“Sit with me.” It wasn’t a question because it didn’t need to be.
I was ready to follow him, because he had destroyed one of my nightmares tonight, at least that was what it looked like to me.
I sat beside him on the couch, but he grunted in dissatisfaction and pulled me onto his lap. He leaned back on the couch, petting my arm with one hand, and the other arm slinked around my body.
“I am a shifter, more specifically a wolf. There are many of us, Journey. Wolves, dragons, bears. And there are even fae, vampires, and demons that roam this earth.”
My eyes widened with curiosity. Could all the things I imagined and wished for to be real really be true? That all these creatures roamed the earth with us?
“There are good and bad in all species, just like humans. These fantasy beings are governed by an inner circle to stay away from humans. We stay with our own kind to keep them protected and keep our worlds apart. The earth is much bigger than you realize, Journey. Witches and warlocks keep our worlds apart, but sometimes the supernatural blend into the world of the humans. Sometimes supernaturals are banished or come here willingly to hide themselves and live amongst humans. To make a different life away from their home.”
“So, they live in a realm or something? Another world that is here?” I pointed downward.
Grim grinned, his finger tracing each part of my face until he gently kissed me. His beard tickled my nose, and I smiled as he pulled away.
“It’s a realm called Elysian. There is a great divide the keeps us separate. I was born in that realm, as well as everyone in the club.” He frowned.
I bit my cheek. The next question I wanted to ask, I already knew the answer to. He didn’t come here willingly. The scars were too deep; the pain and darkness hovering around us easily told me that.
The club was nothing but suffering. You could see the darkness in their eyes. It was like they were hiding, just waiting for death. That was why they risked their lives to save others. They had nothing left to live for.
But why?
They all lived together, knowing they would die together.
“I left, unwillingly.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Like everyone in the club. I had a she-wolf that was supposed to be my mate. The goddess paired us to be with one another, but she rejected me.
Anger and jealousy flooded through me. I squinted, and my hands balled into fists.
Grim chuckled, his hand covering mine to relieve the tension.
“It all worked out for the best, little mate, just listen,” he cooed.
I relaxed back into his embrace, trying to stop the angry thoughts of finding this she-wolf and dealing with her myself. Even if I was jealous, I wanted to slap her silly for rejecting Grim. He lost so much.
“I was an omega, born into a family of weak wolves. But I strived to be better, stronger.” He gripped his fists tightly.
“I worked hard, excelled, and became the top warrior of my pack. I wanted my mate to have someone strong to protect her. It was a great honor to go from omega to warrior.”
“And a pack is like a regular animal pack. You all lived together?” I asked.
“Yes, it is a place where a group of wolves lived together, communed, and ate. We strive to socialize and to work with one another. We are very social animals and need the bond with each other.”
I nodded, waiting for him to continue. He really was part animal and took on those characteristics, but was human, too.
“The alpha, our leader, was proud of me. And soon, I found out his daughter was my mate. Supernaturals can find our soul mates between the ages of eighteen and twenty and when I turned twenty, I realized it was her.” Grim looked away, his brow creasing.
“My soul called to her. My wolf wanted her to complete the bond that the goddess had blessed us with.
“I felt an unbearable heat in my chest. It was a feeling I felt when I was very young, when all the children would run to their parents, and they would love and cuddle them. Bring them presents on their birthdays, tell them they loved them.”
Jealousy continued to stir in my gut.
“She didn’t want me,” Grim gulped. “Despite my hard work to become worthy of her,” he whispered.
Throwing my jealousy behind me, I cupped his cheeks to look at me. His eyes were so sad, the same sad eyes I first saw when he looked under the bed and found me completely broken.
“You were worthy, Grim. Every part of you is worthy. She was too blind to see you, too selfish to look at you and see who you really are. You have been everything to me and if she couldn’t see what I see, then she is the one at fault.”
