Klepto POV

I stare at my little pale toes through the darkness as they brush the hardwood floors underneath me. Looking over my shoulder, I silently watch my mate as he rests, his chest rising and falling slowly.

He looks so peaceful, and I envy him.

Flipping the covers off of my lap, I stand up and silently walk to the door, trying not to let my feet make too much noise in the creaky house.

My mind has been racing all night, and I've been tossing and turning trying to fall asleep, but just can't. My body won't let me rest, so I am up to get a drink to cool myself off.

There are so many things going on, it's overwhelming at times to wrap my brain around it all.

The influx of people in the house is intimidating to say the least, while I enjoy Stacey, Miranda, and Savannah's company, I still feel sick at the thought of vampires lurking in the building somewhere, like they could strike at any second.

Not to mention the royal male himself who is just down the hall. He is just downright terrifying.

I make my way down the stairs slowly but surely, looking around into the shadows and keeping all of my senses on high alert as I move.

I know Ezra has been around vampires, and that he somehow knows and trusts Alpha Veiler, but I can't help but have some nerves at the idea of the strangers here.

While I'm glad to make friends, I can't quite relax fully. I'm not used to people actually being nice to me, and don't understand how to trust or be close to someone.

Everyone betrays me at some point in time.

I slip into the kitchen, eyeing the door to the basement with suspicion. It's closed, but I can't help but think the Scottish vampire couple are out and about in the night.

I shiver while I grab a glass, trying not to drop it. I silently fill it with water, sipping at it while I lean against the counter.

Checking the clock on the oven, I'm not exactly surprised to see it's 3:11AM. I need sleep desperately, and I doubt a glass of water will aid me in that.

Making my way back upstairs, I take my time, taking advantage of my journey to stretch my legs. After going up the stairs, I walk down the hallway and stop abruptly when I hear something.

A growl, low and mean. It comes from behind a door, the door to the room that holds the King.

Fear sizzles up my spine like a bolt of lightning, warning me to move on and mind my own damn business. I should know when to make myself scarce and when to confront something head on.

And even though I hate it to my core, I know this is something I should confront. Even though I feel like I want to sprint in the other direction without looking back.

I lean forward, swallowing the lump in my throat and wrapping my knuckles on the door.

There's no answer, not even a sound.

Starting for the doorknob, I grab it, holding the cold metal in my hand for a beat before turning it and pushing the door open a smidge.

Through the crack, I see hulking shoulders, shoulders that are naked. My eyes bug wide at the trembling frame of Alpha Veiler. He's hunched over, breathing frantically.

I want nothing more than to back away, but I hold my ground and clear my throat, hoping he hears me over his growling.

"Everything okay in here?" I ask, taking a very brave step forward, halfway through the doorway. His head turns ever so carefully, his red eyes are beams of light in the darkness, studying me.

"Go away." He insists, and his command strikes me hard, harder than any Alpha command ever has. It's like a magnet trying to drag me away from here, trying to force me to leave his presence.

"You're upset, right? Do you need some help?" I offer, trying desperately to get the words out breathlessly as I ignore the command.

I'm so strongly compelled to do what The King asks that my body begins to shake with determination to stay put right where I am.

"I'm fine." His deep voice sounds like he's trying to convince himself, but not quite succeeding.

I make my way into the room and peak around his body to see what exactly he's hiding, only to spot a shattered vase on the ground. Glass fragments scattered across the wood floor.

"It slipped." He says when he follows my eyes, and I shake my head with a scoff.

"Riiight." I awkwardly twiddle my thumbs, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?!" He demands, his neon red eyes incredulous and his black brows furrow, drawing my eyes to the harsh scars on the left side of his otherwise handsome face.

"Your anger issues and whatever it is that's setting you off?" I raise my eyebrows and he growls, less aggressive and more a huff of annoyance.

"You wouldn't understand, and I believe I told you to leave."

I roll my eyes and plop down on the bed, setting my glass of water down on his nightstand.

"Try me." I watch him expectantly, but he just stands there glaring at me instead, his enormous body is intimidating but I press on. "Go on, I'm more than awake, and I'm bored. I give great advice to solve sucky problems, it comes with the experience."

He narrows his gaze at me before leaning against the wall by the window, and I once again notice that he's shirtless and I avoid staring at his chest, lightly dusted with dark hair.

"My mate." He says absently, "That's my problem."

I smile.

I knew it.

Aunt Emilia was right, sometimes you can just tell by someone's facial expressions that they've found their other half.

"What you said yesterday made me assume something like that. So what's the problem? You found your mate! Shouldn't you, I don't know, be happy about that?"

"I am happy with her, she is everything to me." He stops and then shakes his head, "I don't even know why I'm talking to you about this."

I shrug, a grin on my face as I brush back some hair from my eyes.

"I guess I'm just a good confidant. Go on, there's no one here but me, and I won't tell another soul."

Alpha Veiler looks sceptical.

"I don't have many friends, okay? I don't really have anyone to tell." I hold my hands up, and it's true, I don't really have anyone to gossip with, I'm only trying to help.

Because when I spot a miserable soul like mine, I feel like it's my duty to try and make it better for them.

He rubs absently at his sinuses, heaving a sigh.

"It's complicated."

I scoff at the words.

"You love her, clearly. What's so complicated about that?" I question, and now he's silent, going completely quiet for awhile as he stares at the ground, the glass pieces on the ground twinkling in the moonlight from the window.

The lack of noise draws on and on until I think it will last forever, and then he breaks it with a few little words.

"She's a human."

I can't help it, I gasp. He's joking, right?

"Bu... but that's.. that's.."

"Impossible. Right?" He finishes with his eyebrows raised, I nod and his lips press together in a firm, grim line. "That's what I thought too, but here we are."

No shifter has ever had a human mate, he must be the first.

He lets out a humorless laugh, shaking his head.

"My whole, miserable existence I've disliked the little things. Humans, they're useless and weak and I didn't have time to worry about them. Whenever I became attached to one, they died eventually, so what was the point?" His eyebrows lift suddenly, his expression growing soft and admiring, "And then I found her, I've waited literal centuries to find her, and she's a human. I don't hate that about her, I wouldn't change a thing, but it makes everything that much harder.

"She doesn't know about our world, doesn't know that because she's human, we'll never be able to have pups. She wouldn't understand that I'm a monster that has to be careful of my every move around her out of fear that I'll accidentally hurt her. She's absolutely clueless about the danger she's in when she's around me because of my countless enemies." He shakes his head, running a hand over his face quickly and breathing heavy.

"I'll always go back to her, but right now, it's not safe for her, so I had to leave her behind. I had to take her two best friends away out of fear that they'd be found by rogues and when they see my human they'll decide she's disposable." He chokes on the last word. I put two and two together when he mentions her friends that he's talking about Stacey and Miranda.

"I'm terrified of losing her. Terrified." He whispers, closing his eyes shut tight.

I don't say anything for awhile, because I'm kind of shocked. Not only with the fact that Alpha Veiler is probably the first shifter to ever have a human mate, but all the information spilling out of him like flood gates being broken.

He really needs someone to talk to, and it seems I'm the only one willing to listen.

I gulp loud before continuing the conversation.

"How did you meet her?"

Some of the stress evaporates from his expression and he relaxes a bit.

"I was in a small town in Virginia. Ryk had been spotted there with his team of rogues, and I was asked by the Guard to leave my pack and go undercover as a college professor. She was one of my students, a freshman, just 18 years old." He shakes his head, "She didn't know why she was so drawn to me, she's so damn innocent. She had no clue that when she asked for after class tutoring, she was going after a beast instead of a man."

"It sounds like she's just a kid." I say, trying to get him to talk as much as possible. He needs to let it out, it'a like me when I went to therapy. I might not have known that it helped, but I always felt better afterwards.

"She's naive, but independent, smart as a whip. She had to grow up way too fast, but she's the sweetest thing. Can't hold a grudge to save her life." He laughs a small, sad laugh, and I feel my heart break for him.

"She sounds great. When will you get her back?" I ask softly, trying to calm him down as he appears to be getting irritated, but the question only seems to further irritate him.

"I'll show up at her apartment door the second the Red Alpha is caught. As long as he's out there, I can't put her in danger. She's too defenseless, and I would never be the same if something happened to her."

I nod along to what he's saying, smiling a bit at the thought.

"Well, she's very lucky. I wish I had a mate that was as kind as you are to her." I tell him, opening up a little bit, the bitterness in my voice peeking through, because it's true.

I feel frustrated that I have been paired with Ezra. He's hurt me over and over and I hate that I still want him.

"You need to remember that the Moon Goddess chose him for you. That counts for something, she saw the two of you and thought you were perfect for each other." He says, and when I look up, his red eyes are watching me thoughtfully.

"He's hurt me, not physically, but emotionally. He's trying to make it better, and I've forgiven him, but I haven't forgotten. I'm scared. I can't trust him. It's too risky." I admit, rubbing at my elbow absently. He takes a step forward and crosses his arms across his broad chest.

"Sometimes, you need to be vulnerable. It's worth the risk. If there's even a chance of a happy life with your mate, you need to take it."

I let that sink in a bit, trying to evaluate the feelings bubbling up inside me and then shoving them down. I don't need more things on my mind, I just want sleep, dang it!

After a bit more conversation, I head off to bed, slipping under the covers sneakily and fluffing up my pillow underneath my head. I lay down and settle in before glancing over at Ezra.

I can't help but consider King Veiler's words. Maybe he's right? Maybe I need to take a leap of faith and hope it works out.

I focus on Ezra's face as he breathes calmly, his dark bronzey red hair is tousled and unkempt from sleeping, and he looks jaw droppingly handsome.

Scooching closer to him, I decide that maybe it is time for me to put my fears aside and try to live my life, because sitting around and feeling sorry for myself isn't going to help anything.

I'm going to do something about it.

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If you're reading this, I love you :)

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