His Worst Behavior

Chapter Twenty-Seven

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN - DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOODNIGHT

"Roarke, please," I pleaded, as he gently nudged me through the trees. He kept his jaw raised and his shoulders squared, not looking at me. Behind us, a broken Julius was being dragged, spitting up blood. The bond was causing me to feel all kinds of emotions, like sadness, fear, concern. Even without the bond, I still would've been absolutely terrified in the moment. "Roarke, don't do this."

The full moon lingered in the sky above us, once again laughing at me. I always seemed to be a joke when it came to my freedom.

"This will hurt me," I said, fearfully. "I-I don't like shifting. I haven't shifted in a long time. This will really hurt me."

He still didn't look at me.

My heart skipped a beat when we entered a clearing, our destination. The pack members with us surrounded the clearing, preventing an escape in any direction. Julius was roughly thrown to the ground, a wheeze escaping his lips. I stayed standing in front of Roarke, looking up at him with pleading eyes, but he kept his gaze forward.

"Break the bond," Roarke ordered, glaring at Julius.

Julius lifted his head. "No."

I held back a scream when Blake stepped forward, punching Julius in the jaw. Blood flew from his lips and his head dropped for a minute, spiking my concern.

Roarke was unfazed. "Break the bond."

"I'm not breaking the bond!" Julius shouted, his eyes wide. "The bond is the only thing keeping me alive." Blake stepped forward again, punching him in the stomach. Julius wheezed, curling into a ball on the ground in pain. I moved to rush to his side, but Roarke instantly grabbed my upper arm, stopping me.

"You're not touching him," Roarke said, finally looking at me. His eyes were so cold. His face held no emotion.

I placed a hand on his chest. "Stop, please."

"I will grant Rudy and Scarlett mercy," he said, calmly. "All you have to do is break the bond."

My entire body froze. I wanted Rudy and Scarlett safe, but I knew Julius was right - the only thing keeping him alive was his bond to me.

"You will kill him if he breaks the bond," I mumbled, holding back tears.

"Oh, I'm still going to kill him if he doesn't," Roarke said, watching my expression. "This is about you - make him break the bond and save yourself or watch me kill him and fall into deep depression." I flinched at how harsh he was being towards me. He was putting me in a tough position on purpose. "What is it going to be?"

I hesitated.

A tear rolled down my cheek as I faced Julius who had been watching my conversation with Roarke. "Break the bond."

There was betrayal on his face. "Chloe."

"I'm sorry," I said, on the verge of sobs. "But, he's going to kill you either way and I don't want to experience the grief from your death."

"I don't want you to experience it either," he admitted, wiping at his mouth. "The bond is making me feel shitty at the idea of it." I sniffled as he rolled back onto his knees, looking at me. "I understand. My fate is sealed, but yours isn't. Come here."

Roarke reluctantly released me and I rushed to Julius, dropping to my knees in front of him. He didn't dare touch me. He knew Roarke was watching closely.

I couldn't stop crying. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Julius muttered, before looking at Roarke. "This isn't your fault." He inhaled through his nose, preparing himself. "You need to shift. Over and over again. I have to sit here and I have to watch - eventually, we will feel the bond break."