One week.

It's been 1 fucking week since Theo last spoke to me and 7 days I've been serving patrol as my punishment.

After 1 week, my anger had simmered down but apparently Theo and the others still haven't forgotten. Every time I tried to even approach them—even one fucking step—they seem to intentionally leave the room or pretend to talk amongst themselves like immature little kids.

No one fucking understands.

Constantly, I had to remind myself that I was mad at Theo and everyone else before I let myself get taken over the urge to talk to them and mostly Theo.

The mate bond was making me fret and stress over every little thing. I was getting more annoyed and got ticked off over every little thing.

To my luck, Beta Felix was in charges of patrol and became my very victim. He became somewhat like my own punching bag to feed my irritation.

God, my temper is really unappealing.

"You know, Felix," I start. "You should audition for Tarzan."

He growls, "Watch it, Catalina."

"Aye aye, cap!" I mock.

"Get your shit together and watch for any trespassers or rogues among the premises," he commands.

I let out a humorless laugh. "You have a bad eye, Felix."

He only rolls his eyes and returns to his alert state. I knew I was irritating him and I knew that he and the others were also already stressed ever since Cara had been attacked by rogues.

Since that incident, rogue disturbances have greatly increased. They were seen holding meetings and eyeing the territory as if they were trying to map it out. It was as they were making themselves known that they were shamelessly planning an attack.

Theo, getting the memo, increased the number of warriors guarding the territory—including me.

I thought it was nothing—that it was no problem. But the weary and fatigued expressions almost everyone in the pack sported told me it was something more. The situation must be getting out of hand.

And apparently, I wasn't well-informed.

Ha, it's not like anyone tells you anything anyways. So I continue to do what I do best: annoying people.

"Are you exhausted?" I question Felix, fully knowing the answer.

The young Beta merely sighs and grunts at me.

"I bet you ought to let out your frustration on someone, no?"

He huffs and nods.

"Like a rogue?" I add.

He snaps his head to me and runs a hand through his long hair before admitting, "You're right. I'm stressed and everyone else stressing makes me more stressed out. I just want to go down the cellars and throw a punch at a rogue or two."

I pause and shrug at his honesty, then continue with a smug smile, "I'm a rogue."

I reach my hands towards him as if they were secured in handcuffs.

Felix shakes his head and watches me, skeptical.

"You're insane," he breathes out and a lazy smirk dances on my lips. With furrowed brows and downcast lips, he slaps my hands away.

"This pack drives me insane," I joke.

Felix shakes his head and huffs at me at the most disappointed way possible.

"Anthony," he says as he calls for another Warrior. "Take charge while I take a small break. It'll take 15 minutes if not less."

"Yes sir," the man called Anthony replies.

"And you," he growls. "Follow me."

"Gladly," I grumble. I felt like a child being scolded my a parent. Only I was too grown to be identified as a child and too troublesome to be kept by my own parents.

He leads me to a denser portion of the forest, far from the others but close enough that he could sense any oncoming danger coming on their part.

"I meant it when I said you're an idiot," he growls.

"And I meant it when I said you're a ticking bomb who could blow up any minute," I retort.

"How can you even tel—,"he continues

"Like right now."

He grunts and breathes out a, "You're the most infuriating woman I've ever met."

"Thanks," I day with a lazy smirk. "I hear that a lot."

Maybe it was the saltiness in my tone of the slight bitterness that I didn't even notice that shined in my eyes. But Felix's thick brows started to furrow in concern and a frown tugged on his lips. He eyed me with so much distress it almost made me sad myself.

He didn't talk to me for a while and I didn't have the courage to speak either.

Seeing him look at me with sympathy and without the sternest on his visage felt so foreign. It was so unlike his temperamental attitude.

"You know," he breaks the awkward silence. "I had a mate."

Had.

I keep my mouth shut and listen to him earnestly despite my surprise from his abrupt truthfulness. When I meet his gaze that focused at a far distance with so much passion, I look down on instinct. It felt like I was disturbing such a precious moment.

"H-he was perfect for me," he says softly. "As cheesy as it sounds, he was my soulmate and I couldn't ask for anyone else more meant to be for me than him."

I nod slightly as I felt a small ache in my heart when his voice sounded so heartbroken. I admired his bravery for being so open to me about his past and his identity.

Maybe, even the deepest part of me felt amazed that someone trusted me enough.

"What was he like?" I ask. The Beta's fervent vibe was getting to me and I felt an unusual closeness to whoever this person was.

I hear a heartfelt laugh before he continued, "He was amazing. I couldn't help but fall in love with him every time I see him. He made me feel more complete in a span of two years more than anyone else ever had. We weren't perfect and we didn't expect perfection but with him, everything felt more perfect than anything else."

I softly release a heartfelt laugh along with him as we imagined the memory. Felix turns to me with a peaceful and soft expression—a picture I made sure to capture knowing that this was once in a lifetime.

"So what I'm trying to say," he tells me. "Is that for both you and Theo to please cherish the times you have together. I know you're on the worse end of this situation but I see it. I see the future you both could have and I don't want anything to risk not having that future.

"So please, despite the challenges, I'm asking you to try. I'll only say this once but you're an amazing person, Alex. And Theo—Theo's been through a lot. And I definitely know you didn't have any better."

I nod, my heart suddenly feeling lighter.

"You want answers, am I right?" He asks.

"Of course," I mutter.

"I believe Theo has the right to tell you his secrets on his own but I'll tell you one thing," he says.

I nod my head furiously, glad that I could finally hear some answers—even it was a tiny little detail.

"All I can say is that he blames himself a lot for reasons that he couldn't have avoided either way," he slowly informs me. "And he's doing so much to gain back and fix what he believes he has fragmented in his younger days, mostly importantly his sister. She's the very person he wishes to never break again and she's the person he'll protect the most."

I stare at a distance with so many thoughts running in my mind. Feelings stir inside me and I look down in shame as I recognize a very slight jealousy. I try to push back that feeling to the depths of my heart.

"There will be a time Theo will choose his sister over his mate," he adds. I grit my teeth together as I run his words through my mind over and over again.

"Then he must be an idiot," I huff, breaking the vehement aura around us.

Felix sports a lopsided smile and speaks again, "Do you know why our beautiful Moon Goddess put you two together?"

I raise my brow, piqued. "Why so?"

"You're the only one strong enough mentally and physically to be able to handle with a past and a burden like Theo," he tells me with pure honesty.

I rise my chest and put my chin up smugly. He rolls his eyes at this but the corner of his lips lifted upwards.

"And what is he to me?" I ask, tilting my head.

He meets my eyes and carried on, "Something about you tells me that at some point in life—past, present, or future—Theo was your savior."

"Oh really?" I say under my breath, my heart thrumming.

So many secrets that I still don't know, but I did know one thing. This pack seemed to know more about me than I expected—almost as if they were connected to my past itself.

"I'm never wrong."

"Too bad," I voice out with a smile on my face. "I believe you made your first inaccurate statement the moment you called me an idiot."

___

A/N Will be making a lot of editing soon so there might be changes to the storyline itself

Also this chapter was honestly so boring but I needed to write it at one point