Rogue

Chapter 22: Exposed Secrets

———B E N E D I C T———

" ...I didn't used to hate all rogues. I only started to because they took the woman I loved from me "

I turned my head, my eyes catching on Asher's slightly widened eyes and his parted lips.

" The woman you... loved? " He spoke in a questioning tone.

" Not romantically... she was my best friend " I sighed before turning my head away from the confused boy.

I stared out in front of me as I leaned against the cool wall, my mate standing beside me with questioning eyes.

I tried to give all of my attention to the empty hospital beds placed in front of me instead of focusing solely on Asher but his gaze was drawing me in.

I gulped as Asher made no attempt to advert his gaze, his eyes practically glued to me as I focused on the beds.

Each one of the beds that were placed against the wall were neatly made and were placed about a yard away from the surrounding beds, all the beds in this room having a curtain that could cover the bed completely. Chairs were placed randomly throughout the room in numerous places, around 8 in total. There were also tables placed randomly throughout the room, each one being able to move by the wheels screwed to the bottom of it. Interesting.

Bullshit Theo groaned, annoyed by me studying the empty beds.

" Who? " I heard him ask in a soft tone, almost as if he was trying not to push me.

" Her name was Valeria " I sighed, turning my head as the sentence left my lips. My eyes soon met his for barely a minute, mine catching on how he adverted his eyes when he heard her name.

I studied him, confusion soon filling me as he looked straight out in front of him with furrowed eyebrows.

" What? " I asked, raising a brow when his head turned back towards me.

" Valeria? That was her name? " He asked, staring at me like my answer would mean something different than what I thought it would.

" Yea " My voice was heavy as memories of Valeria started to fill my head. " Why? " I asked, noticing how his heart rate slowly started to get faster " Did- Did you know her? Did you know a girl named Valeria? " I asked when the thought of him possibly knowing her popped into my head.

He stepped away from me, the sparks slowly disappearing when he was no longer pressed against my shoulder.

He still stared up at me, but his happy expression was long gone. Now he looked at me with eyes that showed no emotion and lips that were pressed together too tightly, making them seem thinner than they actually were.

" My best friend, she was killed by rogues, by you. Wasn't she? " I glared at him, noticing how his expression suddenly seemed stiffer and less relaxed than before as I accused him.

" No, rogues didn't kill Valeria " He spoke, seemingly calculating his words before he spoke " Your father kicked her out and my pack took her in. You blame rogues for her death but she died being loved by rogues, and guess what? She loved them too "

I stared at him, my anger only continuing to rise.

" Valeria was loved and supported by us... and that was more than your so called family could ever give her "

" Then how did she die? " I asked, raising an eyebrow at my mate who was staring up at me. " Because nothing else would make sense " I threw my arms up, barely being able to breathe. Valeria was my best friend, I wanted to know how her life ended so I could get revenge on who ended it... and I thought I was doing that by killing rogues but if she wasn't killed by them, I failed. If she wasn't killed by them, I failed at avenging her " I was 14 when my dad got sick. Lung Cancer. It got so bad that even his werewolf healing couldn't save him. He did it to himself though, cigarette after cigarette, he wouldn't stop. He wouldn't agree to get help from doctors either so he was just slowly dying more each day. Valeria helped me deal with everything as soon as she met me when she moved here when we were 15, she died a few years later because my father practically threw her out of our pack... and that was because she was caught having sex with my father. My father admitted that their relationship was going on for many years before they were found out. Their relationship started when she was roughly 16 and he was in his late 40s. My mother didn't care that my father basically molested Valeria, she threatened to divorce my father if he didn't kick Valeria out. I- I tried to stop him but he said that he could either kill her or kick her out. I thought the latter was the best option but I found out that she was killed by rogues a few years later because your kind didn't even bother to fucking bury her. I found her decomposing, lying against a tree, a bundle of blankets in her arms while I was out on a hunt with some pack members. I had become their alpha a few months before when my dad finally died, my mom vanishing as soon as he was in the ground " I ranted, tears slowly starting to fill my eyes as I remembered how she looked against the tree. " ... I buried her there that night since she wasn't accepted by the pack... I didn't want her to go into the afterlife being somewhere she wasn't accepted in during her time on earth "

I know he didn't ask, nor did I need to tell him, but the words left my mouth without me being able to rethink them. The story of Valeria was one I would never be able to forget, I just didn't think I'd tell Asher without him forcing it out of me.

Trust is weird, isn't it?

Asher looked at me in pity, his own anger because of me blaming him slowly disappearing.

" She died in childbirth, the bundle of blankets in her arms held her baby that wasn't breathing when she gave birth "

And just like that my tears started to fall.

I knew I seemed weak at the moment, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

" I've hated you for so long because of something that wasn't your fault. For that, I'm sorry " The words left my mouth before I could rethink them, and the result of me apologizing was different than how I thought it would be.

Asher walked towards me before wrapping his arms around my neck, his presence comforting as I cried against him.

———

Too fast? Probably. Did I think Benedict needed to cry to let out all his frustrations while writing this? Yes.