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We waited patiently for her to speak.
Daphne sighed and looked away from us, staring into the distance. “I’ve got a confession to make. I’m actually not a full bear shifter. My mother is a human, so I’m a half-breed.”
She glanced back at us, and she had such a vulnerable expression on her face. It was as if she expected us to hate her for who she was.
“And? That doesn’t change the way I see you,” I said plainly, shrugging.
“Same for me,” Gabriel looked confused about why Daphne seemed to expect our opinions about her to be different because she was a half-breed. Then his expression turned angry. “Wait, did somebody hurt you because of who you are?”
Daphne looked down and fiddled with her fingers. “Yes… you could say that… ,” she went quiet.
“Who was it?” I knew I shouldn’t pry into her personal affairs, but I couldn’t stop myself from caring.
Daphne’s gaze met mine. She had a hurt expression that made my heart ache. “The sleuth I grew up in, the Sun of Perez, was very hierarchical, just as you said the Torres were. My father wasn’t from an important branch of the family, even though we carry the Perez name but his standing in the clan became even lower when he mated with my mother, who is a human.”
“So you’ve been mistreated because you aren’t a full bear shifter?” Fury welled up in my heart, and I clenched my fists. The bloodlust against anybody who mistreated our mate overwhelmed me for a moment. Gabriel put a hand on my forearm, shaking his head. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.
Daphne shook her head. “I wouldn’t say anybody treated me particularly badly. I just didn’t have many people I could call friends in my sleuth, and neither did my parents but I had Yuliana. She didn’t care about me being a half-breed. She loved me as my best friend regardless of my nature. As long as my parents and I lived our lives quietly on our own, everything was fine. I wouldn’t say my life was particularly bad. I loved my job, my friend, and my parents and they cared for me.”
I did my best to calm myself down. At least my mate hadn’t been abused because of her half-breed status, but she didn’t seem to have led a life full of pure joy either. However, I felt there was more to the story. “Did something bad happen to you then that made you leave your sleuth?”
Daphne chuckled, a joyless sound. “I was exiled.”
“Why?” Gabriel stared at our mate, shock making his mouth gape open.
My eyes widened too, and I worriedly waited for Daphne to elaborate.
“See the scar on my face? A year ago another sleuth attacked ours, and I fought to protect my town, but someone got me with their claws, and the wound didn’t heal properly. Because I’m a half-breed, I don’t regenerate as quickly or as well as full bear shifters.” Daphne looked down at her hands sadly. She fidgeted with her fingers. “Two weeks ago I turned 28. On that day I recognized someone with a much higher standing in the sleuth as my fated mate but he didn’t want me – because I was a scarred half-breed.”
“What a motherfucker!” Gabriel exclaimed. He was seething with rage, and so was I.
“Just give us the name of that guy, and we will go hunt him down once the business with Victor is over,” I added. This guy’s days were numbered as far as I was concerned.
Daphne’s eyes widened. “Wait! There’s no need for that!”
“Why are you protecting him? Did you love him?” Gabriel asked.
The very thought that our mate might be in love with someone else was heartbreaking. But if that situation was the case, I would wait for as long as she needed to heal. After all, that guy clearly didn’t want her. He had made his choice obvious by doing something as final as rejecting her.
“No! Before I realized he was my mate, I had never thought much about him. I never loved him. Even if I did, being rejected by him would have killed any warm feelings I had for him.” Daphne shook her head. “Really… you don’t need to do anything on my behalf!”
“I can’t believe someone would reject you. What a fool.” Gabriel mumbled.
“Well, I am a half-breed and scarred. I can see how those traits would make me unworthy as a mate,” Daphne said in a sad, small voice.
“What are you saying? You’re a wonderful person, Daphne! You’re kind and hardworking. You want to help others. You’re beautiful too. The scar you seem to worry about so much actually adds character to your face,” I listed Daphne’s virtues quickly. There was so much beauty to her.
“You’re perfect to us, Daphne. I wish I could convey to you how we see you. Words just aren’t enough to tell you how gorgeous you are,” Gabriel added.
Daphne stared at us, wide-eyed. “I’m not that special. You’re painting me into some kind of wonderful person. That’s not me.”
“It is you. To us. You just don’t see it.” Gabriel smiled. “If only you would let us prove to you how much we like you. We want to make you happy.”
Daphne blushed. “What are you proposing, Gabriel?”
“A romantic relationship between the three of us. Let us adore you until you see how beautiful a person you are,” Gabriel winked.
“Even if there’s a high chance that I would never be able to form a mating bond with you?” Daphne mumbled, but we heard her well enough.
