Bracing himself, Kyle turns to Justine, swallowing hard. He forces himself to be still.
You knew this, he tells himself. You knew you were dangerous. You knew there was a dangerous mystery in your existence.
This shouldn't surprise you.
This isn't new.
If he breaks down now, then he really is useless. Then he'll never be able to do anything, never be able to change anything.
At the very least, he's beginning to understand. Even if the truth isn't entirely pure, at least he's no longer in complete darkness.
"I was born at the cost of a price that was never paid," Kyle says slowly, as if he's still trying to digest the truth himself. "So I was claimed... by the magics themselves. The witches want to use me as a weapon to end the werewolves—something they've wanted for generations. And after they had me, they must have realized killing the wolves would be too easy. Useless, even. So they created something worse."
He pauses, the weight of his next words anchoring heavily in his chest.
"They made the beast inside me… capture them. Twist them. Turn them into puppets. So I could rule over them. So they could suffer. So their lands could be claimed, so everything could be taken. And the wolves who've been disappearing? That's on me. I did that. Or… the thing inside me did."
He repeats the last line softly, as if trying to make himself believe it. Trying to wrap his mind around the reality, his reality.
Silence follows. His mind spirals, yet the beast within him is quiet. Eerily quiet.
Then, he turns his eyes back to Justine. "So what about you? You were supposed to be the sacrifice. But you weren't sacrificed. Why are you even here? I mean… even if they didn't sacrifice you, why would the witches let a wolf just walk away?"
Justine's expression shifts, his gaze lowering.
"I didn't want to walk away," he says quietly. "I wanted to stay. At least with the witches, you know where you stand. At least they keep their promises. I was betrayed by the people who were supposed to protect me. My Alpha. My Luna. My pack."
There's bitterness in his voice now, cutting and raw.
"If they betrayed me, then anyone could. Your parents didn't just betray me, they betrayed the entire wolf world. And it wasn't just them. Wolves, in general… we don't trust each other. We devour our own. That world is broken. So no, I didn't want to go back. I didn't fight the witches. I stayed. I learned to belong with them."
As Justine says the last word, he raises his hand. He stares at it with focus, and within seconds, a pair of oversized clothes materializes in his palm_ a skirt, tshirt, and a thick knitted sweater.
Kyle recognizes them instantly.
They're his. Or rather, clothes his mother had made him wear.
Kyle stumbles backward, gasping, his mind struggling to process everything. "Ho… how..."
"The night your parents died, I was there," Justine says, voice low, steady. "I saw everything. These clothes… I saw Lucan. He did it. With his own hands. He ended your parents personally."
Kyle stares at him, eyes wide, unmoving.
"I followed you, you know. Afterward. I was trying to find you, trying to take you in. I saw the car those drag bastards stuffed you into. I followed it, but I was too slow. Too late. Lucan found you first."
His voice stiffens.
"Kyle, the..."
"So why are you doing me this favor, huh?" Kyle cuts in sharply, eyes narrowing. "You called it that_ a favor. Why? My parents wanted to sacrifice you for me. Why are you still helping me? What do you want out of all this? What are you trying to gain?!"
"I'm not aiming for anyth..." Justine starts, but Kyle snaps again.
"Don't lie to me! What the hell do you want from me or rather, all this mess?! What's in it for you?!"
Justine's eyes darken. His voice steadies again.
"They chose me to help you make the right choices. To help you decide wisely. There will be fierce consequences if you go against what's coming, Kyle. I am helping you, whether you see it or not. And let's not pretend here. The wolves don't want you. They've wanted you dead since the moment you were born."
Kyle laughs, but it's hollow and sharp, like shattered glass.
"Can you blame them?! I'm asking, can you really blame them?! Even before I was born, I was already the cause of chaos. There's been no peace. Just fear. They lived in fear of what is to come next… because of me. So no, I don't blame them. Maybe I'd want me dead too."
His voice cracks slightly at the end, and for a moment, it's not anger in his voice, but sorrow.
Justine's tone turns cold. "Whether you blame them or not doesn't change what'll happen. If you let the wolves kill you, Kyle, just know, you'll open the door to war. A war bloodier than anything the wolves have ever seen. Witches versus wolves. Because like it or not, you belong to the witches. And if the wolves take your life, it'll be the end. And I just don't get how you can sit there quietly, knowing Lucan killed your parents!"
"Don't bring him into this, don't talk about him," Kyle growls. His voice drops.
"Yes, we are going to talk about him!" Justine shouts, standing and stepping closer. "Because everything you do, everything, he's going to be a part of it! Every decision you make, every move, every doubt, it all leads back to him! We both know that's the truth! Back in the woods when we met, you wanted to stand wait for him to find you so that you can tell him the pure truth, didn't you? I could feel that straight from you!"
Kyle looks away. His hands shake at his sides.
"Whatever you say about him, I'm not going to tear him apart just because he killed my parents. My parents are gone," he mutters. "There's no point talking about who did it and who didn't. They lied to me! They made me believe the Moon Goddess chose me. Like I had some divine purpose. But it was all a lie. They knew exactly how fucked up this was. They knew I was in danger. They knew I was the danger."
He chokes back a laugh, eyes burning.
"But they still let me live. They didn't stop it. They didn't stop me. They let themselves die and left me to deal with this alone. Betrayal after betrayal. First the pack. Then even me. Maybe… maybe they wanted me to destroy the world. Maybe they thought that was justice."
He looks up, eyes hollow, voice a whisper.
"So I don't care anymore. Maybe they deserved what Lucan did to them."