of students walking in and out of the building.
"Klaus, shouldn't you get some rest?" King asked behind him.
Klaus's diminished green eyes looked at him vacantly for the first time ever. "I can't go in that house," he answered expressionlessly. "I'm not allowed in there-" Klaus looked away- "I never was." Klaus left them standing on the drive-way as he went into the school and disappeared behind the blue doors.
"What happened?" asked Bone right after Klaus was out of the range to hear them.
"Robert Centauri happened," King contained his seething anger with deep breaths. "I would've killed him if it wasn't for Klaus wanting to leave."
Bone's eyes saddened. "So, that's why you didn't propose," he stated more than asked.
King raked a hard hand through his hair. "This is so fucked up," he grumbled. King got irritated just standing there doing nothing. He ditched the car and went straight after Klaus.
Following his mate's scent, he tracked him to the library that was busy as always. Kids were still studying for their exams that had begun right after Halloween. King's eyes located Klaus right away with some kids near the study-tables. He wasn't smiling nor was he making any eye contact with anyone. The kids felt the shift in their teacher just like King had. The students thanked him for his guidance, but then watched him wearily as he trudged off to another task.
"Klaus looks like a ghost," mumbled Bone.
King's heart stabbed with an icy ache. "That's not my Klaus," he whispered as his eyes followed the man he didn't recognize. The face, body and scent were the same. But those eyes weren't what King fell in love with. King had to fix this, but before he could move past the entrance of the library, he was stopped by Leo and his friends.
"What did you do?" Leo snapped. From his raised tone and feral hazel eyes clearly showed that he was beyond pissed.
King raised a brow at the boy's tone. "What'd you say to me?" he snapped back.
"Okay-" Bone got in the middle of them- "Let's all calm down before we make things worse for Klaus."
"What happened to our teacher?" asked John, whose blue eyes were drowned with concern too.
Dante stepped in front of King, his golden gaze hardened and he frowned. "You met him," he claimed grimly. "Robert Centauri." His friends gaped up at Dante who had figured it out like usual for him.
"No," Leo shook his head. "Gabriel got rid of him."
"Yeah, Dante," added Levi. "Robert can't hurt Klaus anymore."
"King," Jake called out. "Tell Dante, tell us, that's not true."
King didn't know what to say to the kids. He was afraid to tell them the hard truth of their teacher who suffered from the hands of his father. King wasn't as good as Klaus who could reassure the kids that everything would be alright. King wanted to tell them the truth that their teacher was battling something in his heart for years and years. A battle that he never shared with anyone, not even King, and that crushed King's entire soul.
King gave in when he saw Klaus's face again. "We ran into Robert," he confirmed. The kids grumbled their dark curses, and just like King, they definitely didn't like Robert at all either.
"Where'd you see the bastard?" barked Leo. "I'm literally going to go kill him!" his voice echoed through the quiet library.
"Leo, calm down," worried John as he looked around them.
"Don't tell me to calm down!" retorted Leo who was huffing with rage. "That asshole is always hurting Klaus."
"Yelling about it won't do anything to help him though," reasoned Jake.
Leo shoved his hands through his messy blond hair. "We couldn't do anything before and we still can't do anything now," he growled. "This is so frustrating."
The entire group felt the weight of Leo's words, especially King.
"This happens every time," groaned Jake, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "Robert always says those mean things to Klaus for no reason. I finally thought after Gabriel sent him away that Klaus would be safe. But I guess, I was wrong."
"You kids shouldn't worry over this," reassured Bone. "You all have exams going on right now. You should stay focused on them."
"How can we focus?" Levi scoffed. "Klaus always takes care of us when we're hurting. But we can never help him."
"The best way you can help Klaus is by finishing your exams," King spoke calmly. "Let me talk to him and I promise that he'll be back to his usual self in no time."
They shared a worried look, each of them unsure of what might happen. But King didn't falter yet. He couldn't because he needed his mate back and the pack needed their light to shine once again.
"This is so frustrating," growled Leo. "I just want to kill Robert!"
King walked past the group leaving them with Bone. King knew that Bone would settle them down and get them back to studying for their exams. Dante had made sure that Leo calmed down too, which was probably the only reason Leo took a seat. Otherwise, he was very much in predator-mode like King.
King crossed the library and found Klaus hovering over the small children books section. He was tidying up the books gathered on the floor and into the racks. King leaned down and grabbed the stack from Klaus's hands.
Klaus jolted in surprise. "Wh-what?" he looked up and found King next to him. "Oh, what are you doing?"
King put the books aside and took Klaus to the staff room. He opened the door and thankfully he found it empty, which was a good thing, or else, he would've snapped at anyone inside the room to get the fuck out.
"Let me go, King," said Klaus. "I have a bunch of things to do-"
"You're not leaving until I say you can," interrupted King.
He closed the door and locked it before he nudged Klaus to take a seat on the long counter. He stood between Klaus's legs and faced him without hesitation. King's eyes never left Klaus's face for even a second, but it seemed that Klaus avoided making eye contact, which he had never done before.
"Klaus, look at me," pleaded King desperately. But it was like Klaus couldn't do it.
King lifted his hand and caressed Klaus's icy cheek. The softness of his mate's pale skin felt divine under his touch. He could kiss him right now and make Klaus forget, but sex was only a momentary remedy.
"Don't turn away from me," King's voice was a mere whisper in the simmering silence between them.
Klaus's gaze looked up right away. A saddened gaze that shattered King further. "I would never," Klaus's voice broke. "I'm just-" he froze- "working through something that's been haunting me for as long as I can remember."
"I know this is hard for you," understood King.
"No," Klaus shook his head. "I'm fine. This happens whenever I meet my father. I just need some time to clear my head."
King frowned. "Take all the time you need," he said. "But don't turn away from me. I'm here to be by your side through the good and the bad."
A moment lingered between them, when suddenly, Klaus's eyes filled with tears. King gathered him in his arms and held him so close, that not even the air could pass between them.
"I'm here for you," said King calmly.
"I'm fine," promised Klaus. "I'll be fine. I just need to calm down."
King held his mate tightly in his embrace. "Calm down in my arms then," he said. "Use me all you need. Take my strength."
A long while passed until Klaus had calmed down. His tears soaked King's shirt and now he had finally quieted down. He pulled away from King's arms steadily and promised King that he was fine to get back to work.
Klaus left King's side still looking the same from before. Klaus's green eyes popped more against the blemished effect of his hot tears. King observed as Klaus went back to helping the kids, it seemed to be the only thing that kept his mind off Robert.
"How is he?" asked Bone who had been standing guard by the door.
The sadness in King was replaced with seething rage. "I need you to find me an address," he ordered darkly.
"Will you go looking for Robert?" asked Bone.
King's jaw locked tightly. "I'm going to kill him for what he did," he fumed as he stood helpless.
Bone's eyes grew stern. "I don't think you should-"
"Don't talk me out of this, Bone," gritted out King.
"I'm not trying to. I'm just as angry as you are for what Robert did to Klaus," he reasoned. "However, I still think you should warn Gabriel before you take any action."
King's body grew as cold as death. The chill replaced the heat in his blood and his wolf was pissed that he needed permission to end the man who hurt their mate. But Bone was right, thought King. He needed the blessing of Robert's kids if he was going to end the fucker's life once and for all.
King left the school.
He made his way outside where the dark skies warned them all a storm was brewing. The dark black skies flashed blue when lightening ripped through the dense clouds; it matched his dangerous mood and his plans. King crossed the field and entered the Centauri manor in search of Gabriel.
King entered and looked from the kitchen to the living-room. "Gabriel!" his voice boomed through the whole house.
Gabriel emerged in a hurry from his bedroom. "Who the fuck is shouting in my house?" his voice roared back. He glared down the staircase right at King. "Want to tell me why you're screaming?"
"I'm going to kill your father," growled King. "And I need you to let me or we're going to have a problem."
Sabrina walked out too from hearing the loud voices. "What's going on?" she astonished as she saw the men exchange a dangerous glare.
Gabriel slowly descended the stairs. "Is that so?" he asked.
King didn't falter just from feeling Gabriel's resilient pheromones. "I want to kill him. I should have today."
Gabriel frowned. "Today?" he questions. "What happened?"
"Robert met Klaus and said some fucked up shit," grumbled King.
Gabriel groaned as he went into the living-room. "Fuck," he growled more curses and called out to their goddess too. "That old man is costing his days if he keeps this up."
Sabrina rushed down the stairs when she heard Robert's name. "What did he say to Klaus?" her voice was lashed with anger too. "Where's Klaus? Is he okay?"
"I'm scared," admitted King. Sabrina and Gabriel shared a dark look that told King their worry too. "I'm scared that Klaus can't take anymore. You should've seen him, I didn't recognize his eyes and his smile was gone."
"That's what my father does," sneered Gabriel.
"I don't give two fucks what he does," retorted King. "He hurt Klaus! My Klaus. I'm so close to killing the fucker."
Gabriel's gaze darkened to a sinister glare. "Be my guest," he admitted surprising Sabrina.
King slightly stiffened from the anger seething from Gabriel's voice. "I won't ask again," he warned.
"You don't need to," assured Gabriel.
King straightened. "I'll be back," he said. "Take care of him till then." King didn't hear the rest of the conversation that Sabrina had with Gabriel, because his ears were ringing, as he ran off the porch to his car where Bone stood.
"I need to do this alone," King told Bone who was waiting with the car's doors open.
"No, King," said Bone firmly. "Klaus is my family too. I won't let you go alone for this one."
King stared into Bone's blue eyes, that were showing the same rage, same hatred. "Fine," he agreed. "Let's go end that bastard for Klaus."
A thunderous roar shook the ground. The skies flashed blue as the full moon disappeared behind the clouds. They had never seen such a disastrous storm before, it was like even their goddess felt the sadness in Klaus and the rage from King.
-Klaus's POV-
Klaus didn't know how much time had passed until he left the school grounds. Thunder roared outside and he was glad that it drowned out the aching pain in his chest. He felt as if he wasn't in his body anymore, that his limbs moved on their own and he didn't even know if his heart was even beating at all.
With each whip of lightning that flashed over him, he whispered his goddess's name and prayed over and over again, to not let any tear fall from his eyes. He didn't want anyone to see his pain; the pain he carried alone for years. The pain he was ashamed of that he hasn't healed from yet.
"Maya," he whispered as he punched his chest from hurting. "Let it stop. I need it to stop. Please."
Klaus was afraid to enter the house in this state. But he couldn't run forever. He put a brave face and pushed the door open.
The house was drowned in silence. Viola, Vincent, Hunter and Hailey, Gabriel and Sabrina stood waiting as Klaus entered the house. His eyes were sad; it was obvious no matter how much he held it back. He tried to his hardest bounce right back and forget his father's bitter words. But what was he supposed to do when his heart ached every time he saw Gabriel and his family.
"What happened to that smile of yours?" jested Viola, she kindly smiled at Klaus. His sweet sister who had done nothing but support him. "You know you're much prettier when you're smiling."
"Not a frown," said Vincent who also grew up with the pain of losing their mother but he stayed strong for his siblings. "A frown makes us Centauri's look too scary."
Klaus shattered and his limbs gave up from supporting him. His whole body hurt, like he was stuck in a coffin of needles and he was bleeding out slowly. The sting in his eyes hurt and his throat choked out his breath.
"Klaus," Gabriel's voice had done it; it crushed the last ounce of strength Klaus had conjured.
"How?" Klaus's voice stammered, his hands shook violently.
"Klaus," Gabriel called out again.
"How am I supposed to smile when I'm the reason behind your pain?" Klaus snapped with tears in his burning red eyes.
Gabriel froze in his tracks. "What are you-" his golden eyes drowned with sorrow.
Klaus's eyes blurred when tears filled them. "If I wasn't born than mom would still be here, and you wouldn't have had to sacrifice yourself for us," he sniffled and wiped his tears, but they hadn't stopped.
Gabriel stood directly in front of his brother whose head was hung low. "Look at me, Klaus," he said firmly. Klaus looked up with his broken green eyes. "Even if mom was alive, I would still have taken the seat as alpha and still would've made the same choices."
Klaus shook his head. "No. It was still me who took her away-"
Gabriel's jaw tightened. "She decided to die all on her own," he alleged bluntly. The room drowned in silence again from his tone. "She knew what she was doing the whole damn time. None of this was your fault and never will be. Do you hear me, son?"
Klaus shattered apart. "I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I'm sorry for being so weak."
Gabriel hugged his brother close. "Don't you dare say that," he growled. "You're stronger than all of us." Gabriel's hand clasped over Klaus's forehead. "Damn, you're burning up. He's got a fever! Hunter!"
Klaus fisted his brother's shirt in his hands. He was broken inside; the pieces cut inside his cold heart and he held onto Gabriel for warmth or maybe it was for strength. "I don't blame dad for hating me. I took his mate away, so why should I deserve to have one?" he said.
"Holy shit," groaned Gabriel. "No one is worthier of having a mate or happiness than you, Klaus."
"No, that's not true," cried Klaus.
"If it wasn't true then our goddess wouldn't have given you one," said Gabriel. "Everything you've done, all the sacrifices you've made for us, is the reason you deserve a mate."
Klaus's legs weakened on him like everything else did too. "I want the pain to stop," he pleaded.
"It will," affirmed Gabriel, his arms around his brother had supported him as much as they could, but it wasn't enough. "You just need to believe that it will and stay strong until it does."
"I hate that I took mom away from you," cried Klaus. "She was everything to you."
Gabriel's eyes burned, but he swallowed the tears away. "My family is everything to me, you're everything to me," he cursed under his breath. "More than that, I'm sorry that you had to grow up so fast. You didn't fight, show any disrespect or ask for anything. You could never be a child. I'm so sorry for everything."
Klaus had held his brother tighter. "I did it for you," he cried out painfully because he needed Gabriel to know that it wasn't his fault, that Klaus was so weak. "I woke up every day for you."
Gabriel hugged him closer. "I know and I'm so blessed to have you," he said gently. "Don't you think for one moment that you're not loved or worthy."
"I'm sorry for hurting you...I'm sorry...I'm... sorry..." Klaus didn't know what it was when his eyes faded into black. Gabriel's terrified voice was all he heard before Klaus collapsed in his brother's arms.