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"Why are you here?"

He could feel her trembling as he stared into her ocean eyes. Those same eyes that previously looked at him with love were now filled with nothing but fear. He glanced down at the cat in her arms, then back at her face.

His jaw clenched in anger. She had disobeyed him three times this night; going outside without his permission, bringing that damn cat in his house, and coming down to the basement.

Madeline hesitantly opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She was far too terrified. Was this really who Matthew was? He hid he fact that he was a direwolf, he hid the fact that he was a cruel torturer who kept men chained up in his basement, what other secrets is he keeping from her?

"Answer me." His gaze was menacing. She began scolding herself for coming down here. "You should've just stayed in bed, you idiot. Everything would've been fine."

"I-I was- Well I heard v-voices down here so I-"

"Did I not make it clear? Under no circumstances were you allowed to come here." She could feel tears brimming her eyes as he chastised her. "And you also brought that cat in, knowing I had forbidden that as well. You're being very disobedient tonight, aren't you?"

"Now you'll see how merciless he is. He'll beat you black and blue-"

"Shut up," Matthew growled, turning to his captives. He let go of her shoulders and strode towards the cells.

Halfway, he halts, turning back to glance at the young girl.

"Get up in the bedroom, now. I'll deal with you later." His voice was calm, but threatening. He was trying his best not to let his anger out on her.

Madeline immediately made a run to the staircase, her heart thundering.

"Run away while you can, he's going to kill you!" One of the men shouted, before a vicious growl was heard in retaliation, no doubt Matthew's.

Without stopping, she bolted up the two flights of stairs, shoving the bedroom door open. Once inside, she leaned her back against it, panting from exhaustion and panic."You are so dead Maddie."

Her attention turned to the cat in her arms.

"I have to hide you," She whispered, scurrying around frantically to find good hiding spot. "The closet? No... The bathroom? Bad idea..."

Her eyes lingered on a door near the window; it was the balcony. It took a great amount of effort from her frail arms to open the door, but she finally managed, stumbling outside as it briskly unlatched.

"Just stay out here, alright Mittens? I don't think he'll find you-" She gasped when the cat squeezed through the railing, jumping off the balcony. "Mittens!" Madeline ran to the edge, climbing the railing and leaning forward dangerously to look for him. Relief washed over her when she saw that he landed safely on all fours. "Thank goodness."

"What are you doing?"

Matthew's voice startled her, making her lose her balance. With a shriek, her hands slipped off the railing and she felt herself stumbling off the edge, falling head-first to the ground. Her eyelids shut tightly, bracing herself for the impact, but it never came.

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes to see that she hadn't fallen off. She was suspending upside down, with Matthew's strong arms holding her waist tightly, preventing her from plummeting to the earth. Looking up, she was appalled to see her nightgown had bunched up around her hips, exposing everything underneath to his eyes.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying the sight. "Stop it, this is not the time Matthew." Pushing the thoughts out of his mind, he lifted his mate back over the railing, turning her over to hold her bridal-style. Her face was beet-red as she swiftly pulled the hem of her nightgown back down to her thighs.

"Were you trying to kill yourself?" He snapped, bringing her back inside. The human timorously shook her head, before he dropped her onto the bed. She crawled until her back touched the headboard, trying to get as far from him as possible. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she tucked her chin between them and wrapped herself in her arms.

He was burning with anger, but seeing his mate so afraid of him felt like an arrow to his chest.

"Calm down, and don't hurt her," He told himself. Unlike werewolves, who are bound to go back to each other no matter how much they argue, humans can simply stop having feelings for their mates and find another lover. He hoped she hasn't yet lost her love for him, though the fear in her eyes suggested otherwise.

Sighing, he sat on the edge of the bed, his back towards her.

"What did those men tell you?"

She peered at him from behind her knees, struggling to find the courage to speak to him.

"T-They said that you tortured and hurt them, and that you'll k-kill me." A fleeting moment of silence surrounded the room as Matthew pondered upon her words. "W-Why would you do that to them?"

"Do not believe anything they said. I don't torture innocent people, Madeline. Those men were murderers. They killed my entire family before my eyes: my mother, my father, my sister... Not just my family, they killed so many more. I spent years getting strong enough to achieve revenge on them, and now I finally had them, chained up like the pathetic fools they are. They took everything from me, they deserved all the pain I gave them."

Madeline felt her eyes tear up as she processed his story. His entire family? She was never one to approve of violence, but after hearing Matthew's side of the story, she was not sure what to think.

"You had a sister?"

Her mind wandered to her own brother. Nathan had always been so protective of her. If someone were to kill her while he was alive, he would've no doubt raised hell and tortured them likewise.

"She was a few years older than me. I never had many friends as a child, but she was always with me. We did everything together. Then... She was gone. They killed her in the worst way; locked her up in a house and set it on fire, while I was chained up outside. I heard all her screams, but I couldn't save her on time." He clenched his fists as the dreadful memory flooded his mind. Everyday, he cursed himself for not being able to rescue her.

A faint sniffle escaped Madeline, tears rolling down her cheeks. She never knew Matthew's past was so traumatic.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, unable to think of anything else to say. He was still facing away the other way, staring out the window contemplatively.

"They suffered enough, I won't be torturing them anymore." He looked down at his hands, stained in blood only moments ago. "I killed them after you left. You might be against that, but I had no other choice. If I freed those vermins, they would've killed you next."

The thought of him killing four men in just a few minutes sent a shiver down her spine. "They were murderers. You can't expect him to be peaceful and kind to them. He did the right thing," She tried to convince herself.

He turned around to face her. "You may hate me, but you are the only person I have left, and I cannot let you go."

Her eyes looked up to meet his. They were filled with such pain and misery, she could not stop herself from throwing herself in his arms and hugging him tighter than ever. He fell back onto the bed, holding her on top of him as close as possible, as though she'd slip away if he let go.

"I don't hate you," She murmured, making him sigh in relief. They both stayed there in silence for a while, enjoying the feeling of being in each other's arms.

With his mate still laying on top of him, he moved up on the bed to tuck themselves in properly. His eyes darted to the clock in the room. 2:56 am.

"It's late, you should sleep," He observed, stroking her hair softly.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

She bit her lip, debating wether she should go on or not. "Can we please keep the cat?"

He mentally groaned. "It's an outdoor cat, we are not keeping it in the house. If you like it that much, I'll allow you to visit it in the forest once in a while." She frowned, but decided not to argue.

"... Can I ask you another thing?"

"What?"

"Were you looking under my nightgown earlier when I was falling?"

...

"Go to sleep."