Nina

I knew Tess from a young age, and I know she would never hurt a fellow pack member like that, so when Derek got her pinned I asked what happened. What I heard was one of every female’s worst fears when they find their mate. Their mate calling them by another name during s*x. I knew instantly Tess needed a friend more than anything in that moment, and it was my job as alpha to be that friend. I also knew that we needed to get to the bottom of what was going on with Theo. As Derek was walking away I quickly mind linked him to find Theo, and get to the bottom of things.
As I helped Tess up I told her we could talk in my office. When I began walking I saw Raff looking lost as to what to do, so I stopped, and turned to Tess.
Would you be okay with Raff joining us? It might help to get a male’s opinion on things that could have happened, and I would like for him to see more of how I run things.” I ask her, and see her hesitate before she nods her head. I look back to Raff, and wave for him to follow. We all begin to walk towards my office again choosing the elevator. When we entered the office I sat Tess in the seat across from my desk, and Raff sat on the couch next to my bookshelf on the left. While I walked around the desk to sit at my chair. Once we are all seated I see Tess is visibly uncomfortable, so I reach across the desk to take her hand, and decide to make her more comfortable.
“Would you like to sit on the couch? Raff and I can take the chairs, and make things more comfortable for you.” I say to her as she looks up at me with tears still in her eyes. She gives a meek nod of her head, and I stand up as does Raff. He instantly escorts her to the couch like a gentleman, and slides the chair she was sitting in to in front of the couch, and before I even had the chance to move my chair he is helping me move it to the couch as well. I give him a loving, and grateful smile as I take my seat in front of the couch. When we sit down Raff speaks, and his words astound me.
“I am so sorry for what happened, and I honestly don’t know what could possess your mate to do something like that. As a male with a mate….one I have regretfully hurt in an attempt to protect, that is a mistake that doesn't happen. In short he did it on purpose, but the question is why, because no mate ever wants to hurt their mate unless there is a good reason.” At his words Tess begins to cry with realization.
“There is something he doesn't feel safe to tell me to the point he would rather hurt me like that?” I sigh, and hold Raff’s hand, because I know he probably feels bad for making her cry, but he doesn’t know what we both went through, and I can’t imagine the memories it brought up for Tess to have her mate call her by another name. I need to find out how much It brought up from our past, and I know this won’t be an easy conversation. Unconsciously my hand around Raff’s tightens, and he gives me a worried look before I begin to speak.
“Tess,” she looks at me still crying, so I take my hand from Raff, and ask her. “Did you tell Theo of our….past?” I hesitate on the last part, and she shakes her head no, and begins crying more. My heart breaks instantly, because that means he didn’t even know how much he hurt her with that. I slide out of my seat to my knees, and wrap my arms around the only other female I have ever been close to in the pack. “Shhhh,” I coo softly to her. “It’s okay, we aren’t there anymore, and he is dead, remember? Grey killed him, we are okay. He can’t touch us again.” She sobbs, and begins speaking through her tears.
“Why Nina? I was never good enough for him, and every time he raped me it was YOUR name he called. Why would he even rape me when he only wanted you, and why US at all?! We were so young! There were so many times I didn’t know if you would wake up, or if it would be our last day. So many times I begged for death, and it never came. It never came, Nina. We were always so powerless. I HATE feeling like that anymore, and he went and did the SAME thing! Why am I never good enough?! Not even my own mate wants me! Why did I ever survive?!” She sobs out everything in one big breath. Im still hugging her, and whispering to her that it’s okay, and it’s not true when I felt a pair of strong arms tentatively wrap around us. We are both crying, and look up to see Raff crying, and asking permission with his eyes if he can hug us. We both nod our head yes, and he gets to his knees hugging us tight. Through his own tears he speaks.
“I am so sorry for both of you, and Tess, to you I will say you are more than enough, and if your mate can’t see that, then he is dumber than I initially thought, and lets be honest my first impression was that he was pretty dumb. I think you are amazing, and deserve to be treated so much better. If he can’t see that, then he is the one who isn’t good enough.” Just as Raff finishes speaking I hear a knock on the door before it opens to Derek, Grey, and Theo who take in the scene, and Theo instantly goes into a fury aimed at Raff. Instantly Derek and Grey grab his shoulders on either side, and I turn back to Tess to see her frozen. The one thing she hates more than feeling weak is being seen as weak.
“Boys, can you please give us a few minutes to compose ourselves?” I ask, and without another word Derek closes the office door. I know they are waiting right outside, because I can still smell them. “Tess, are you okay to speak to him? We will all be here with you, so you don’t have to do it alone, and remember you are NEVER alone. Not then, and definitely not now.” She sniffles a few times, before she nods her head yes. We all calm down, and wipe our tears, and even though he isn’t crying I can still see Raff shaking. We decide to move to the couch with Raff sitting on one side of Tess, and me on the other. I straighten up, before I mind like Derek they can come in if Theo is calm.
A few moments later I see the door open, and I feel Tess tense next to me, so I instinctively hold her hand, giving it a squeeze. The three boys enter with Theo taking Raff’s previous seat, Derek taking mine, and grey standing on the other side of Theo making sure to keep a hand on his shoulder. Knowing that Tess is in no condition to speak I ask the question she has been wondering.
“Why Theo?” Such a simple question had him tense up. I could guess the boys already explained to him this would be happening with all of us present regardless of when it happened. I see his body deflate, and get the suspicion there is something more happening.
“ I’m not a good person,” His initial words surprised me, because no more is the arrogant Theo we all know. Before us is someone vulnerable. “I am harsh, cruel, arrogant, and selfish. I get pleasure from hurting people, and my temper is almost uncontrollable. When I realized the mate I was blessed with I instantly knew I wasn’t good enough. She-you deserve someone who is as pure as you are. I was hoping if I did that you would reject me, and it would kill me.”