Since she was a young girl Rose Duvall had been on her own. From the time that she was just six years old all that she could remember was the trauma and abuse. She never knew love, companionship. She knew what it was supposed to look like, but never...
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Archer's P.O.V
"For God's sakes man. You have to get a hold of yourself." My brother's voice rang out as I walked up the stairs of our bunker. He followed close behind as I walked outside. Despite it being pitch black, the trees covering the moon, I could see perfectly clear.
The forest was quiet, the only sounds nearby were of restless crickets and croaking frogs. I looked back at the closed door to our home, glad that I finally knew that the most precious piece of our lives was behind that door, tucked safe and sound in bed.
"What if she saw you? What if you lost control right there? What would she think of you then, huh? What would she think of us? She's human. She would think we were monsters." His voice crawled under my skin, threatening to let loose the beast I was trying so hard to contain.
"You think I don't know that! You think I would have fucking wanted that! Do you know how hard it was for me to not snap right then and there?" I growled, balling my fists, my claws breaking the surface of my skin.
"You think I don't understand? I'm her mate too." He retorted. I shook my head. It was still hard to wrap my head around the fact that we had the same mate.
I ran my hand through my hair, pulling at the ends in frustration.
"It's different."
"How? How is it any different? You think I don't want anything more than to go to the low lives that decided to abandon our mate? Newsflash. If given the chance, I would rip their hearts from their bodies because clearly it wasn't working when they did that to her!" His words were seeped with venom, anger radiated off of him, something I rarely witnessed.
He had always been the level-headed one, the one that did everything right. I hated to admit it but I knew that he was stronger than I was. Even when his anger was flaring, he managed to control it, always reeling himself back in.
As if proving my point, he breathed in and exhaled deeply, as if the rage I had felt coming off from him was never there.
"What she told us was only the tip of the iceberg. You know that just as well as I do. She has gone too long without having anyone, and something tells me that started way before she was left out here. She needs us. She needs us to be there for her and to listen. We need to let her know that we care. Listening to what happened, no matter how difficult it may be, is the only way we can comfort her. She needs us right now, more than ever." He carried himself with poise, his voice calm, his head level, just like he always had.
My head hung heavy on my shoulders. I couldn't bring myself to look at him as I went on. "She should have never gone through any of that. We- I should have been there for her on the first day she got thrown out here. I should have protected her." He put his hand on my shoulder, the way he always had to console me.
