Page 12 of Their Marked Mate

She took a step closer. “Are you going to pet a lion or ruffle the feathers of an eagle?”

Nate paused, wondering how much he should tell her. Anyone who attended the Nuevo Biotech trials, or paid attention to the media coverage, knew about the exotics. Still, he wasn’t sure he could trust her, so he chose his words carefully. “Did you ever interact with the exotics?”

Her eyes widened and she nervously licked her lips. “I didn’t interact with any of the hybrids.” She fell silent for a moment, her expression pensive. “No one has mentioned the exotics since I arrived on Rydaria. It’s as if they never existed. I presumed that none of them survived.”

“Oh, they’re alive and well. My meeting today is with their leader.”

She shivered then looked into his eyes. “Are they as… different as the lawyers made them sound?”

“Some of them are, but most appear completely normal.” He put sarcastic emphasis on the last word. None of the hybrids were considered normal any longer. They were all mutated freaks. “I just stopped by to check on you. Is there anything you need?”

She shook her head and sighed. “I saw the sort of world Elias wanted, savage and soaked in blood. What about Alex? What sort of a world is he trying to create? Do you serve him by choice or obligation?”

Unable to resist her, Nate ambled closer. “I knew Alex before our captivity. He’s the only person on this planet that I trust implicitly.”

Her tongue peeked out to wet her lips, but she looked nervous rather than flirtatious. “I’m really torn about helping you guys. You’ve been the aggressors in every conflict. Nearly everyone on this planet considers you the bad guys.”

“It hasn’t been that absolute, but Elias was a bloodthirsty bastard. Alex is not Elias.”

She crossed her arms, one of her hands absently rubbing up and down. “So, who is he? Who was Alex before and who is he now? I honestly believe that everyone on Rydaria deserves hope, but I can’t be a part of the sort of civilization Elias was trying to build.”

“Alex is a survivor. The forces that shaped his life would have destroyed almost anyone else. With Alex, the adversity made him strong.”

Her gaze remained on Nate, but she wandered closer to the fire. “Can you explain what that means or is it Alex’s story to tell?”

“It probably should be his decision, but I understand your hesitation. The actions of our village alphas haven’t painted an accurate picture of who we are.” He moved closer, positioning himself on the other side of the fire. This woman held the fate of their village in her hands. If she wanted more information, it simply made sense to give it to her. “Alex was born during the height of the euphoria crisis.”

Luna shivered. “I’ve heard stories and watched news feeds about the devastation, but things were winding down by the time I was old enough to know about the drug.”

“His mother was an addict, so Alex went through withdrawal a few hours after his birth.”

Her head was shaking already and Nate had barely begun. “Was Dad in the picture?”

“Yes, and he hated drugs.” After an intentional pause, Nate added, “Alcohol, however, was his constant companion.”

“Damn. Were there any responsible adults involved in Alex’s childhood?”

“Not really. His mother died when Alex was three and things settled into a routine for a few years. Jax, Alex’s brother, looked out for him for a while. But Jax was eight years older, so he left home when Alex was twelve.”

“Was their father still drinking?” Her sky-blue eyes were wide and luminous, and filled with ghosts of her own.

“There was alcohol in that bastard’s blood until the day he died.” Nate heaved a sigh and continued, “I know that sounds cold. Alcoholism is a decease, but some people are bastards with or without booze.”

“There are people in my life that prove the accuracy of that statement. In fact, a lot of people. Did things get better or worse for Alex?”

The hesitation in her tone told Nate that she knew the answer. “Alex had just turned fifteen when his dad flew into a drunken rage. He beat the shit out of Alex and kicked him out of the house. Alex made it to his brother’s apartment before he passed out from the pain. The bastard broke his arm, cracked three ribs, and punched him so hard that Alex had a concussion.”

“Jesus,” she muttered, sounding genuinely distressed. “Did Jax take him to the hospital?”

“He was seen by a doctor, but I have to jump ahead in the story if I explain how that came about.”

Her head tilted and her eyes narrowed. “Now I’m dying to know what that means.”

“I’ll explain in a minute. The important thing at this point is that Alex was convinced that his father would regret his actions once he sobered up.”

“No such luck?” Luna didn’t sound surprised and compassion shone in her expressive eyes.

Nate suspected that Alex’s past and Luna’s were filled with similarities. Hopefully she would soon trust him enough to confide in him. “Jax called the old man and demanded to know what set him off. The old man insisted that Alex was a disrespectful piece of shit and he was no longer welcome in his apartment.”