CHAPTER 343: _ WHEN WE WERE KIDS

When the atmosphere in the hall grew unbearable, I excused myself from the table and said, "I need to get some air."

María José looked up to me with concern. She squeezed my hand lightly and asked, "Is everything okay?"

I nodded and offered her a smile. "Everything is fine, mi amor. I’ll be back soon." I planted a kiss on her forehead and left the hall under the gazes of the entire family.

I could feel my father’s glare behind me, but I paid him no heed. Tucking my hands into my pockets, I walked out and found my way to the upstairs balcony. Thankfully, there were no guests here, and I could have a little time to myself.

My nose twitched when I caught a whiff of the scent of lingering cigarettes. I looked down and saw a group of old men having a conversation with hearty faces.

It was nice that they could smile that way. Compared to me and María José, they simply couldn’t feel the urgency of the pack’s situation. Not only did we have to defeat an annoyingly powerful demon, but we also had black seeds in the back that needed weeding.

That was why I left the hall. I just couldn’t handle the fake smiles my father put on, like he wouldn’t pounce on Luis and kill him at the faintest opportunity he got.

A soft sigh escaped my lips.

At that moment, I heard a faint chuckle behind me. I half-turned and saw Luis by the doorway, leaning casually against the frame.

"You must’ve been so deep in thought, that you did not notice me, hermano."

I smiled. "Luis. How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know that you’re bothered." He responded and walked onto the balcony. I scooted to the side and we both leaned against the metal railings.

There was nothing but silence for a while. We both must’ve had quite a lot to say—I know I did—but I simply did not know where to begin. Naturally, I had a lot of questions, but that could wait for now.

Luis suddenly laughed. I looked at him and asked with a hint of amusement, "What’s so funny?"

He pointed to a distant spot in the villa and said, "Remember when we were kids, and used to play around a pit that used to be there?"

My eyes flashed with reminiscence, and I burst out laughing. I squeezed the metal railing and said, "Uncle had the workers dig it, saying he would toss us in anytime we misbehaved. Only for him to realize that we had turned it into our playground."

Luis suddenly assumed a frustrated demeanor, and mimicked the wild gesticulation of the man, "Those kids will be the death of me, I tell you!"

I followed suit, pacing around the balcony, "Shall I have them sold off for a few baskets of melons?! Hehe, mom would say ’Why melons?’"

"And his response would be that because the fruits were just as big as our heads!"

We both collapsed with laughter. Those had indeed been thrilling times.

Luis’s smile slowly faded as he muttered, "I miss those days. I miss him."

Poor Luis... What happened to his father was nothing short of sad and cruel.

I suppressed the sudden rage I felt and said, perhaps in a bid to console him, "I miss him too, hermano."

After a moment of hesitation, I asked, "What can you remember from that night?"

Luis was silent for a moment. His eyes were locked on the distant moon as he muttered in a daze, "I’m not sure. I can’t remember much from the past. My memory is all foggy."

He doesn’t remember? How could he not? I frowned slightly. After a moment of thought, I realized Luis was probably trying not to think about the terrible moment that had altered the trajectory of his life.

He was probably doing it to lessen the hatred he had for my father.

My fists clenched subconsciously. Luis didn’t need to contain his hatred for that vile man. We could both hate him together and make him pay for his evil deeds.

Placing the thought aside, I asked, "And what about my usual storytelling?"

Luis chuckled when I mentioned that. He turned to give me a cheeky smile and grumbled, "You’re so bad at narrating, you know? What happened to the flair? What happened to cinematic taste?"

My lips curled into a faint smile. I liked that he was still able to joke. I had thought that after getting healed, Luis would’ve become a changed person. Years in a wheelchair could do that to someone.

However, he was still his usual goofy, mischievous self.

Luis’s expression softened and he continued, "You know, for the longest time, I couldn’t hear what you were saying. It was just inaudible mumbles all through the day. But then, slowly, as my hearing returned, I began to hear your most certainly intriguing stories. Perhaps those moments were what kept me going."

I knew it! I had always suspected that it was my usual visits that filled Luis with the strength he needed to hang on. And now that I had received confirmation, I was elated beyond belief.

I exhaled loudly. My expression went solemn, and I turned to look at him.

"Just so you know, I plan to take down my father."

Luis raised a surprised brow.

I nodded and said it with more confidence this time, "I plan to take down my father. He is surely going to pay for all he’s done. To others, and to you. That’s why I decided to compete with Álvaro for the Alpha position. So I can lead this pack and root out the evil ones amongst us."

Luis was silent for a long time. His eyes stared straight into mine, and he said with a soft chuckle, "Why can’t we just leave things as it is..."

I frowned slightly. "No, brother. My father needs to pay for his crimes. I am not going to let him go free."

Luis tapped the middle of his forehead. It was that thing he did whenever he had to express his frustration. He approached me and held my shoulder.

"Axel, I appreciate you doing this for me. But, what reason is there to dig up the past? We should put everything behind us and try to be a happy family. As we used to be."

My expression fell. Being in the wheelchair for so long must’ve broken Luis in ways I could never have imagined. He knows we could never be a happy family— not with that man walking around. Yet, he was trying so desperately to imagine a future where everyone was happy together.

¡Mierda!

Was I being the asshole? Was I being blinded by revenge? Would it be better to work towards providing a better future for Luis instead?