Stubborn and the Mutt

nine | dominance

I choose peace. I choose not to address it. I am not here to entertain him. I'm here to confront him. I lick my lips a bit, huffing as my eyes drop to the ground for a good moment, just for me to catch my thoughts.

"Did you, or did you not, put your hands on Banele?"

"Who's Banele?"

"My ex." I answer within a heartbeat, lifting my eyes back to his. "The one I told you about on New Year's. My ex. Did you put your hands on him."

He hums a bit, eyes wandering around with disinterest at what he's looking at. "Depends on the perimeter of your question."

Wow. If the male gender doesn't surprise me every time. I scoff, eyes narrowing at him. "You think you're smart? You know exactly what I am asking you. Did you beat up my ex— you know what? Cancel that question because I know damn well it was you. What right do you think you have, to beat him up? Your senior!"

"My senior?" He scoffs, finding the last nerve to roll his eyes. "That means very little to me."

"You." I shake my head, voice raising in decibels. "You have no respect. Not only for people who are older than you, but people you know nothing about. You think because you're new, you can run this town? What kind of power do you think you possess here? You're a baby! He is a fourth year—"

"Again, that means nothing to me." I can see it on his face. The seriousness. His relaxed features show just how much he isn't phased by this though.

I want to say something. Curse him out maybe. I just pinch my lips together and cover my face, trying by all means to calm my heart and breathing. This isn't even real life. It cannot be. I didn't sign up for this, I have to talk to the author of my story because no way is this how it's going to go down.

"You're still attached to your ex?"

"All this for what, Micah?" First time I breathe his name out in frustration. My eyes even open to look up at him, and I force my entire body not to react to the obviousness that is, he took a step or two closer than where he first was. "Because of what? Your fantasy of me being a mate? All this because of that?" I shake my head with slouched shoulders. It feels like defeat. "You can't go beating people around for no valid reason—"

"You are a valid reason. It's as simple as that." He shrugs. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, as much as I need to, even if it's starting to annoy me. You are my mate. Nothing will change that. That also means, what hurts you will hurt me. What affects you will affect me. What threatens you is potentially threatening me. This includes your exes, you friends. Your family. All the lot."

Oh. He really is crazy.

I have to close my eyes at the never wavering eye contact. He isn't letting up and it's obvious he won't back down. My eyes pressed closed and I take a deep breath to calm myself.

"He hurt you that day. He had all the time to apologise to you, the very least. He failed to do that. What makes you think I'd just let him roam about like he's mighty? He needed to learn a lesson."

"You beat him up—"

"So I roughened him up a bit. Big deal. He's a big boy, like he claims. A few taps on the face can't be that bad. It's not my intention to kill him, anyway, so what's the big deal, mate?"

"The big—" I pause, taking in air of surprise when I notice him quite close to me now, eyes piercing down at me. "The big deal, is you are becoming too much of a nuisance for somebody your age. For somebody who started university. Not only will you cause enemies for yourself but for me as well. People will think I sent you to do that. People will give you hell because of what you did. That's the big deal. You're making my life difficult as it is. It's one thing annoying me to the last degree, but this? This is pushing it. I told you I want nothing to do with this but you keep—"