Alpha Alec's Redemption by Kathy M

Her words kept playing in my head.

I couldn't for the life of me understand why she would say that. Why she'd say that

I am lucky.

I want to argue with her. I want to prove that she's wrong. I want to remind her of everything Alec put me through-of what I endured in his arms, at his hands-but I don't.

This isn't about comparing who had it worse. This isn't about measuring pain like it's a competition. This isn't about comparison at all.

She went through what she did, even though she hasn't told me what it is, and I'm sure to her it was the greatest, most heartbreaking pain she's ever felt. I went through what I did with Alec, and for me, it was the hardest, most heartbreaking thing I've ever faced.

It doesn't matter whose pain cuts deeper. Doesn't matter the level. Doesn't matter how much it hurts. Pain is pain.

When we're dealing with heartbreak, when we're dealing with pain, we're all a little selfish. We assume that ours is the worst. We have this tendency to try and diminish the pain another person is feeling just to make room for ours.

I don't want to do that to Nyx and I don't want her to do it to me, either. We both suffered. We both bled. It doesn't matter how or by whose hand; at the end of the day, we both carry pain.

Once the truth of that settles in my chest, I decide to change the subject. I don't want this to be a sore point between us. I don't want conflict, so I choose to change the topic. To focus on something else, to focus on something different, anything except what we've both been through.

"Nyx... What happened to your mother?"

She's a silent for a moment before she answers, "I don't know... I'm not sure."

I freeze. "What do you mean you don't know? What kind of answer is that?"

"You don't know where your biological parents are, either." She bluntly replies, her tone flat as she rolls her eyes.

I blink, speechless. "That's... That's different."

"How? You don't know where your birth parents are and I don't know where my mother is. It's the same thing."

If she had shoulders, I swear she would've shrugged.

even know I was adopted. You can't blame me for not knowing

hard not to wonder why my real parents gave

weeks," Nyx cuts in, "Yet

like a jagged blade, making it a little

past this topic, "And besides, I know you're trying to change the

I'm just curious why you haven't bothered

is your mom, Nyx? I know she's not dead, or you would've said so. Are

could be that she and her mom are on bad terms, right?

it,"

it?" I press

And maybe I am being pushy... but I

begins. "Xena doesn't just hate me.

Silence once again stretches

between us

hadn't even

a possibility. Maybe because of how their mom was with them, I couldn't allowe myself

everything went up in flames, our mother stood by me," Nyx continues. "She knew that Xena had turned dark. Knew that what Xena was doing was wrong She protected me when Xena wanted to

listen to Nyx is wonder. Wonder why Xena turned out like this. Wonder why she switched

sister.

have made her change? What was so important that she

that he's the only one who has that kind of power over

possible that after mating and bonding with Xena, some of his darkness was bled into her,

voice pulls me

been hunting our mother the same way she's been

"Seriously?" I breathe.

is actually wrong with

Why would

story with a man