Beneath You. 𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗬𝗔𝗠

OO8. YOU & ME, THE TRUTH

CHAPTER EIGHT. ✧˖*°࿐
❝ YOU & ME, THE TRUTH. ❞

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"Stop hissing."

Neteyam winced at feeling the sting of the slap Emea had given him on his shoulder. He jerked away but she held him in place.

"A child could move less," she hissed out, glaring at him. He sighed and shook his head. "Now stop moving, please. I can't wipe the blood away."

"Sorry," Neteyam mumbled under his breath before he looked at her. She was kneeling in front of him, wiping away the blood on his face. "I'm sorry for hitting your brother."

"Do not apologize," Emea clarified, glancing at him. She looked away at seeing his gaze on her. "He deserved it. He shouldn't have been making fun of Kiri or your family in any way. What came to him was his fault for opening his stupid mouth."

Neteyam smile a little. "I'm surprised you're so into defending us."

"Why?"

"Your parents said—"

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but my parents don't really know me," Emea cut him off, still wiping away the blood off his nose. "Metkayina Clan or not, I don't really care as long as you treat everyone with the same respect."

"You do not need to be worried about being future clan leader," Neteyam softly spoke to her and she looked at him, her hand stopping midway. "You are already being the best one your people have ever had."

Emea continued to watch him before slumping, her shoulders falling and her head hanging low.

"That's all I've ever wanted," she whispered and he eyed the way the strands of curly hair covered her face. Not enough to fully hide it, but enough to not let him see the emotion on her face. "When you have everyone watching you and everyone looking up to your decision, you lose yourself along the way to become someone you're not."

"Especially when you start losing yourself at a young age," Neteyam spoke in the same hushed voice as her, almost as if sharing secrets.

"It's hard," Emea stared at him directly in the eyes. "But, I can't complain. It is my destiny to become the leader of my people along with a mate. It sucks more when you don't have a say in things that are totally out of your control."

She continued back to helping soothe Neteyam's wounds.

"Why are you opening up to me?" He muttered.

"It is hard to bear problems alone," Emea replied, nodding in satisfaction once a wound stopped bleeding. "Do not think I wasn't able to hear how you immediately defended your brother when it wasn't something you started."