Inferno (Mate Series #3)

Chapter 8

Nikolai eyed the man who was his daughter's mate. A strong and capable man of that Nikolai can see but a part of him could see how tortured the man was. Who wouldn't be? An ugly scar on his neck was clear indication that something horrible had happened to him.

After dinner, the two found themselves walking around outside to clear their minds. It was an awkward situation to be honest. Nikolai didn't think to meet anyone this late at night. Nikolai prided himself to be a good judge of character. After meeting his Roza and almost losing her, it was like a veil has been lifted. He became a little wiser. He was not as hasty as he used to be.

"Good evening to take a stroll." Nikolai started the conversation.

Constantin nodded before turning his gaze back to the woods again. The moon was hovering just above the trees. The stars are yet still hidden in the night.

There was something about this man that Nikolai trusted. Constantin's eyes had an honest and straight forwardness to it that Nikolai knew his daughter will never get hurt. However, that doesn't mean that Nikolai is positive the man will make a bad decision.

"Natalya is a stubborn woman." Nikolai started and slightly gave a short disbelief laugh. "To be honest she is very much like me."

Constantin's ears twitched and his head tilted slightly towards Nikolai. He knew that Constantin was listening. Constantin sat on the ground with one hand propped on his knee and his back against a tree. Nikolai shoved his hands in his pocket as he stared into nowhere.

"I don't know what is going on between you and my daughter." Nikolai spoke his observation so far.

Constantin stiffened but didn't say anything.

"There are many things I have learned through my course of life." Nikolai continued without missing a beat. "I met my mate to whom I rejected years ago. It was the biggest mistake of my life. I lost the one person that meant everything to me. I was a lucky person to even earned her forgiveness."

Nikolai remembered everything regarding his relationship with his mate. The hurt and pain that he had caused her. The heartache he lived for years until he saw her again. That face at the Alpha games, he could never forget. Roza was his life.

"Don't make this complicated, son. I learned everything the hard way." Nikolai said. Constantin looked up at him confused.

"Love is not complicated. It is simple. We are the ones that make it complicated. All you need to do is open your heart and learn to embrace what the Moon Goddess has given you." He stated before sighing. He removed his hands from his pocket and crossed on his chest.

"I don't know your past but I know my daughter's. I am going to go out on a whim here and say that the scar on your neck almost killed you." Nikolai didn't mind speaking his mind. Constantin didn't say a single world. He simply nodded his answer to his mate's father.

"I am going to assume this happened two years ago." He also pointed out and Constantin's eyebrows crinkled in confusion confirming Nikolai's suspicions immediately.

"Two years ago, Natalya experienced the severing of the mate bond. It was a painful process for her. Many werewolves who experienced this either die or turn into something a lot more dangerous than our society can handle." Nikolai continued. Something flashed across his eyes that Constantin noticed immediately it was pain.

"Natalya became dangerous and very quickly too. She was always a happy and bright child. She was well known for her ability to brighten anyone's day up and I think that had to do with the fact that she had never experienced loss before in her life. That was until the severing of the mate bond."