The Muted Alpha - REWRITTEN~ONGOING

13.

Moments passed, and Kronos ceased crying, the room falling into an oppressive silence. I watched as he turned away, his back to me, his shoulders trembling slightly. The pain etched on his face had faded into a blank, distant stare, refusing to meet my eyes.

"Kronos," I whispered, my voice breaking the stillness. He didn't respond, his body rigid, an impenetrable fortress against the world. It was as if he was trying to disappear, to shut down completely and escape the weight of his anguish.

I moved closer, reaching out a tentative hand, but stopped short of touching him. The invisible barrier between us was palpable, and I could feel my heart breaking, piece by piece, as he kept me out. I wanted so desperately to comfort him, to pull him back from the edge of his despair, but I was powerless against the walls he had built around himself.

He remained silent, his gaze fixed on some point far beyond the confines of our small room. The distance between us felt insurmountable, and I could do nothing but sit beside him, offering my presence in the hopes that, somehow, he would find his way back to me.

As the minutes ticked by, I felt a deep sorrow settle over me, knowing that the man I cared for was slipping away, shutting down to protect himself from a pain too immense to bear. And in that moment, I vowed to stay by his side, to be there when he was ready to let me in, no matter how long it took.

I stayed there, sitting beside him, the minutes stretching into what felt like hours. The room was cloaked in an oppressive silence, broken only by the distant sounds of the world outside. I could see the slow rise and fall of his shoulders, each breath a struggle against the pain he was trying so desperately to suppress.

As the evening deepened into night, the shadows in the room grew longer, and I felt a chill settle over us. I wanted to reach out and wrap my arms around him, to share some of my warmth and comfort, but I feared that any move might push him further away. So, I waited, my heart heavy with the weight of his silence.

Eventually, I heard a faint, almost imperceptible sigh escape from Kronos. It was a small sound, but it felt like a crack in the wall he had built around himself. I shifted slightly, hoping it was a sign that he might be ready to let me in.

"I'm here for you. Whatever you're going through, we can face it together. You don't even need to tell me what happened and I'm sorry I asked. It must've been traumatizing." I said gently, my voice barely above a whisper.

For a moment, there was no response, and I feared he would continue to shut me out. But then, slowly, he turned his head, just enough to glance at me from the corner of his eye. The raw vulnerability I saw there made my breath catch in my throat.

He reached for his phone, and out loud, it said, 'I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to let you in without falling apart. I was supposed to tell you what happened, yet I relive those moments again and again. It never ends. I'm sorry you ended up with a mate like me. I'm sorry.'

He continued typing, 'As an Alpha, I am ashamed of how weak I appear. I treated you so coldly when we first met and I'm sorry. I wanted to say so many things to you, but couldn't. But I promise, I'll try harder. Just don't leave me. Don't give up on me...'

For the first time since we met each other as mates, the walls between us slowly dissolved. We started being honest with one another about our feelings.

Maybe it was the past that we had shared.

Tragedies that shaped us to who we were today that made us bond. But for whatever reason it was, it urged us to open up to one another.

Putting my pride to the side, especially the incident with Macy, I focused solely on us.

It was us against the problem, not us against one another.

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I blinked them back, determined to be strong for him. "I forgive you and I understand. I won't leave you. We're mates. You don't have to have all the answers right now," I replied, my voice steady. "Just take it one step at a time. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."

He turned back to face me fully, his eyes searching mine, as if trying to find the strength to trust. I reached out then, my hand trembling slightly, and gently placed it on his arm. He didn't pull away, and I felt a glimmer of hope.

"It's okay to be vulnerable," I said softly. "It's okay to let me see your pain. You don't have to carry it all by yourself."

Kronos closed his eyes, a shudder running through his body. For a long moment, he was still, and I held my breath, waiting. Then, with a deep, ragged sigh, he leaned into me, resting his head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close, and felt the tension slowly begin to melt away.

Sparks exploded between the both of us, our bond humming.

We stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, wrapped in each other's presence. The barriers that had kept us apart began to dissolve, and I felt a tentative connection start to rebuild between us. It wasn't a complete healing, not yet, but it was a beginning.

As the night wore on, I whispered words of comfort and love, reassuring him that he wasn't alone.

Gradually, his breathing steadied, and the lines of pain on his face softened. I knew the road ahead would be long and difficult, but in that moment, I felt a renewed sense of hope.

Kronos had taken the first step toward letting me in, and together, we would face whatever came next. In the silence of the night, I held him close, and for the first time in a long while, we found a fragile peace.