The Brothers and I

Chapter 24

I felt the arms around me tighten. The powerful muscles flexing to create an impenetrable fortress that effortlessly secured my safety and supported my weight at the same time. My knees buckled as a sharp sting of pain went through my chest, his words ricocheting off the walls and shattering the last sliver of hope that I had of making it out alive. I cursed myself for being so foolish and naïve as to think that I had a chance, especially when the obvious extent of their brutality lay right in front of me, bleeding on the floor.

My eyes dropped to the large wolf which was covered in blood. Although the bleeding appeared to have stopped, the animal was still wheezing hard every time it breathed. Is that really Thomas? How is this even possible? Were these people werewolves? Even thinking that, sounded absurd but my mind failed to come up with an alternative explanation for all the strange things that I had witnessed thus far.

The chest behind me rumbled, the sound reverting my attention back to the tense atmosphere in the room. My eyes locked with the tattoo guy who looked petrified, his eyes never leaving me while the man holding him back seemed to be in a state of serious contemplation as he stared at the wolf on the floor.

I shivered when James's breath blew past my face, his voice sounding calculated and cautious. "Alex... brother please... just take a minute and think this through. We don't know how this will affect our wolves. It's clear that the bond between her and Thomas is strong and it's clear that our wolves are already reacting to the pull-"

The walls trembled as a loud roar came from the man in front of me: Alex, was it? His demeanour was quickly shifting from irritated to furious as his fists clenched and his lips pulled back, exposing the dangerous canines. And as I stared into those rapidly-darkening eyes, the background noises faded and a strong feeling of hatred and fury hit me in full force, knocking the air out of my lungs.

I didn't need any explanation or hints to understand that these feelings weren't mine.

They were his.

And as that understanding began to sink in, my eyes watered, a strange sense of sadness constricting my chest like a snake coiling around its prey. Somehow, it hurt to think that he didn't want me. That I didn't mean anything to him. That he would go to the extent of having me killed, to rid himself of my presence. I swallowed down a sob while James seamlessly moved me behind his vast back, the action taking me by surprise. But picking up on his intentions, I immediately complied, pressing myself against his back and feeling grateful that I didn't have to be in the frontline of Alex's wrath.

But even though I was hidden from his gaze, I could not block out his menacing voice that boomed thunderously, the pitch of his tone rising with every word until the room shook on its foundations. "You dare disobey your Alpha? You dare go against a direct order? To defend a disgusting human? Maybe you too need a lesson as to where you stand in this pack....Beta of mine"

The muscles on James's back tightened, his tense posture sending me into a state of panic. Unable to see anything from behind him, my nerves were on edge while alarm bells were going off in my head. James's neck suddenly tilted to the side and his back bent slightly, making me glance up in confusion. When he spoke, his voice was more subdued and controlled.

"Alpha. Let me assure you that the life of this human is of no significance to me. My loyalty is and forever will be with you - my Alphas and my pack. But... we must make sure that our wolves aren't weakened because of the death of this human. And the only way we can be sure is to gather information and see how strong the bond is. All I ask is that we discuss..."

I stopped listening. Stopped breathing. A slash of betrayal cut across my chest at James's cold response. I had once again fooled myself into thinking that there was a way out. That he could be my way out and that, despite everything, he would protect me. Save me even. But here I was, feeling sick to my stomach as I listened to him talk about how far Thomas and I had progressed in something called the mate bond? and how that would affect them all.