In a Heartbeat (MxM)

Chapter 23

A/N: Sorry it's hella short, but it's a bit of an earlier update, lol. As expected, Vince's POV always proves to be a challenge. The next one should be a bit longer. This became more of a filler chapter until shit goes down in the next chapter :)

I'm also thinking part one will officially end after chapter 25, so two more chapters folks!

As always, let me know what you guys think. Comment, vote, follow, etc. Enjoy!

Chapter 23

Vince's POV

I was taking out my frustrations with the punching bag in the packhouse gym when Xavier had knocked on the doorframe.

I took one last punch before gripping the punching bag to glare at my brother. "What do you want?"

He stepped closer, letting the door close behind him. "You do realize Michael won't fight you in this form."

"So what?"

"You should be practicing to shift," he frowned.

"Whatever."

I brushed past him, intentionally hitting his shoulder on my way out. He followed close behind.

He grabbed my shoulder. "You know, maybe if you stop taking those pills, you'd be able to."

I turned, pushing him back. "Fuck off."

"You know," he grit his teeth before pushing me back. "This is no one's fault but your own."

"I said fuck off!" I roughly shoved him back, this time he fell to the ground. He glared up at me, before getting to his feet. He snarled, as if he was going to say something else, but walked away. Good.

I stormed off towards my room, straight to the bathroom to shower. Before I could, I stared at the mirror. The maids had replaced it after my last punching session, but I wanted to punch it again. I opened the medicine cabinet, reaching for the bottle of pills, and looked at the label. I was supposed to take two a day, but I hadn't taken the morning one yet. Chase had lowered the dose recently, but it didn't stop me from taking more than usual. I didn't care what he said, or what anyone said. I wasn't fixing to stop taking this just because it was hurting my wolf. I didn't care about any of that. Every time I had skipped or taken a smaller dose, he'd go on and on about finding Simon, which was the last thing I needed. I had a whole pack to run, not worry about some rogue.

I didn't care about the side effects, I was still alive, wasn't I? Who cares, so long as I can run this pack, everything would be fine.

But with Michael around, was it ever going to be just fine?

If I stopped him this time, who's to say he wouldn't try again?

I mulled over what Xavier had told me almost every day since Michael's call a few days ago. Practicing to shift. If it was only that easy. It had been months since I attempted to shift, the pain so excruciating that it took everything not to scream. Shifting was supposed to be effortless, despite bones realigning and muscles expanding and contracting, it was supposed to be painless. But I guess that was one of the side effects, wasn't it?

But maybe if I did skip a dose, I could shift without feeling too much discomfort. Maybe I'd be able to defeat my brother.

There was only one way to find out, I guess. I put the pills back, before washing my face. It had been about 12 hours since my last dose. Since I didn't take it this morning, maybe it wouldn't be too painful.

After taking a shower, I headed towards the basement. If I was going to attempt to shift, I needed to be alone, somewhere that no one could hear me if it was too painful.

I whipped out my phone, texting Xavier.

I need a favor.

His response was immediate. I thought you said to fuck off.

I'm going to shift. If I'm not out of the basement in an hour, bring me the pills.

A set of ellipses appeared, disappeared, then reappeared. A minute had gone by before his reply came. Fine, don't die down there.

I could almost hear his sarcasm dripping from his reply. As I headed down the stairs to the basement, I could almost feel my wolf telling me to stop. Ever since I've been on these suppressants, he never really surfaced, even during our shifts. Occasionally I could hear him clawing at the surface, but the suppressants always silenced it.

The basement wasn't fancy, it had become a storage and supply room for the longest time. Mostly old documents, belongings, building supplies, etc. And luckily, hardly anyone comes here.

Moving some boxes to the side, I focused on trying to shift. It was a weird sensation since it's been a long while since I've done this. Most time, starting to shift required almost a meditative state. Letting yourself relax enough to let your wolf form take over. Most times, your wolf's consciousness would be at the forefront, overriding the senses and drive. For me, I wasn't sure how that would work out.

Honing in my senses, I let the quiet sounds drown out my thoughts and worries. Forgetting about meeting Michael, forgetting about Sarah and I splitting. Even forgetting about seeing Simon that night at the bar. Despite my drunken haze, that harrowing face had been the only thing I remembered. It was so eerily similar to my nightmare.

Shutting my eyes I let the subtle pull of my wolf coming forward, although I could tell it was muted, my senses heightened. I could hear the slight tread of footsteps from upstairs, the smell of the chefs cooking. My bones ached, the feel of my muscles shifting.

And then the pain started.

I should've expected it, but it still hit me unexpectedly.

It drove me to my knees, my hands wrapped around my stomach as the bones tried but failed to move into the proper place to shift. I could feel the tendons and joints pulling apart to an almost impossible point that I felt like everything would get dislocated.

A burning sensation shot up my spine, then the migraine started up again, lingering at the top of my head and left eye. I felt like my head was about to explode, the pressure within my sinuses building intensely until everything else had disappeared. The pain was the only thing I could think and feel. I don't think I was even breathing at that point.

After what felt like an eternity, the pain was slowly subsiding. The migraine had turned into a dull headache, the muscles slowly settling, and that's when I noticed it.

I had actually shifted. Testing my legs, they all seemed to move accordingly. Albeit stiff, the excruciating pain ebbed to a manageable ache. I could lift my head, my range of motion seemingly normal.

My senses were slightly heightened, probably from the lack of my wolf's consciousness, but I could hear the basement door creak open. Apparently, it seems an hour had passed, and my brother was standing there expectantly. I tried standing, but my legs felt weak. In the dim lighting, I couldn't quite see his face. He walked down the steps slowly, the bottle of pills in his hand.

"I'm shocked it worked," he said nonchalantly.

So am I, I mind linked.

"I'm not so sure you can fight, though," he frowned, pocketing the pills before kneeling down to get eye level with me.

I can. I will.

"You can hardly stand, Vince."

I growled in response. There was no way that I was going to let that stop me. I'd practice this all night if I have to. If I had to suffer without the pills for a few days until this all blown over, then it would be fine. It had to be.

That's all I needed. No matter how painful, the fact that I could still shift, meant I stood a chance against Michael.

I didn't care what Xavier or anyone else thought. I would defeat Michael no matter what.

I just hoped I'd be ready within a few days.