The Tears of a Prince

The sounds of the forest were loud around him, the chill of the night caressing his tired body as he walked and he sighed, seeing far away the room he intended to visit. He had a lot of worries, a lot of thoughts and he was definitely embarrassed but he knew he should do it. 

He spent a few minutes at the doorstep, looking at the wooden door with his dark eyes before he knocked a few times, faintly, hoping deep inside him that the room would be empty. He heard footsteps though behind the door and soon he was facing one of the girls in his pack. 

"Mika." The young girl stated, a frown on her face, her blond eyes tied in a ponytail as she looked at him. He smiled awkwardly, his hands hiding in his pockets so they wouldn't show how anxious he was. 

"Hi, is Reina here?" he asked and the girl raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Why would you want to see Reina after what you did?" she told him. 

That was the thing with Reina, everyone liked her, everyone would end up being on her side and he would have to stand there, apologizing to everyone for what he had done. Not that he didn't deserve it, he was simply not used to it. 

"Come on Jade, I just need to talk to her. Is she there?" He repeated his question and the werewolf girl parted her lips. She was probably going to deny her entrance and tell him to leave because she wasn't there but another voice from the back of the room covered her words. It was Reina. 

"I am coming. I am really curious what this asshole has to say." he heard her say and Mika shook his head, taking a step away from the doorstep and waiting for her to appear. 

She didn't take long, she was outside soon, smiling to Jade, her friend who was letting her sleep in her own room and the blonde girl left alone, not before shooting Mika a sharp stare of course, warning him that if he did anything she would have him killed. Mika sighed, finding himself walking away from the little wooden house because he didn't want anyone to hear their conversation. 

"Hey…" he greeted her, his voice low. He didn't know how to start, he was hoping that Reina would say something and the conversation would flow, even though that was pretty cowardly of him. 

"Don't hey me. What are you doing here Mika? Are you here to insult me again for being a girl?" She asked him, stopping their short walk. They stood at the edge of the endless forest, darkness spreading behind her back while she fixed her big glasses on her face. She had her long black hair loose, her eyes stuck on his face, waiting for him to say something. Mika didn't know what to say, that was his problem. An I'm sorry would definitely not be enough, Reina was more demanding than that, as she should but he found himself in a pinch, troubled to find the right words. He was not used to apologizing. 

"I…i wanted to talk about what happened last time, when Philip had to choose a Beta." 

"Sure, sure. Tell me then, do you want to talk about the part that humiliated me or the one you made me feel like the people I had considered my best friends were not my friends at all?" she asked him, crossing her arms over her chest the same way her angry friend had done a few minutes before. 

A long sigh escaped Mika's lips as he stared at her. She was tapping her foot on the ground, ipantiently trying to stop herself from saying anything else.

"I am sorry." Mika finally managed to say, averting his eyes while he scratched the back of his head. "I would like to apologize. What I did was wrong." he said and heard Reina scoff.

"Why was it wrong, Mika?" She asked him, her expression strict. 

"Because I shouldn't have judged you based on your gender. You know I am not that kind of person, I do know how skilled you are Reina and…"

"You're not that kind of person but it is definitely convenient for you to become one when it is convenient for you isn't it?" 

"I…I know that an apology is not enough but I am sincere. I really didn't want to make you feel bad, nonetheless it was because I was feeling bad. I am very well aware that you are a lot more skilled than I am and maybe my pride couldn't take it. My best friend not choosing me actually hurt me and when Hans recommended you I felt even worse. I know that's not an excuse but I want you to know that I said that because I was insecure and not because I believed it." Mika explained. Reina had a frown on her face, her expression still troubled but her stance was not that defensive any more.

"Do you know how horrible you made me feel?" She asked him.

"I can imagine."

"No, no, you can't. I don't even really care about that much for that whole you're a girl thing. I am confident and I know myself, I know my possibilities, what hurt the most is that it was you that said it. Did you ever consider me your friend or did you just tolerate me because I was a wolf warrior and Philip's friend? Was I the only one that cherished you as my friend?" Reina asked, tears gathering in her bright eyes and Mika noticed it, raising his hands in distress.

"No! No, of course I think of you as my friend. Best friend Reina, you know I don't like a lot of people. But I do like you, you and Philip are the only people I have and with my insecurities and worries I hurt you both. I am very sorry about that." he told her and the girl sniffled, rubbing her eyes to wipe the tears away.  "I will leave the position of Beta, thankfully with all that has happened the announcement hasn't happened yet so it will be easier for all of us. You are a lot more capable than me for this position, I will just stick to being a wolf warrior, I can still be with the two of you." 

"Even if you weren't a wolf warrior Mika no one would leave you out. You would always be with us. Us three go together." Reina said, a faint smile on her beautiful face. 

"So you forgive me?" Mika asked her, excitement in his  voice and Reina patted his shoulder.

"No." 

"What?" 

"Not yet. Do you believe that you would redeem yourself so easily? Funny. You will be doing my laundry for a month, you will make my bed and clean the bathroom when it is my turn for a month and then I will have your apology for assessment." she said, nodding her head. 

"But..but…"

"Do you want to do more?" Reina asked with wide eyes.

"No! It's fine. I will do it. I will do it." he agreed, his face dropping in defeat and Reina punched him friendly in the arm. 

"Good. Let's work on your redemption arc together." 

"Redemption ark my ass…." Mika mumbled with a frown.

"What did you say? I didn't hear you"

"Nothing, it's nothing my lovely friend." he said between greeted teeth and Reina laughed. 

"Guess I will have to find all of my dirty socks and gym clothes for you to wash. Man, this is great!" she exclaimed with a big smile clapping her hands. 

"I am glad you're enjoying it."

"Oh! It was Philip's birthday. How did it go? Did he remember?" Reina asked him, filled with curiosity, understanding that something was wrong the moment Mika's expression changed. He looked at her with sad eyes, his shoulders slouching as he sighed deeply. "What did you do?"

"He wants to get Kai back. He is not talking to me. I think he hates me."

"Damn, you really messed up this time." Reina said, rubbing her chin. "Don't worry, you can try being his personal maid too and things will be fixed in no time."

"Yeah, I don't think that will work with Philip. I don't think anything would work with him at the moment. He hates me."

"He doesn't hate you dude, come on you two are like brothers. I am sure if you talk it out, if you help him with Kai and stop being so annoying he will talk to you."

"I am not annoying."

"Oh believe me, you are. You are incredibly annoying to the point many people have wanted to punch you. Is it because you're a ginger? I am very curious about that." she said, getting lost in her own train of thoughts and Mika shook his head, rolling his eyes. 

"I will go. Thank you for accepting to talk to me." 

"Wait, where are you going? You need to help me get my stuff back in our room. I have to be on the inside to get Philip to forgive you." she said with a bright smile. 

"You will help me."

"Well, you did some pretty stupid things but you didn't do it with evil intend. You don't deserve your whole life to be ruined, ten years in hell…maybe but I am not the one who can decide that so yeah, I will help you. Let's go."

"Thank you Reina, really."