The Hidden (BXB)

Chapter 5: A Coward Amongst Men

-Third Person POV-

As soon as the smile came, it vanished. It hid, cowering behind Cato's strong feelings towards not needing a mate. 

A mate was a burden and will always live to be so, emotionally and physically.

He was scared, too.

How come? How come this little man just waltzed into his life like a goddamned ballerina and is now trying to take his heart away from his strong hands, very, very delicately. He was coaxing the strong willed boy into giving it up without even trying. It is an art that came naturally to Dox, his mate. It was a strength bestowed upon him since the time he was born. He had an innate power of short-wiring Cato's brain, and he was pretty damn good at it.

So yes, The alpha's son was cowering. Because he was well aware of what Dox could do to him. He could make him or break him and he wasn't quite willing on chancing his fate. 

Handing over his entire life into two measly arms? No. He wasn't going to be that stupid.

"Um, everything okay?" Dox inquired.

"Everything's fine." Cato spat and got up. The wooden legs of the chairs scraping against the while tiles, making a screeching noise in the once comfortable silence, it was almost deafening to Dox.

He cringed and scrunched his flawless face. Dox momentarily forgot his anger and wanted to coo over Dox's baby-like face. But he regained himself, sticking by his decisions and stalked off downstairs, I ignoring the sweet scent he was leaving behind, leaving little bits of his heart along the way.

He hated feeling like this.

He hated that he thought this way about his own mate. It was painful, very much so.

He had not only thought he was straight his whole life he also thought he wasn't even worthy of being able to find a mate that wouldn't be doomed from the first like his mum's life was. He saw how his father wallowed everyday. He missed her dearly and Cato didn't want to get attached to a mate solely due to this purpose, never mind male or not. He just didn't want to depend on someone so much.

He didn't want to feel so fragile.

So he's doing what he thinks is best for himself and his mate. If enemies get to know of a human being his mate... The goddess help him and his pack. Enemies are waiting to strike as soon as they see a weak point. And that weak point would be Dox. 

His life would be in imminent danger.

As much as he didn't want Dox to be in his life, he also didn't want a scratch on him, not one tear to fall from his beautiful eyes. It was difficult knowing that he was half empty when he could have Dox complete him in a few effective words and gestures. It would have been so easy but it was so damn difficult for him.

He was a coward.

He ran down the steps to his "party" among the old business people and other allies. All his birthdays up to this date after his mum was gone, was this. A horde of stuck up nasties that came here and had some expensive drinks provided by the pack, reinstate their business plans or pack agreements and leave with another fancy gift provided to them by, you guessed it, the pack.

This was the sad routine of Cato's birthday, he hated it. He's never had the privilege of having a normal birthday after his mum passed. 

That first birthday was a day he'd always remember. Novah was his best friend before he pushed him away. They were even adorned in the same clothes most of the time because Novah was pretty much adopted into the alpha family. 

They had had so much fun. They played to their little hearts' contents while Miranda and Jaques had watched them with a loved up expression, the both of them sitting cross legged on the floor with Miranda's head in the crook of Jaques' neck. It was a perfect family.

 He didn't know his mother would be snatched away from him and his dad along with Novah in a few weeks after his birthday. This broke his heart and he never wanted to celebrate it after that. His small heart was broken in two.

The worst part was, he only remembered that part of his first birthday. He forgot how the rest of the day went. And that was what most haunted him. He couldn't remember the beautiful woman with an even better soul that he called his mum. And that broke him even further.

"Cato, my darling! Come here. Let me look at you. Oh, how you've grown!" Came a sickly sweet and loud, polished accent.

Cato kissed his teeth in annoyance his jawline becoming even more prominent as he grinded his teeth together. Ugh. Old women. Why don't nobody seem to understand that puberty is a real thing. People grow. What is the need to fawn over this every birthday?

Nevertheless, he forced a smile and turned to ... Nora? Naomi?...Nemo?

His expression turned questioning.

"Oh, darling, don't tell me you forgot your auntie Nina! Oh!" 

Cato forced on a smile again even though he'd rather be smacking his head against the tiled pillars of the house. " Of course not auntie, how could I?" He said. Goddess, This woman was more dramatic than his past, over the top English teacher, and that was saying a lot. That woman re-enacted almost every scene in the damned book. It was close to comical had it not been just so... Annoying.

Cato caught Novah trying not to laugh at him and he shot him a disdainful look that said 'save me' to which Novah mouthed something totally incomprehensible. 

He just manned up and got ready for the torture that were rich old woman with snaggy, high pitched voices.