The Cliff

Cold

(Unedited)

"It was you I imagined," I said quietly.

He pulled me closer. "What?"

"In the video."

He looked at me wordlessly.

A sad smile broke out on my face, remembering. "I have already confessed this to you."

"When?"

"When you had William drug me." He scrunched his brows, so I continued, "The truth serum?"

His eyes flashed as he remembered. But no smile graced his lips.

I looked away, wondering what the equation was between us now. I had loved that he gave me as good as he got. Prayed, he wouldn't treat me any different.

There was a knock on the door. Alpha Cade's eyes bled back and he ordered the person inside loudly, jumping on his feet; leaving me right where I was by the wall.

Brandon's head popped inside. Alpha Cade was beside him in a second, pulling him in the room by his arms. His eyes were still red. I got up alarmed, rushing to them.

"What do you know?" Alpha Cade rushed Brandon.

"About what?" Brandon asked him back.

"About your sister after your parents death?"

Brandon was a child then. A child of 4 when everything was snatched from us. He didn't, ... couldn't possibly understand.

"Alpha Cade, stop." I pleaded, trying to pull him back by his arms. This was all wrong. I had to stop Alpha Cade.

"I had disclosed everything that happened. Why are we still discussing her? I had told you that you can't make me forgive her," Brandon replied dutifully, without acknowledging my interruption. His stance went rigid as I stood so close to him. He was physically repulsed by my presence.

"Careful," Alpha Cade warned. He was on edge. "Just answer what I am asking you to. And how do you know that it is the truth?"

Alpha Cade was not at all fazed by me trying to shove him back, trying to be a physical barrier between the two. Whereas Brandon couldn't hide his distaste when I came between the two of them.

I knew what was going to happen. And I didn't want it to happen this way. Not when Alpha Cade was trying to correct something that was never his fault. Not when Brandon had so much hate in his heart. It would break him, like it broke Alpha Cade.

Brandon straightened his back. "Because everyone told me that. Because I lived through it. Am I missing something, Alpha?"

"Alpha Cade." I pushed him again, screaming in his face. "Alpha Cade, stop it."

He finally looked at me. His grey eyes red with tears, blood, and anger.

"Stop it! It isn't your mistake to correct. And he was a child. Still is. My baby brother," I spoke softly. Tears gathered in my eyes, threatening to fall.

"But Avery..."

"No, let him leave. We can do this some other day. We still have many things to clear between us. He can wait." I hugged his torso. And he hugged me back. But I could smell the anger in air, Alpha Cade's anger. It irritated my nose. He was not over it. He wouldn't give this up easily.

I turned my head to look at Brandon, still holding Alpha Cade captive in my arms. "Come back later, Bran."

Brandon stood unmoved, not acknowledging me. I could hear him grinding his teeth. But when I looked in his eyes, there was confusion hidden behind his anger. The growl that Alpha Cade released told me that he would snap. And Brandon would be the one to face his ire.

"Listen to her. She is still your Every," Alpha Cade gritted out. I doubted if there wasn't Alpha command behind Alpha Cade's voice that Brandon would have listened. But he did and slowly left the room, closing the door behind him.

I pushed him away immediately.

"What was that?" I hissed.

"Come here Avery, I need your warmth." He reached out and I evaded.

I was pissed.

"Avery." His tone warned me as his eyes changed color. The grey was being swallowed by black. "My wolf is breaking through, I won't be able to stop him. He is angry and its seeping through to me."

"Fuck you!"

"Avery, he will take you on this floor to stake his claim. Come here, I have to scent you."

I paused for a moment and that was all it took for him to pull me to him. He then proceeded to scent me. Lick me all over and then some more. When he was satisfied, he pulled me on sofa with him, still buzzing with anger.

"Be my warmth, Avery," he muttered. "I am cold to the bones."

He kept scenting me, and when he wasn't satisfied he'd start licking all over again. I muttered, "I don't appreciate you trying to ambush Brandon. You don't have to fight my battles, I can take this. I can take this and so much more."

His nails dug by my sides. He fisted my hair and pulled my face up. I saw wild in his eyes. The blood, grey, and black - all swirled around to make him look frightening. But there was pain, so much pain.

 "You have to understand this all happened before I met you. There was nothing that you could have done. Nothing. It is no one's fault but that monster's." I pushed my face closer to his, ignoring the pain in my scalp as I fought against his grip on my hair. Peering in his eyes and breathing the same air as him, I whispered, "Fight with me. My vengeance is yours as well." 

He froze, black flowed freely in his eyes then. Slowly, a maniac smile spread on his face. The smile of his wolf. "It has been so long since we have hunted."

There was smell of blood in the air. My blood, his blood. His nails sought more of my flesh and the smile on his face sent chills down my spine. I had a feeling that he was on the edge and would turn any moment.

So I slapped him. Hard. He didn't even feel the impact. His canines came out and his nails punctured more of my skin, tearing and drawing blood. I tilted my neck, giving him a target to latch onto.

His canines sank in its mark. Given his state, his tongue were very still trying to soothe my skin.

"We will burn the world to keep you," he spoke in a low voice against my neck. "You have driven us to the point of insanity and back, Avery. And all we want now is to possess your soul. We will fight for you. Always. But if we ever feel that you are going to flee, then your vengeance will be ours while you will be our prisoner."

He looked up in my eyes. "My human may now understand your actions. But all I care about is keeping you. Don't  expect compassion from me."

I bristled at the words of his wolf. It wasn't that Alpha Cade never expressed his obsession, but the moment was so wrong for this kind of proclamation. I should have argued with him, instead laughter bubbled out of my mouth.

The wolf looked at me strangely. I tried. Goddess, I tried but I couldn't stop. And his fierce face along with his words made me hide my face in his neck, giggling.

He pulled me back by my hair. This time confusion on his face. His eyes made me giggle more. They were red with blood, and grey black swirled around each other. My face heated as he continued staring at me like I was the strangest creature that he had ever encountered.

"And I would lock you up if you ever tried to leave me. Tie you to my bed, actually," I replied.

We were both fucked up in our head. My priorities had shifted since the time I came back to Lunar pack. I realized then that revenge wasn't at the top of my list, this male was. I would do anything to keep him. To have him fight me. To have him fight for me. To have him fight with me. I loved that he was obsessed with me, I didn't want it any other way.

The black in Alpha Cade's eyes ebbed away. His eyes now grey underneath the red. And when he closed them for a moment, I kissed both of them. Then I pecked his lips and whispered, "I love you."

 His lips smiled as he replied, "I love you too."

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