Chapter 3 #2
“It’s not just them,” Ruby choked out. “I can’t… I just can’t.”
Even though I didn’t know the reason for it, it was clear her fear was authentic. More so, my mate’s panic was very real, and I was fighting every urge that told me to shift and grab her.
I turned towards the other four as Tore spoke up sharply. “You guys need to get the fuck out of here. Dakota and Caedmon are coming back soon, and I don’t want my mate in danger when all hell breaks loose.”
“Then let us get our mate,” Vox stated simply, causing Effie to let out a defensive growl from her throat.
I looked at all of them, their whole pack, trying to figure out how the fuck they weren’t seeing how terrified Ruby was…
But I didn’t think it was that. It wasn’t that they didn’t care that she was terrified, it’s that their instincts were telling them they were the ones who could fix it.
I would know, because I often faced a similar issue with Effie.
It was why I was constantly adjusting my aggression around her.
From the moment I’d seen her on the train, I had made it my mission to make her comfortable.
“Aaren, you need to step in.” Tore’s warning was edged in frustration, but when I looked over at their unofficial leader, he just looked fucking heartbroken while staring at Ruby.
“That's it,” Eryx grunted, his hands darting forward through the fire to grab Ruby. I let out a snarl as he tugged the woman towards him and Effie went with, refusing to let go, the flames jumping to Eryx before Aanya let out a small cry and nearly fell over, the magic extinguishing completely.
“Effie. Let. Go.” My demand was sharp, and my fear for her safety was overwhelming, trumping the reality that I knew I shouldn’t have issued a command like that. An Alpha command. I saw the betrayal in her gaze as her hands fell from Ruby and she dropped back to the floor, scrambling to stand.
Ruby’s voice echoed through the space. “No! Eryx, you don’t understand—”
But then we all understood.
I stepped in front of Effie as black smoke surged through the room, filled with an energy that had my stomach turning.
A large figure appeared out of the cloud, blocking the path towards the elevator.
I gently tugged Effie behind me, my body painfully tense as I resisted the urge to shift and fight the unnatural shadows.
The man grabbed Ruby right out of Eryx’s arms.
Who the hell was this? No seriously, the bastard had to be nearly seven feet tall and literally completely made of shadows.
“Don’t,” Ruby warned as Effie tried to move forward from behind me.
“It’s time to go. Now,” the figure growled before they disappeared into thin air, leaving all of us speechless.
I was staring, stunned, at the spot where they’d disappeared, when Effie pulled from my arms. I let out a low rumble, realizing that her wolf was shying away from me, and I could taste the betrayal and anger through our bond.
Even worse, the elevator door opened for Dakota and Caedmon, who walked into the chaos of the moment.
When Effie’s bedroom door closed loudly, I felt anxiety fill my chest.
I had fucked up. I’d fucked up bad.
“Effie. Please let me in.”
Please, for the love of the Goddess, let me in despite me being a complete idiot.
I could break down the door, of course, but I was already fucking up so many boundaries that I didn’t want to ruin the safe space she’d found.
I stared at the wood surface that separated us, the sound of the TV news station reporting about the upcoming snow storm echoing behind me.
I knew the others were staring at me from where they were in the living room section of the space.
I should have felt embarrassed, but instead I just pressed my forehead against the door, feeling guilty.
What the fuck was wrong with me? No seriously, what was wrong with me? A lot. There was a fuck ton wrong with me, clearly.
“We were protecting our mate,” my wolf chimed in.
“Protecting her doesn’t just mean physically. We fucked up and hurt her trust.”
My wolf was silent at that, either because he didn’t agree or because he knew I was right—it really didn’t matter at this point.
Right now, our dorm was once again peaceful and quiet, the other pack having left immediately to hunt down Ruby.
I had a feeling they wouldn’t find her, but that wasn’t my problem.
I was fully focused on my mate and the betrayal I’d seen cross her face.
“Please, preciosa?” I swallowed, feeling desperate. “I need to make things right with you, and I can’t apologize through this damn door.” Because my idea of apologizing was kissing her until she was dizzy and making her realize just how much I regretted my decision.
“You may want to approach this differently…”
I turned and glared at Ryder, who was working at the dining room table. He put his hands up and went back to working. It was a smart decision, because I was at the end of my rope when it came to him.
“Effie, please?” I groaned. I hit my head against the door and nearly fell forward as she opened the door, looking up at me from where she stood in her oversized clothes and fuzzy socks.
I gained my balance and examined her expression, which was filled with frustration. I stepped forward and she stepped back, allowing me to close the door. Once we were alone, a sad expression crossed her face, and she strode away towards the windows before curling up on the window ledge.
“Preciosa,” I pleaded.
Her large blue eyes welled with tears while meeting my gaze. “You can’t do that, Julian. You can’t force me to do stuff with your wolf’s magic or whatever that was, especially when it’s like that… It feels so horrible. I don’t like my choices being taken away from me.”
I hadn’t meant it like that at the time, but there was no denying that was exactly what I’d done.
I nodded and pulled up the desk chair so I was sitting facing her, trying to find the right words for how I felt and why this happened. My fingers came out to intertwine with hers as she stared at me, waiting for my response.
“First of all,” I began, “I’m sorry, Effie. I’m really fucking sorry. What I did was messed up, and even though it felt like the right move at the time, I shouldn’t have done it.”
Her nod was slow and she didn’t say anything, clearly understanding I wasn’t done.
Exhaling slowly, I continued, “This isn’t an excuse, but I need you to hear me out.”
Effie sniffed and nodded, turning towards me as I pulled her feet up between my legs on the chair.
“I don’t remember when I was bitten.” I swallowed down my frustration with that.
“I don’t even know if I had parents or if I’d been an orphan.
I just know that I was a child of the pack I grew up in, specifically a lycan pack.
I know you don’t know a lot about lycans, but they are extremely dangerous, so by all means I should have not only been at the bottom of the pack but also treated horribly.
Luckily, not only were they decent people, but the other lycan children couldn’t assert dominance over me. ”
“Because you’re an alpha?” she asked softly, relief flooding me as the frustration in her face turned to curiosity.
“Bittens aren’t born alphas, they have to work their way up to become one, usually.” I ran a hand through my hair. “But that wasn’t the case with me. My wolf is a bit different from a normal bitten one.”
“How?”
I wasn't exactly sure how to explain it. “You know how you have a connection with your wolf? How are you two parts of a whole?” I asked, and she nodded in agreement. I sighed. “Yeah, it’s not like that with me.”
“Oh.” Her frown was adorable, and it wasn’t the time or place to feel this way, but my hand almost snuck out to smooth the dip in her brow.
“In fact, we are completely separate. I don’t know how it happened, but he is a separate entity, almost like a different person inside of me… And he is from a very different time. He doesn’t understand how to have a normal relationship.
“I won’t blame him completely for those Alpha commands because I am responsible for what comes out of my mouth, but when I am feeling strong emotions, specifically when I’m feeling protective over you, he is able to grasp more control than normal, and it appears we are somehow able to use Alpha commands that work on you. ”
Effie examined my face, relief seeming to fill her eyes before admitting, “My wolf wants to meet your wolf. Even more now than before.”
I blinked, not expecting her to say that.
My wolf immediately perked up, surging magic through the space that even had me shocked.
Effie trembled slightly but hesitantly let her own magic come out to play.
I did my best to maintain control, wanting to keep things civilized, but my wolf was determined, and for the first time, I realized just how much true power he had over me.
Coffin
My eyes snapped open as I completely eclipsed the mental control of my human counterpart.
It felt victorious and good to do it. It had been so damn long since I’d exerted this level of control.
A groan left my throat as I let my magic fill every element of this skin sack, my bones cracking in relief as I fought the urge to shift into wolf form.
I knew this was a necessary form to communicate with my mate because she didn’t shift often, and more so, I wanted the opportunity to touch her like this.
I wanted to kiss those lips that Julian was always staring at and explore every inch of her.