The Selected

Y'all Fuck or Sum?

Present Day

Conrad instantly pulls away from me, but the damage is done, and Alexander looks like he's seeing red at he glares daggers at him. Conrad opens his mouth, probably in some defense or attempt to appease or calm him down, but Alexander is the first to speak.

"Are you two fucking?"

He growls it and I can feel his rage filling the room as his green eyes darken, his wolf threatening to surface. I feel torn. On one hand I want to say yes, that Conrad and I are together so that maybe then he'll leave us alone. But on the other hand, the part of me that wants to hope for a possible future, the part that knows this man is my mate and I don't really want to hurt him, forces me to keep my mouth shut.

Besides, Conrad growls and responds before I get the chance, "Do not speak to her like that."

He might be pissed at me, pissed that I refuse to accept this, to try, but he has always defended me. He has always had my back. Conrad is always even in my corner, even if I might not be right, because we defend each other, always. And this, this was no different. I loved and respected him a little bit more just for that.

Alexander ignores it though, and presses on, speaking to Conrad because I refuse to meet his eyes, "Well, are you two fuck buddies?"

The worst side of me won out as I fired out at him, finally looking up, "Why? Is it a problem if I've fucked other guys before?" The rational side of me is winning out. I need to get him to hate me, to want nothing to do with me, and I think it's working as his eyes narrow as he processes my question. I push further, "Have you fucked other women?"

I realize my mistake, though, when Alexander's eyes soften at the second question, "I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to rip apart any man that's seen you naked or touched you before. But also hypocritical, because yes, I have slept with someone else."

Well damn him for being the good man with all the right words and answers right now. All I want to do is get him to reject me, because I sure as hell can't bring myself to do it, but even after pushing him with my trump card, he still won't.

It's infuriating.

And also damn me for that white hot flash of jealousy that coursed through me at his admission that he's also had sex with other people. I mean, I'm no saint and my body count probably totals higher than his, so it's completely hypocritical, but I can't help but feel that tiny bit of rage.

"I'll ask one more time," He states, "are the two of you together?"

"No," Conrad affirms, his voice not leaving any room for argument. "Not anymore."

And there it was, the truth bomb that seemed to set off Alexander the most. A muscle in his jaw ticked as he questioned through gritted teeth, "Not anymore?"

Connie swore under his breath, "I won't lie to you, we've slept with each other in the past, but it was never more than just sex, not like that at least."

Like that meaning in a romantic way.

Alexander's green eyes bled to black before flashing green again, and I knew he was battling with his wolf, vying for control and dominance. He lost, it seemed, as he charged at Conrad and sent him flying backwards.

And maybe it makes me even worse of a person than I already am, but instead of stepping in and stopping this pointless fight, I found myself slipping away and out of the room. I silently rushed down the steps, ignoring the curious and prying looks of the people all still gathered on the first floor.

I barreled on through the trees surrounding the building and sprinted through the forest, the tall trees and redwoods surrounding me. I didn't even get to appreciate their beauty as all of those horrible memories began to flood my mind.

Slices. Slashes. The blade turning inside me.

Pausing my sprint, I leaned with my arm out, palm against the rough bark of the tree, squeezing my eyes shut as I willed the memories to pass, to get out of my head. They refused to leave, though, and it seemed as though they'd be making their residence permanent with the introduction of Alexander in my life.

I stopped focusing on the memories and instead forced myself to hone in on my breathing, to pace myself as I forced down gulps of fresh air. Perhaps the crisp, clean air would also help clear my head from the dumpster fire going on up there right now.

But every time I closed my eyes, I saw the flash of betrayal in Alexander's eyes when Conrad admitted we'd slept together, before it boiled down to unbridled rage. And every time I saw it, I felt that unfamiliar pang of guilt.

Alexander and Conrad were fighting now, after years of unprecedented peace for the Ravage Pack, all because I'm too much of a coward to do anything about this situation, and all I know how to do is push Alexander away and act like a bitch to him. I am not accustomed to apologizing, for feeling bad for anything, but hell if I wasn't considering making the grandest of apologies to so many people in this moment.

As I took a steadying breath, I could've sworn I heard a shuttering snap, like the smallest of twigs breaking. My head snapped up as my heart rate accelerated and I scanned my surrounding, marking every single detail.

I saw nothing, smelled nothing out of the ordinary, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was out there. The hairs on my arms and neck rose in response, and I knew that something wasn't right here. Moving slowly, I began the trek back to where I came from, hoping that slow and cautious movements wouldn't trigger whatever unseen danger I'd sensed.

My body didn't relax until I'd made it back into the building, and I crept past the first floor conference hall as I heard them continue their debriefs. Once I made it to the top floor, I found the room to be blissfully empty, with minimal damage done to the room from the brawl between the two Alphas.

Alexander's lingering scent had me on edge, though, and my only solution was to jump into the shower, once again in an attempt to wash everything away and out of my mind.