Wolf of Stone novel Chapter 64

I dropped the half-eaten sandwich at the side and wiped at the tears that began to stream down my face as all my emotions came bursting forth.

His eyes pierced into me intensely as he opened his lips and asked, "Is that really why you don't want revenge? Why you're living out your life as a human? Revenge might not make you feel better about the fact that your people are lost for good, but it helps to set everything that spiralled out of control back in place. Are you telling me your people suffered for nothing?"

My lips trembled with emotion as his words pierced my heart and opened the demons that I've always tried to hide.

"I...I..."

He came closer and tugged me into his side as I buried myself in his chest and began to cry.

We stayed that way for a while as I released all the tears and emotions that I had bottled up inside. I couldn't meet his eyes anymore, so I kept my face buried into his chest.

"I'm not a good person, Axil." I mumbled brokenly, the gaping hole in my heart from back then making an appearance once more, "I'm selfish and self-centered, and I have no regard for anyone but myself and my family."

"You can't think like that," Axil voiced sadly, "I don't blame you for wanting to keep what makes you happy, that's normal. But you can't go around thinking that they'd leave you. From the stories I've heard from Liza, I could tell how strongly they feel for you. You might not be their daughter by blood, but you are their daughter, and they love you. I doubt that any magic spell or curse in this world would ever change their love for you. They didn't have to take you in, but they did and I'm sure if you stand in front of them today and tell them that you're a witch, their reaction wouldn't be any different from Liza's."

"I know... I know they love me, and it also scares me because I'm scared to disappoint them, so I hide. I hide away from the world, I know this. At this point, it's like an instinct. Whenever things start to get bumpy, I run, and I run, and I run because I'm terrified of the unknown."

"Everyone has fears, M. I'm no different. I put on a tough act for my pact because now that my parents are gone. I'm the Alpha. I'm their leader and to tell you the truth, I'm terrified of making a mistake. I don't know where we are going to go from here and it terrifies me. I was frozen for years and when I finally gained back my freedom, everything had changed, and it scared me. The only solace I have are my brother... and you. Your presence calms me. Whenever you're close, I feel like everything is going to be okay, like I can be myself around you. I want to show you my weaknesses, I want to open up to you and even though we haven't known each other for long I want to live life with you. Just watching you as we go about our everyday lives makes me content."