Louisa's POV
When I walked out of the yard, I saw Darren sitting on the ground next to the fences.
I approached him and asked, "Darren, may I... have a word with you?"
"I don't want to talk, Lisa." He said without looking at me.
His voice was still calm and reserved, but I knew he was mad.
"Darren, please look at me," I said.
He covered his head with both of his hands.
"Go away, Lisa," he said.
"Darren..."
"Go away!" He raised his voice.
I sat on his side and said, "I won't go away, because friends don't walk away from each other."
"I'm not your friend, Lisa. Why don't you understand? Why don't you just treat me like a slave like everyone else does?" he said.
"Darren, please look at me," I pleaded.
Darren shook his head, "No. I don't want to see your eyes. I see nothing but pity. I know my life is miserable. But I don't need anyone's sympathy, especially not from you."
I held his head up with both of my hands and let him look at me.
Tears were running down his eyes.
"Darren, look at me. I don't have any pity on you. I love you. You're like an elder brother to me and your feelings matter to me."
Darren turned his head away and wiped his tears.
"Don't do this to me, Lisa. I don't deserve someone like you," he said.
"You're a noble spirit. You deserve all the best things in the world," I said.
"Noble?" Darren looked at me and shook his head, "Lisa, there's nothing about me that is even loosely relative to that word. You know what a warlock is, right? You know what I have to do for a living..."
I said, "But that has nothing to do with who you really are..."
"And you know who I really am?" he asked.
"I don't know, Darren! I don't know who you are! I don't know what happened to you! Because you've never told me anything about yourself! Let me be very honest with you! I can't treat you like a slave, because I used to be one!"
Tears were running down my eyes.
That was it. I reached the breaking point. I knew I had to let it all out.
I just couldn't hold it anymore.
"I used to be beaten up by my stepbrother every day! I was always the weakest and the most useless wolf in our tribe. I used to look for food in the trash and I had to go there at night because if I got caught in the morning, I would be severely punished and beaten again! And you know what? Sometimes people just don't throw away many leftovers! So I had to starve on that day! Every night, I would pray to the Moon Goddess for someone to come and help me. And the next morning, the same routine. It just got over and over again, until one day, I stopped praying. I knew no one would save me except myself. I learned how to do the hardest labor in the tribe, hunting, cooking, you name it. I thought if I could prove myself to be useful, my father would notice me. And one day, he did notice me and on that day, he decided to sell me to Alpha Lucas to be his maid. I was chained and humiliated by him. If it wasn't for Finn, I would have already been raped and ripped into pieces by him..."
I was choking on my own tears and I couldn't continue.
Darren was silent. Then, he held his head against mine and helped me to wipe my tears.
"I'm sorry for putting you through this, Lisa. I was being selfish..." he said.
I leaned against his shoulder and said, "I know you were just being protective. You wanted to protect me. It did feel better once I let it all out. I guess sometimes we have to face our traumatic experience," I said.
Darren bit his lips.
He was weeping silently for a while. Then, he took a long breath and said, "Lisa, I've never told anyone about my past experience. Please promise me, don't feel sorry for me. I can't... deal with people's sympathy."
"I promise you, Darren," I said.
"I was born in a... brothel. My father was a warlock, and my mother was a whore. They weren't supposed to be with each other. So when the owner of the place found out, they were severely punished. My father was tortured to death and my mother was kept alive until she gave birth to my brother and me. Then, she was executed. The owner of the place wanted my brother and me to be... Entertainers. You know, to make up for the loss of his investment in our parents. He asked us to call him uncle and forced us to go through vigorous training. My brother was very different from me. He was always optimistic, and full of positive energy. Even during the most painful and darkest moment of our lives, he was still trying to smile at me and cheer me up. Life in a place like that was... really challenging, but he had done everything to keep me feeling safe and protected..."
I held Darren's arms and I wished I could have been there for him.
Darren said, "And as soon as we turned 20, we were pushed onto the market and started to... get into the trade. Everything was fine at first. We were really good at what we did, and most customers were kind to us. Then, one day, a man came and he took my brother away. Before he went away, he told me that he had made some soup for me in the pot, and then he left. Those were his last words to me... He wanted me to have some soup. That was the last time I saw him alive. When he was sent back a few months later, he was in pieces. His arms were ripped off. His skin was peeled off. I couldn't recognize him, but they told me that he was my brother's bones and flesh..."
I held Darren tightly in my arms. I felt suffocated and torn. My heart was bleeding like it was stabbed by millions of knives.
Darren continued, "Then, the man who took my brother away came to the brothel. He asked my uncle to give me to him. My uncle had never said no to any customers, but on that day, he refused. And because of that, the man killed him. I was scared and I ran away, but I caught up with some bad people. I was tortured and abandoned... Master Finn saved my life..."
We held each other and cried in the darkness for a long time till our eyes dried.
"Why did Finn imprint you?" I asked.
"I begged him to do it, so I wouldn't be thrown away. I was afraid, Lisa... I know I'm a coward, but I hate being abandoned."
"I understand," I whispered, "I would have done the same. I'll do everything to stay alive. There's nothing wrong with that. Who's the man who killed your brother?"
"I don't know who he is. But I remember his face," he replied.
"Don't you hate him?"I asked.
"I don't hate him, but he took away my brother's life. When I see him, I will kill him." Darren said in a ruthless monotone voice as if he was talking about killing a hog.
Then, he looked at me and said, "I'm sorry, Lisa. I shouldn't have said that. Thank you for listening to me. I felt much relieved."
Before I could say anything, he asked me desperately, "Lisa, can we be friends again?"
I smiled at him and held his hands, "We've always been friends, Darren. Friends sometimes argue with each other, just like Mr. and Ms. Salamanders. But that doesn't mean they don't love each other."
He suddenly lifted me up in his arms, walking me back to the room.
"Lisa, it's getting cold outside and you're freezing cold. Please go back to the room. I'll stay in the yard for the night because that's Master's order. Don't worry, I'll put on some more clothes and light up a fire. Tomorrow, you can help me to build up a shed in the yard."
"OK," I nodded, biting my lips.
"I don't have a brother anymore, but now I have a sister. I'm very happy, Lisa," Darren said and faintly smiled at me.
I buried my head in his arms.
I felt so warm and protected.