[VALENTIN]
Haruki stared.
Like he was seeing Valentin for the first time in his life.
Like this was an illusion that he was bound to wake up from.
He had questioned how his mate treated him more than once. How they went three hundred years, and even without any contact, Valentin had never pressed on.
How Valentin had never bothered about Haruki, and how his obsession with his brother was always the subject. Always the one thing Haruki had never been able to compete with.
And like a good mate, Haruki had believed him.
Had understood him.
Had suffered in silence because that was what the bond demanded. That was what she had to do to make his Erasthai happy.
He had been good.
Fuck, he had endured everything. Followed everything to the letter. He had stayed and ruined relationships that could have saved him so much trouble. Relationships that could have made him a better person.
A stronger person.
