Finding You, Again
Us 13 - Rotten and Knowing

"Your request is getting more and more absurd" Elder Victor's cold voice pierced my ears and took wild root there.

A voice without a speck of sympathy, for the situation I was in.

"For what does the girl need to meet another man? Isn't she your Mate? And how do you explain how a group of people lived in the middle of a forest to that man?" her tanyanya was cynical, while brushing off the imaginary dust on her pants.

I met him while he was in the library pack.

This library is the result of the thought of the father, who never tired of warning if education will be the key to develop the pack.

I remember dad telling me how Elder Victor thought the idea was nonsense. But ironically, it is precisely this library that is his favorite place now.

"What I want to bring here is her brother. She's family. I think it's only natural that he wants to meet. And about the inhumane world, it's nothing new to him.The man already knows exactly who I am"

I answered while looking down. Not as a form of respect, but to hide the look of the face, which I am sure will now look creepy out of anger.

"What?! You gave her? Are you crazy?!" accuse him without thinking.

"Of course not!! He found out about my inhumane identity about 3 months ago. I was in the pack at the time!!" I argue, with a voice that has slightly crossed the line of politeness.

"How come? He's human, isn't he?"

His face had now turned into full of interest. He was as good as I was about that fact.

I shook my head reluctantly, "He refused to tell the source when I asked"

"Basic useless!!" cold mutter.

The reproach I've heard a thousand times over the last 25 years of my life.

If someone else says it, I'll make sure his mouth has been ripped. But I remember how you swallowed all the insults of Elder Victor back then, then now I will do the same.

"Hmf... You and your father really have low tastes. Your father had a mate that came from a pathetic little pack. And you outperformed his fatigue by bringing in a human Mate. You two are amazing"

The smile on her lips failed to hide the disgusted tone of the sentence she had thrown at me.

It's worse than I thought. The boiling point of my anger had almost reached its current threshold. I would laugh happily if I could just throw a little scratch on his face, which still looks at me lightly.

"And worse, you chose a sickly mate. Your taste is pathetic!!"

"You do realize that Mate is not something I can choose, right?"

The speck of dust of respect that was still left for him, was now gone.

"I'll say it again. I don't believe in any of those theories about Mate. I think it's all bullshit" he said, looking at me sharply.

That...........!!!!

"Just because your brain isn't smart enough to accept things doesn't mean they're wrong"

I said it straight away while looking into his eyes. I don't care about any politeness anymore.

I could see a hint of surprise in his eyes because of my rude rebuttal. But after a few seconds, those eyes returned cold with no feeling.

"You're braver than I thought. I barely knew you. Sending you to the human world turned out to be a pretty decent step" he said.

His words are proof that my father covered my stupidity neatly.He didn't know I was running away.

"You'll know me better, if you'd tried to speak normally. Not busy denouncing, every time we meet" I cried again.

"I'm asking you to talk normally!' the rebuttal, while frowning.

"Before I was 10, you never asked me anything at all, all I remember is how your cynical innuendo made my ears bleed"

I reminded him of those 'sweet' memories.

"Yes, once your abilities as a wolf develop, I can see you are a little more valuable than your mother" she explained, in a heartless flat tone.

And--the thin chains of my emotional restraint instantly broke up.

"Listen you f*ck*ng old man!! I don't care about any insults you've given me. But isn't 25 years\ enough to make you content to throw all that insults at my mother?"

The sigh that had been lying at the tip of my tongue, finally ejected smoothly. I'd completely forgotten, if I had come here to ask for his help.

"He killed my great-granddaughter. The humiliation of a lifetime will not close his guilt" he replied fiercely.

"Then you wrong again! The one who killed my mother was a crazy Stray. And your great-grandson has done a very noble deed by saving someone's life. A deed I doubt you ever did. Don't tarnish his noble deeds, with your filthy words"

I'm only a few inches away from her face now.

"You kid doesn't know it's lucky!! Of course you're defending that fox woman, you're as rotten as her" he said with a gasp filled with emotion.

"Yes----let's say I'm rotten, but I'm sure the seeds of rotten nature are from you, not my mother!!" my reply was not to lose out hard.

He opened his eyes, unable to utter any more clever rebuttals.

Not wanting to waste more time, I turned around leaving him.

Near the library exit, Amon - he was Elder Victor's personal bodyguard and always followed wherever the old man went - saw me with a dislike face. Amon is more or less my uncle. But with a complicated lineage.

But I won't waste my breath talking to him.

I'm going to use a simpler way to bring Oscar here, which is to get rid of anyone who gets in my way, using an Alpha tone. My last resort's. To hell with all the consequences.

---------- *0o0*----------------

"I think this dress will match the color of your eyes"

Myra handed her a white dress with lace on her skirt and arm. I kind of found Charlie number 2 on her. Even a little more excited.

The difference is, Myra still listened to some of my opinions, even though she finally did not agree to it.

Myra brought me about 6 pieces of dress. And believe it or not, the cause was, because he wanted to take me out to the porch of the room. The terrace was only a few meters away from the bed where I was lying.

Not forgetting, he gave me a thick, warm and soft coat afterwards. According to Myra the air began to turn hostile, because winter had arrived. Although there is no snow.

Myra helped me stand up, and put me in a wheelchair. My legs haven't been able to walk perfectly, but Dr. Sidra assured me, with a few days of therapy, I will be able to walk normally again.

Myra pressed the button next to the wall and slowly the glass with the tribal carving decoration moved to the side and left a giant hole in the wall.

Very unique design, due to its unreasonable size. Why do they make this window so wide in the room? my question is in my heart. And that opening button is another level of weirdness.

The fresh winter air made me smile. My favorite season has finally arrived. I can't wait to see the snow.

Myra pushed me slowly towards the terrace. The balcony was also on a wooden floor like the room I was in, a half-meter-high fence surrounded the terrace firmly. In front of me was a scene that immediately stole my breath.

The colourful expanse of forest the rest of autumn spoiled my eyes. Not to mention the towering mountain with the white-colored peak complemented the amazing scene before me.

"Where are we really?" my many.

Is this in Beddgelert, Gwynedd county?

But the view there is more barren. The mountain that was in front of me was no longer green, but it was clearly a fertile mountain, different from the mountains in the area.

"Oh.. I haven't told you this? You are in Canada, more precisely the area north of Quebec" Myra answered cheerfully.

But of course the answer made me turn. Am I on another continent?

"How can it be?" I asked, frantically looking at Myra, who was no longer smiling looking at my troubled face.

"Darling, I'm sorry if I'm insensitive. I completely forgot to tell you this. When you were unconscious yesterday, Duke had to take you as far away from the assailant as possible. This place is the safest, and definitely out of their reach" Myra explained, with a regretful face.

I don't mind being anywhere right now.

But the shadow of being in a very distant foreign place, without Charlie and Oscar shakes me. For the past few days, I thought I was at least still in England, not another continent.

"Don't be afraid baby, you'll be safe here. I guarantee it" Myra interrupted again, trying to comfort me.

"And you know, I just got word that your sister is coming" Myra said immediately, seeing me not budging either.

That was the most fun news I heard.

"really?" ask me more cheerfully.

Myra nodded, "Maybe about two or three days from now. Be patient!"

I'm not going to argue about that. Although with Delmor's private plane, it will still take a long time for Oscar to get here.

The knock on the door made us look. Myra re-entered the room to open the door. I set my eyes forward.

I slowly shifted the wheelchair towards the fence. Now I can see the scene below clearly. And I have no regrets. The garden under the balcony was no less beautiful with the view of the mountains in front of me.

Large towering trees that are next to the balcony, it turns out to shade a very beautiful garden. I couldn't see the whole garden from the balcony because of its vastness. But I was quite satisfied with the sight I saw.

The yellow fence line, formed from shrubs, fortifies flowerbeds that now only remain leaves. I'm sure this park will be more enchanting in spring.

Empty plots without plants, visible in some parts. Indicates that the plants that are there are hibernating. They will appear and bloom when the weather is warmer.

In the corner of the garden, there is a beautiful artificial pond. The large stones are arranged to form a slick tiny waterfall. I acknowledge the ability of gardeners to arrange it. He must be really an expert.

My activities were admiring the park, a little distracted by something emerging from the corner of the park.

A body figure appeared, and walked slowly towards the white-colored long chair, under the large tree that loomed in front of the balcony.

I know who he is!!

She was an amazingly beautiful woman who met the Duke, when we had lunch together first. Her long black hair, still sparkling as I remember.

She wears long jeans with a dirty shirt, one of the types of fashion that Charlie hates.

But I'm sure Charlie will change his mind when he sees that woman wearing it. She still looks like a model.

The beautiful woman sat quietly looking ahead. It looks like they are waiting for someone.

And then, the black-haired man whom I also instantly recognized, appeared from under the balcony.

It was Duke, he walked up to the woman, then sat down next to her.

Other than what happened when I woke up a few days ago, I haven't seen Duke at all. And I'm a little relieved by it. I can't completely ignore my fear of him.

The horror still lingered firmly in my mind.

Duke was seen conversing with the woman.

Duke's black hair was a little longer than I remembered. Or maybe because he's not styling it neatly at the moment.

Several times the Duke brushed his hair back with a finger.

And that sight----not bad.

He is beautiful, I admit it once again.

It makes me a little bit cocky. Undeniably, I was completely immersed in the Duke's charm. But the feeling of fear I felt was also very strong.

Those two opposites split me apart.

He was a monster that casually blew one's head off without regret. But the pounding of my heart upon seeing her earlier, clearly stated, I was a little unconcerned about it.

From this distance, I could not hear their conversation. But from her body language, I know they're familiar. They talk while occasionally bringing their heads closer.

Does that woman know about the other Duke's identity?

Another million annoying questions, started bombarding my inner self. Looking at their current familiarity, he most likely knew about Duke.

The Duke also looked relaxed, with a laugh that was split several times.

An unpleasant taste filled my heart. Not to mention I felt the air around me warm up.

I hissed irritably, you started acting unreasonable Lui!!

I watched them for a while, when suddenly the woman looked up and our gaze met.

A strangely slanted smile, engraved on his face as he looked at me. I was shocked, immediately pushing myself away from the edge of the balcony.

What does that smile mean? That woman is so weird.

Slowly, I approached the edge of the balcony trying to peek at them. The two men are still in the same position. But the woman's hand was now embracing the Duke's shoulder.

And suddenly I want to jump down and slap him!!

Haaaah.... What does all this mean?. I'm angry to see their familiarity? This is totally impossible.

I couldn't even meet Duke out of fear, but I got angry when I saw him close to the woman?

Once again my brain presents a mystery that goes unanswered. A more bizarre mystery compared to when I was with Zeno.

---------- *0o0*----------------

My ears were still ringing as the mockery Oscar spoke with all his might, breaking through my eardrum. I've closed my hearing ability a little, but it seems useless.

I thought Oscar was a quiet person all along, but it was wrong. I woke up the other side of him. The meaning he made earlier, defeated all the insults I had ever uttered.

The Oscar is more than sadistic!!

But most importantly, I've said what I want. It's a little hard to hear Oscar's answer, among all the insults. But more or less the answer is that he will come here as soon as possible.

Now I have to arrange how to keep his arrival from drawing anyone's attention.

I picked up Alva's number on my phone and started typing the message. I don't want to talk to anyone at length right now.

I could faintly hear Mom and Bee's voice from the ceiling of the room. My room is just above the workspace, where I am now.

Some days are more or less the same. It was a day full of torture and grief.

Our distance was so close as to mock. That distance is completely useless. I still can't get close to him. My desire to hug Bee warmly seemed to run aground without knowing when it would materialize.

Ping!- voice incoming message on my phone.

From Roan, he wanted to meet.

Unusual courtesy comes from him. Usually he would enter the Manor without any regard for ethics. I replied by saying I would meet him in the eastern garden.

I checked my message once again, no reply from Alva. But my message has turned blue which means he has read it. The absence of an answer, I'll understand, he's willing to help me.

From the corner of the eye, I saw Roan emerge from the side door of the garden.

This workspace, directly opposite the park. The entire side wall in the form of glass, gives a comprehensive view of the park. Roan sat in a long chair under a tree. The park is a great place to just talk.

I opened the sliding door and stepped towards the garden. The winter breeze brought an intoxicating scent to my nose. Bee's fragrance.

It also makes me almost crazy. The aroma of Bee spread almost throughout Manor. I can smell it wherever I am. But since this garden is directly opposite my room on the 2nd floor, it's no wonder Bee's scent is so strong.

With a slight breath hold I stepped towards Roan. It's not usually that Roan is serious-faced, it looks ridiculous. Inevitably, I chuckled as I sat beside him.

"I haven't said anything and you've laughed?" snapped Roan, annoyed.

"Serious mimic doesn't look right on your face" Roan apparently also found it funny, he also smiled even a little sour.

"What's wrong?"

"I want to apologize" Roan replied, quickly and seriously.

I turned my head, looking questioningly at him. I had no idea what made him apologize.

"I've been a little rude about you and your Mate" she explained, with an uncomfortable face. He's not the apology type, so his awkward attitude I can understand.

"And also because I ran away from you yesterday. When we're at the lake" he added.

Roan's face was now completely ridiculous.

"Ha.ha.ha" I can no longer help but laugh. Soon a few blows flew into my body.

But Roan also laughed afterwards.

"You don't have to say anything that makes you nervous, Roan. I'll know automatically when our heads get back in touch".

"Well.I don't want anything to make me awkward when we do mindlinks later" She rubbed her palms nervously.

"Or in other words, you don't want El to know about this" I guess.

He'd rather die, than have to confess this guilt to El.

El will use it as a weapon, if they engage in more debate. They were too serious in the competition of such a useless thing.

I think my guess is correct, because Roan is now laughing.

"Yeah, that's my consideration too. You have to hide it well when the three of us transform, got it?i!!" Roan sounded fierce again.

I just smiled in response.

"But I'm serious. I didn't know your Mate bond was that. I'm not supposed to make a bad opinion when you were depressed yesterday"

This time I could see Roan's sincere eyes when I said that.

"I won't be offended by everything you say. I'm not friends with you to hear sweet things" I said, honestly.

Roan's mouth is brutal, but I need it. There are situations that require one to be honest even if it is cruel, and I get that from Roan.

He will say all his opinions honestly, no matter the consequences are good or sometimes bad.

But like now, Roan would be very sorry if he had hurt someone because of his words. He is very understanding, if honesty is not always beautiful.

And of course life is full of harsh realities. The reality that Roan always described cruelly.

His nature will compensate for the nature of El who is sometimes too optimistic. I had angels and demons in my head while transforming. Perfect right?

"Yes. I know. But after getting 'enlightenment' from your head after 8 years. I really feel like trash, for having underestimated your relationship with him" Roan pointed towards my room above while looking up.

I nodded in understanding. The point is like El, Roan is very understanding of my situation and Bee's. Maybe Roan won't make any more reproaches of us after this.

Maybe, just maybe!

Without any warning Roan suddenly embraced my shoulder while laughing.

"What's wrong with you?" I was so surprised I almost jumped up. But Roan held my body by the hand.  Is this some weird apology?

He never touched or was touched by men willingly, except by his father.

A form of trauma after we were in El's mind. If I end up with a lot of nightmares, Roan becomes unhappy if someone touches him.

A grim fact, as dark as El when he knew it. But then again, we chose to keep our mindlink. The sincere friendship that Roan and El offer, I will never replace with anything.

The regret and sympathy that we shared together made us able to live all the bad things that were on our minds. And that's enough for me.

Roan still did not let go of the embrace, while his mouth continued to chuckle amusedly.

"Did something happen to your brain?"

"You don't need to know the reason for this strange act. For sure you will thank me later" he replied as he let out his tongue.

I'll let him. My brain doesn't want to think of anything confusing.

"You're gonna bring Lui's brother here?" ask Roan.

I nodded, "I'll smuggle it in, Elder Victor didn't give permission"

"You asked her for permission?" Roan sounded surprised.

"I asked permission just to be polite. But it certainly failed, as half of the conversation turned into an argument. So the only way is to bring Oscar in in in secret"

The quarrel with Elder Victor left a bitter taste in my mouth.

"I'd be really surprised if you made it" Roan said, "You're like oil and water. It's impossible to think the same" A wise sentence that once again surprised me.

"You know--- I really appreciate that apology earlier. But I'm very uncomfortable with you turning wise. I'd be very grateful if you went back to your usual nature" I smiled seeing her mouth slowly turn sullen.

Roan slapped my head slowly.

"You enjoy your heart. I hope you have a good plan to get the girl back, before your d*ck get wrinkles" Her usual cruel tone, appeared in line with expectations.

With the addition of beautiful words that made my ears shrivel.

Yup. she's normal, nothing to worry.