Once my crying had finally subsided into mere hiccups and sniffles, I was glad Kayden was able to calm me down. We laid on my bed for hours, as he held me firmly, as if I'd break if he let go.

"Charlotte," He began softly, "I need you to tell me what happened, okay? I promise not to judge you." I hesitated before nodding slowly.

I shifted upright and turned to face him, "I'm not sure where to start," I said truthfully.

"How about from the beginning?" He offered with a small smile. I rolled my eyes at him slightly, now was not the time for jokes. I inhaled a deep breath and sighed, preparing myself to tell him. This time, everything.

"Well it all began when I had just turned twelve. Every year on my birthday, my brother and I would bend the rules and sneak away from my birthday party. We would just play in the woods for a while, something my parents forbade us to do,"

My hands began to shake a little, "That day as I climbed a tree, someone had been up there wanting. And before I knew it, I was being taken away. The rogues that had taken me brought me back to their own pack where I was thrown into a cell. They kept me there for seven years,"

"Everyday three of them would come into the cell; sometimes all of them, sometimes two, and sometimes just one. But every time, Rowan, the Alpha, was there. At first they whipped me, they would slash at my skin until it was raw and bloody. They even used different tools, testing how much pain I could take before I passed out. But after a few months of that--"

My voice faltered before saying the next few words, "--they would use me." I said, holding back a small sob, "After a certain point, I couldn't even fight them anymore. There was nothing I could do to stop them. I was just a weak little girl." A few tears began falling down the sides of my cheeks and Kayden was quick to wipe them away.

"But every single time they'd beat me, use me, they would always remind one another they could never kill me. I never understood why they even kept me there so long, I wanted them to just kill me and get it over with. I couldn't take it anymore." I tried so hard to not let the sobs come through.

"The night I had ran onto Royal Territory was the same night I had escaped. I finally thought I was free, but when I was in thrown into your dungeons, I thought I was going to die all over again." The first sob finally broke through and I covered my mouth with a trembling hand in attempt to make them stop.

I could feel the anger rolling off Kayden in dense waves. He was beyond livid but he continued to comfort me despite the fact he was struggling to keep self control. I no longer racked with tears, but I cried silently, the only noise being heard was our ragged breathing.

Although I was hurting inside, I knew it would be best if Kayden calmed down. I got up shakily and straddled him, pulling him close to me. I allowed him to breathe into my neck. Once his body relaxed significantly I knew it was working.

"Thank you," He said, muffled by my neck and hair, "You're so strong you know that?" My heart warmed at his words but part of me didn't think what he was saying was true. Instead of lying to him, I hummed in response and rested my head on his shoulder.

"I'm serious Charlotte," He said with confidence, "No one else I know could have gone through all that and still come out to be the amazing Charlotte I've come to know. Even when faced with idiots like me you pushed through and stood your ground. I want you to know that you're so brave and I admire you for that." I blushed at his words.

For a man who rarely speaks in the sight of others sure has a way with words. "No one's ever said that kind of stuff around me," I admitted quietly, "Thank you."

The look in his eyes held so much love and emotion it was hard for me to process it all at once.

He began leaning into me, our lips so close to touching. I could feel his minty breath fan my lips slightly as they were about to meet. I felt completely frozen in time. Once the sense of control came back to my body I pulled back abruptly, only feeling the slightest brush of Kayden's lips.

Even then, I felt light tingles on the surface of my own. "I think we need to slow down." I said in the spur of the moment. In response, he pressed a small kiss to the top of my cheekbone.

"As you wish, darling."