Chapter 31
Hazel
I don’t stop running until I’m locked inside the safety and isolation of my room. The door closes, but nothing inside me settles.
Guilt, shame, fear—it all crashes into me at once, threatening to swallow me whole. I can’t breathe. I keep wiping at my face until my skin feels raw, but the tears don’t stop.
My stomach churns with every step, but I can’t stop pacing the length of my room, afraid of what I’ll see once the world finally comes back into focus.
My stomach turns painfully, and I rush to the bathroom on instinct, already knowing what’s coming when the anxiety gets this bad.
I barely get my hands on the toilet before bile surges up my throat, convulsing violently, and I throw up everything I ate yesterday.
I hear Dean rush in behind me, but he stops just outside the bathroom.
Maybe he’s finally realizing I’m nothing but trouble after all.
But then his hand is there on my back, steady and warm, rubbing slow circles, and the tears flowing down my face aren’t just from throwing up anymore.
This man never leaves. Anyone else would’ve walked away by now, decided I’m not worth what I’m putting him through, but either Dean has no sense of self-preservation, or he truly wants to be here. For better or worse.
Everything feels unsteady once I’m done, and Dean pressed a glass of water into my hand. I lean against the sink, my hip braced against the marble as I brush my teeth with shaky hands.
My reflection mocks me in the mirror as I wash my face. When I look back, Dean is still there, sitting on the floor with his back against the tub, looking up at me… waiting for me to let him in.
Something inside me cracks, and I drop to my knees and crawl back to my mate. He opens his arms as I collapse beside him, resting my head on his thigh, wrapping myself around his middle, and burying my face in his stomach.
Maybe if I hold tight enough, the world can’t reach me, and I can hide here forever.
Dean pulls me closer, pressing a kiss to my head as his fingers run through my hair, gently massaging my scalp.
He is my lifeline. I never thought I’d find someone who could help me with things I can’t even admit out loud, but Dean soothes every burn on my soul like it’s the easiest thing in the world.
Sometimes when he looks at me… I believe I’m not broken.
He doesn’t just say he wants me, he proves it every single day. And never gets tired of my questions. Never gets frustrated when I keep doubting him.
He stays… even when I don’t expect him to.
There’s so much inside me, it feels like I’ll explode if I keep holding it in. I need to let it out. I need to breathe without constantly being afraid of what will happen next.
It hurts to breathe. I can’t do this anymore.
“My mother sold me to Tiberius when I was three.” The words spill out before I can stop them. Dean sucks in a sharp breath through, his hand going still in my hair.
The silence that follows feels heavier than the confession.
For a minute, I’m scared that telling him his mate was once a slave is going to ruin everything we’ve built. But then his grip tightens, gently pulling me up just enough to press a kiss to my forehead before letting me sink back into him.
He doesn’t pull away. If anything, he holds me closer.
“Tiberius doesn’t have a harem like some kings.
He has slaves. He doesn’t believe they deserve titles or power when their existence is only for his benefit.
Families ‘gift’ their daughters to him to gain rank.
I don’t even know if my mother is alive…
and I don’t think I want to after she handed me to that monster. ”
The words taste bitter, but now that I’ve started, I can’t stop.
When I finally look up, rage burns in Dean’s eyes.
I don’t understand how he carries that anger inside him and still manages to be gentle with me, to smile for me.
The anger and hatred inside me make it hard to breathe sometimes.
Maybe one day he’ll teach me to hold it without letting it consume me.
His voice is low, controlled as he asks, “Where’s his fated mate?”
“He killed her because…” I swallow hard, choking on the truth. “He killed her because she was barren.”
Dean shakes his head, disgust flickering across his face.
Tiberius has a purple crystal he stole from the goddess of childbirth.
Eileithyia used it to detect infertility so she could help those struggling with her magic, but after the tyrant king stole it, he twisted it into something vile.
That crystal tested every woman in the kingdom, measuring their worth by fertility. He kept the most fertile females for himself, like they were cattle, and no one said a word because families were willing to sacrifice one child to protect the rest.
“Tiberius had so many rules, and the ones who followed them best earned a trip to his personal chambers. It became a sick competition between the slaves to win his attention. It’s like they forgot he was the reason they had to break themselves to survive.”
I press my face deeper into my mate as bile creeps up my throat again.
“And he never took a virgin. He did the most vile things, but somehow, virgins were repulsive to him. He’d have his warriors or his brother ‘break in’ the younger girls before sending them to him.”
The words scrape on the way out, and I choke on a sob.
The things I saw, the things I heard there feel unreal now, like a nightmare I somehow lived through, not a place that actually exists.
“The day I escaped was supposed to be our… our mating ceremony. He was going to burn his mark into my chest to show everyone I was another one of his possessions now.”
Dean wraps his arms around me when I curl into myself, pressing into his warmth.
“The night… he… he asked Timor to train his virgin bride for him.” My voice cracks, but as that night plays in my head, anger starts burning through the hurt.
I turn on my back, staring up at my mate as tears slip from the corners of my eyes. “He just stood there, Dean. I was fourteen. I was crying, scared out of my mind, begging him, but he just stood there and… and laughed when Timor told me what he was going to do to me.”
The sound of his laugh is still burned in my memory, still echoes when things get too quiet.
I don’t realize I’ve pushed myself up, but the words are spilling out now instead of suffocating me. “I knew Timor wouldn’t show me mercy. He would’ve broken me that night, and he would’ve fucking enjoyed it.”
“What happened?” Dean asks quietly. Rage rolls off him, but his voice stays calm, his hands gentle as he guides my head back to his lap. His hand on the back of my head keeps me from turning away, like he doesn’t want to miss a single word or reaction.
“Someone ran in. I don’t remember what he said, but something was wrong with the barrier. Dangerous sea creatures had broken through.”
It felt like I was electrocuted, and suddenly everything became clear. I knew deep in my bones that it was my only chance to do something before they killed my soul, before there was nothing left of me to save.
I was already searching for a way out when Tiberius said he had to leave, but before he did, he handed the crystal to his brother.
I couldn’t think past the panic and fear as Timor came toward me with the crystal. The moment it touched my skin, a bright purple light blinded us, and I knew. In that exact moment, I knew they would kill me if I stayed.
A bright purple light only meant one thing to Tiberius… damaged goods.
Dean’s thumb smooths the crease between my brows, and I grab his hand, holding it over my heart.
I clear my throat. “I wasn’t bound. Tiberius was arrogant enough to keep his entire arsenal on display because he didn’t think I, or any woman, could ever be a threat to him.”
Slicing that pride to pieces is still the sweetest moment of my life.
I reach behind me for my dagger, my favorite weapon. The one that saved my life and reminds me I survived.
The blade is made from a rare crystal only found deep in the ocean. It gleams proudly, shifting between deep blue and green. The coiled hilt is aged gold, studded with ruby-red stones.
“I grabbed this and waited until Timor got close enough… then sliced his face open.”
“That’s my girl.” Dean’s praise takes root in my chest, blossoming until it’s hard to breathe past the pride in his voice.
I can’t help the laugh that slips out. “There was so much blood, it filled his mouth, so he couldn’t even scream. He just dropped. I still don’t know how he survived. I swear I heard his heart stop.”
“He was a cockroach.”
“That he was. But I don’t remember what happened next or how I escaped. I just remember swimming for hours until I washed up on a small island in the human realm.”
“Something was wrong with the barrier, right? Maybe you remembered a weak spot that didn’t have much security and slipped through.”
“Except that was the first time I had stepped outside the kingdom. And I think I’d remember fighting three layers of guards to get out.”
The not knowing has haunted me for years, and now, like me, Dean is trying to solve a puzzle that we don’t have all the pieces of.
The words feel heavy before they even leave my mouth, but I need to be prepared for everything.
“Dean, I need you to promise me something.”
“What?”
“If Tiberius ever gets close enough… promise me you’ll kill me.”
A sharp breath leaves him. “Haze…”
“I can’t go back. I won’t. I’m useless to him, Dean. If he finds me, he won’t kill me; he’ll keep me alive too... I can’t do that again.”
“He won’t touch you.” I try to shake my head, but he holds my face, forcing me to meet his eyes. “I will destroy him and everything he loves before he lays a finger on you. He’s not getting close to you ever again.”
“Promise?” My voice breaks.
Dean grabs the dagger beside me. “Then kill me if I fail you. I’d rather die than watch you get hurt because I couldn’t protect my mate.”
I close my eyes and snuggle closer into him, holding him tight.
“Hazel?”
“Hmm?”
“My leg is falling asleep.”
I laugh, swallowing back tears at the normalcy of him being an idiot, and push myself up.
Dean shakes his leg dramatically as he stands. “You have a giant head. Weighs a ton.”
The audacity is truly unmatched.
I punch his chest with a gasp, but he catches my hand and tugs me closer.
“And you’re abusive too. I really won the mate lottery, didn’t I?” His smile dims as he adds, “I’m sorry fates dumped gave you the entire quota of trauma in this relationship.”
“I won’t hold it against them if they let me keep you forever.”
His eyes light up, and I know I’ve said too much.
“I knew you were obsessed with me! Be honest, it’s my smile, isn’t it? Drives you insane?”
I glare at him, but his grin only widens. I roll my eyes, pressing my lips together to hide my own smile.
“You know, sometimes I can’t tell if you want to kiss me or kill me.”
“Right now? I want to kill you.”
He leans in, his lips barely brushing mine, and I rise on my toes to close the gap, chasing the high only his touch can give me.
Dean pulls back with a smirk. “I don’t believe you.”
I squeal when he picks me up and carries me to the bed before sliding in behind me like we’ve been doing this forever.
Sleep pulls me under faster than ever before, my mate holding me against his chest, his arms wrapped so tightly around me I couldn’t move even if I tried.
I never thought I’d trust someone to keep me safe when I don’t have the strength to do it myself. But Dean is the exception.
Every piece of my heart belongs to him.