Christian didn't know how honest Matthew was being with him (and with himself, for all that mattered). There was something cool and hardened in the other man's gaze; something that spoke of indifference rather than blind hatred. Something that spoke of a man who had endured heartache a thousand times over and, as a result, had shut down his emotions in the process. Christian had been no fool; like many others lurking in (and out of) the castle walls, he'd assumed that Matthew's feelings for the princess were more deeply rooted than friendship. Tatiana might have been blind to the truth behind Matthew's emotions, but Christian wasn't. Christian saw so much...and when he looked at Matthew now, he saw a broken man who was wallowing in the scattered remains of his heart.
"I don't think your happiness on her behalf or my own is genuine, Matthew," Christian said, a lot more bluntly than he'd intended. "And it's fine for you to feel whatever way you do...bitter, resentful, angry, whatever. But don't take it out on her. Don't make her feel terrible for something that isn't even her fault."
He hesitated for a moment when Matthew mentioned being forgotten, stilling as the human then went on to state that he wasn't as important as Christian was making him out to be. Immediately, the werewolf opened his mouth and spoke.
"You make Tatiana sound like a fickle human with a short attention span and disloyal heart," he said in a low voice, shaking his head in disapproval. "It's one thing to be upset that things didn't go the way you planned, but for God's sake, to wallow in your own misfortune? This isn't about being selfish, Matthew, it's about how utterly ridiculous you're acting about this entire thing." Christian's voice was rising higher and higher with each word, though for the sake of the partygoers, he attempted to keep himself calm. It was one thing to hear about someone ripping their life apart; it was another to witness it with his very own eyes.
"You find out the princess and I are close..what's the first thing you do?" Christian asked, though the question was rhetorical. "You run away and avoid her. She gets hurt, you get to wallow in your own misery and self-pity for a while. You find out that she cares for someone aside from you in a romantic way, and what do you do? You storm off and leave her broken-hearted. I have tried time and time to make excuses for your behavior, to forgive and excuse you for things I know to be beyond your control. I understand that you're a different person than I am, and that your emotions are more passionate and impulsive, but did you ever think--for a fraction of a second--that your love is founded on selfishness and possessiveness?"
"Tatiana will never forget about you; don't insult her so gravely to make yourself feel better. In doing so, you unravel everything the two of you have cultivated over the years. For God's sake, Matthew..." he trailed off, shaking his head and resisting the urge to cry out. "...stop trying to be a martyr. Let her love you in the way she knows how. And stop hurting her...when you hurt her, you only wound yourself. And I refuse to watch the two of you wither away to nothing because of matters of the heart."
