The Alpha King's Nemesis-Chapter 211: A Better Man ()

"I grew out of my expectations quickly and in shedding those limiting expectations away, I found my will to live... for myself. My father may not have loved me, but he was obsessed with the idea of what he could create out of me..."

"His idea of a perfect Ethereal King. The kind that could dominate all other races and achieve supreme power." Askel said,

There was a distant look in his eyes and the words sounded heavy on his tongue but he still said them.

"Eventually, I got to accept the fact that I could not be useful to him in every way... only in the ways he wanted me to be. And when I could not be useful to him in that also, I left..." Askel murmured with a casual shrug.

Zariah could sense Askel was trying to downplay it but from his eyes, she could see there was a lot more to it than what he had just shared.

Zariah was not sure why she felt the need to know, especially now when she so actively pushed Askel away, she should not have been concerned about his past and the things he went through, but she was.

There was so much to this man she had come to care so dearly about, so much that she did not yet know, especially the basic things that made him who he was.

What had his childhood been like? Had it been too difficult? Had everyday felt even more devastating than the last? Was he constantly made to feel like he would never be good enough? Did he know how much of a lie it all was?

Zariah had so many questions, so many things she wanted to know but she did not dare ask. In asking, she would only solidify the bond she was so intent on ignoring.

However there was one question that had burdened Zariah greatly all this while and she could not prevent herself from asking that question.

"Your scars..." Zariah began but trailed off when Askel visibly stiffened.

Again, that was all the answer Zariah needed. Askel’s defensive reaction was enough to let Zariah understand that those old, faded scars that were littered across his torso and the entirety of his back,

The scars Zariah had believed to be battle scars, perhaps they were not just that.

"My father...was not very good at withholding his rage and disappointment." Askel murmured.

"He hurt you... the bastard..." Zariah murmured beneath her breath.

Rage surged within her veins and Zariah’s hands clenched into tight fists at her side.

The mere thought of anyone hurting Askel left Zariah feeling murderous and she struggled to suppress it.

Askel however was too sensitive and picked up on Zariah’s mood. He smiled slightly.

"I am fine now... I will stop talking if it is difficult to hear." Askel reassured in a low tone.

Zariah shook her head slightly, calming her rage with much difficulty.

"No, we have already begun, I should hear it... if you wish to share it with me." Zariah said, leaving Askel with the decision to proceed or end the conversation if it was too difficult.

"My father had... his ways of ingraining his beliefs into me, often times literally... carved into my skin." Askel paused and Zariah had to inhale deeply to keep herself calm.

"He had always been that way, the side of him that the rest of the world never knew a thing of."

"He was considered a great man, a respected alpha... and he was, in many ways. But he was even more of a cruel man, desperate for power... detesting the shadow of the Crimson Moon over us." Askel paused and passed Zariah an apologetic look.

"I apologise." Askel said quietly.

Zariah shook her head slightly, the relationship between the Crimson Moon and the Royal Lycan pack had always been full of tension and bittersweet.

Both had played key roles in banishing the forsaken and the balance of power tipping in favour of the Crimson Moon at the end of it all had not been so well received by the Royal Lycan pack.

It was decades long of feud and bad blood, even when both packs seemed to keep the peace on the surface.

Zariah knew her father had also warned her to be wary of the Royal Lycans as their rivalry was deeply rooted.

"It seems we were raised to be rivals... what do you think they would say now?" Zariah asked Askel.

Askel chuckled quietly beneath his breath.

"I do not know about Alpha Moonstone, but my father would surely lose his mind." Askel said with a smirk.

"My father would not mind all that much... even if he knew not to trust them, he spoke highly of the Royal Lycans." Zariah murmured.

"That does sound like Alpha Moonstone." Askel agreed with a nod.

Zariah was quiet for a moment before she asked another question.

"Queen Sancia... she..." Zariah trailed off again, uncertain of how to word what she wanted to say.

"How could she stand by the sidelines and watch my father hurt me?" Askel asked knowingly.

Zariah winced visibly but nodded slowly to indicate that was indeed what she meant.

"My mother had her own worries... worries that left her incapable of opposing my father or standing up to him." Askel took notice of Zariah’s baffled expression and he sighed quietly.

"And I know that must sound silly, what worries could be greater for a mother than her own child? But the world is not black and white out here, Zariah..."

"I am certain it must have been difficult for my mother too, to put herself at risk for the son of a man who constantly caused her pain...to her, I was most likely a constant reminder of my father’s cruelty."

"How could she dare stand up for me when she lived only for her mate and thought of nothing else but him?" Askel muttered quietly.

Zariah exhaled a shaky breath, she knew there was so much more Askel could not bring himself to say but from the little she had heard, she could already imagine what Askel’s childhood had been like and her heart ached terribly.

"You didn’t deserve any of that... and you are a better man than your father could have ever fathomed to be. I would know..." Zariah said, her gaze meeting Askel’s.