Chris was quiet for a few seconds. He paced a few steps, then turned to face Elena with bright blue eyes set cold and hard. But there was a softness there, if she knew how to find it. Because he wasn't angry, not at her. He was hurt, sure. But he understood law and code and what certain groups did, had to do, to protect themselves.
"I was a werewolf hunter. Born and raised, my training started the moment I was born. Boys are taught to be warriors, and for a very long time, I did what I had to do to try to earn my father's love, just to hear him say he was proud of me. I gutted my first omega when I was thirteen."
He stood little more than arm's length from her, but it felt like they were divided by a vast and endless ocean. He took a step closer, and held up a hand. He was nowhere close to finished, and he didn't want her to interrupt until he said what he needed to say. He had approached the subject with intent to scare Paige, but he wanted only to give Elena the information.
"I taught myself to love what I did. I recited the code over and over until I believed it. And when my daughter was born, I began her training just as my father had trained me. It was subtle, Allison didn't even know she was being trained. I didn't shove her into the fray as my father had me. I wanted to protect her, and do you know what happened? Because I wasn't 100% committed to the legacy of my family name, my daughter fell in love with a werewolf."
He reached up to rub the back of his neck. Everything felt so tense. "Of course she didn't know he was a werewolf, but he knew I was a hunter. I forced him to show her his face, and...she loved him anyway. Not instantly, of course. But she made her choice, and her choice was him. They broke up, and she fell in love with another werewolf. Isaac."
He drew a breath and shook his head, let his hand fall, and once again sought to meet Elena's eyes. "I retired. I mean, how could I continue to hunt the very creatures my daughter loved?"