"What have you crazy beasts done to me?"

Nytherael’s heart clenched. His breathing grew frantic as a stabbing pain settled in his heart.

Having Sseraphis hate him for his past mistakes was better than having the beast stand before them asking what they did to make him forget the name of his ’new’ lover.

For that split second, he caught a glimpse of what Sseraphis and Aeltharion must have felt when he stood tall calling out another as the love of his life. It hurt.

The thought that in Sseraphis’ brain, he wasn’t his lover, his husband or his mate, stung deeply.

’When I can’t even stand him act like we aren’t together anymore... How did I even think I could live without him?’ he choked.

The uncomfortable feelings he had at the arena returned. That fog he couldn’t see through started clouding his mind and his consciousness started drowning in those moments of his weakness where he fell to temptation of first love.

"You already have the one you love so why would you invade my home and mess with my memories?" Sseraphis pointed an accusing finger at Aeltharion.

His eyes filled with venom, not the gentle kind that always warmed his lovers but the kind that made him the most feared snake in the abyssal coil.

Aeltharion pushed his luck and pulled Sseraphis into his arms. "How can you accuse me of ever hurting you, Ssese. You know me... I could never," he held on to Sseraphis tightly, hoping that his warmth can make Sseraphis remember that it was only in the half of that night that they had been apart.

Sseraphis blinked. Tears wet his eyelashes, something about that hug felt comforting and warm like home. But the image in his mind remained stuck on the same scene of Aeltharion choosing Nytherael over him and when he thought harder, the only other memory that could surface in his head was the day his mother abandoned him.

He stood still as he watched her leave with Ssirel like he wasn’t born of her or in need of her love, care and affection growing up. The lonely nights in the cruel abyss without his mother’s love to make his wounds hurt less and without his father to protect him because he too choose to leave.

His eyes moistened. The memories he tried to find warmth in that felt like Aeltharion’s hug were all images of constant abandonment by everyone who was meant to love and protect him.

He recalled all the suffering he endured when Nytherael made the same choice. The ache of staring at Aeltharion knowing he was fading away from the world, sleepless night trying to heal him and pushing himself to his limits for the dragon only for Aeltharion to turn around, spit on his effort and love and choose Nytherael over him.

And to make it worse, his memories showed Aeltharion and Nytherael happy without him and the two beasts finding a solution against the death clinging to their bond like it was nothing when he had searched day and night for over a year and fell short every time. It was rubbing mud to his years of love.

Then, his mind settled on the new memories in his head. They were light and sweet. He felt heard, felt and held in the gentlest way more than anyone he had ever trusted ever has.

Against those soft memories, the bitter memories of his mother, father and his mates faded to the back of his head before disappearing.

Sseraphis wiped his tears and decided it was better to keep looking ahead where he was happy than to the past where no one appreciated him.

He gathered his strength into his hands and shoved Aeltharion away, breaking the hug. "I know. I know that you made your choice and it wasn’t me," he said.

"In what life?" Aeltharion’s voice became panicked. "In what universe?" He questioned, bridging the distance between them again.

Sseraphis backed away. He avoided Aeltharion and trier his best to keep himself from transforming into his beast form and tearing the dragon apart.

"Don’t play dumb. I am going to get fooled by you," be veered around Aeltharion, his steps hurried. He wanted to leave the room as soon as possible and find his partner.

Nytherael stretched out his arm and grabbed his wrist, pulling him close and twirling his body that Sseraphis landed against him with his back. His hands circled Sseraphis’s slim waist and he leaned his head on Sseraphis’ shoulder, his nose buried in Sseraphis’ neck.

Sseraphis tensed. He folded his hands into fists. The closeness made him feel the warmth oozing from Nytherael’s body. Instead of calming him, it pissed him off more.

When he yearned for that enbrace and gave his best to prove himself to Nytherael, the fox saw him as unworthy.

He left the abyss, spent years nurturing a bond with Nytherael that the fox discarded like it was trash in the face of his first love and when Nytherael returned, he made tall claims of wanting to reunite and make things better.

He had put up resistance because he had been hurt once before by hope but deep down, a part of him was waiting for Nytherael to prove his love for them and give him back the home he gained after years of suffering alone. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

However, Nytherael proved him wrong when he wom back Aeltharion and decided he wasn’t deserving of his love or their marriage.

In his memory, when the two cut him out of their bond, it was the worst night of his life, even worse than when his mother left him and more horrifying than the day that Nytherael invoked the divorce by death trial in the beast country.

Now, he had moved on to a beast that actually treats him better. A beast that chooses him every single time and never lets his doubt where his loyalties lie.

"It’s too late, Nytherael Auryn!" He pushed Nytherael away.

"No, it’s not," Nytherael denied.

"It is. I have given you a thousand chances to prove to me that I was just as important to me as you were to me and you failed. Now, it’s too late to put on this show," he let out.

"What does that mean, venom."

"It means that I am no longer that stupidly obsessive idiot nine-headed snake that drew himself thin for the two of you!"