Behind The Alpha Series Book 6 Oliver

Chapter 30

(Chapter song ‘Across The Line’ by Linkin Park, ‘Can't Help Falling In Love’ by Tommee Profit)
OLIVER

I stand outside the door, hating myself for what I just pulled in there.  I would say I couldn’t help it, but I know I could.  I’m either falling for her test or wanting to win her game.  Either way, I really feel this is going to get really ugly. 
If I’m to be her leader, I have to play above her level.  If that means violently, I will.  Whatever I need to do to subdue her, I’ll do it.  If only to end this. 
Turn toward the stairs when the wall beside me explodes and I’m thrown into the wall across the hall.
I cough up pain and dust as well as try to get the air back that was knocked out of me. 
I toss off sheet rock and splintered wood as a dark, evil growl filled the hall. 
Ezra’s wolf steps over the plaster and debris from the hole in my wall as she stalks me.  Her canines are huge reaching past her chin and her tricolor fur looks almost spiked and her tail is long and thin.  It sways back and forth like a cat behind her, the line of fluff on the bottom, waves like a flag.  Her ears are small and her eyes are large and dark.  They swirl with red and gold as she eyes me. 
Her chest rumbles and I feel it in the floor.  It hits my chest and almost hurts.  The bond is there, but it stutters as she increases her threat.  She’s much more muscular and larger now than her rogue.
This is definitely not good.  If want to control her I’m going to have to bigger and meaner than her. 
I hold a hand out as I slowly rise to my feet.  Chunks of wall fall off me to the floor.
I keep a close eye as I side step to the center of the hall.  She watches my every move as she snarls and growls at me. 
Her lips drool as she stalks me.  Her large paws slowly step closer.
I take a step back.  “Ezra, shift!”  I command.
She growls a bark and licks her lips. 
“EZRA, SHIFT!!”
She takes more steps to me and I stand my ground.  I jut out my chin and glare.  “Don’t make me…Ezra, I will hurt you without a second thought.  Stand down!”  I hide all my fear and assert my dominance as she gets her back up.  She growls out more barks and my eyes glow. 
“OLIVER!”
I whip around to see Ian rushing up the stairs. 
I throw my hand up to him.  “IAN…STAND BACK!”
With a large growl, Ezra lunges at me and smashes the side of her head into my side and I fly through the hole.  I hit the floor and roll just as I hear Ian scream.
“IAN!” 
I scramble to my feet and run out the hole in time to see Ezra jump on Ian on the stairs.  They roll and Ian shifts in the middle of the fall down the stairs.  The angry, loud ball of fur tumbles as blood is splashed across the walls.
“NO!...EZRA!”  I chase after them and they hit the floor.  The wolves fight and their bodies hit the statue.  It rocks and as if in slow motion, it topples and the stone smashes.  Pieces spread all over the foyer.  Ian tears at Ezra and Ezra bites chunks out of Ian.  The blood flies. 
“NOOO!”  I explode out of my clothes and my wolf runs across the floor. 
He bites at Ezra’s head and neck, shaking her and Ian.  Ian’s wolf cries and growls as he tries to fight back.  Ezra’s wolf ups the speed and intensity and I grab her scruff.  I pull with all my goddamn strength and she’s biting at nothing as I pull her back. 
Ian yelps and tries to get traction as his wolf rushed to get away. 
Her focus changes when Ian is no longer a threat.  Now, I’m the threat.
She rips herself off me and spins around.
I lower my head and my eyes glow gold.  My wolf dares her to attack.  The bond is increasing his anger and he’s dominating this female even if it kills him. 
Her long thin face stares him down.  The room shakes with both our growls. 
We both launch into the air and collide.  Our muzzles biting at everything.  Her large canines hit my head and my jaws close on her nose.  She twists her head and grabs my neck. 
She throws me and I hit the wall.  She rushes me, grabs my side and throws me to the other side. 
She tries it again, but my wolf gets out of the way and jumps on her back.  He tries to subdue her with his body weight, but her wolf runs around the room with my wolf on her back.  She leaps, leans and bashes me against the wall.  My wolf yelps as he’s crushed under weight.  She grabs my tail, throws me in the air and I hit the floor, cracking the tile. 
My wolf pants as he tries to get up.  Ezra paces the room waiting for me to rise.  She really is a bitch.  I gain my paws and my wolf rolls his head to her. 
She lowers hers and growls. 
I gather all my anger, hatred and strength.  I lunge at her and we ferociously try to kill each other.  We destroy the walls and floor.  The room is covered in blood. 
I smash her body into the floor and she roars.  I pick her by her side.  She whips her teeth around and her canines sink into my side. 
My wolf howls in pain.
I fight back, wrestling her to the ground and grabbing one of her teeth in mine.  I smash the back of her head repeatedly into the floor until the tile underneath was powder.  He picks her up and slams her into the floor.  Her wolf cries out. 
My heart is torn to pieces.  My soul is being destroyed every time I break her body.  I scream my pain out in my head as my wolf does what he must do.  Slamming myself onto the floor, I grip my hair in pain filled anguish for my broken love.  Every cry from her kills me over and over again.  The bond amplifies each hit.  Each scream for help.  Each bite into her flesh.  My chest is being crushed under the weight of it all.  I’m a spectator as my wolf annihilates my beautiful baby bird. 
He rears up with her in his mouth.  Her body flies up and he brings her down with massive power.
“NOOOO!!”  I cry into the black of my mind.  My eyes sting as tears well. 
The sounds of gunfire rings out and my face fills with shock. 
I’m on the floor of my foyer covered in blood.  My wolf receded.  Ian is leaning on the hallway entrance frame, panting and holding the bloody gaping hole in his side.  His mouth is small as his other hand drops to his side with a dart gun in it.
I look at Ezra’s beaten bloody body on the floor, unconscious.  My eyes flick between my brother and my mate as my lip trembles.
Ian falls to his knees and his head hangs.
I get to my feet and wipe my face and I rush to his side.  “Let me see.”
“I’m…OK…”  He pants.
“Ian…”  I glare at him.  I move his hand to several deep chunks torn out. 
I wipe my nose and grab some fabric off the floor.  “Keep this here.  I’ll be back to stitch you up.”
His shaking head nods.  “What…about her…”
I look to Ezra.  “I…”  I shake my head and sniff.  “I don’t know.  Give me a minute ok.”  I look back at him. 
He nods.
I hold my brothers nape and pull his head to mine. “Thank you…for not killing her.”   I look into his eyes.
He tries to smile.  “Don’t…make me…regret it.”  He wearily lift his hand to my cheek and taps it. 
I grab his hand.  “Hang on.  I’ll be back.” 
I stand and walk to Ezra. I squat down, pull the darts out and scoop her up in my arms.
I carry her upstairs to my room.  I hold her close as my body fills with the worst guilt imaginable. 
I lay her on the floor of my bathroom and run a bath.  Once it’s full enough, I grab some towels and a bowl.  I fill the bowl and head down stairs.  She should be out for at least 12 hours.  I can stitch Ian up and then bathe her. 
Ian grits and puffs out the painful breathes as I close the wounds while he lays on the dining room table.
“Any deeper…”  I grumble. 
“Yeah…I get that from the pain…ARGHHH!”  He arches his head back.
“Here.”  I hand him a bottle of whiskey. 
He grabs it.  “Thanks.”  He swings it back. 
I take it and pour it over the wounds. 
“AHHHH!!”  He falls back. 
He blows out more quick breathes.  His hands ball to fists.
“This was my fault.”  I mumble.
“You told her to attack?”  He smirks as he lifts his sweat soaked head.
I pull a towel off my shoulder and wipe his forehead.  I flip it back over my shoulder.  “No.”  I shook my head.  “I tried to control her.   Like an Alpha from the Unit.  I tried to discipline her like we would any other soldier.”  I bend down and bite the thread.  I grab some gauze and start to fold it. 
“You think that was wrong?”  He watches me tape up the wound.  “How’s a Unit Alpha different from a Pack Alpha.”
I plant the straps of tape to my brothers skin.  “We train soldiers.  Effective killing machines.  We treat then like they’re already dead because for a majority of them…they will be.”  I clean up and wipe my hands on the towel.
Ian slowly gets up, wincing at the pain.  “Pack?”
I watch my bloody finger glide into the fluffy fabric as I wipe both my mates and my brothers blood off.  “We’re supposed to lead with love.  Compassion.  Strength and understanding.”  I raise my eye to my brother.  “Empathy.” 
He smiles.  “Seems our Pack was missing a lot of that.”
A half smile grows on my lips.  “If I can show Ezra what it means to be pack, then we can change that.”
Ian throws a hand up on my nape.  “I think you got this.” 
I pull his head to mine and I sit with my forehead to his.
I step back.  “I’m going to clean her up and hopefully she’ll be ready to talk. You get some rest.  You’re down for a least a week.”  I motion to his wound. 
I take the bowl and towels back upstairs to clean up Ezra and get her into bed. 
I climb the stairs with a heavy heart and mind.  Dealing with this has got to be the hardest thing on the planet, but I don’t want to take it away.  I think on some level, I’m supposed to go through all this to understand what’s going on. 
I get to my bedroom and the sound of water softly splashing stops me. 
My eyes fixate on the bathroom door as I place the bowl and towels on my dresser. 
Silently, I walk to the half open door and push it open.  Her scent is so strong and I feel her so deeply inside, its almost overwhelming. 
She’s not on the floor where I left her.  The tranquilizers didn’t work.  I look to the tub and my heart sinks. 
She’s sitting in the tub with her knees pulled up.   Her head resting on them.
Slowly, I enter the room.  The water vibrates as her chest growls, yet her head doesn’t move.  Her arms are wrapped around her legs and her wet, stringy hair is stuck to her cheeks. 
I raise a hand as show of peace.  Her eyes stare blank off in the distance as her wolf continues her warning.
I approach slowly and quietly then get down on my knees beside her.  She still doesn’t move.
I cautiously grab a sponge, dip in the water and lift it to her skin.  The drops of water fall and I watch them glide down her back, taking the pain and blood I caused her with them.  The bites she suffered after attacking Ian were healed and gone.  I just needed her blood off her. 
I touch the sponge to her back and her wolf intensifies her warning.  I sponge off the blood and think this has got to be the most toxic shit.  I question if I even have the stomach for all this. Do I even have the resolve to see this through?
I add more soap to the sponge and watch the white bubbles on her back turn pink.  I cup some water and pour it on her skin.  My heart melts when the blood is gone and it’s just her.
I rub her back and move to her face.  Her wolfs growl begins to slowly fade. 
I see her blank stare and her neutral lips.  “I’m sorry.”  I whisper as I wipe my brothers blood off her face.
A single tear falls from her unblinking eye.  I reach up wipe it away. 
I turn her to face me and it’s like she’s not even home.  I’m dealing with a shell of my Fated love.  I carefully pour water into her hair and wash Ian from it. 
I gently push her up off her knees and wash her front.
When she’s as clean as I can get her, I throw a towel around her and lift her out.  She’s locked herself inside and I feel alone. 
I carry her to my bed and sit her on the edge of it.  Grabbing a button down from my closet, I dress my love for bed.  I wipe her face and comb her hair then slide her into my bed.  She’s not sleeping alone anymore.  I’m don’t with that. 
Once she’s comfortable, I watch her eyes stare at nothing.  I try to find her and keep it together. 
I slightly smile as tears well.  I pet her head and feel the bond.  “I love you.”  I choke. 
I spend a few more minutes with her then have a shower myself.  I’ll deal with the mess of things in the morning. 
I come out and look to my bed.  She hasn’t moved.
I climb in on the other side and roll her into my chest. Placing her head under my chin, I grab her hand and hold it.  I take in her scent and hold her tight.  I want her to feel me.  Feel that I love her.  Really love her and that I would move hell and earth for her.  That it kills me to see her like this. 
I look down and move her hair.  Her eyes are closed and she’s asleep.  I give a small smile and kiss her forehead. 
As fucked up as this thing is, I have to believe that in the end, all of this will make sense.  I just need to have love, patience and on some level…a little Faith.