Kat watched Cage sit behind his desk and place his boots on top of it. He leaned back, lost in thought, as if he was thinking how to put everything into words, and for a moment, she was tempted to stop him. She already had so much to process. But could she even do it until she had the whole story?

"I think you can already guess I was a bitter brat growing up," he said, putting his hands behind his head. The relaxed posture was in sharp contrast with his words. "It wasn't easy being treated like an outsider, even if my mother and brothers showed me nothing but love."

"Do they even know they're your brothers?" she whispered.

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Very smart question, sweetheart. No, they don't."

She shivered a little when the endearment left his lips, once again untainted by scorn or sarcasm, but the conversation didn't really let her focus on the good it brought.

"My mother explained it to me when I turned seven and Fer was born. That is also when she asked me not to make it harder for them. She claimed Fer would want to do the right thing and step aside, and that couldn't happen. I agree with her now. Back then though..." He sighed. "I was seven. I couldn't have that sort of choice thrust upon me. And I was tempted to do it. Tell him and Ed the truth just to watch them squirming with guilt. Make my mother feel bad for keeping me out of the family core, placing me with her brother most of my life.

"Fortunately, I grew up enough before I decided to go through with it. And training for the navy gave me a sense of purpose and discipline far beyond anything Fer had. I watched him study, train and sit through boring social gathering after boring social gathering, and I realized I didn't want that.

"The pressure, the responsibility..."

She shook her head. "How did you escape pressure and responsibility? The navy must have been worse."

He laughed. "Trust me, nothing is worse than what Fer is going through. In the navy, I got to lead. He just gets the responsibility and the stiffness without the satisfaction of the result."

Oh, he was actually talking about the actual prince training. Though if Kat stopped to think about it, if the rumors weren't true and the king was actually in excellent health, there was a chance Ferdinand might be king when he got old. Which would mean an entire life wasted.

"I got to command people, see places, learn about different cultures. Hell, I think I learned more diplomacy from the wondering tribes of the Southern Isles than Fer did in all his classes. Sailors aren't picky, even when they're soldiers. I could speak however I wanted, tell and listen to the crudest jokes, have a different girl waiting for me in every port town..."

He drifted off after the last phrase, gnawing on his lower lip as if regretting he let it out. And Kat's stomach turned into a knot because she realized that he wasn't exaggerating. Seeing how good looking he was and the fact that he was a soldier, it was predictable. And yet, she'd felt so special, being the object of his affection. Apparently, she was not.

"I wasn't lying or exaggerating, Kat," Cage finally said, his voice more tired than she had ever heard it. "I am a monster. I always was on some level. I've killed so many people..."

"Pirates?" she whispered.

Because if there was anything else, she wasn't sure she could stand it. Life was the most important gift in the world and taking it from someone... She was aware of the world they lived in, that people killed each other over the most meaningless things, that execution was a part of everyday life. They had just come out of a war that had lasted years and almost destroyed two people.

She could accept that. What she wouldn't accept was being with someone who had taken life lightly.

"Pirates are people, too, Kat," Cage answered bitterly. "I know our beloved kingdom loves to demonize them, that they're indeed not the nicest people; but like all men, there's good and there's bad in them. Not all of them enjoy what they do. In every crew there are innocents. And when we purged them, we never stopped to ask questions."

He pushed himself away from the desk and stood. There was a mild tremor in his hands as he looked at Joey. Kay's attention focused on the portrait too and the pain inside her grew because Joey had never looked so sad and dejected.

"A lot of people go a lifetime without learning what you've thought us," he whispered. "And I'll be forever grateful for that."

"It took me too long," Cage said. "And I didn't do enough." He took a deep breath and turned back to her. "When I escaped Wolfbane, I was lucky someone in the crew took pity on me. They snuck me an extra piece of bread with every meal, just a little bit more water. It seems like nothing, but it made a world of difference.

"By the time I threw myself overboard, I knew. Knew that I shouldn't judge an entire category of people by their reputation, that a pirate isn't just a pirate, but a human being. That some of them didn't make the conscious choice and don't enjoy pillaging and raping. The same goes for the people of Endir. They're not all magic-hungry demons.

"I tried to change the view of the world, starting with my crew."

"We didn't really listen," Joey interjected. "It is very difficult to change a mindset that is encouraged by your superiors, built into you from the moment you learn how to walks and speak."

"The thing is, I wanted to do it," Cage said. "I set out with it as my new goal. But just a few months later, I settled back into routine and it was like the whole Wolfbane thing never happened."

"That's not true," Joey countered. "We never went on a full killing spree again."

"You didn't because you were with me. My ship, my rules. But the rest of the navy I was in charge of..."

"You can't control other people, Cage. You can't eliminate their prejudice. You tried your best."

Cage shook his head. "No. I didn't. I just fell back into what was easy and comfortable. So, you see Kat, I had the chance to make a change, but I squandered it. I could have stopped hundreds from getting killed, but I didn't. I am, therefore, by all means, a killer."

The moral implications of his story danced around Kat's mind, but she couldn't process it without proper thinking time. All she could tell at the moment was that she agreed with Joey.

"You really can't decide for other people," she said quietly. "But the fact that the change took place in you is important."

"That's true. If only it would have opened my mind more. Because pirates are not the only people I've killed in my career." He took in a deep breath. "Do you need a break? Because this is going to be tough."

"Are we done with the killing and starting with the port girls?" Her voice came out with a pinch of sarcasm, hiding the fear and disgust inside her.

"The last of the killing is deeply connected with the port girls," he muttered. "Maybe I shouldn't be telling you this. A lady need never know."

"I think we've long established I'm not a lady."

Because she'd be damned if she didn't get to the bottom of all this. It was the first time she was seeing beyond the curse, beyond the wolf mask, deep into the core of the one she thought she loved. And it was an opportunity she wouldn't throw away.

"No. We've established you're exactly what a lady should be like," he corrected. "And you've proven time and again that you are strong. You are right. There is no reason for me to keep anything from you. Not if you want to know it."

She nodded in agreement, aware that whatever pain may follow, it would be her doing. But he was right. Everything was too complicated, and if she were to still choose to forfeit her life, it had to be only after she knew everything.

"I wasn't exaggerating," Cage began with a tired sigh. "I really did have at least one girl waiting for me in every port town. And sometimes, those girls did more with their lives than just wait for me to stop by for a few days. They had admirers and brothers and fathers. Males are proud and stupid by definition. So was I. My pride wouldn't let me walk away from a challenge, from a duel, even if I was well aware of my military training and superior skills. I'm still here..."

Kat turned her head, her eyes glistening with tears. She knew about this reality of their world, too. A stupid custom so many men and women swore by. Like those silly girls back in her town, Prudence and Mia, who would give anything for two men to kill each other over them.

Yet, it somehow bothered Kat a lot more than the pirates. Because Cage admitted he was aware it was all out of pride over some girls he had no feelings for.

"I think..." He paused for a second. "It's been a very long time since I sat down to think about my life. I always found the reason Cecile cursed me to be so unfair. But now I realize that I deserved it as a whole."

"Man, come on!" Joey said. "You weren't any worse than the rest of us."

"That's not an excuse, Joey," Kat said between her teeth, fighting to keep the tears at bay. "Tell me about the girls."

The glance he gave her was wary, but he seemed to remember he'd promised to speak for as long as she allowed it. "It was always nothing. The only decent thing I did was tell them from the start what to expect. I wasn't offering them marriage or titles. Just the pleasure of the act itself. No strings attached."

"How many?" The words came out ragged, but she couldn't help it. Maybe they were the girls in the tower.

He seemed to read her mind. "I've lost count. Not the girls in the tower, anyway. Those are the result of one single port town. Yours."

The words hurt even more, but at least he'd somehow managed to contain his curse and not hurt more people, tear more families apart.

"So, why the curse?"

"I grew tired with my life," Cage said unexpectedly.

Kat turned in surprise and one lone tear escaped down her cheek. His eyes widened and he rushed to her, crouched in front of the sofa, and wiped the tear away with his thumb.

Even if the touch had been gentle, she jumped and pulled back. The pain in his eyes drove another nail into her heart, but he obliged and stepped away from her.

"For years, all I had were meaningless, physical relationships. Then, about six months before I got cursed, Joey met someone. It was a burning love like I'd never seen before. And when I saw how it brought out the good in him, how happy and excited he was... I realized I wanted something like what he and Keleigh had."

Keleigh... 

"Ashley..." she whispered. "You're Lord Ashley!" She pointed at Joey as the rest of the puzzle pieces fell into place. "And Keleigh is from my town."

Joey nodded, the sadness on his face heartbreaking. Kat knew the rumors flying around, even if she never took them seriously. How Keleigh and Joey had never gotten married, how she'd slowly sunk into madness because of it. Kat didn't believe Keleigh was mad, but she was one of the saddest people she'd ever seen. And all over fun, full-of-life Joey.

"Why did you leave her?" Kat couldn't help asking.

"That would also be my fault," Cage said, the look on his face filled with disgust.

"No," Joey said, his tone final. "That is my story to tell, Cage, and I do not wish to share it right now. Go back to yours."

"Joey, that's not fair..."

"I said no." And Joey turned his back on them and left the portrait.

Her lower lip trembled and two more tears cascaded down her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry," Cage whispered and Kat had no idea if he was talking to her or Joey.

She took in a deep breath, trying to keep it together just a little while longer because she could tell they were nearing the end. "So... What happened next?"

"Joey and Keleigh were engaged to be married two months after they met. We were in your town for that joyous occasion and I felt lonelier than ever. I had my girls here, but I wouldn't see them, not this time. I was done with that. I wanted love, happiness, someone I could share my life with. Then, she showed up. Cecile."

He walked to the chair that faced the sofa and dropped into it, massaging the bridge of his nose. Despite her better judgement, Kat leaned forward in her seat, curious for more. He'd actually come face to face with a fae, a creature of legend, filled with magic and mystery.

"She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. Hair black as night, eyes grey like the stormy sea. Her skin glowed. And when she sat at my table and started talking to me, her voice was like windchimes. I was entranced. We talked and joked and laughed. She wanted to talk politics, asked about my travels, and I asked about her life. I wanted to see her again, so I asked to meet her again the next evening.

"She accepted. The following conversation was even better than the last. She was intelligent and spirited. I could tell her of my vision for the kingdom, about the policy on magic. She understood, agreed, had her own opinions about everything. She wasn't just an airheaded little girl who only wanted someone to warm her bed.

"On the third day, I was convinced I had fallen in love with her. I was so tempted to ask her back here, but I decided that if I wanted it to work, to be the real thing, I needed to court her properly. So I begged to see her again the next night."

He pursed his lips and his eyes darkened. Kat watched his expression shifting, a heavy ball of jealousy twisting inside her. She'd never considered Cage and Cecile had actually gotten to know each other, that he had fallen for her and considered building a life together.

"You see," he finally said, "it's a bit ironic that I was punished for my selfish ways just when I was trying to change them. On the fourth night, Cecile was upset. I tried my best to lighten her mood, get her to confess her reasons.

"I couldn't get anything out of her. She looked so disappointed and I had no idea why. I hadn't changed, hadn't said anything different. Then, she pushed up from the table and climbed into my lap. I didn't like it. It didn't feel natural."

Kat tilted his head. He'd just confessed to being in love with her. Why wouldn't he appreciate her climbing into his lap?

Cage seemed to sense her confusion because he straightened in his seat. "It felt like she'd changed. Like she was a completely different person. And when I pointed that out, she just laughed at me. Said I'd been the one who fooled her.

"Then she asked me what was wrong with me. Why I could bed any silly minded goose with nothing going for her, who wouldn't even come close to Cecile in beauty, and yet I wanted to talk to her.

"To say I was shocked is an understatement. Here I was in the presence of a woman I thought was special, and all she wanted was my body. Not me, she didn't care about me. She made that very clear. Apparently all she wanted was a good time with someone she'd heard so much about."

Kat bit her knuckles, trying to fight the grin from spreading across her face. It was mean, but he totally deserved it. But the sadness returned quickly because she knew what happened next.

"I was so hurt, so angry, so disappointed that I just..." He bit his lip. "I threw her off my lap and over the table. When she got up, she was floating, her eyes a grey mass, lightning cracking behind them. I can still remember her words.

"There is no changing hearts of stone, and yours is the hardest I've ever seen. But as a benevolent fairy, I will try to teach you the lesson you need."

He took in a deep breath and fell silent.

"So that's when she cursed you," Kat whispered.

He just nodded. "Because I refused her, I would never be with anyone else, ever again. Physically or spiritually."

She didn't know what to say, all the information she'd gathered dancing around her mind. At that moment, she could only sense the irony, but she had no idea how she felt about anything else. Her curiosity had finally been quenched.

"The thing is," he said all of a sudden, making her flinch, "she knew everything about me, about my former life. She'd come to get something and I was a disappointment. I proved she wasn't all- knowing and she was offended. But, over all, she was right to punish me. She just did it for the wrong reason. Not for the things I'd done, but for trying to change."

Kat nodded. "She gave you a way out."

"I guess. If only I could figure out what she means."

They sat in silence again, but Kat couldn't think with him there. His presence only made her want to cry. For his fate, his actions, and the denied opportunity to make a better man out of himself.

"Sweetheart?" His voice was low, careful.

"I... I need time," she said. "I have to take all this in."

"Of course." He sounded exhausted, but he stood and opened the door for her. "The gates of the castle are open. If I won't find you again, I'll understand."

She knew she should say something reassuring, but she couldn't. Because if she was completely honest, she wasn't sure she wouldn't walk away.

As she passed him on her way out, she threw him a glance expecting to see his eyes yellow, fangs, his bones snapping. All she saw in his eyes was sorrow.

The beast wasn't coming out. Because at that time she couldn't even tell if she loved him or not and he knew it.

His curse knew it.

He had no reason to kill her now.

And bam! You have all the information. I'm very curious what you think about Cage after this chapter?

What about the reason he was cursed? A bit different from the original take, huh? Also, what will Kat do? What should she do? What would YOU do?

Thanks so much for reading and hit the star for support.