My Fated Mate Can Have Her-Chapter 88: Heart to Heart

Violet

His head lowered to rest against my shoulder, his breath warm against my neck through the thin fabric of the shawl.

I went rigid, the ice cream bowl in my hands forgotten. My heart hammered so loudly I was certain he could hear it.

"Relax," he murmured, his voice carrying that low rumble that vibrated through his chest into my back. "I just want to hold you for a while."

I forced myself to take a breath, to let some of the tension drain from my shoulders. His arms remained loose around my waist, present but not confining me.

I slowly brought a spoonful of ice cream to my mouth, trying to focus on the sweet, cold taste rather than the solid warmth pressed against my entire back.

We sat in silence for several long moments, the sounds of the park drifting around us—distant laughter, the splash of fountains, the rustle of leaves overhead.

He took his head off my shoulder and seemed to lean back, likely leaning his head back against the tree trunk.

"Violet," Kael said softly, breaking the quiet.

"Yes?"

He was silent for a moment, as if gathering his words. When he spoke again, his voice was gentler.

"I want to hear about your upbringing. How you lived in Shadowpine. How you survived there."

His request startled me so thoroughly that I nearly dropped my bowl.

I felt his arms tighten slightly to steady me. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"I..." My throat closed up. These were memories I didn’t want to bring up. To even think about.

He just had to spoil the moment.

"If you’re not comfortable sharing," he continued, and I could hear genuine sincerity in his voice, "I won’t press further. But I want to understand you. I want to know who you were before all of this."

The ice cream in my hand began to melt slightly, but I couldn’t move to eat it.

I sat in silence for a long moment, warring with myself.

I wanted to refuse. I really did not want to dwell on it all at all. And even worse...

"I don’t think I want to talk about it... I might cry," I whispered. "And I don’t want to cry."

I immediately stuffed a spoon of the melting treat into my mouth, preventing me from saying anything else.

A pause.

"Then you don’t," he murmured.

I closed my eyes, feeling the solid warmth of him at my back, the steady rise and fall of his breathing.

And for some stupid reason I couldn’t understand, I started talking.

I told him about the small modest house I grew up in. About my parents, who had given all their warmth to my brothers. And how they had tolerated me due to the affection I got from my grandmother. How she had shielded me from the animosity I would go on to endure after her death.

I was kicked out of the house as a child only to be taken in by the Alpha who had been a very kind man and had admired my grandmother. Through the respect he had for her, he extended his kindness to me, until the control started shifting to his son upon his frequent illnesses.

I revealed how Damon had a young girl he was in love with but had come to realise I was his mate, and how his disdain for me had only grown from that point forward despite the bond. How he had been hot and cold to me, used me, and mistreated me.

Kael’s breathing had grown harsher, his arms tightening around me.

I didn’t stop.

I told him about the other pack members who had made it clear how unwanted I was. About how I had learned to make myself small and quiet and invisible to avoid drawing their attention. It was even far worse that I had, for some reason, been the only Omega in that pack.

I talked about the work and tasks I would take on so I could have some money to get food I couldn’t forage for. How they would give me the hardest, dirtiest tasks that no one else wanted. About the "accidents" that left bruises I’d had to hide. About the casual cruelty that had become so normal I started getting used to it.

All throughout, my voice felt oddly detached, as if I were describing someone else’s life.

And to my surprise, I didn’t cry. My eyes remained dry, but my chest ached with a hollow, familiar pain that almost made it hard to breathe properly.

When I finally fell silent, Kael pulled me more firmly against his chest with enough force that the bowl nearly slipped from my hands. His face pressed into the curve of my neck, and I felt him take a shuddering breath.

"I’m sorry," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "I am so sorry for everything they did to you. For the pain you carried. For..." He stopped, seemed to struggle with words. "That shouldn’t have happened."

The sincerity in his voice broke something inside me, and I found myself leaning back into him, accepting the comfort he offered. I dropped the bowl on the grass beside us, my hands eventually coming to rest on top of his where they were clasped at my stomach.

We sat in silence after that, the ache in my chest slowly easing into something softer. The park around us had grown quieter as the night deepened.

Kael’s breathing had grown deeper, more rhythmic.

Then I realized with a start that he had fallen asleep.

His forehead still rested on my shoulder, his arms still circled my waist, but the tension had drained from his body completely. He was deeply, genuinely asleep.

I wanted to turn, to see what he looked like with his guard completely down, and asleep too. But I thought against it, not wanting to risk waking him up.

So, I stayed still, my hands warm over his, my back against his chest, his head on my shoulder, and watched the stars emerge one by one in the vast darkness above.

And for the first time in longer than I could remember, I felt something that might have been contentment.