15.Tear it down piece by piece.

**Eros**

At first, Eros wanted to laugh, then, a wave of doubt pulled him underwater, taking his last breath away.

"You're lying," he growled, adrenaline filled his veins, turning fear and shock into anger.

"I am not. I wish I was, my boy," his mother took a deep breath and approached him, sitting down, placing her palm on his shoulder. "I know that I've wronged you a lot. I haven't been the best mother, either, but you have to trust me. Your human is planning to escape with her lover," her voice was barely audible, but it was enough for Eros to feel a sharp, strong stab in his chest.

Out of nowhere, Ares invaded his mind, snarling and growling viciously.
"Don't believe her, she's trying to get rid of mate; Eve would never!" Ares fought back, refusing to believe a single word, coming from their mothers' lips.
"Ares, she did admit having a lover," defeated, Eros blocked Ares, taking deep breaths, desperately trying to come up with arguments to prove her wrong.

"Is this the way you get rid of my mate, mother?" The question left his lips on an instinct. He was scared to hear the answer out loud, terrified by her boldness. Eros knew that his mother spoke facts, no matter what the situation was, she always made sure to find out the truth.

"I won't lie or hide my true intentions. At first, yes, I wanted nothing more than to get rid of that human girl. I don't want to watch you suffer, as I did. Wherever I tried to look, I couldn't find anything on that girl to whomever I spoke.”
“Until a few days ago. I bumped into someone close to your mate. No, it wasn't her lover; it was her childhood friend. Being the careless human she is, the girl told me more than she should. Your mate had been in a relationship with that human for at least five years. After he found out that you have chosen her, both came up with an idea of how to escape. She couldn't give me more details since the whole thing was supposed to be a secret, but if I'm not wrong, she is going to leave today, within the next few hours." Finally, when the last word left her lips, she stood up, looking down at her son. Luna hated this young man and messing with his mate was the perfect way to make him suffer. She smiled, rather sympathetically, faking emotions to sound more believable.
"I'm truly sorry, but I had to tell you the truth. I understand, if you don't believe me, please close the door as you leave," with that, she left the office.

Eros sat dumbfounded, so many thoughts invaded his mind- it seemed like they'd never stop coming or leaving. He smirked, thinking of how Eve had behaved today- her unusual actions, submissiveness made Eros believe that she was doing that on purpose. For the sake of an escape plan.

"What a wicked woman, you are, Eve. Having so many opportunities to stab that knife in my back, instead, choosing to wait for the right moment. Aiming the blade straight to my heart," his voice trembled as he whispered to himself. Eros was ready for everything; his life had been hard enough to teach him valuable lessons yet being betrayed by his mate was not one of those. His world fell apart, right in front of his eyes. Instead of drowning himself in self-pity, he stood up and rushed out of the packhouse, jumped into his car, speeding down the road. He came up with a plan and was ready to act. No matter who the fuck she thinks she is, he would rather die than let her go.
She is not leaving.
When he parked, next to her house, his heart almost melted, seeing Eve on the front porch. She sat, wrapped in a fluffy blanket, a cup of hot tea in her hands, and another cup placed next to her. At first, he admired her, wondering why the Moon Goddess gifted him such a treasure. When his eyes landed on the second cup, he growled, thoughts of Eve, waiting for her lover, was driving Eros mad. He got out of the car and rushed to his mate, breathing heavily.

"You're here!" Eve cheered, as soon as she noticed the enormous man approaching her. She had been sitting outside, waiting for him, since the moment when he left. Eve spoke to her parents when they decided to accompany her outside. She even made a cup of tea for Eros, hoping that it'll be enough to show that she cares, at least for now. There was a genuine, bright smile plastered on her lips, which soon disappeared. Her lips formed in a thin line, confused by his cold behaviour.

"I am. Grab your bags, we're leaving," Eros didn't bother to look at her. Eve's bottom lip trembled, she had been expecting him to hold her, for them to try and work things out. Things never went as they planned. She opened her mouth and closed it a couple of times, like a fish, opting for a simple nod. Eve ran inside, yelled for her parents, and announced that she was leaving with Eros. She dropped two bags with essentials next to the front door, waiting for her parents to come and say their goodbyes. She watched how Eros took both bags and left for the car, feeling that something bad must have happened.

"Aren't you going to say hi to my parents?" she shouted at Eros. He answered with a simple "no," not turning his head or body, heading for the car. His steps were more aggressive, heavier than before. Eve gulped, feeling like she had gotten herself into trouble, without actually doing anything. Eros kept rushing her, yelling her name. She hugged her parents and left, loving the proud looks on their faces. Besides his temper tantrum, everything was perfect. When she sat in the car, he instantly turned on the engine and drove away from her childhood house. Both of them kept quiet for a while until Eve noticed that he hadn't taken the turn which would lead to his home.

"Where are we going? It's getting kind of late, not sure we should still go out. I can cook something at home," she offered, nervously biting her lip.

"It's a surprise. Not taking you out, change of plans," he spoke casually, yet exceptionally coldly. Eve was conflicted, wondering what had gotten him over the edge, hoping that she was not to blame. It felt weird for her not to hear his voice or feel his eyes traveling over her body. The man was so deep in thought, Eve could strip in front of him and there would be no reaction. He parked his car at the back entrance of a shady looking bar. Eve's heart raced, suddenly becoming anxious and, at this point, not trusting the shifter at all.

"W-where are we?" she asked.

"You'll see. Let's go."

"I-I-I... I'm not going in there," she grabbed onto the car seat, ready to hold it until her fingers snapped. For Eve, the place looked way too dangerous for humans. Might as well call it a neon graveyard because it sure as Hell looked like Eve could get killed in there.

"Stop being so childish, get your ass out of my car!" Eros roared in irritation. For a second regret filled his eyes, noticing how Eve flinched away from him. The feeling was short-lived; he didn't take her here to babysit. The only reason behind his decision was the eagerness to prevent her from leaving. She didn't want the nice guy; she will have to want the bad guy. Eve bolted out of the car, tears already staining her cheeks, body trembling from the fear of the unknown. She watched how Eros grabbed her bags and followed him like a lost puppy.

"Why? Why are we here?" Wherever courage was left in her body, was spat out with the question.

"From now on, we will live here. I own this bar, it's nothing much, yet something I built on my own. I have a little apartment above it, pretty cozy if you ask me." His voice was filled with pride; for a split second, Eve smiled, feeling happy for his accomplishment.
When they stepped into the bar, Eve immediately noticed how packed it was, everyone, besides her, were shifters. All eyes dropped on her tiny frame, earning a low, dangerous growl from Eros.

"Azra," a woman approached them, a wide grin plastered on her lips. The woman acted as if Eve was non-existent, instantly gluing herself to Eros, rubbing against his body. He pushed her away and snarled, warning her to stay away.

"Amber, I warned you to stop pulling your shit on me, you are stupid enough to do it in front of my fucking mate. On your knees, beg her to spare your life!" he yelled, his claws extending, eyes slowly changing color. The bar fell silent; nobody dared to move or look away. The woman snarled, mocking them.

"Are you making me beg a human, Azra?" she laughed in disbelief.

"Now," his canines grew long enough to pierce his lips. Eve looked around frantically, understanding how dangerous the life around shifters was, even more, how dangerous this situation was. She approached Eros and placed her hand on his shoulder, quietly begging for him to calm down. He turned around and grabbed her waist, pulling Eve dangerously close, inhaling her scent greedily.

"She just spared your life, bitch. Now get out, I don't want to see you in my bar anymore." He spoke against Eve's neck, his breath tickling her skin. The woman was nowhere to be seen, and they headed for the apartment together. As the door opened, Eve gasped in surprise. There wasn't a lot of space, yet it felt homey and smelt like lavender. She was more than excited to live there. As her eyes roamed over the room, they finally landed on Eros. He stood on the other side of the room, taking off his shirt, his muscular body illuminated in the moonlight.

"Who's Azra?" Eve suddenly asked, mentally facepalming herself for her curiosity.

"I am. I told you that you don't know anything about me, Eve. It's my middle name; all shifters have one, used only among shifters," he looked down at her in disappointment.
She just bit her lip, trying to figure out what had happened to the gentler side of Eros.

"Do it," he suddenly demanded.

"Do what?" She raised her eyebrow in question.

"My heart is weak, because of you, Eve, do it- tear it down piece by piece."