Truth Behind His Curse

Athena


I couldn't breathe, speak or blink. I was horrified; There were so many emotions rushing inside of me at this moment.

My entire existence was in denial right now. What I heard pained me beyond extreme, it was so severe that my body was trying to find relief by trying to deny the truth.

"No...no...no, you must be lying," I found myself vigorously shaking my head, despite knowing that there was not even a drop of a lie in everything she said, "It's not his story, it can't be his story."

Julia must have seen the fear of acceptance that draped over my eyes because she did not try to convince me to believe her, she just kept speaking.

"His father killed his mother right in front of his eyes. He saw his mother's throat being slit by his father, I and many maids were there too but we all were forced to witness it just like the Nine years old Sebastian. Poor Carolina begged her mate, she knew there was none for her child except for her, her eyes constantly took glances at the tear-stained face of Sebastian who begged all us maids for help. That little child was dropping to his knees in front of us, hugging his father's legs and helplessly begging him to stop."

I covered my ears but each of her words reached them anyway; Tears began sliding down my eyes. Guilt was crawling up my walls making them crumble.

I'd thought...I was the only one who was a victim.

"But his father did not listen to him, he killed her. Not even the tiniest drop of hesitation was seen in his eyes when he slit his mate's throat with that sharp dagger. And you know what? He did not even wait for a second to stand there or take another glance at his mate, he just left with a woman he'd brought home the other day and went to join a party." A sob broke through Julia's mouth, "But Sebastian wanted his mother to live, he did not want to lose his mother. He ran here and there, trying to stop the blood with his tiny hands, Continuously requesting his mother to open her eyes but fragile Carolina passed away within a few minutes before giving us a chance to try to save her."

"If you had seen Sebastian that day, you wouldn't have thought of him as a monster. Tell me, Athena. After what he witnessed, is that not enough reason for him to turn his heart into a stone? Tell me."

I said nothing, desperately trying to find an escape within the silence I chose.

My heart was aching. My wolf's emotions which were never thorough began stirring awake within me in a different way. But it all added to my torments, the rage and hatred I had stored for Sebastian were just gone and I was trying hard to not accept that after everything he had done to me; It was my natural reflex that was happening on its own.

"But this is not all that happened to him, his sufferings did not just end there. After his mother's death, everything became even worse for him," She said, "Have you ever noticed the marks and scars on him, Athena? Maybe you haven't."

Yes, I haven't noticed his scars. How could I? I didn't even try to look at him properly.

"The dark memories of his childhood are still there on his skin, the marks given by his father. His father used to unleash his anger and frustration on him. He used to hit him with the belt, till he'd bleed so much that he used to faint. There are marks all over Sebastian's back and they haven't faded the slightest bit. Sebastian began staying silent, he even stopped crying. The only thing he used to do was to hold his mother's picture frame and stare at it, he'd just stare. I don't know if you know or not, but this is still a part of his daily routine."

"To take care of the kid he has damaged by himself, his father kept me as Sebastian's nanny. He didn't talk to me much, but sometimes when he missed his mother so much that even looking at her pictures didn't lessen his pain, he used to come to me and sleep in my room, trying to find his mother's embrace in mine."

I couldn't hold onto my tears anymore. I had to stop my sobs by pressing my hands against my mouth.

"It was whole two years, Sebastian bore every torture, every pain with silence. Then one day, his patience and restraints finally broke. It was his eleventh birthday. You think his curse is bestowed upon him because he killed his father, Right? No, Athena. You are wrong."

I looked at Julia, wanting her to speak further.

I needed to hear the truth.

I needed to know the truth.

"The night before his birthday, Sebastian was crying the whole night with his door locked. He was unable to hold it all in anymore. In the morning when I went to his room I couldn't find him there, I searched for him everywhere but he was nowhere to be found. but then a few hours later he came back from the forest. And...he was not the same Sebastian as before."

"In his eyes, there was a strange stillness, there was no sign of loneliness, agony, or any emotion at all. He seemed almost dead as if there was nothing left inside of him."

"And after my countless questions, when he finally told me the truth.....the ground moved from beneath my feet." Her voice dropped a few octaves, "That day Sebastian went to the forest because he wanted to commit suicide. But he couldn't get the courage to jump off the cliff and broke down into tears there. That Eleven years old boy begged the goddess to either give him the strength to take his own life or wipe out all the emotions from him, remove all the pain, give him a blessing that'd make him immune to pain or any emotions."

I froze on the spot, it seemed as if my heart stopped beating.

"What Sebastian asked for was a blessing for him but to the world, it is a curse, it is a curse that none had ever wished to have but he did. He was pushed to his limits so much that this world became unbearable for him to live the way being the real him."

It was his curse.....

He asked for it.....in helplessness, to find an escape from the pain.

"And the goddess listened to him, she fulfilled his wish and bestowed the curse upon him that was a blessing to Sebastian. His heart became cold as a stone and that day at night, he killed his father in his sleep in the same way that monster once killed his mother."

"Days began passing and he became colder and colder, there was nothing left in him. When it was his time to go and play with the kids of his age, he had to fight the world alone." She said, sniffling and wiping her tears, "And as a few years passed his curse began holding onto him even more. He sent everyone away and sealed their mouth with a handsome amount of money, all the maids who were the witness to the murder of his mother and also the witness of his father's death. He'd build an indestructible wall all around him that he did not want anyone to break."

"And then one day came when he handed me a suitcase full of money and told me to go far away and live a better life. There were no tears in his eyes, no emotions whatsoever, but that day I had seen a glimpse of the old Sebastian whose smile was once taken away by this cruel world," Her voice shook as she spoke, "I did not want to go, I literally begged him to let me stay because I knew, what he was going through was not easy. His curse was dangerous, but he was just so afraid of being caged by emotions or weakness once again that he just turned his back on me, and that was the last time he ever talked to me."

The truth stung. It hurt me more than anyone could ever imagine.

The fact that I'd never tried to look through his cold facade and catch on to the emotions that I'd often gotten a glimpse of, made me feel horrible.

I was just so lost thinking of my agony that I forgot to notice his.

"I don't know if you are believing me or not, but this is the truth, my dear. He doesn't even know what he has gradually turned into, his curse is so lethal that if anyone makes him any emotions....it makes him want to destroy them, wipe them out of his way. It's his curse that has turned him into the person he is today, pain is his only language," She walked closer to me and took my hands in hers, her eyes noticing my tears streaming down my face, "He thinks this curse is his escape, the shield that'll protect him from everything because he never got a taste of all the love this world has to offer. He never got the chance to live his life and his emotions— This is why he is trying to hold onto this curse at any cost."

"And this is why he's hurting you, Athena. Because you are his mate, you make the emotions stir awake inside him. The colder he seems from the outside, the broken he is from within. He is not a monster, he is a victim of trauma and he is scared, he is very very scared from inside, and if anyone can save him from this...it's you."

I found myself taking my hands away from her hold so fast as if her touch burned me.

I was as destroyed as Sebastian. How was I even going to save him?

No, I couldn't save him! I was incapable of doing anything for him, I was fucking worthless.

"No, I can't...I can't...." I backed away till my body pressed against the wall.

"You can, Athena. You are his mate, if there's anyone who can bring him back it's you."

"No. No. No. It's not me!" The first sob slipped past my lips.

She was right. He was my mate....and has no one in this world except for me.

How could I back away from this? I couldn't.

Julia did not say anything as she watch me finally break down.

"Sebastian...." I finally cried out loud, "I am sorry, Sebastian! I am sorry." My knees give up and I fell to the ground, hugging my knees as I buried my head and let go of my sobs.

I couldn't hold it in anymore.

The mate I'd thought was a monster this whole time, was a victim himself; He was beyond broken, even more than I thought I was.

How could I not notice the pain behind his eyes? How could I not see through his facade?

I was in deep agony, my pain knew no bounds and my tears wouldn't stop, and nor wouldn't my sobs.

Julia walked towards me after a few moments and sat in front of me, cupping my face and raising my head.

"Don't cry, sweetheart," She wiped my tears, "Calm down."

"Sebastian...h-he," I hiccuped, "The whole time I kept blaming him when he was a sufferer himself. I thought he was doing all of it intentionally."

"It's okay, it is not your fault." She reassured, "And you can't break down like this, you need to stay strong, dear."

"How am I going to bring him back, Julia? He hates everything about me, even the sight of me." My voice dropped a few octaves.

"He does not hate you, in fact, you are the only one who makes him feel something, takes him back to his real soul," She said, "And the marks he has left on you, are just one of the proofs of this fact."

Her statement caused the remembrances of all these days to pass through my eyes in a second.

Soon the realization drew upon me.

He did not hate me, he just wanted to hate me and in this fight of his, he was damaging both of us.

"You are the only one who can save him. Look at him with love, instead of fear. Try to see the good in him instead of the bad. I know it's not going to be easy, it's like playing with the fire— He'll hurt you, he'll try to push you away at any cost and adhere to his curse as long as he can, but you need to turn the emotions within him alive once again. He needs to feel, in order to heal." She said, "Nothing can beat the power of love, Athena. Use the mate bond, bring the best out of him even though the only thing he wants to show you is his worst."

I have to bring him back. Break him free from the chains of his curse.

"I'll do it, Julia. I will do it," I finally nodded wiping my tears, "I'll do everything I can to free him from his curse. I promise."

"I know you will." She smiled through her tears and pulled me in a hug.