The Minx

I was glad Aspen wasn't making me go to school. With how distraught I felt, it wouldn't have been a pretty sight anyway. Aspen lay awake as he held me. I didn't bother to try and move. I felt miserable.

"Aspen," I called quietly. He hummed softly as his arms adjusted around me.

"What's the point of keeping me by your side? I'm not your fated mate and I can't carry your pups. Those are two very big reasons to get rid of me. We both know why I have the scars I do. I'm damaged goods. Your wolf didn't even recognize me when Eric died. Your pack and your legacy are more important than me. To be honest, I'm just a nobody who was about to die. Maybe you should've just... left me there. What interest would an Alpha have with an Omega anyway," I rambled as I wallowed in my depression. Aspen sat up to look at me, but he looked angry.

"Stop talking about yourself like that. Whatever happens, I chose you. Regardless of all those reasons, I love you. In a way, we are fated, and you're not an Omega; you're the Luna of the Silver Bullet pack. Never say those words out loud again," he said softly. I could tell my words irritated him but I couldn't help but to feel completely useless. But I was tired of crying. Even though I wanted to, I couldn't find the energy.

"Let me go," I said tiredly. That one simple sentence said a lot. I was asking him to forget about me, not to worry about me. His pack was attacked, and he was here, worried about my issues. I was holding him back anyway. I was an orphan who just managed to hit some dumb luck in being found by Aspen, but besides being a warm body, I was nothing. I rolled onto my side with a sigh. Aspen was frozen for a moment before he growled.

"What do you think you would accomplish by me letting you go? Even though I chose you, even though you can't carry my pups, and you've been tortured before, I still hold on to you. Why do you think that is?" He asked after he calmed down. My initial thought was that he was just doing it to save face. There were no benefits to being with me. All I brought was trouble. This Red Devil Hunter running around could very well be the man who tortured me before. If he was back to look for me, he would mess with the pack to get to me. I couldn't see a reason for Aspen to even care about me anymore, other than the fact that we were already mated. Aspen growled lowly as he got out of the bed and came around to face me.

"Get those thoughts out of your head. If I cared about saving face, I wouldn't have chosen another pack's Omega as my mate to start with. If this hunter is the one who took you before, I'll find him and tear him apart limb by limb. I don't care about anything else, except that you are you, Camilla. You are the one I love regardless of the circumstances, so get that through your head. Stop feeling ashamed. You have nothing to be ashamed about. None of this is your fault anyway. None of it. It hurts me seeing you this way," Aspen explained. My eyes welled up with fresh tears. I knew he wanted me to stop. I knew he wanted to make me feel better, but his words only made me feel guilty that he had to feel all of my emotions too.

"Aspen... I can't," I admitted. I couldn't stop feeling like everything was my fault. I was better off dead. If not for everyone else's safety, then for my own resentment I couldn't let go of. Even though Aspen saved me and took me in, I never truly got over being abandoned, mistreated, tortured, kidnapped, and abused throughout my life. And after finally getting out alive, I was still bringing trouble to the one person who didn't view me as a nuisance. Aspen growled before wrapping me in a hug.

"I want so badly to take your pain away," Aspen said helplessly. I felt like I was torturing him. I sat up and sniffled as I pushed my hair out of my face.

"I think I want to go for a walk," I said numbly. I felt suffocated by my own problems. I put on a t-shirt and sweatpants quietly before leaving the house. I walked into the forest and just kept walking. It was pitch black out with the only sound coming from leaves being rustled by the wind. I lost track of time. Finally, I just stopped. I sat on the forest floor against a tree and closed my eyes with a sigh. I felt absolutely useless.

"Why me?" I asked no one weakly. "Why am I like this?"

I had the most understanding mate in the world. He didn't care that I wasn't his fated mate. He didn't care that someone was possibly coming after me. He didn't care that I couldn't get pregnant, yet he still tried to comfort me. Meanwhile, I couldn't even fake a smile for him. All I could think about was how Aspen was better off without me. Suddenly, I was thinking about ways to end my miserable life.

"Do you honestly think that will solve anything?" I heard Aspen's voice in the darkness. I opened my eyes to the dark forest. Once my eyes adjusted, I saw Aspen kneeling in front of me. He touched my cheek gently with a sigh.

"You're sad now... but you won't be sad forever. I'll make sure of that, so in the meantime, please don't do anything to make me worry," he asked.

"Seeing you makes me feel guilty. I just want some time to think alone," I admitted. He hesitated as his hand fell away from my face.

"I don't know how to make you feel better, but I hate that you're in so much pain because of this," he said in frustration. I looked away from him unsure of what to say. Aspen gave another sigh before he stood.

"I'll leave you alone," he said in defeat before walking away. I covered my face with my hands. I wanted to end my life, but after hearing how worried Aspen was about me, I couldn't.

"Are you that upset by my gift to you?" A voice called to me.