Chapter 3 A broken man
Fast forward to 30 years later...
The behavioral communication between Sylvester and his son Mario didn't change ever since. It was tough for Mario growing up under his father who had shown him no atom of love since his childhood and as the day grew by, he actually believed and accepted his fate that he was cursed. Where exactly did he go wrong? He had done everything to prove to his father that he was useful but nothing seemed to impress him. What was worse was that his junior sibling Tyler seemed to disrespect him at the slightest opportunity but the same could not be said for Liam who treated him as a favorite.
Sylvester decided to remarry 5 years after the death of his wife Emily in a bid to forget his sorrows but even after getting married to his new wife, Lizzy, he wasn't still able to forget her as he thought he would. Although it wasn't as bad as it was after she gave birth to two more sons for him; Tyler being the first son from Lizzy and Liam being the second -- so in total he had three sons; Mario, Tyler and Liam and of which he didn't really consider one of them as his son -- Mario.
There he was standing in front of the mirror in his room. His room was not so good looking like his stepbrothers rooms but not like he cared, he just didn't like too many fancy things -- at least he had a roof over his head and a bed which he could rest on. Mario stared at his reflection in the mirrors, so many questions ran through his mind as he stared at what was supposed to be his true appearance. What exactly did the ladies see in him that made them drool over him when they saw him? Was he handsome? Was he really good looking in their eyes? Did they really know what he was about? Did they know that he was cursed? Are they aware that he was a weakling? A weak Beta for that matter? If not for the fact that he was a man and was expected to act like one, he would have cried right away but that was a bad notion wasn't it? People always expect men to act and appear strong even though they are hurting inside. As men, weren't they permitted to cry too? As a man that he was, suffering and enduring pain and rejection all those years, was he also expected not to cry?
His eyes had already become watery and filled up and the only thing left was to let it flow freely from his eyes. Life was unfair to him -- in fact he wished that he had never been born. He was endowed with every admirable feature that nature could bless a person with; strong looking body build, a masculine outlook with chiseled shoulders, broad chest and a six-pack belly to match. His hair was dark as coal and his eyes brown like the sands of Earth. With all of these, there was still something missing in this precious soul -- strength. He lacked strength. Yes, he was a strong looking werewolf but there was actually nothing to prove that he was one except for the fact that he was born out of a werewolf. All thanks but no thanks to the Wolf's bane that was flowing in his blood, he was born as a weakling.
Unlike his counterparts, he didn't know what having a wolf felt like, he hadn't communicated with the wolf in him before and he didn't know what shifting felt like. He had no friends but only lived as an introvert. The only person he could communicate with was his then Nanny, Juanita who had now become a senior maid and a part of their family. She was the only person who loved him for who he was since he was born and in the absence of his mother, she had been taking good care of him until date. Another person that had been benevolent with love towards him was his junior stepbrother, Liam, even though he(Mario) didn't know how to reciprocate the love back to him.
Mario fought the tears that threatened to pour down his face and then sighed exhaustively, his face looking downwards and his eyes closed to accumulate the excess frustration that was welling up in him. Today was going to be a very long day for him. It was the day that his father would be launching a new business line, adding to the Stones Incorporation and he as the first born son was to stay by his father's side looking all smiley and ready for the cameras -- a thing he hated so much but had no choice to do -- after all he was looking for ways to get his father to love him. But that wasn't the part that wasn't ready for -- he hated it when the girls flocked around him, trying to get his attention for autographs and pictures. Some would even hold his arm all in the name of taking pictures with him; he had always been irritated when someone held him or touched him in any type of way but he had to endure it since he was in the public. The only person that he could allow to touch him was Juanita and no one else, not even Liam who loved him dearly was allowed to touch him, he just hated it when someone touched him. And to think that a lot of people would be trolling him that day, touching him and yelling inside his eardrums for only the Moon Goddess knows what -- sighs -- so tiring.
A knock soon came on the door distracting him from his numerous thoughts and imaginations.
"Come in," He said as he already knew who it was. Of course it was Juanita. Was there anyone that cared for him like a mother if not for her? He knew that she had come to check if he had prepared himself already and unfortunately he hadn't.
As soon as Juanita came into the room, she stood at ease with her hands resting on her waist.
"Come on, boy. Don't tell me that you ain't dressed yet." The woman in her 50s said to him in that black American tone which he loved. "I can't believe this. What have you been doing since? Don't tell me that..." She paused, as if realizing what he must have been doing all those while. "Don't tell me that you've been thinking and crying over a useless matter?"
"Useless matter," He scoffed, heading straight to his wardrobe and flipping through the hangers. "I wish it was. Though I didn't do the latter, I only did the former."
"Come on, boy." Juanita walked towards him, turning him around to face her. "I have told you that there is absolutely nothing for you to worry about, unless you are worrying about how handsome you are." She joked and he smiled. "You are worth more than gold." She continued. "You are every mother's wish and every girl's dream. The substance flowing inside your body doesn't make you any less of a man. You are special and special people don't overthink, they take up the wheel and sail their ship. Now I want you to make the best out of today. Get dressed and make the best out of the day. Show the World what you've got." She motivated him