Osiris groaned as he leaned onto his elbows as they rested against his thighs. "There's more privacy in my office let's go there and I'll explain everything to you." He spoke eyeing the rather sad job my broken door did at blocking our conversation from prying ears.

And who's fault is that? He should have thought about that before he decided to break down the door.

I crossed my arms. "No, whatever you have to say you can say it here and now or forever hold your peace."

"Fine then." He grumbled. "Where would you like me to start?"

Wasn't it obvious? Hadn't I made it clear? I wanted to know everything, from the beginning to how we ended up here.

All the secrecy, double meanings, and side-eyes were tiring. I wanted to know everything that he hide from me, even if it meant I wouldn't stick around long after.

I had made up my mind already, regardless of the fact that Osiris would now come clean I wouldn't stay in a place I was never truly wanted. They didn't want me here. I couldn't help but feel like a charity case at this point.

"The beginning is a great place to start," I stated sarcastically to which Osiris curled his lip up.

"I found out you were my mates the first time I saw you." He began.

"When Philip was threatening me?"

Osiris nodded. "I didn't want you at first."

My heart nearly ruptured. Was he trying to dig the knife deeper he had already driven into my back?

My mate didn't want me after all. All this time I spend reassuring myself that my mate had accepted me just to be slapped in the face when my true mate tells me they didn't want me.

The blood in my veins felt icy, my limbs felt suddenly weighted down. I didn't want to be in the same room anymore and all Osiris had explained was a single sentence.

I didn't want you.

Osiris watched as I sat myself down on the floor. My legs were crisscrossed as I leaned my elbows onto my legs and laid my head in my hands.

If I was going to feel like I was falling apart I would much rather be sitting down already and be able to hide my face if I ended up losing it.

"Phina, I never wanted-"

I snapped my head up to face him, I watched his atoning features as he rolled his bottom lip into his mouth. It was a nervous tick that I had and for some odd reason, I related to him in that moment, though it was brief.

"I don't want to hear apologies or excuses, just tell me the truth."

My snip response causes him to drove his gaze. The shame must have grown tenfold because he couldn't stand to look at me any longer as he mustered up the courage to continue.

And do Osiris told me everything. He told me about the time he first laid eyes on one another and how his wolf knew I was his mate. Osiris also explained that I couldn't fell him as my mate because I don't too have a wolf to recognize him as mine, though he noted that it was solely a hypothesis.

He mentioned how Desmond played the role as my mate because he didn't want he enemies to harm me to get to him. When he told me this I couldn't help but feel as though I was some pawn in a chess match. I was just an nuisance to him all this time, something that tied him down. No wonder he wanted nothing to do with me most times, hiding away and being down right rude to me.

Everything that he told me stung and if I was being honest in a messed up kind of way made sense but I couldn't over look the fact that he could have just told me the truth. All this time he and Desmond and most likely even Ivy portrayed this false reality to me.

I was embarrassed. I was hurt.

Osiris might have been able to get me to understand the reason behind some of his actions but he couldn't clear the air on others.

"You would have told me I was your mate if you had any intentions of claiming me." I muttered when he had finally come to an end of his justifications.

He stared emotionless on the bed his eyes morphing a shade darker than their natural hazel. Osiris looked me over as I curled my knees close to my chest. I rested my chin on them as I wrapped my arms around my legs.

I stared blankly at the floor unable to look at him for long.

Shuffling was heard breaking my concentrated stare. I peered in the direction of the sound and found Osiris sliding down the side of the bed to mimic my position.

I furrowed my brows confused at him sudden change in posture. He curled his scopious legs just the same as I. While I looked petite and miniscule he looked comical as he struggled to pull his legs close to his body.

The massive muscles of his legs left a spacious area between his thighs and chest. If I wasn't so mad I would have laughed as he struggled to pull his legs closer.

"When I first met you I never wanted you to be my mate. I have too many threats on myself that having a mate would just make things worse." I sneered at what I was heard. "No, wait. That didn't come out right."

"Oh, really?"

Osiris slid closer to me faster than I could move away from him. His hand grabbed my wrist as I leaned back.

"I suck at talking, especially when it comes to you." He self-confessed. I eyed his hand, still trying to figure out if I wanted to rip my hand out of his or scold myself for liking the feeling enough that I didn't even attempt to pull it away.

My eyes narrowed as I finally came to terms with the new proximity. I flicked my eyes up to connect our gazes. "Then what are you trying to say? What are you trying to feed me? Or are you just going to keep being a complete asshole?"

"Not at all. Phina, I- we are mates and as mates I need you to understand that being around you has caused me to make less than admirable decisions. Everything that I did and ordered others to do was done with the fact that you are the luna. Nothing that was done and kept from you was done to be evil."

I tugged my arm away furious as he continued to blame me for the fact he lied to me. As if being hopelessly mated to him was somehow my choice.

"It wasn't evil. It was selfish."

Silence fell into the room like a thick blanket.

"I was only trying to protect you. They'd try to kill you."

I stood up with the last bit of patience evaporating. "Leave Osiris."

He stood up following behind me as I moved to slide the door over. "Phina, I'm telling the truth."

I didn't think he was lying to me at that moment, not with the desperation in his voice. He was pleading, but I couldn't bring myself to feel an ounce of pity. I was the victim here, he was at fault and I reminded myself that I had every right to be fuming.

I spun around, my face nearly colliding with his firm chest before craning my neck to look up. "Leave Osiris. I want to be left alone."

"You don't mean that." He countered.

Of course I didn't but it was a much better option at the moment than staying the same room as him. So when he didn't attempt to move any closer toward the door I grounded my teeth.

"Yes, I do. So please, do me a favor and get out."

His face fell. The audacity he had to think that I would some how crawl to him for comfort. Had he lost his damn mind? Or was he just ignorant?

"Phina-"

"Stop calling me that!" I screamed the built up emotion inside me scraping away my self control.

We stared at one another stuck for moment at my emotional outburst. Osiris took a retreating step away from me before sliding the bedroom door over more.

He stopped in the middle of the threshold and turned to face me. He looked calm and collected all the while I was panting like a nervous wreck. Everything was all just too much for me.

"I'm sorry Seraphina. It wasn't my intention to harm you."

"You should have thought about that before you sat there the past two months and had be believing your little brother was my mate. How could you allow your brother to just touch your mate, spend time with your mate and care for her?"

"I hated it." He admitted. "But it was something I had to do for you."

"No you didn't. That's something you told yourself. That's something you made yourself believe. You didn't do any of this for me. You did this for yourself." I said clenching my jaw.

Osiris opened his mouth and raised his hand to touch me but I swatted it away before he got the chance.

I feared if I let him touch me again the mate bond would mess with my mind; make me less angry. I wanted to be fuming and I wanted to be angry.

"Okay, Seraphina. I'll let you be." He hushed dipping his head out the door and rushing down the stairs.

I stared at the spot he once stood as I began to be plagued by the pain of my mates lies. It started making my head spin and my stomach coiled with nausea.

Gathering my bearings I slide the makeshift door back into place and flipped myself onto my bed. I counted the fifty-two plants of wood over and over until my mind slowed and I was finally able to fall asleep.

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