I Can Hear Your Voice

e l e v e n

May 4th.
8:34 p.m.

[Matteo's POV]

God, I love him.

I love him so much, and after knowing him for about two months, I know that he's perfect. His smile and his laugh, his eyes and his personality. All of it. I love all of it.

But I couldn't get the seed of doubt of my heart knowing that I didn't know this other part of my mate. Knowing that he's lied to me multiple times. Not knowing if both Luka's are real or if one of them is a fake.

I didn't know. I don't know. And it's eating me up inside.

Why isn't he telling me anything?

I sighed, leaning back into the leather couch of my parents home. I haven't told anyone else about what's been going on with Luka except for Liam who saw him with me. He's been urging me to confront Luka about it but somethings been stopping me.

As if he'd break if I asked him anything.

As I sat there swimming inside my thoughts, a dangerous feeling overtook me as the hairs on my skin rose ominously. Fear spread through my veins, but it wasn't my fear. It was Luka's.

Oh no.

What's happening?

I remember that Luka was absent for most of the week again. I texted him multiple times, even called him and he said that he was sick again.

I didn't believe him.

But I'm so worried.

What's happening?

In a flash, I was on my feet, and I didn't bother with shoes or a sweater, dashing through the house and opening the front door. Marie looked at me in confusion and I mindlinked the pack.

"Luka's in trouble." and I cut it off, running with every fiber of my being to his house. I couldn't let anything happen to him. So I ran and ran and ran and ran and ran...

[Luka's POV]

I didn't know what was going wrong.

I've been absent for school most of the week, and every night I turned. Every night my bones cracked my body shuddering with pain and agony. It was the same every night.

So why was this happening today?

Blood dripped from my muzzle, flowed from my nose and down my ears. Fear drowned my icy veins, and I didn't feel safe inside my room. I didn't feel safe anywhere. But maybe the outside will be better? There's a small creek and a clearing of trees behind my house. I can go there...?

Exhaustion clouded my mind, and I didn't care that a long trail of blood followed behind me from the house and outside on the grass. Pain ladened my senses as I dragged my aching body across the field. I was scared. Usually, I have nights of pain, and then it stops. But tonight it was only pain pain pain pain pain...

I felt dead inside, empty, and tired. The pain was there, but I didn't actually mind it. It was only then that I knew pure fear when I felt that the taut and tight bond in my chest felt lighter. He's coming.

Matteo's coming.

[Matteo's POV]

The first thing that I smelled when I came close to Luka's house was a werewolf, and I felt confused. Why would I smell werewolf at his home? But then I smelled it. Smelled it.

Mutt.

Red dyed my vision as I saw scenes of a mutt tearing apart my mate, of hurting him and killing him. I didn't hesitate to turn into my wolf and followed the scent of the mutt, leading me to the back of the house. I hadn't smelled it before, but the closer I got, the more I smelled it.

Blood.

Luka's blood.

Rage and fear flooded my being as I pictured my dead mate and vowed to kill the vile thing that hurt him. I dashed into the backyard and ignored that the mutt was lying weakly on the ground in pain, I ignored the way it whimpered at the sight of me and tried to drag itself away from me on limp legs. I ignored everything and lunged for its neck, digging my teeth and chomped down, hard. Blood gushed into my mouth as I could feel it weakening under my teeth, and was about to snap its neck when another scent hit me.

Luka.

It's the scent of Luka's blood, and the mutt was Luka.

This is Luka...

I dropped it from my teeth as I stood horrified, angry, betrayed and confused. My mind was in a daze, and as I backed up away from the mutt, I ignored its whimpered pleas. I ignored its cries of pain. I ignored everything as I ran away from my mate.

[Luka's POV]

I fucked up.

I knew it was going to happen at some point, but that one speck of hope inside my heart never disappeared. I hope that he wouldn't hate me. That he would accept me.

They were all lies to myself, and the pain in my chest wouldn't go away.

It wasn't physical pain. It was just pain. It was the pain he gave me when he almost snapped my neck. It was the pain he gave me when he ran away. The pain he gave me when he didn't look back.

It hurt more than the agony in my neck.

Why didn't you kill me?

Are you going to reject me?

Please don't.

Kill me instead.

I won't be able to handle your rejection.

Do you hate me? Will you come back?

I̶̳͓͍̳̩̥̿̔͊̍͝t̵̢̨̬̞̳̳̣̹̞͊̇́̅̚̚̕͘͘'̵̣̫̪̜̞̏̏͛̂̌̅̓̏̏͐́͌s̵͙̗͎̳͈͇̘͐̉̒̄͜ ̴̡̣̬̞̣͍̙̤̓̍̾̇͑t̸͙͕̠͍̪̫̔͝ị̷͆̀͒̑͆̂̈m̴̨̞͚̱̬̮̯͚̘̳̖̜̫̰̈̏̀͂̾́͂̍͋͐̀̄̅͘ͅe̷͇͎̱͂̽͊̈́̀̎͋̊̑̈̄͋̾͝.̴̡̢̢̲̪͇͍̥̅̈́͊̓͘͠

No, wait...

Ȋ̶̤̣̤͂̋͗͑͂̿͘ţ̵̳͓̹̞̹͑́͊͊'̶̨̡̫̰͕̙͎̣̭̟̲͔̐̍̐̏̈̽̌̔̀̚̕s̵͔̻̞̠͆̃͋͂̏͗͛̊̋̚͜͝ ̸̨̧̬̦͓͖͎̠͖̄̑̉̓̿͜͜͠t̸̡̰̻̲̰̳͓͚̙̠͆͋̈́̌̀́̀͘͝͠ï̶̛̺͕̞̖̻̭̪̖͛̓m̵̤͉͆̊̽͋͂̉̇̿̈́̅̕ë̷͉̰̠̦́̈͆̓̇̓͊͗͐̕͘ ̵͉͇͙̐t̵̘͙̖̞̪̮̭͐̀̔̒͜͝ͅỏ̸͍͉͖̣͍̪́̍͆̑̈́̕͠ ̵͔̬̓͑l̸̠̭̐̋̔̃̑͗̀͌̐̍̇̐̎͠ͅȩ̶̢̭͔͈̺̑̃͐͜ͅà̶̧̪̬v̶̡̩̝̭͔͈̳̀̓͂͌̉͆̔̍̆̓̾̚͝͝é̷̡̮͈̖̦̳̯͜.̶̨̡̨̢̢̛̳̠̜̣̤̣̮̂̒͌̑̈́͋̔͘͝

Just a little bit more time, okay? I promise. Friday...Friday, I'll leave.

P̶̢̨̛̬͖̲͕͓͕͕̪̪̜̮̰͗͆̋̆̓̊̓̆̓̆͆͠͠ͅr̵̢̬͍̰͠ó̶̯̖̠̇m̵͍͉̈́̎̽̚̚i̶̢̖̲̅ŝ̷̢̨̹̻̞̲̺̟̳͉̰̼͍̅̿̃͒͋́̊̈́̃͘̚͝ḝ̶͇̜̫͉̣̙̪̞̐̃͂?̶̢͎̣̙̠̗̺͇̙͎͍̩̰͗̾̀̒͗̎̿͗̅̊̂̋̾͝

Promise.