\[Rosco’s POV\]
“Ow.”
A hiss of pain escapes Denali as I push against her exposed ribs, which are clearly bruised from her stepmother’s attack. Fuck, that bitch really did a number on her, and I was beginning to regret just leaving without doing anything.
“I should go back,” I mutter.
“I’m fine.”
Fine… How the hell was she fine when she was covered in bruises and scars? There was absolutely nothing fine about this, but I understood why she was saying that even if I didn’t like it.
Since bringing Denali up to our room and undressing her from the waist up, I have been fighting the urge to go back to that damn venue and beat the shit out of Roger. I already hated his fucking guts, but after witnessing him standing aside while that bitch of a wife of his beat Denali, the need for blood was strong.
“Ow,” Denali squeaks, snapping me out of my head so that I realize that I pressed too hard on her wounded ribs.
“Shit, sorry.”
Feeling a flare of shock and regret rush through me, I sit back and take in Denali’s form until my anger comes too damn close to boiling over.
“Hey,” she murmurs, leaning forward and grabbing my cheeks. “Talk to me.”
“Talk?” I repeat, reaching up and gently grabbing her wrists. “You’re the one that was beaten and ridiculed, but you’re trying to coax me. How pathetic.”
I realize a minute too late just how bad my words probably sound, but when I meet Denali’s gaze, all that I find there is understanding. Goddess, she really was too damn perfect, and a sinner like me didn’t deserve her.
“You look like you’re ready to kill someone,” she points out, giving a small smile. “I know that this,” she continues, motioning to herself. “Looks bad, but it’s nothing compared to what I’ve been through.”
Nothing. She was saying that bruised ribs, bruises all over her body, and even some scratches were nothing. All I wanted to do was destroy every damn body and thing that made her like this in the hopes that she would understand just how not okay any of this was, and that was exactly what I intended to do.
“Anyway,” she says softly, clearly trying to distract me. “You told me that you would tell me what your grudge against my father was for while doctoring me, but you haven’t said a thing yet.”
Right. I did tell her that I would tell her my story, but I wasn’t sure if she was well enough to hear it. However, I was a man of my word, and because of that, I would reopen the wound.
“In the past, there was someone I looked up to.” I say, deciding to start from the beginning. “I grew up as an only child, but he was like an older brother to me. He was strong, smart, and a true leader, and he was the person I aspired to be. We were close like brothers, despite there being no blood tie between us. He was only a few years older than me, but he felt so much more grown than me.”
Closing my eyes, I let Rico’s face appear in my mind, but just like any of the other times I would think about him, all I could see was that day. The day that he was taken away from me was all because of Denali’s dad and Anastasia.
“We were always together,” I continue, opening my eyes again, so his ghost disappears for the time being. “But one day everything changed, and he disappeared from my life like a flame snuffed out by a sudden breeze. It was your father’s doing, and it happened all because Rico refused to acknowledge your stepsister as his mate.”
“Mate?” Denali hisses, her eyes growing wide. “What do…”
“Rico and Anastasia were mates,” I explain. “But Rico was a standup man with morals, and she was..."
“A whore,” Denali offers. “A bitch. Someone who only cares about power and climbing to the top with whatever means she can.”
“Right,” I chuckle before growing serious again. “Of course he rejected her, but she wasn’t willing to accept it. A week passed since that day, and in the dark of night, a warrant was put out for Rico’s arrest. They said that he murdered Anastasia’s boyfriend at the time in a fit of rage due to his mate being unfaithful.”
“No,” Denali gasps, lifting a hand to her lips. “Don’t tell me…”
“That’s right,” I confirm, my anger coming to a boil. “Your father and Anastasia worked together to come up with the whole plan to get back at Rico for rejecting Anastasia. After that, he stood trial, and because all the evidence pointed against him, he was found guilty and killed shortly after.”
Finished speaking, I begin to feel all those emotions from that time. It was around then that I saw Denali for the first time, and I couldn’t help but wonder if fate brought her to me so I didn’t feel so fucking alone in my grief.
“If you know it was them, why haven’t you done anything?”
“Because there is nothing to put the murder on them,” I explain.
Growing quiet, I wait as Denali processes everything. Would she believe what I said, or would she think that I was just looking for someone else to blame like all the others?
“We have to find evidence,” she murmurs, reaching out and hugging me. “We won’t let your friend's name continue to be marred because of their wicked scheme.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, pulling her against me. “For so much.”
“Hm?”
Pulling away, she attempts to examine me, clearly trying to figure out what I meant, but before she got the chance to look too hard, I attacked, pressing her down against the bed so that I can kiss her and end the talk.
“Rosco,” Denali gasps, pressing her hands against my chest. “What are you doing?”
“Showing my appreciation,” I respond, leaning down and kissing her cheek. “You’re the first person to actually believe me.”
All these years, I did everything I could to try to find solid proof that Roger and Anastasia were behind the whole thing, but they covered their tracks well. That was why I ultimately agreed to marry the daughter of Emerald Moon. I was going to torture her until she admitted what happened. Who would have thought that instead of getting the one behind my best friend’s death, I would get the one who helped me through the grief of losing him?
Fate was a strange thing, and it worked in mysterious ways, but somehow it brought me the person I needed the most, and I would cherish her for my entire life.