Damian
Hayley froze for a moment, a confused and paranoid look spread across her face. She clearly hadn't expected me to say those words, and I felt bad for getting her so worked up for no reason.
"Stop overthinking it," I chuckled before smiling at her warmly. Her tense breathing mellowed down after my words, and only then did she mirror the expression on my face.
"I'm sorry—"
"Don't apologize, you didn't do anything wrong." I interjected before leaning in to give her a peck on the forehead. Once again she froze up, and I soon came to realize that she only acted this way whenever I was close to her. Was she afraid of me? And could it be because of the stories she had heard?
Whatever she heard was probably true, most of it at least, and her fears were definitely justifiable. However, I didn't want my own wife to be afraid of me. Saying I hadn't expected this would probably be a lie, but I didn't expect it to be this severe. But then again, I never would have expected that someone like Hayley would be my mate.
"Are you afraid of me?" I inquired with a raised brow. If she was afraid of me, then I needed to prove to her that I wasn't as bad as the stories made me out to be. Sure I had killed and overthrown another Alpha, but I had good reasons for that. I would never harm the innocent, and that was exactly why I was doing my best to avoid conflict with Conrad.
"I..I don't know.." Hayley stammered, and that was exactly what I had been expecting. She didn't want to give me a direct answer because she felt that I might overreact. She felt that saying yes would make me angry for some reason, and saying no was definitely lying, and she knew I'd figure that out. Her reply was the only one that was neutral enough to not get her in any kind of trouble, and it was likely a skill she had learnt after spending so many years as a maid.
"It's fine to tell me the truth, I promise I'll never hurt you." I reassured while I slowly reached out to hold her hand. Like always, she became rigid the moment I came in contact with her. She seemed to notice her flawed reaction each time I touched her because she suddenly relaxed her body so fast that it was almost suspicious.
"I've heard things, do I believe them?" She asked, visibly shaking at the thought of the things she had heard of me.
"Maybe, I don't know. Which one do you want to do, believe what you've heard, or ask me for my own side of the story?" I asked and her eyes widened expressively. I had definitely read her mind. I knew that she would be curious about me the moment she found out who I was, and I knew she would ask Ethan, but never me. I had heard the two of them talking earlier, and I had heard Ethan suggesting for her to ask me herself, but I knew it would never happen.
"I..I want to hear your own side of the story." She finally voiced out. There was a sense of relief on her face, and I could tell she had been keeping the question in for a long time. She wanted to know more, and I loved her thirst for knowledge.
Without wasting any more time, I went forward to satiate her thirst for knowledge. Everything had started when I was a little boy, and like every little child, I had been on the field playing with the other kids.
We had been happy until Maxwell Anders decided to take a walk past our neighborhood. It was there that he spotted Lisa, Ethan's elder sister. She was the beauty of our little neighborhood, and like everybody else, she had caught the attention of Alpha Maxwell who immediately chose to claim her without concern for her age or her parents opinion. Lisa was dragged away from her home and forced to become Alpha Maxwell's bride.
Soon, news of Lisa's pregnancy spread across the entire kingdom, and it had brought devastation upon the Silver household. Lisa was only sixteen, and that monster had taken and defiled her without care. Annoyed, they began to oppose the Alpha, and in return Alpha Maxwell had slaughtered them both. My parents who were good friends with the Silver household had also gotten caught up in the entire situation, and just like that Ethan and I were orphaned.
Few months later, Conrad Anders was born, and Lisa Silver was lost at childbirth. Her body was weak and couldn't bear the strain of giving birth, but Alpha Anders simply did not care. Nobody mattered to him besides himself, and that was exactly why he had to go.
Ethan and I had spent the last two decades building up the strength to oppose an Alpha, and with help from the people who the tyrant Alpha had hurt, we were able to plan a coup and overthrow him. I took over leadership only because Ethan couldn't bear to sit on the throne that was responsible for his own sister's death. He also couldn't kill his nephew.
After the coup was over, we had offered Conrad a place on our side, but he rejected the offer. He was the copy of his father, and I had been the first to realize how deep the blood of Maxwell was in Conrad's veins. I suggested that we put him down, but Ethan couldn't do it. Instead, he spared the man, and now he was back with his own forces. The kingdom was divided in two just because of Conrad, and he had very loyal followers. Any harm to him would likely trigger a civil war, and the last thing we wanted was to drag innocent civilians into family matters.
Hayley was stunned and crying at the same time. She clearly hadn't expected this wholesome story, and I could tell she no longer feared me like she used to. If anything, she pitied me now, it was obvious from the way she looked at me.
"I'm sorry that happened to you." She finally spoke, and I smiled at her words.
"It's fine, I've gotten over it all. I'm sure everything will be fine soon." I replied before reaching to wipe her tears. This time she didn't stiffen up like she always did. She was embarrassed, but not afraid, and I was proud of how fast she had grown in little time. She was a nice lady, and I was happy she was my mate.