Clara's POV

In this world there are many kinds of beauty. Inner beauty, food, so on and so forth. However, what I have discovered is a very alluring type of beauty that captivates you from the moment you lay your eyes on it. The beauty of an injured animal. Now I know that that sounds unappealing and slightly sadistic but just imagine it. You wake up and get out of bed, look around, and your eyes land on this black panther. All it is doing is laying on the bed with its head up and eyes staring straight at you. Even though it is doing nothing, its strong, wounded, bleeding body and wild red eyes make it appear so majestic that I can't even look away.

"How are you doing Nassir? Are your wounds healing properly?" I asked him

He didn't talk, he only gave me a slight shake of his head. Instantly, I started to worry about him.

"Why not? Is there any way that I can help you? I'll get you whatever you need."

For a long time he just stared at me. But then he finally said 'My energy is still low. I need food.'

"Oh. Well if that's all it is then I can make you something to eat. No problem."

'You seem to be misunderstanding something. If I needed the food that you make then I would have made it myself. However, that is not what I need. I need to eat a person.'

"Ummm, I don't think I can get that for you." I weakly stated under his harsh gaze

'Ah. So you are a liar too.'

"No! I wouldn't lie to you!"

'But you just did. You said that you would get me whatever I needed yet when I stated it you said you could not. So you are a liar. Just like that person. If you cannot supply me with food, then I will just get the food myself.' He said as he stood up and jumped off of the bed.

"Wait! You can't go out there. It'll damage your eyes. If you let me ask some people then I could get you something to eat. Would you trust me then?" I asked desperately

'No. However, it will be a step towards that. I will do as you say and wait. But if I find out that you have lied to me then I will eat no matter what.' He said as he turned around and laid back on the bed in a position where he could see anything and everything that happened in the room.

I woke Antone up and dragged him from out of the room and into the Alpha's office where Alessio and his parents were in a heated discussion. I politely cleared my throat to let them know that I am here.

"Clara, what can we do for you?" Aline inquired

"It's Nassir. He needs food." As soon as I said that Antone, who was previously half asleep, immediately perked up.

"And this needed to be brought up to our attention why?" Alessio said

"I would cut the attitude if I were you or else you'll be the one he eats." Antone said with so much anger

"I came here to ask about the people that we have in our cells who have a death sentence. How many are there?"

"About 52, why?" Aline replied

"Because he eats people. But look on the bright side of this. You won't have to go through the trouble of finding an executioner."

"Hmmm. If I were to agree to this, how many would he need?" Alessio asked

"He needs half of that number. According to the journals from the last five years, he hasn't eaten since I was locked up."

"Then give them to him. We're just going to kill them anyway." He replied with a tone that said he didn't care at all which really ticked me off

"What is your problem? Sure they are rouges who are on death sentence but that gives you no right to treat life with so little respect and throw it away. What are you going to do when we run out of rouges huh? Just say "We'll find some more people whose lives I don't care about to eat. No problem?"

He looked at me straight in the eyes and said "When we run out of people to feed him, then he can starve. I never wanted him here in the first place."

The whole room was silent. The tension was so thick that it felt like I was choking. Everybody just froze in place waiting for whatever came next. I was the one who finally spoke up.

"Are you like this because he killed your uncle and pack members? You're pathetic."

"You have no right-"

"I have every right to say that since he killed my pack members too!"

"That's impossible. Your pack was destroyed."

"Yes, it was destroyed. But Thayer took prisoners. Wanna know how I know? Among those books in there are records of the people who Nassir has killed. How do you think I feel knowing that my son killed my pack members? However unlike you, I have enough sense to know that he was held prisoner practically since birth and doesn't know any better. And what's even worse is that you don't even try to find out the truth. You coward."

He was silent for a few moments before saying "I'll prove to you that that thing doesn't belong here. We can question it while we feed it. Is that good enough for you?"

"For now, it is. Will all of you be listening?" I asked everyone else in the room

At the nods of their heads, we went to the cells and got about 26 people. We led them to the outside of my room which Nassir is using. I knocked on the door and told him that I came with his meal. He gave a soft growl which I interpreted as a green light. I opened the door and we walked the rogues into the room and locked the door. Then I turned to Nassir.

"Here they are as promised. But before you start, I want to know if we can ask you some questions after you are done."

'I shall always answer your questions, Clara, so long as you also answer mine and teach me about my surroundings since I am not familiar with them.'

"That is no problem at all."

'Now step aside. I do not think that you desire to be eaten.'

With those words I moved everyone out of his way. The next thing I know, he's clear across the room on top of one the rogues. Everything after that was gory. The half of the room that they were in was covered in blood. He tore into all of them leaving nothing but the bones whose clean white color contrasted greatly with the blood red of the space around it. He turned towards us with his black coat stained and I couldn't help but puke. Aline did the same. Nassir tilted his head.

'Were you uncomfortable with that?' He asked with a voice full of curiosity

"We are simply not used to seeing all of that." I answered

'Hmmm. Do you have a cloth that I can use to clean the blood off of me? I would prefer to be in my human form for conversation.'

"Yes, I do. I also have some clothes for you to wear as well."

'Are clothes a necessity?'

"Yes. In your new surroundings, people do not walk around bare." I said as I handed him the cloth and clothes.

He didn't say anything as he shifted into his human form with cat ears, tail, and wings. He wiped the blood off of his body and put on his clothes. The jeans were a perfect fit but the red long-sleeved shirt was a bit too big and made him look adorable. Nassir then gathered up his piles of bones and put them on the bed while motioning for us to come in front of him.

"So tell me. Why were you uncomfortable with me eating those people?" He asked as he grabbed a bone and chewed on it.

"Well, we usually just kill the person and leave their body intact." I answered

"Then you are different. When Thayer had me, I had some hunts that would take a while. There would be people on the ground and I would be above them on a platform. I would watch them until there was only one person left. At the start, they would say how they would never kill one another. But at the end, there was only one person left who took pleasure in killing them. So I thought that people enjoyed tearing others apart. Am I mistaken?"

"Some people do enjoy it but others don't."

"I see. So, what did you want to ask?"

"What was your life like when you were with Thayer?" Alessio asked

We all glared daggers at him when Nassir stopped eating his bones. Well, except for me. I was about to hit him but was held back by Antone.

"There is no need to be mad. It is a reasonable question. However, the answer will be told in parts since you seem to be uncomfortable with certain things. So, where should I start?"

"What was your room like?" I asked wanting to know the environment that my son grew up in.

"Empty. There was just myself and the chains that restrained me. Thayer would bring in things that he used to hurt me with but he would take them with him when he left. It was also cold. I am permanently cold. No matter what I do, I would never feel warmth. But there were exceptions. Thayer would burn me with fire sometimes. It was so warm and beautiful. It was something that I had never seen before. It was different than the darkness that was always present. Anyway, there was also people. To be more specific, their blood. When I consumed their blood, it filled me with a kind of warmth that was not given to me. Besides these things, my life was simple. As long as I did as I was told, I would receive minimal damage. But even that pain was welcome since it kept me from being consumed by my own thoughts."

Hearing all of this broke my heart. No one should go through what he went through. I couldn't help but imagine the things that he went through. But before I broke down, I wanted to know something.

"Could you explain what led up to the way we found you?" I asked him

"Way you found him? What do you mean?" Aline asked me

Not feeling like describing that scene, I showed her and Daniel the image of when we found him through the mind link. When I was finished, Daniel covered his mouth with his hand and Aline puked into the nearby trashcan. Once she finished, she gave the signal to continue the conversation.

"Thayer always said that I was his. He would get mad if I showed interest in someone or vice versa. During one of my hunts, Barin was there. However, instead of killing him instantly, I talked to him. He was different because he didn't beg me for his life and because he looked as if he had no purpose for existing. Similar to myself. Thayer was mad. Over and over he broke my bones, crushed my wings, and so much more. He was doing that ever since he threw Antone in the dungeon."

I couldn't hold it in anymore. I started crying. Aline started crying too. We are people who want to help others so to hear this was devastating.

Alessio's POV

All the males looked uncomfortable. Females were crying and we didn't know what to do. Even that thing looked uncomfortable. Me, Antone, and Dad moved behind them in order to try to calm them down but no matter what we did, they just continued to cry.

When I looked towards the thing, he was scooting closer to them. Once he was a certain distance away from them, he unfurled his wings and curled them around the crying women. But since his wings were so big, the rest of us got caught up in it as well.

Mom and Clara looked up at the sudden change in their surroundings. Nassir slowly but surely reached out his clawed hands towards them. I tensed up, ready to attack him if he did anything to harm them, but he did something unexpected. He wiped their tears away. Then, as if he just realized what he did, he quickly pulled his hands back.

"I should not have touched you, but something inside of me does not wish to see you two, who have done me no harm, cry. That is why I covered you with my wings. Like this, I am cut off from other things and am able to relax a little. I hope that you feel the same."

When I looked back at Mom and Clara, I saw that they had indeed calmed down and were looking at Nassir. They still looked sad though.

"Which do you prefer: sweet or sour?" He asked them

"Sweet." They answered in unison

"Then lead me to where you cook your food."

They got up in confusion and walked out of the room. We followed right after Antone gave Nassir some sunglasses that would help his eyes. After a lot of twists and turns, we made it to the kitchen. Nassir told Clara and mom to sit down. Once they did, he got started making something. He didn't use any measuring cups or anything like that. He just put the ingredients together as if he had done this a million times before.

'Humans are right on one thing. Men who cook really are sexy.' Dominic said

I was about to answer him but was interrupted when Nassir placed two desserts in front of the women. It looked simple but pretty.

They looked up at him as if they were asking if they could eat it and Nassir nodded. They took a spoonful and froze. I was about to ask what was wrong when I saw them practically melt in their chairs.

"This is so good." Mom said

"This is the best dessert I have ever tasted."Clara said

"I discovered that a person's feelings are affected by what they eat. Your feelings have improved, have they not?"

All they did was nod as they devoured their dessert. When they finished, they looked like little kids and were super depressed. But when he told them that there was more in a container, they were so happy.

"Thank you so much."Mom said

"What she said. That was just what we needed." Clara said

She tried to reach out to grab his hand but he pulled away from her. He had a look of...fear in his eyes.

"Don't touch me. I do not desire to hurt you or dirty you." He said

"It's okay. I want to touch you."

"Why? Why do you want to touch someone as disgusting as me?"

"Because I don't think you're disgusting and I believe that you won't hurt someone without reason."

She slowly stepped towards him and gently caressed his cheek while he just stood there stock still. She looked him straight in his multi colored eyes with absolutely no fear or disgust.

"You aren't a monster and you aren't disgusting. You are my son and I'm your mother."

"I'm yours? And you're mine?" He asked with so much hope in his eyes

"That's right. I'll never leave you."

At that moment, we all witnessed as their bond was made anew. See, in the supernatural world people are able to make different bonds. It's not rare but it's not common either. In this case, the familial bond that they did not establish when he was born was just created. It was like a string tying the two of them together.

Once the strings dissipated, he reached out his hand to touch her face. When he was close, he stopped and looked at Clara as if asking for permission. She nodded her head and he very gently caressed her face as if she was a glass doll that he was afraid to break.

"You're the first who sees me as something other than what I am." He said as he bent down and rubbed his face against her like a cat and purr.

All she did was stroke his hair. The next thing I know, he's on the floor unconscious. Clara started to panic and fuss over him but Antone quickly explained that he was just tired. They picked him up took him to his room. I went to my own room as well and contemplated a few things.

A week later

Over the course of the week, things have been somewhat interesting. Nassir never let Clara out of his sight. If you find one of them then you'll find other. He'll also scare off anybody who comes close to her. Like a bodyguard. Although, when he's out of his room he's in panther form. Needless to say everyone is scared of him. But Antone has said that his eyes are adjusting pretty fast so he should be able to see without sunglasses really soon. I hope that will get him separated from her for a bit.

On my end, my wolf has been uncharacteristically quiet. I'm worried as to what he's planning. But even more than that, I can't stop thinking about the weakness that he showed to Clara. Unable to work, I took out the first volume of books about his life that I said I would read. And the things that I read are things are things that I never thought would happen in real life. So like that, I continued to read through the books of his life as I had promised.

From the very beginning, there was no care for him. That was the first thing that I noticed. The next thing I noticed was that he has had little to no human interaction. Whenever he did, it was always a negative experience. Some of the things done to him were things that you'd usually see in books or movies. I kept on reading the books until I couldn't anymore and put it down. But when I did, I heard it.

It was the irresistible sound of a violin. If you were to name my Achilles heel it would be music. The reason being because it is very beautiful and has power. Wanting get a clearer sound, I walked out of my office and followed the sound. I walked through the halls and came into the view of one of the older rooms in the pack house where we store things. Inside, Nassir was playing a song on the violin that took my emotions and twisted it whichever way it wanted. I stayed standing in the hallway just listening until he stopped playing.

"That was amazing!" Clara said

"Where did you learn how to play?" Mom asked

"Thayer. He made me learn it." Nassir said

"Then don't you hate playing it?"

"No. I couldn't hate music. So you can understand let me ask you a question. Have you ever been alone?"

They both nodded their heads yes.

"You had people that you could go back to so in the end you felt alone but were never really alone. In Thayer's compound, I was alone. In that place, surrounded with darkness, I had nobody to call out to. Even if I screamed out in pain and frustration, I knew no one would come for me. However, when I was playing music on my instruments, it reminded me that I could feel more emotions than just anger even if I don't know what they are. In a place where I received pain and violence, music was something that never hurt me but made me feel."

When he finished talking, he picked up the violin again and started playing more music.