Kael managed to find his Alpha by following his scent. He stood at the edge of the malynster water and saw Hiro staring into it. Taking a deep breath, Kael walked down until he was beside him. Hiro didn’t look at him or make any move to show that he noticed his presence. He just kept staring into the water with that heavy silence Kael had co to fear.
"I am sorry you had to experience all that today of all days," Kael finally said, his voice low. He had no idea what to say that would ease the weight on his Alpha’s chest. Maybe he should have let Stales take his place because talking to anyone else would have been easier. But not Hiro. Not when Kael knew what he had been through.
Hiro had been consud by Angela from the beginning, obsessed enough to risk his life, even getting shot just to know more about her. He had seen them grow close, even have her spent a night in his room, and watched how much she ant to him. To make things worse, Kael himself had unknowingly helped his Alpha prepare for a picnic with her, never realizing until later that it was Angela.
"I know you’re hurting so much right now that no matter what I say it won’t change how you feel, but I’ll say it anyway," Kael went on quickly, afraid Hiro wouldn’t listen. "You fell in love, Hiro. That’s not a bad thing. It’s what I always wanted for you. Whether she turned out to be your fated mate or just a girl who truly loved you and gave you life again, I always wanted you to find her."
Hiro didn’t speak, but Kael noticed the way his shoulders shifted, the way he seed to be listening. So he continued, "I wished you had t her sooner, before all of this. So that when you ascend the throne, you would have started a family of your own. It would have given you peace, eased the pain of everything you’ve lost. You deserve to be happy now, Hiro. After all you’ve been through, you deserve it."
"It didn’t work out," Hiro finally said with a soft, broken chuckle. He bit his lower lip and turned to Kael. "Do you know how much I’m hurting right now? It’s like my lungs can’t take in air anymore and I’m forcing it down. My chest feels like it’s going to burst, like my heart is going to tear its way out of . I don’t want that to happen, Kael."
"I know," Kael said, his voice firm but gentle. "Trust , it’s not going to happen. Angela didn’t an for it to turn out this way. She must have wanted to tell you the truth long ago. You rember her first day at the Academy, how frightened she was? I don’t bla her for hiding."
"I rember," Hiro whispered. He looked away for a mont before turning back to Kael, pain filling his eyes. "I apologized to her, but it doesn’t erase the fact that she lied, that she deceived everyone. When I found out she was a girl, I was angry, yes, but I tried not to judge her or add more to her pain. But this new truth, Kael... this one is different."
"It’s crazy. She is the mate we have been searching for all this ti."
"You weren’t with during the last full moon," Hiro said, his voice heavy with pain. His eyes were red, filled with hurt that Kael could clearly see. "Slade was by my side. He saw how I barely made it through that night. I have been so angry at this so-called promised mate, furious that she was impossible to find. And today I find out it’s the girl I already love. Tell , Kael, how do you want to react to that? Should I be dancing and singing like a fool?"
Kael shook his head slowly. He understood his Alpha more than anyone. Hiro was not soone who easily gave his trust, yet he had given it to Angela. "She made mistakes, yes, but not because she wanted to hurt you. You have every right to be angry because she turned out to be the very person you resented for so long. Your heart can’t handle it and..."
"My heart is already torn apart," Hiro cut him off, his voice low but sharp with pain.
Kael swallowed hard and nodded, not knowing how to nd the heart of soone who had already been broken so many tis. "Don’t take your anger out on her. If you must, then bla the moon goddess. She made it this way, not Angela. If you want to shout at soone, shout at her, but not at Angel. She won’t survive that."
Hiro rolled his eyes and turned away, his gaze fixed on the distance. "You are only saying this because it’s not happening to you."
"Don’t say that," Kael replied firmly. "I would never give you bad advice, Alpha. You should love—"
"It’s over," Hiro broke in. His voice cracked as a single tear slipped down his cheek. He laughed bitterly as though mocking himself. "What I had with Angela... it wasn’t even serious. We were just beginning. So yes, we will get over it. We will focus on claiming her and breaking this curse. That’s all that matters now."
Kael’s chest tightened at his words. "Do you really think the pack will accept that? Do you really believe you can just throw it all away?"
"What do you expect to do?" Hiro’s voice rose with anger, sharp and wounded. He hissed under his breath and turned, walking away with heavy steps.
Kael followed closely behind, refusing to let the distance grow between them. "I expect you not to give up," he said softly but firmly, praying his Alpha would hear the truth in his words.
"Why wouldn’t I give up?" Hiro asked, laughing again and again until the sound itself began to scare his Beta. "Angela has better options than . There is Taros, who is perfect and down to earth. Then there is Kaito, the guy everyone admires. Renn, of course, isn’t left out. He is a romantic bastard who knows how to get any girl wrapped around his finger."
"And then there is you..." Kael began softly.
"No, there is no ," Hiro cut him off. He stopped walking and faced him. "I can’t give her half the happiness and joy those guys can. I am still trying to figure out my own life and fighting the shadows of my past. I am not good enough for her, Kael. Can’t you see that? She deserves soone better than ."
Kael was stunned by his words, then let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. "Are you even listening to yourself? You are thinking only about what’s best for her, not what’s in your own heart. You don’t even care about yourself. You want Angela to choose soone else because you think she deserves better."
"That’s not what I said, Kael," Hiro muttered.
"It’s close enough," Kael replied firmly. "You’re insecure. You don’t have to be. If you keep comparing yourself to who is more handso or who has a better life, you will only end up destroying yourself. Angela doesn’t care about that. What matters to her is how you treat her, how you make her feel."
"I wasn’t nice to her from the start. That answers everything already," Hiro said bitterly.
"No. You’ve already moved past that," Kael insisted. "I think she cares about you more than you realize. She sees you the sa way she sees the rest. Angela is trying to give each of you a chance by spending ti with you. She was bonding with you, she thought you were ready, but sothing went wrong along the way."
"You think so?" Hiro asked quietly.
"Yes," Kael nodded. "And if I were you, I would go after my love and wait for her to tell to my face that she doesn’t want . Did she ever say that to you?"
Hiro shook his head.
"Then why are you tornting yourself like this?" Kael asked firmly. "Stop punishing yourself and let fate decide the rest. Fight for your love, Hiro. Don’t let anything or anyone take away what you deserve."
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