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Word count: 3287

~Faye

"Come to bed with me Faye."

I ignore the persistent complaints from T coming from the where he lays sprawled on the bed. He's completely enveloped with this potion. I'm reading the instructions I was given on how to reverse this thing, passing while I do so, fingers shaking. In a single second, my entire life was brought to a halt, and turned around in the opposite direction.

"Would you shut it, I'm trying to read this thing," I mutter, trying to steady myself. Finally, at the bottom in the finest print, are small but imperative instructions on how to bring T out of this trance.

"When's our mating ceremony again?" He asks.

Rolling my eyes, I watch him. He's writhing within my bed sheets, confused on what is happening to his body, while trying to deal with it. It worked better than I could ever imagine. However, had I known it would reveal something like this, perhaps I would have avoided it.

"It says if I drench you in cold water for awhile, it should snap you out of the worst of it,"I translate, scrunching the paper up to throw it on the bed.

T groans, as I snatch his hands, pulling him to his feet. He's unsteady for a moment, clinging to me. He stares at me, a magic made lust swirling in his dark irises. I'm worried he might fall, but he seems to have a hold on himself, staring deeply into my eyes without relenting. He's definitely under the spell hard.

"Sounds like we are showering together," he murmurs drunkenly, flashing me a practiced smirk. I shake my head tiredly at him.

"Not quite," I reprimand "You're showering in here, with your clothes on."

My bathroom, already open, seems no obstacle for him. He saunters in, as if a runway show and a couple hundred people are in there watching him. I follow after him, turning the shower on ice cold. If he doesn't wake up from this, I didn't know what will.

"That is a horrible idea. Why don't we both take our clothes off, and make out," he drawls.

"You're disgraceful," I mutter. I push him in by his shoulder, so he stumbles onto the porcelain. He's wearing a lovely suit, that the cold water instantly runs over. It costs his hair, flattening it against his forehead. That should do it."

T leans against the shower door, eyes closed. "This is hell-"

Already, I can tell he's starting to wake up, emerging from the hold the potion had on him. What a relief. I'm not sure I can deal with overly sappy T right now. Not when I'm trying to accept the fact that we are mates, and this entire time I had no idea. It's banging against the inside of my head, ringing in my ears.

T blinds a few times, dark eyelashes soaked with cold water. With a shake of his head, he seemed to snap out of it, and his eyes draw to mine.

"Woah, your eyes," I comment in surprise.

For the slightest moment, the rim around his iris danced with a bright colour - gold. It's subtle, but coherent, completely unmissable. However, T doesn't look so happy about it, blinking again. I watch it in that moment completely diminish.

"What about them?" he chided, making me flinch. Maybe I was seeing things. "Can I get out of this cold shower please?"

"They were golden for a moment, around the edges," I recall, while he steps out.

He reaches for a towel, while I stop to think for a moment. I swear I had seen it, but I may have imagined it. Or, perhaps it was from the potion. I assume it is from him snapping out of its clutches. He's too busy trying his hair with the towel, slightly shivering from the icy water.

"You're seeing things. Was this really necessary?" he question. He strips his shirt, dumping it into the sink.

I step back into the room, hoping he isn't about to strip in front of me. "Yes, you were talking nonsense."

"I meant, was it necessary to drug me?" he asks, falling after me. His pants are still wet, but he doesn't seem fazed, still towel trying his curls. "I would have kissed you had you simply asked."

"I didn't know that. I was thinking about Katie," I admit, hugging my arms. She seems so nice, it would have been impossible to see her face if she knew.

"Forget her," he says gruffly. "It was a mistake."

There's a brooding silence for a moment. T tosses his towel back into the bathroom, running his fingers through his hair. Automatically it returns to its natural state. He's completely snapped out of the trance; slightly cold and conserved now. I sit on the edge of my bed, unsure of what to say. There's only one thing that needs to be addressed right now.

"We are mates," I breathe.

He watches me for a moment, silent. He doesn't seem too surprised. Instead he simply thinks, clearly wondering how to reply to me. "So we are."

"You don't seem very happy about it," I notice. In fact, he looks mildly upset. Either that, or his considering face is very far away. I never imagined the moment I met my mate, he would be so nonchalant and calm. Inside, I'm quivering, almost completely falling apart. This is the last thing I needed.

"Oh Faye, I could grab you and kiss you right now, but it's you who doesn't seem so happy about it," he comments, eyes blazing, remaining completely on me.

"This was the last thing I ever expected," I admit. "I mean you, of all people."

He sighs through his nose. "I understand completely."

The first moment I stepped into my room all those months ago and meet the gaze of the unknown Silent, I had no idea he was going to be my mate. After all the flirting, the terrorising, T, the man who nearly was sent to his own execution is my mate. The thought of it is barely comprehensible.

"You don't look so surprised though," I observe, narrowing my eyes slightly on him.

"Of course not," he exclaims calmly. "I already knew."

"What? For how long?" I growl.

He seems to consider that for a moment, tipping his head back to think. "Awhile. That's why I came here in the first place. Although a few things got in our way. Like a cell door."

T knows for a fact that a cell door was never an issue. It was his cockiness, his ease with his own flirtatious attitude. It was intimidating. In the end, I sent him away before I consider my feelings for him. If I thought about it a little longer, then perhaps I would realise that I was attracted to him, and I wanted him to want me too.

"And you didn't consider telling me?"

"Not at all."

"Why not?"

"Because I came here to evaluate your life and to see where I would fit," he tells me, leaning leisurely against the wall. I'm glad, it means he's not too close to me to distract me. "Turns out I don't."

My fingers dig into the plush duvet, gripping hard to control my anger. "All these lies...And you're my mate?"

"I never intended for you to be hurt by this. I wanted to protect you, or in the very least, ensure that your life would be untouched by my drama," he explains, stepping away from the wall. I watch him walk to the window, sliding it open to let in the gentle breeze. It sways in. This must be his way of attempting he cool the situation.

"Drama. Is that really the word you're using to describe these past months?" I ask flatly.

"You're proving my point quite eloquently, my lovely mate," he says, looking out the window. I glare at his back, tempted to send a vulgar gesture his way. "I'm stressing you out."

"You can't use that as an excuse."

"I'm not," he murmurs. He walks to me, holding his hand out. I take it tentatively, letting him lead me in front of my mirror. He stands behind me. "Look at you, you're beautiful, and strong. Perhaps you're on an off path at the moment, but you will find your way. You're a young Alpha. You have a brilliant life to live, as a mortal."

I stare at him in the mirror, rather than me. "So that's it? I'm mateless for the rest of my life. You're going to outlive me?"

"Do you see another way?" he asks, pulling my hair off my neck. His touch is so delicate and gentle, fingers barely brushes me. He leans down, chin near my shoulder, staring relentlessly at me.

"You wouldn't try to be with me?" I breathe.

My voice almost catches when he runs his fingers down my neck – slowly, deliberately. I'm watching it happen, unable to take my eyes away from it. I'm tuned in to it, chills spreading from each touch. His eyes remain on mine, as he places a single kiss below my ear.

"You wouldn't want that," he murmurs. With another kiss, he pulls away from me. I turn and gave him.

"You don't know that," I snap. I'm not sure where all this emotion is coming from, but I have a feelings it's unspoken feelings I had never considered before. I've been offered a mate and he may walk away from me. "I believe in true love, T. I believe in mates. I've always wanted one."

He takes a seat on the end of my bed. "I understand that. But there are terrible things I'm involved in that you need no part of."

My mouth opened for a retort, however, he held his hand up to silence me. "Sit down."

I do so, a little wary. When I look at T, I not only see the man Destiny decided I would be mated to, but also a complete stranger. He's allegedly a murderer. He tormented me for the past few months, he teased me and he confused me. Yet through all of that, I can't just turn my back and leave this opportunity behind.

"Tell me about it," I say, forcing an air of confidence into my voice. Even if what he tells me is terrible, I have to know.

"Faye, seriously. It's better if you don't know."

"You're trying to tell me you're about to keep secrets from your mate?" I say, borderline dumbfounded. I had hoped he would be honest with me, for once. "Come on, I'm trying to see your side of this. I'm not giving up."

His gaze remains puzzled, as if he can't believe I'm so curious about this.

"You're stubborn as ever," he mutters, sighing through his nose. "Alright. What do you wish to know?"

Finally. Maybe some truth. I take my time to answer, contemplating all the questions I have asked myself over the few months. I could jump into the deep questions about who he really is, his past and his intentions. However, it might scare him. Not away, just out of the line of truth. I need to know who I am mated to, so I'll start of easy.

"Is your hair naturally curly?"

His eyes narrow slightly. "Is this a joke?"

"No, it fascinates me," I admit. I'm not sure why this has gotten to me so much, but it has. Maybe because I so badly want to run my fingers through it, if he ever let me. "I've never seen anything like this on a male before, but I love it. I'm not even sure why."

"Yes, it's real, natural, and horrible to maintain," he tells me, delving his fingers into it, ruffling it around his forehead.

"Thank you for that," I tell him, happy that for a moment he decided to be truthful. I hope. I fold my legs up on the bed, crossing them over themselves. "What's your real name?"

He tips his head to the side, thinking about that for a moment, while I wait anxiously. "I'm not sure what name I was given at birth. My mother and my younger brother died from birth complications, so my father raised me. He always called me a certain name, but it's escaped my mind."

"How could you forget your own name?" I question, eyebrows furrowing.

"Terrible manipulations have been made to my mind. There are few things I remember about my childhood. Only the most tragic," he tells me.

He's not looking at me anymore. He's looking at the bed, fingers tracing the threading. Whatever happened, it haunts him. I can see it all over his troubled expression, taut shoulders and clenched jaw. Part of me is unsure if I should press for more, but at some stage, I need to understand.

"Like what?"

"I was only nine years old when my father killed another mortal in front of me. Then he demanded I take up a similar job to him when I was old enough," he explains. I remember him telling me about his job. I'm not sure I want to know much about that, though. Hearing him talk about taking lives is not something I could get out of my head.

"I'm sorry," I breathe. "Why did you give yourself the name T, though."

"I didn't," he tells me, before he grimaces slightly. "The voices in my head do."

Oh no. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Something dark and dangerous I'm sure we can talk about later, if you don't mind," he says.

Out of fear, I'm not going to press him on it. Voices in his head? That could mean a myriad of things I'm not about to delve into. Hopefully sooner rather than later I will get an answer, otherwise I'll spend the rest of my time wondering what those voices are in his head. Especially if they make him do bad things.

"Fine....We will approach that slowly," I tell him. I watch him physically relax. "What was your job in coming here?"

"To protect a few people from myself, and my mind. And to be near you, like I mentioned earlier. And also to protect you," he tells me.

"From what?"

"Callan."

I should have known he would bring Cal up. He looks serious though, I can tell with the look in his eyes. My relationship with Cal has been so up and down, I don't know what to think about it anymore. I trust him for his experience with my family, but a few things that have happened since then that has made me rethink that.

"He worked for my father. He's a trusted professional at his job. Sure, I've had issues trusting him, but that's only because I've trusted you," I admit, considering the influencer of my opinion on Cal.

"Right," T says, although he clearly doesn't believe me. "Well, he lied to you about many things. I have to ask, will you believe me if I tell you about his past?"

"You're my mate," I remind him. "But I will decide for myself."

T nods. He seems stiff, completely involved in his own words he's about to say. I can tell already, just by the solemn look about him, that what he is about to tell me might change my entire view on Cal.

"He's an immortal also. Fate turned him and I at the same time, since we both have similar job descriptions. However, he had his own prerogative. He refused to follow the demands of Fate, who tired of him easily, and let him do his own thing with his immortality," T tells. I can feel the blood drain from my face.

I attempt to swallow, but my throat is dry. "Continue."

Agaian, he takes some time before answering. "He was hired by your father to do something terrible. Something you may not believe."

"Just tell me."

"He was hired to kill your twin sister when she was only a few weeks old by your father. He chose a disturbing way to dispose of her before anyone realised twins had been born by their Luna. I won't tell you, though," he explains, rubbing the back of his neck.

I stare at him blankly. "Why would my family want my sister dead?"

He grimaces. "She had a similar sickness that your mother attained. Your father did not wish for his daughter to grow up and shame his name with her sickness, so had her executed. Years later, Alpha Kael of the Discipline learnt of this from his father, who shared a great bond with your own. So Kael sent Silent's to kill him, and succeeded."

As much as this explanation seems absolutely far fetched and unlikely to be real, some part of that makes sense. I scold myself for even considering that.

"Kael wanted my mother dead."

"He did. She was as poisonous as your father. However, it was Cal who committed the crime. She was about to out him on what he had done, to protect your reign as Alpha, and he couldn't let that slip. So he did what he had to," T tells me. If that is true, then this entire deal with Fate was pointless. What am I even thinking?

My entire body is frozen inside as I lay back on my bed, head falling amongst the cushions. "I think I need a lot of time to think this through."

T stays sitting up, concentrating on something else out the window, rather than me. "Absolutely. I don't expect you to believe my exact word. I was hoping you would figure it out on your own."

"Is that why you never told me?"

"Partly," he muses. "That, and I knew you would never believe me. I just prompted you toward figuring it out, but you never seemed to."

"Yeah well, I can't say-"

The entire sentence I was about to let out was interrupted by my bedroom door being thrown open. Three men walk inside. Two I don't recognize, however, the third is all too familiar.

"Alden?"

The two men make a grab for T, folding his arms behind his back, one of them getting him in a headlock. A look of alarm explodes in T's eyes. It all comes back to me. T told me before that Alden has something against him, and all of a sudden, it is unfolding in front of my eyes.

"It's okay Alpha, we have him reprimanded now," Alden says, watching a protesting T being dragged from my room.

"What are you doing?" I growl. I'm on my feet, but I'm frozen. "You can't do that."

"He's dangerous Faye, I'm glad we have him away from you."

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