[ACROD]
"The omegas hated him… because he was a fake," Grant laughed humorlessly. It was almost as if he was still in disbelief but at the same time, he was desperate for answers. He was desperate to find color that he knew wasn't ever going to come for him.
"That's some wild accusation there, man. An omega spy in Acrod? That is crazy!" Delbert pointed out and Grant once again just laughed. He then sat up, his face filled with remorse and regrets which was a new sight even for Delbert.
He had never thought that the man before him was even capable of love, let alone remorse. Grant was always a despicable bastard, one that needed to be stopped regardless of what he was spewing from his lips.
"He reeked of power. Way too much power for an omega and at the same time, he acted like he was one of the worst of the lows. I expected him to snap that day I was thrown a party by the king, but he never did.
"I thought maybe he didn't want to cause a commotion. And then the day he died, I… I was cruel to him. Way too cruel and he took it all. He didn't fight back, and it pissed me off even more. I didn't understand what he was playing at.
"I hated that he was just there, lying. He made me feel like a monster you know. Like I wasn't even worth his attention. He just… I loved him, Delbert. I loved my butterfly who was pretending to be an omega.
"I wanted him to come to the palace that day, so he could report me to the king. I was ready for whatever punishment I would have gotten for hurting him. But instead, he died," Grant said, the disappointment and anger in his voice once again showing.
It was like he wanted Nour to comfort him, and hurt him. But what was the point?
The man had been an omega to Grant. He had been that to everyone. The omega who had never been shown love and the one who had been so fortunate enough to be mated to the cruelest enforcer in the realm.
He was crazy and he was now blaming his victim for dying on him. What kind of madness was this? Was he even hearing himself? He sounded like an attention crazed lunatic and it was pissing Delbert off.
He hated how this man was acting like this was all that he could accord his fallen mate. Like this was the first time could easily talk about Nour when the entire time he had been horrible to his mate.
He should have done better, and kinder. He should have been a good mate, whether Nour was an omega or not. That was how the rules of fate worked and yet Grant had treated Nour like shit and even wore.
He had stomped on the poor omega and made certain that everyone knew about it.
He had turned to the one person who could have saved him from the wrath of the Lycan pretending to comfort him and there was never going to be a chance at redemption for him.
Never.
Delbert would make certain of that.
"That's a lot to unpack…" Delbert turned off and Grant smiled sadly at him.
"Can you believe that? He just left me, all alone. I thought that perhaps he had faked his death, to get away from me, and for a moment I was relieved. I was happy that my not-so-omega mate was finally free. But his lavender scent was so broken in the ashes.
"I could still smell the way he smelled. The way I had ruined him, was all drenched in that fire. The smoke may have burnt away whatever could have been used and burned up everything, but I felt him there.
"He was waiting for me to save him, and I did nothing. I hurt the man I loved and now here I am, in the place, muri gin secret because everyone knew I hated him. But how could you hate that which you love the most?" Grant asked.
Delbert stared in shock.
He had not been expecting this when he had come here. He had not been thinking of a heart to heart and that too for the absurd Acrod enforcer. All of this was supposed to be bullshit and yet at the same time, it was just wild as fuck.
It hurt to even think of what Nour must have felt that last day before he decided to go back home, to his father, the man who he had been staying away from because he wanted to live.
Nour had to have suffered so much at the hands of Grant and now hearing Grant talk like his Erasthai was just a social experiment was pissing him off. Maybe he could end this by ruining Grant now, right?
It would be a simple and quick one, and yet at the same time, Delbert was sure that Grant didn't deserve any mercy from him. This man deserved every pain that came his way and Delbert would see to it that he paid his karmic debt in full.
"If you say he wasn't an omega, then he could have left and set the fire?" Delbert asked sheepishly and Grant stared at him, like that was out of the norm for him. For someone who had been an asshole, he sure looked like he knew his mate better.
"Nah. He wouldn't have. He waited for me to come home. I know it and that is what hurts the most. He could have saved himself. He could have chosen to do the opposite instead of waiting for me.
"I was cruel to him and even to his last breath, he waited for me. And now there is nothing I can do because I can't reach him. He is gone from my life. I loved him and he left me," Grant said.
Delbert knocked him out with his magic. He was done listening to the bastard talk as if his Erasthai was to be blamed for this. He then covered Grant up before walking out, leaving the unconscious bastard in his bed.
"You are a patient one, Zaire Merdel," Ferhat said to Delbert as the Lycan walked out of Grant's new room. He had a grim face on, like he wanted to go punch things and with Ferhat here, perhaps he would get to spar, right?
"He's blaming my baby even after everything he did. I need to kill him, but I must drive him crazy first. I will put an end to him, for my Cassius. For my baby," Delbert said as he paced around.
He couldn't stay still because the urge to crack Grant's skull was growing intense by the day.
"Want to spar?" Ferhat asked when he saw the Lycan fisting and unfisting his hands.
"I thought you wouldn't ask," Delbert said excitedly. He had a lot of pent-up rage and he needed to let go of some of them because at this rate he would be killing everyone in his sight.
He needed a distinction and someone to get him out of the place because otherwise, Grant wouldn't see the morning.
"Why don't you fight with a man your size?" King Cassius's voice interrupted them.
Delbert sighed as he looked at the werewolf king, a man so devastated by the spin of his son that he clearly couldn't function. The man liked like shit and while Ferhat had tried fixing him up, there hadn't been any real change.
Perhaps he wanted to let it all out.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Are you backing out, Zaire Merdel?" the king teased and Delbert laughed before they went to the royal training room.