Chapter 12 Are You Like Him?

Chapter 12 Are You Like Him?
Tears quickly filled my eyes, and I felt my heart knot into a giant cluster of emotions. How dare he stand here and act like he cared for my brother when he very possibly killed him? How dare he act like he cared about anything but his image, his power? His authority?

"Does he?"

Alpha Eros slowly backed away, then pushed his fingers through his hair. "If you are going to live here, you are going to have to keep your mouth shut."

I swallowed hard, and he turned away, starting to make his way towards the other room.

"It is baffling that someone was important to you. You just don't seem like that type of person, Alpha Eros."

He stopped, his head slightly tilting. "I do not need to. Especially not to you."

"Why not me? If this important person looked like me so much for you to let me tackle you like that outside without any repercussions, why are you staying away from me? What does he have that I do not?"

"Common sense," he replied, meeting my eyes. "The discretion to know when to shut the fuck up. The rather common intuition to know that you simply do not matter."

"Alpha."

"If you caught wind of my favour towards him and you think it will somehow extend to you because of your face, kill that thought right now. I am only bearing having to live with you till when you eventually decide to kill yourself too."

A tear rolled down my cheek, my heart slightly breaking. My fingers curled into fists, and I turned away, my lips sucking between my teeth.

"I didn't expect any more from you. But, I have news for you, Alpha Eros. I do not intend to kill myself. I do not intend to leave. You will just have to be uncomfortable in your own home. The time to stop this arrangement has long passed."

He said nothing, and I turned away and opened the door, then slipped into the darkness, closing the door behind me.

I am not sure how hard he worked to preserve this room, but it still smelled like Valerian. Valerian always smelled like crepe myrtle and just being here...

I slowly rested back on the wall, my knees giving way under me as I slowly went to the floor. Tears fell down my eyes in torrents, like the dam had broken finally, and I did nothing to stop it.

My body trembled as I cried out loud, not caring that I could still scent Alpha Eros right outside. Not caring that I could feel his energy seep in through that door, that I could feel my wolf tugging right in his direction.

I buried my face in my hands, my body shaking, my teeth gritted. These were very ugly tears, but hell, these are very ugly feelings, too. And I hated that I didn't even know which one I felt more. Was it me missing Valerian more because I was sitting in the room where he might have died, or that my mate is right outside but I feel compelled, by the circumstances and everything, to hate him? That the same mate I have waited years for, could very well be the one who killed my brother?

I woke up just as the sun started to set, and the rays fell right on my eyes. My brows furrowed, and I sat up. I had fallen asleep curled up on the floor, but the drapes had been closed and the room had been dark. But now...

I looked down. There was a pillow right beneath my head that I knew there was no way I brought, and a small tray with closed plates. 

Tears filled my eyes again as I reached towards the tray and opened the food. It was a lamb roast with potatoes, Valerian's favorite dish. 

The tears stung my eyes again as I closed the dish, then slowly looked up. The bed was large and round, and right above it was a calligraphy of Valerian's name. I could almost see him doing it, laughing, the twinkle in his eyes. 

I slowly stood up, then walked towards the dresser. His favourite perfume sat there, half used. His pen, his jotter, the teddy bear he had since we were eight. I ran my hands on the teddy, my heart grieving even harder now. I slowly looked down at the drawers, then gently pulled them out.

In the first one were a few fancy pens and a necklace. I pulled the necklace, and to my surprise, it was the exact one as the necklace I had found on his body. Just this one carried Valerian's name instead.

But hell, Valerian never wears necklaces. He never....

My eyes suddenly fell on another necklace. I dropped the one with me, then pulled the chain slowly, my lips parting as I took in the custom pendant.

"Skylar," it said in beautiful cursive. It had a paper wrapped around the edge, and I quickly opened it, my chest thumping hard.

"Hey, sis!" The letter started, and I slowly backed away from the drawer, my chest heaving.

"There is someone I have always wanted to tell you about, but I wasn't sure how. I don't know if you will believe me either. His name is Alpha Eros. He has been so kind to me. I don't want you to get worried, but on my first swimming exercise here, I almost drowned. Alpha Eros was the only one who cared enough to dive in, and... he immediately took me in, Skylar. But I... I don't know if you will believe me but... I think you... I think you are the one he would want."

My brows furrowed. How?

"Remember what the seer said to mum? That twins can sense the mate of the other? I think I sensed your mate for you, Skylar. And I think he knows, too. He looks at me keenly, like he is searching for you. I just don't know how to lead him right to you because... there is someone else, Skylar. There is someone else who wants him, and I want my sister safe. Will you forgive me for being selfish? Will you forgive me for making this decision for you? I gave Alpha Eros this type of necklace, too. I don't know. Maybe I am hoping destiny will be kind enough. I am just hoping, sis."

I fell to the floor again, tears running down my cheeks. Valerian knew Eros was my mate? Could this be the last letter he wanted to send to me? Could this be...

The door suddenly opened, and I quickly pushed everything back and turned to it, my eyes wide.

Alpha Eros was standing by the door, his hair falling in front of his eyes, his scent filling me up. He was shirtless, and I could see the tattoo on his right side, the perfect compartments of his stomach.

"What... what do you want?"

He tilted his head to the side. "Are you like him?"

"What?"

"Do you like to be hugged when you are sad, too?"

A lump rose in my throat, and I couldn't speak. I slowly nodded, however, tears filling my eyes afresh. I expected him to just walk away. To say something mean. But when he covered the distance to me, closed the door behind him and wrapped his arms around me tight, his hand resting at the back of my head as he guided me to bury my face in the warmth of his chest, his skin setting me on fire, I felt my world cave in. I felt all of me break down.

I slowly brought my hands to wrap around him, too, my nails digging into his back as tears filled my eyes, my chest heaving hard. I moved into him even more as I broke down, my body shaky, my heart breaking over and over again. 

It made me so fucking sad that nothing had gone the way Valerian had imagined. That I would be here with Eros, but not in the way he had hoped. It hurt like a fucking bitch. 

Alpha Eros never said a word, and I had a feeling that he needed this hug as much as I did. That this hug wasn't as selfless as he tried to make it, and that my mate wasn't.... just beast. That somewhere in there was a human. A human that, at some point, was kind to my brother. A human that is mated to me. A human that I would probably need to kill.