"Elise… Listen to me."
Tears brimmed in Elise's eyes as she stared at Dietrich through her blurry vision. Her heart felt betrayed. How could he do this? He said they'll talk… And, he's sending her back home? How was she going to face her mom? What would she tell her?
How would she do it alone?
Elise's feet moved backwards, her eyes still fixed on him. "Why? Why are you always so cold to me? What have I done to you!?" Her words were filled with anger as she yelled at him. Her angry eyes trying to find a hint of emotion in those cold eyes.
Nothing.
They looked dead. Like always.
"You haven't done anything, Elise. We can't be mates though." Dietrich's cold reply pierced through her heart as Elise felt the ground disappear from under her feet. "But, it's fine Elise. Werewolves are more like myths now. Only werewolves know they exist. You don't even have a werewolf spirit… it would be fine to fall in love with a human and live a normal life."
Elise's hands trembled as she clutched at her chest, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her eyes darted around the room, seeking something to ground her. "I can't do that…" she stammered, her voice strained and faltering. Her heart pounded violently, almost as if trying to escape her ribcage.
"Every werewolf turns 18 in hopes of finding their mate, brother. I—" she choked on her words, her gaze locking with Dietrich's, filled with desperation. "I feel my heart thumping now, like… like I want to hold you close, bro… No. Dietrich." She shook her head, the words slipping from her lips in a tortured whisper. "I already don't have a werewolf spirit. If I don't have a mate, I'll be an outcast, Dietrich. Please, don't do this to me."
"Are you listening to yourself, Elise!? You want to be my mate? Mine? Have you ever thought about what you would say to mom!? Have you ever thought how you would look into her eyes, match her gaze?" Dietrich's cold voice rang through the walls of the broken apartment as he stared at her in anger. It was as if everything happening was her fault.
Maybe, it was.
If she never got drunk, they would have never known. Maybe they could have even avoided each other miraculously for the rest of their lives on every single blood moon night.
"Why…" Elise's tears that brimmed in her eyes overflowed as they burned through her rosy cheeks.
"What do you mean why, Elise?" Dietrich walked to her, crumbling the pieces of glasses under his shoes. "Don't you call me 'brother'?" His finger made his way under her chin as he lifted her face to meet his eyes. "Is it okay for you to have that kind of relationship with your brother?"
Elise's breath hitched as she felt his touch, the warmth of his finger a stark contrast to the cold, detached look in his eyes. Her mind screamed at her to step back, to run away from this impossible situation.
But her heart—the same heart that betrayed her every time it beat for him—kept her rooted to the spot.
"You know it's not… it's not okay," she whispered, her voice barely audible, cracking under the weight of her emotions. "But I can't help it. I can't lose my mate. That's the last thing that makes me a werewolf. Please—" Her words broke off into a sob, the pain too great to articulate.
Dietrich's jaw tightened, and for a moment, a flicker of something—guilt, maybe regret—crossed his face. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by his usual stoic mask.
"You need to understand, Elise," he said, his voice a low, controlled growl. "We have no choice but to keep our distance. Whatever you think you feel, it's not real. It's just a bond that shouldn't exist, a mistake…"
"A mistake?" Elise repeated, her eyes widening with disbelief. Her hand shot up, knocking his finger away from her chin. "Is that all I am to you? A mistake? Moon Goddess made us for each other!"
For the first time, something shattered in Dietrich's gaze—just a crack in his facade, a momentary loss of control. "Don't twist my words, Elise," he muttered, but his voice lacked its usual certainty.
She took a step forward, her eyes blazing with pain. "You don't get to decide alone. You don't get to dismiss this… dismiss me, like it doesn't matter! Like I don't matter!" Her voice broke, a mix of anger and heartbreak that echoed in the confined space. "If I'm really just a mistake to you, then say it. Say it and reject me. I'll never bother you again. You can reject me, right?"
The room fell silent. Dietrich's eyes bore into hers, a storm of emotions hidden behind that icy exterior. His lips parted, but no words came out. Elise waited, her heart in her throat, bracing herself for the final blow.
But it never came.
Instead, he reached out, his hand hovering over her cheek, hesitating. His voice, when he finally spoke, was strained, almost pleading. "Elise… rejection hurts. Sometimes the pain can even kill. If something happens to you I will never be able to forgive myself. Just—"
"Why worry about that?" she demanded, her voice trembling. "I need to bear the pain, not you. Who cares if I die. There's no reason to live if the only reason that makes me a werewolf vanishes."
"Elise, mind your words. Last warning."
Elise stood her ground, her chest heaving with a mix of desperation and defiance. "No! You don't get to silence me, Dietrich!" she shouted, her voice raw. "You don't get to tell me how to feel or what to think! I've lived my whole life in the shadows, being an outcast because I didn't have a werewolf spirit. And now you want me to just let it go? To accept that my mate doesn't want me?"
A pause followed as Dietrich gritted his teeth. His mind, frozen.
"Either, you accept me. Or… give me that pain."