Little Red Riding Hood

Chapter 7 Friendly Love

*Oh my gosh! 500 reads! When did THAT happen? I just started this book a couple of weeks ago and it's already getting this many reads! Mostly thanks to @wilderangel for the club that she made. Plus all the people in the club that have read my book. P.S. Pov means the point of view for those who don't know. Okay, onto the story.

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Asher's Pov.
When he said that...word, I felt my heart rate pick up. I could practically feel my heart beat pounding in my ears and my mouth run dry. I suddenly feel a low growl rumble from my throat, I was conflicted between jealousy and want. The unfettered jealousy came from the fact that the Moon Goddess gave werewolves mates and never considered to give vampires any. Was it because she made werewolves first and loved them more than us lowly vampires? Maybe because werewolves practically worship the ground she walks on and vampires only believe in her but never dare to commit years upon years to worship her in a religious fashion. Or, quite possibly, it may be that we vampires are narcissistic pricks, who are so worried about their pride and egos that we forget and sometimes lose the things that are really important to us. The lack of a chosen mate lead many of us to search fervently for a soul that would love us unwaveringly. Our desire to be loved and cherished forever drives a majority to stay in horrid relationships, some that end with their significant other abusing them, or worse, killing them. Uneasiness crawls its way up my spine, forcing a chill to wrack my body at the thought of ending up like a large portion of my kind. The soft touch of a hand on my forearm brings my attention back to the real world. "Are you feeling okay Asher? You seem to be a little tense at the moment, would you like me to..." 

The indifferent voice of my father interrupts Winter's gentle actions, scaring her into withdrawing her hand. "Little one, he is alright. He is simply unable to control his emotions, being that he is still a weakling. You mustn't waste your tender ministrations upon him for he does not deserve them," His gaze shifts from her to me, immediately losing any sense of respect, as the darkness returns to his eyes, "Asher, cease your childish games. You are my son and I'll be damned if you act like an insolent child. If you do not end this performance, I will force you to sleep outside!" The harshness in his tone shakes me, awakening the scared child that I suppressed many years ago.

"I apologize father. I promise I will not do it again." Putting my head down, I mentally kick myself for allowing my guard down. I completely neglected the fact that my father was here until now. I am an imbecile! The moment he gets me alone, he will unleash his rage and attack me for acting spineless in front of our allies. 

Risking a look at the others in the room, I spot Winter barely holding herself back from attacking my father. Everything about her screamed at you to run away before she snapped. Her eyebrows scrunched together, deep lines forming between them, directing every bit of attention towards her upturned nose that held every ounce of her anger. Her lips are set in a thin line, almost as though she was trying not to speak out but barely being able to hold herself back. Just as I had thought that a slam echoes through the room, my dad against the wall with Winter's hand upon his throat. Scarcely human noises fall from her lips, a telltale sign that her wolf was going to take over.

Winter's pov.
I could not believe that that man had yelled at Asher! He may be his father but that does not excuse his behavior. A father should never yell at their child, my father never even acted like that to me.

'Did he just yell at Asher? He can't do that to our friend.'  Her words run together, forming into harsh growls at every other word.

'A man of his stature must learn to overcome their anger and opt for gentler ways in expressing their emotions. A child that is yelled at every day of their life will learn to grow numb at the feeling, and, one day, forget that they should feel anything at all when listening to their supposed parent.'

'Ah yes, a person who is yelled at for their wrongdoings tend to fear ever making a mistake again, therefore scaring themselves into treading lightly for the rest of their life, instead of learning from what they did wrong. But I digress, my dear friend, he must understand his mistake. It appears to me that he has done this before, based on Asher's slumped stature. Due to this fact, I must practice the saying of an eye for an eye.' 

'Violence because of violence, how oddly poetic of you my dear wolf companion.'

'Of course, it seems rather harsh, but he must learn. Otherwise, he may do it again.' She retaliates. She has a point, although hurting him might anger him even more, causing an outburst on Asher later in the evening. 

'I heard that thought and I understand Winter, you don't want him to hate you forever. But can you yell at him just a little to get him back for scaring Asher?' Destiny politely asks me.

'Sure, although I believe some darkened wolf eyes are needed."

'Why of course! Thank you, my friend, you will not come to regret this.' The joyous tone in her voice made me smile, but I quickly hid it and exchanged it for a fuming look. 

Within a second, I was across the room, holding the shaking form if Asher's father against the wall. "I cannot believe that you are this boy's father when all it seems that you do to him is berate him. You are supposed to protect him, not yell at him. Did you see the way he flinched when you insulted him in front of all of us? If I ever see or hear that you spoke to him how you did today, or worse than that, I will not hesitate to let my wolf take over!" Every word was growled out in a soft tone, making sure that we did not scare Asher. She took control from me to say the last line, which surprised me.

"If you promise to let me down, I might take your offer into consideration. You may be powerful but I have time on my side, little one." The air of authority that Jack held threw me off a bit, making me falter in my grip on his neck. "That is right, loosen your grip. You must calm down, do you need my help to relax?" Without warning, a numbness invades my senses, spreading through my body at a rapid pace. Unknowingly, I release Jack and stumble back holding my swirling head. 

'That vampire has more ego than a siren and less reason to have that much on demand. He just had to use his powers on you. That slimy, beefheaded fool!'  Her rage becomes known as my body begins to shake while my eyes turn slowly back to black. 

"Winter? You need to calm your wolf down, you need to take back control." My father's voice tells me wearily. It is as though he thinks I will turn right here right now. Out of the corner of my eye, I see that Asher is slowly walking towards me. I let out an unintentional growl and I see him flinch. Seeing that, Destiny takes over completely and whimpers. I see that Asher's face softens a little and he takes the last couple of steps to wrap his arms around my waist.

I let go of my head and turn around in his arms, and begin to cry. I do not why I felt the need to release my anger, but I needed to do something before Destiny took control. It's like all of my pent up anger towards that man that hurt Asher was discharged to his father for yelling at him. I felt this immediate connection when I saw him laying on the ground in agony. Our hug is interrupted when I hear Asher's and my dad utter three confusing words.

"It can't be!"

A/N

I'm sorry for taking SOOO long to update. I couldn't think of anything to write, and sorry that it is so short. I'll make the next chapter at least a thousand words. Thanks for reading the book because it means a lot to me. Also, don't forget to vote & comment, DON'T BE A SILENT READER! Mkay bye.
Edited Version:
Changed a few things and made it less choppy, at least I hope I did. Comment if you like this version.
Edited on May 2, 2018, and March 22, 2019