*******Isaac's POV*******

We started walking again, and I was quiet for a few minutes as I tried to formulate how I wanted to tell the tragic tale that is my life. Namjoon didn't say anything, either. I think he knew that I needed a few minutes.

I really thought that this was going to be easier than it has been. I thought that I would never find my mate to start with. Then, when he told me that he wasn't into guys like that, I thought that I had gotten off easy. But this isn't easy. This is hard as hell. The amount of control I had to use, to not allow him to kiss me, was almost more than I had inside of me. Especially with Delwyn fighting against his cage every step of the way.

I took a deep breath, then I started my story.

"I haven't had an easy life. My parents were always bickering about, well...everything. You name it, and they probably fought over it more than once. When I was ten, I came home from school, and they were throwing things at each other. Lamps, plates, books, shoes, whatever they could find. When they finally calmed down, I asked my mom what the fight was about, and it was because my dad wanted steak for dinner, and all she had as options were chicken or pork chops. She asked him to go out and get some steak, and she would cook it, but he called her lazy and told her to get it herself. Even though, he was off work that day, and she had an early morning shift at the hospital and had just gotten home when the fight broke out. My mom was a nurse. She's a big part of why I became a doctor. I wanted to help people like she did. Being a witch, she could use potions to cure people who were suffering, and lighten the pain of those who were beyond saving. Of course, she did this in secret, when nobody was looking. None of us witches want to risk witch trials in this day and age. The advancement of technology would make it even more terrifying than being burned at the stake."

I paused to breathe for a moment, then started again.

"My dad was always jealous, any time my mom talked to another man. He even once called the hospital to try and demand that she only work with female patients, female doctors, and other female nurses. This caused yet another fight. Even if my mom was at the grocery store, and the cashier was a guy, my dad would have a fit and start a fight right there in the checkout, in front of everyone. It was so embarrassing. I was relieved when I was old enough to stay home on my own and didn't have to go everywhere with them."

I looked over to see him listening to me intently, then continued.

"My mom was easily jealous, too. Not quite as bad as my dad, but still pretty bad. She especially hated when he would talk to female werewolves. She got so mad sometimes that she would start throwing potions and spells at my dad. It wasn't pretty. One day, they were at a mating ceremony. I don't know how it works here in South Korea, but in the US, mating ceremonies are pretty much exactly like weddings. They're bound together in the eyes of the law, then they complete the mating on their wedding night. Anyway, they were at this ceremony, and my dad was dancing with the bride, so the groom came over and asked my mom to dance, and she was pissed at my dad for dancing with a female wolf, so she said yes. It was like they were trying to outdo each other to make the other jealous. And they sure accomplished their goals. They were uhhh...not dancing appropriately with the newly married couple. My dad got pissed when my mom started grinding on the groom, and knocked the guy out with one punch that he never saw coming. He dragged my mom out of there so fast that I couldn't keep up and I lost track of them. I had rode there with them, so I had to find somebody to give me a ride home. By the time I got there, the house was torn apart by claws and spells and potions, and both of my parents were dead. Over jealousy. I've seen other wolves get jealous about their mates, but nothing like that. I was only 19-years-old, in my freshman year of college, and now both of my parents were dead. I had no way to pay for college after that, so I joined the Army so that they would pay for it. I vowed to myself that I would never have a mate. I never wanted to experience what they went through from the inside. I never want to be so jealous that I tear my family and my life apart. I am both of them. I don't know if I would be able to control it, so why chance it? It took me a few years to get the spell to cage Delwyn, and learn how to do it. He's been caged ever since."

I was done. I had no idea what else to say. Now that he knows the story, I'm pretty sure that he will run for the hills. We kept walking, and he was quiet for a while. I assume he was thinking over what I had just told him.

"I know that it's a lot to process, Namjoon," I told him. "It's still a lot for me to process, twelve years later. Maybe we should head back so that you can have some time to think."

He shook his head and looked over at me. "You're not your parents, Isaac. I understand where you're coming from, but it could be different with us."

"I...You still want to be my mate?" I was kind of shocked. I expected him to want me to do the spell I offered after hearing my life story.

"I would at least like the chance to get to know you better, and see where it goes."

He turned to look at me, and I did the same, staring up at him, since he's a couple of inches taller than I am.

"Namjoon, you don't understand..."

"I understand better now, I do," he said, staring down at me. "But we're not them, Isaac. We're not. We make our own choices in life. What they chose was...crazy, I'm not going to lie. But even though you have part of both of them in you, you're not them."

"I know that, but what if I end up like that?" I asked him. "What if I can't control myself? I'm both a werewolf and a witch. I could really hurt you. I never wanted a mate, because I didn't want to take the chance that I would hurt them. Now that I've met you, I'm even more resolute in that. I never want to hurt you, Namjoon."

"So then you...don't," he said. He reached up and placed his warm palm against my cheek, and I was shocked at myself because I didn't move away. "We don't. We can make better choices than they did. We won't hurt each other. We'll find ways to work out any problems that we may have. My parents do it every day, and they are sickeningly happy together. We won't become your parents, Isaac. I promise."

"You can't promise that," I told him. "You have no way of knowing what we could do."

"And neither do you," he pointed out. "Nobody does. Even with humans, sharing a life together is a big leap. It takes a lot of courage and faith. You can't push something aside just because something bad might happen. You have to enjoy what life gives you."

I couldn't help but giggle a little.

"What?" He asked me, looking confused as he stroked his thumb across my cheekbone.

"You kind of sound like a fortune cookie." 

*********************

A/N: I went out and revived Hobi. I hope he's okay now. We'll see what happens. -------Kat