Harvey’s POV
“Why are you acting like this towards our mate?” Talic asked furiously while I dressed up.
“You know why,” I answered in a cracked voice and then turned to look at the closed bathroom door.
“I feel guilty,” I whispered sadly.
The bad words I had said to her out of anger were now slowly haunting me. She even looked sad.
Was she now ready to take my life?
“Just apologize you piece of shit. The more you act distant towards our mate, the more you will end up hurting her. You already know that she wants to stand by our side, so don’t dare ruin this for us,” he warned angrily as I took a deep breath and released it.
He was right, what was wrong with me? I was acting like a toddler who was throwing a tantrum over not getting her full attention.
I walked back to the bathroom and entered without knocking.
She was standing in the shower with her back towards me. My heart ached when I inhaled the scent of her tears. Was she crying because of me? Or was she crying out of regret that she had spoken to me? Either way, I wanted to make things right between us.
I took off my clothes and slowly approached her. When I stepped into the shower, she quickly turned and faced me seriously.
“I’m sorry, I must have taken a lot of time to come out,” she said in a cracked voice and then tried to walk past me when I grabbed her wrist.
“Edith, wait, please,” I said softly.
She stopped moving and then lowered her gaze to the floor.
“What do you dislike about me?” She asked huskily and then looked at me as I felt my heart ache even more.
“Is it because I was married and mated before? Is it because I had children with that warrior? Just tell me, please. Is it because I’m a witch who practices black magic? Were you perhaps hoping for a virgin mate who was your kind?” She asked in a loud, cracked voice, then sniffed.
I frowned and then moved my hand to her cheek sadly.
Why would she think of such horrible things when she was the one who was pushing me away? Were my actions so bad that they made her think of such things? Day by day, I was trying my best to get on her good side since that horrible incident between us. How could she not see that?
“Edith, I am very fond of you,” I said, then dropped my hand.
She shook her head and then moved her hands, covering her face.
“I don’t want you to be fond of me, I want you to need me. I want you to love me,” she cried loudly, then dropped her hands as I frowned deeply.
Why was she acting like this towards me? She was making me seem like the villain when all this time she was the one who didn’t want me. Was she perhaps confusing me for Talic?
“I am Harvey,” I pointed out with emphasis.
“I am not blind, okay? I can see that. Am I asking for too much? Am I being selfish?” She asked loudly.
I wanted to ask her if she was okay and remind her of how she didn’t want me in the first place, but then that could only hurt her even more. Her tears made me feel uneasy, and I hated seeing her this vulnerable. I preferred the cold and angry her, rather than this version I was witnessing.
I grabbed her hands and pressed them against my chest, surprising her.
I had never spoken to anyone about my fears and insecurities. But then again, she was my mate. If everything was going to fall into place, she was going to be the mother of my pups.
Without warning, I moved and swept her off her feet as she quickly moved her arms around my shoulders to hold on.
I walked out of the bathroom, leaving the shower running.
We needed to talk seriously, so there was no way we were going to have that conversation in the bathroom.
I carefully went to the bed and sat down with her in my lap, ignoring the growing erection I was starting to feel.
“I’m an orphan,” I said sadly and then continued to speak.
“Despite being a Beta, I wasn’t born in this pack. The late Alpha who picked me up when I was just a little pup told me that my mother was a rogue who they found dead in the woods close to this pack’s border. He felt pity for me and decided to take me in and have the elderly omegas raise me. All my life I strived to work hard, not only to make the Alpha proud but to never disappoint my one and only first friend and best friend, Jace,” I said, then glanced behind and grabbed the side of the sheet from the bed, pulling it close to my body to cover up.
“The pack members mocked and laughed at me for years for being an orphan. While some called me disgusting, others picked fights with me. Luckily, Jace was always by my side. That’s why when he lost his parents, I too was by his side trying to cheer him on. When I turned sixteen and my wolf awakened, everyone became fearful because it was a Beta wolf. The respect I dreamt of became the real deal, and some she-wolves began throwing themselves at me,” I said as she looked at me coldly.
“I guess that’s what first got to my head. I started thinking of myself as a big deal, and with time, what Jace hated and failed to accept, I hated and didn’t accept it too. I began walking the way he walked, and with time, I kind of forgot how I grew up and what I went through. All that mattered to me was that I was second in command. Edith, I won’t lie, I need you so much that I don’t even know what to do, but my ego and pride usually get in my way,” I said honestly as her expression softened.
“I told myself what my type was and what she would look like out of pride, but after finding you, I knew there and then how stupid my words and thoughts were. Because you are everything I want and need. Talic and I are very different, but our emotions and heart are the same. So when you said you wanted to stay by our side, I was so excited and very happy, but at the same time, I was fearful and I felt angry because you didn’t want me,” I said honestly.
I was going to lay it all on the ground to have no misunderstandings between us.
“I am sorry for hurting you in any way with my words; it really wasn’t my intention. I was just angry and I wanted to shield myself from your rejection,” I apologized.
She smiled and then leaned her head against my chest as my heart rate picked up.
I wrapped my arms around her and inhaled her scent deeply.
“I am sorry too for hurting you. When you said those words to me, I became defensive and got very angry. I may not have wanted the mate I was given by the moon goddess back then, but I did want the children that came from our relationship,” she said softly.
“Honestly, I do understand because I too would have become very defensive if you talked about the ones I cared about harshly,” I answered.
She shifted and then looked at me with a warm smile.
“I admit I was wrong,” she calmly said.
“What do you mean?” I asked seriously.
“You and Talic aren’t that different after all,” she answered as I smiled.
This was the first time someone was telling us that we were alike in some way.
“I guess that’s because we both don’t want to lose or hurt you,” I said honestly.
She was about to wrap her arms around my neck when I quickly moved her from my lap and stood up.
“Allow me to take a quick shower, I really do need it,” I said as I walked to the bathroom without waiting for her response.
“But you already took a bath,” she whined loudly.
“Yes, but I still do need to take another one,” I answered when I opened the door and walked in.
I sighed heavily and then looked down at my dick after shutting the door behind me.
It was hard, and I was beginning to think of ways I could take her.
Already I had done so much to make her heart ache. This wasn’t the right time to progress our relationship that I knew all too well, yet I still desired her badly.
I slowly went to the shower and stepped in, wrapping my hand around my length and slowly began to get myself off while making sure that my voice was held in.