“You know I tried to talk to Kiya once at the library but when she looked at me with those beautiful green eyes, I ended up asking her about math. I spent half an hour being tutored by her, she explains things really well.” Vincent, one of Cain’s friends, said when they were by the bench, taking a break after hours of playing basketball. Cain threw his water bottle at him.

“You must have a death wish stating out loud that you tried to hit on my girl.” Cain said with a slightly serious tone.

“Sorry but I wasn’t the only who had such thoughts. It would take you a long time to hunt them all down.” Vincent teased and Cain wrestled him down.

“I like her too.” Gian, the quiet one in their group, spoke up and Cain glared at him. “She’s not annoying unlike those pests called women at our school.” Cain and Vincent laughed.

Vincent and Gian grew up with Cain. Gian is the Beta’s son and he is a regular visitor with his dad at Cain’s home, it didn’t take long for them to become friends. Gian is quiet, smart and a bit more mature. Vincent joined their group later on when Cain and Gian started school. Vincent is an easy-going person just like Cain and likes to goof around, always the life of the party. Cain can’t even understand how Gian and Vincent get along well when they actually have opposite personalities but nonetheless, these are his best friends.

“You should invite Kiya next time when we go out.” Vincent suggested. Before Cain could answer, Gian made a sound.

“Cain you need to see this.” Gian passed his phone over to Cain.

It’s a post by one of their classmate. It shows a picture of a burnt car however the caption was the one that made Cain froze.

Harold Hyden dead in a car explosion after an accident. Gina Jacobs in critical condition.

Kiya did not cry, there were no memories to cry on. She could feel nothing but pity as she stared at the covered body of the man she never called father. There is a strong smell of burnt flesh in the room but Kiya seems to not notice as she silently stood beside the corpse of her father. Half an hour later, she walked out of the room and sat down on one the chairs outside to wait for the detective. The police officers had taken her straight to the station to explain what happened and show her the body. She was later informed that her mother had undergone surgery and was still unconscious in the hospital.

Meanwhile Cain had rushed to the hospital, thinking that Kiya would be there but when he arrived at her mother’s room, no one was there. Her scent was also absent meaning she hasn’t arrived here yet.

“Boy.” Cain heard before he could close the door and run to find Kiya. He looked at the bed and there is Gina Jacobs, connected to many machines but her eyes were open and staring at him, her eyes look strangely bright. “Come closer.”

Cain hesitated but went inside, closing the door behind him.

“You’re Kiya’s mate?” Gina said when he was finally beside her. Her voice is weak but Cain could clearly hear.

“Yes, I’m dating your daughter.”

“She’s not my daughter.” Cain froze for the second time. “She’s my niece, my sister’s daughter. Listen boy, I don’t have much time so you listen carefully. I will tell you a story.”

“But Kiya should-“

“I don’t have much time! Kiya is in trouble.” Cain could only shut up and listen.

Gina talked and through it all Cain’s face had gone through a lot of expression. In the end of it all, Cain had to sit down due to shock.

“All this time, we didn’t know how to tell Kiya. In the end, we became too busy with ourselves to remember things. I want to say that we’re passing the responsibility to you but there is no responsibility to pass on because we never even did anything but you are her mate. With all those things I told you and despite the fact that you guys just met; please never give up on her. You must protect her.”

When Kiya arrived at the hospital, doctors and nurses were going in and out of her mother’s room. She felt that her heart was being suddenly being squeezed. She was relieved that at least her mother survived in her father’s stupidity. However, now that she feels like both of them are actually going to die, her heart tightened. No matter what, she didn’t learn to love them but she did care. She stepped forward in an attempt to go inside the room but she was grabbed by someone. The sweet scent covered her and she felt a pair of strong arms wrapping her body tightly. She didn’t need to look up to see that it’s Cain.

“I want to see her.” Kiya said but Cain did not let her go. He shook his head at her at the same time that the flurry of activities inside the room stopped. Gina Jacobs had followed her mate on the same day.

Kiya decided not to hold a funeral for them. Who would come? When they were living, they didn’t do anything worth mentioning. Two days after the accident, Harold Hyden and Gina Jacobs were buried in the cemetery. After the burial, Kiya went straight home. Cain, who was with her all this time, did not go to the funeral as requested by Kiya, she wanted to do it alone. Her apartment is just as usual, very quiet. Aside from the tightness she felt at the hospital, Kiya had felt nothing afterwards when she was arranging for the burial. Right now…she feels nothing. No grief, no anger…nothing.

“Hey.” Kiya was startled when Cain suddenly came up behind her. The door was still wide open and she was just standing there for who knows how long.

She turned to Cain to greet him but when she saw his face, the tears suddenly dropped. One by one, it came out until the drops became a stream. For the first time since they met, Kiya fled to Cain’s arms and hugged him for comfort. They stayed like that for a long time, Kiya crying and Cain holding and whispering words of comfort. Cain finally relaxed when Kiya slept in his arms.