B+Bs: To Stand In A Beast's World

44. Crystal Clear

Back in the den, Harvey sat with his eyes on the ground as Grace crossed her arms. Her stare pinned him to the spot. His astute mate certainly knew something. His instincts told him that their secret was one no longer.

"Harvey, is there something you want to tell me?"

She worded it like a question, but Harvey heard it like an order. "...I have something to confess..." It was Winston's order, but he felt guilty nonetheless and had no desire to shirk the consequences his actions brought.

...

The three males fought hard. Curtis had to keep himself from killing the two, but Winston and Shuu did not have the same handicap. They were very much involved in the heat of the moment and didn't hear Harvey coming.

"Really?"

Grace's loud and disappointed voice snapped them out of their battlefield stupor.

Shuu, having been thrown into a tree, hastily got up and shifted. He did his best to hide the pain he was feeling as he ran up to Grace.

I planned to be firm here, but seeing Shuu so beat up softened the sharp edges I had attempted to hone. "Shuu, you need treatment. How badly are you hurt?" I warily eyed the snake that haunted my nightmares as I spoke, trying not to show fear.

Shuu couldn't help the smile in his heart. He was sad that he disappointed Grace, but delighted that she still cared for him despite his failure. "This is nothing. I'm fine."

"Shuu..." I warned. I was not playing right now.

Shuu's ears drooped as he recognized the tone that matched his mother's when he was in for punishment. "I'll need rest, but it's nothing is bad, I swear."

I looked into those earnest eyes and believed him. When I was sure Shuu was okay, I set my gaze on the tiger who wedged himself between me and the snake. "Winston..." He didn't look at me. I rubbed my forehead and faced Curtis. "Shift." I wasn't going to play with Curtis either.

Curtis obliged.

"Winston, you too."

Winston hesitated.

"Winston." My voice dropped a few octaves.

Winston obliged.

I turned back to Curtis, questioning my decision briefly. I'm very much aware that confrontation is not the brightest choice I could've made—no, make that a borderline brainless decision—but I wanted this water clear, and I wanted it that way now. Not later, not tomorrow. Now.

"Curtis. I'm going to be extremely clear. Are you listening?" I did not say hello or act politely. Kidnappers don't deserve that kind of courtesy.

Curtis gave the barest of nods, upset with the hostility in Grace's voice.

"Alright. I will never, ever accept a male that harms my family intentionally. That is not a rule that special for you. Everyone follows that or they can forget having a chance with me. Do you follow me so far?"

Curtis clamped his mouth shut as his eyes swirled with emotion. Grace did not wait for him to give a vocal affirmation before continuing on.

"I do not accept males who will hurt me and disrespect me to satisfy their own feelings either." This rule was created for Curtis specifically, but it would apply to any males hereafter. "Do you understand?" I felt Harvey smack me lightly with his tail, but I didn't intend to stop here.

Curtis's gaze was dark, but he nodded.

"Good. I hope you really understand that, Curtis." I could tell I was walking on thin ice, but I needed to say what I needed to say and be firm about it. Now that I said my piece, I tried to soothe the wild beast.

"Look, Curtis. I'm not sure why you want to pursue me. I'm strict and have a lot of needs and wants. If you were looking for a female to monopolize, I'm not it now, and I never will be. Can you really see us having a happy future together despite that?" Or is he living in a fantasy and projecting it?

Harvey hit me with his tail again, letting me know that he felt things were not good. I waited for the male's answer as I wove my fingers into Harvey's fur. He needed to leave willingly since Winston and Shuu were not strong enough to kill him without suffering great injuries. And I just can't keep worrying about Curtis hanging over my head. I can't and I won't.

"Why..." Curtis started in an icy tone that made me shiver. "You welcomed a scorpion, so why?"

We have talked about this before, but it proved that Curtis was not really listening. "He respected my decisions and rules. He accepted my mates and put my well-being first." I paused and let that sink in. Some of it was a borderline lie and a definite exaggeration, but Mitchell at least tried.

"But he is a feral like me... that never bothered you?" Curtis barely held his hurt and rage in check.

"He may be a scorpion, but he grew and adapted." I eased up on my tone. "We are all capable of that, Curtis, but we have to want it and work for it."

Being capable of learning and being willing to learn were two different matters entirely. Mitchell proved that he had both capabilities which is why our relationship could continue.

"Then...you dislike me not because I'm a snake, but because I did not adapt?"

Winston, Shuu, and Harvey remained as silent spectators, but they were all one twitch away from fight or flight.

Of course he is fixated on his feral status... I elaborated for him and made it Windex-cleaned-glass clear. "Because you knew what I found important, but ignored it in favor of satisfying yourself. You put you and your feelings first and second in your priorities while disregarding me and mine, and I can't accept that."

Curtis hissed in pain as the clenching feeling around his heart grew too tight to bear. He lashed out at the closest trees, felling them easily. He turned his back, though not completely, and asked one last thing. "If I had stopped and taken you back to your mates then, would you have considered me?"

Curtis watched the now-shaken female's gaze turn sad. Her words lost their distinct edge and clear tone.

"I-that..." I might've considered him. He was strong and sincere in the novel, but it was overshadowed by his controlling and mentally abusive qualities so often that it got harder to see.

But what if Cutis had shown me a reasonable side to himself and respected my words? What if he proved that he had the capacity to listen and change, and to see the bigger picture? If he had, he would have at least been worth giving that respect in turn. "I would've."

Muir had a twisted role in the original as well, but I gave him a chance. If Curtis had shown me positive growth, I might've been more willing to consider him.

Curtis had already slithered quite far away, but he heard her and stopped. "...I see." The fire inside him flared then dimmed, and Curtis left dejectedly. His urge to remove the forest from the landscape was lost along with a good portion of his rage.

Once he was out of sight, I relaxed my tense posture. "...Let's go home," I said as I patted Harvey's shoulder.

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Apologies for the lack of online presence and comment response lately, but I have a few things I'm working on. Thankfully, Wattpad offers scheduled posting now, so I'll do that for a few days while I drop off the map. 

See you all on the flip side. Thanks for reading.  ^_^