Mated to Morpheus

MTM.40

betrayal

My fuming father had managed to grab a secure hold of Max's right arm, the one that was pressing his palm firmly into the door frame, and my father purposely started to dig his fingers into Max's dense skin until Max could feel the extremely short distal edges of his nails.

Without a doubt, Max had gone through much more critical situations compared to this. It was obvious. He was one of the main warriors, and he had actually been forced to deal with a violent rogue just a couple weeks back where he was slashed repeatedly with claws sharper than knives while he tried his best to keep the peace. Viviana had spent the entire time he was away explaining the situation, she was on a call with me while she waited and worried for him to get it done and over with. Along with Johnny, our eyes and ears when we need him. And, even though she would most likely not react the same way he would in moments like those if it was her who was a warrior with their supernatural abilities, she always bragged about how sweet he was. He was even known around the pack, and by some of the human townspeople, as being more open to solve conflicts with his words than to succumb to the fight. An admirable trait to many.

Besides, I doubt that a human's basically fictitious nails could deal even a sting of pain compared to that of a wolf's claw. Nevertheless, the guilt was there, pestering me instead of my father.

Figures, am I right?

However, this was quite different. Viviana was bordering the invisible line that separated danger and safety, or in other words uncomfortably close to the drunk rager. Even I could spot her from the corner of my focus, which meant that Max could definitely sense her, could have already caught a glance of her and realistically speaking maybe a whiff of her, as well. All with his back turned away from her. His grip on the entrance noticeably tightened. This wasn't him dealing with a matter that was miles away from where she stood, she wasn't out of reach or out of view. She was right there. And, because of the slim distance between them, he instinctively deemed my father as somewhat of a threat.

A threat that he could easily deal with.

I nibbled at my bottom lip until it felt sore, and then I swallowed the lump that had seemingly taken up most of my throat. My eyes scanned the area, flicking furiously between my father, Max, Viviana, Annora, more than enough curious pack members, and Morpheus. The idea of being 'cool' in a situation like this appeared impossible, as embarrassment continued to grow uncontrollably, and the feeling of humiliation worsened the longer I stood there. The heat from watchful eyes bothered me to no end, my father daring to stare at me in front of everyone with the look of disappointment and mortification was burning holes into my skin, and while everyone near seemed to eye him cautiously, he didn't care. And, I felt their stare for him. Morpheus placed his hand on my hip and drew me closer, allowing me to feel both guarded and terrified at the same time. The mate bond tried it's best to ease me.

Oh, sugar.

The entryway had gained multiple onlookers in the brief time from when my father first came banging madly at the door. Pack members were witnessing his outburst from the top of the stairs, others were peeking out from behind the walls, and some were standing right next to us. It was a crowd, that's for sure. Their stances were all ready to jump out, to block, to shield. And, their faces and forms all spoke the same genre. Shocked. Astonished. Perplexed.

It made me wonder if this was the most unfavourable experience with a grieving, hating, and unaccepting human that they've ever encountered. Although, they must have seen worse, right? Rumours have always been quick to spread throughout the entire area, and I vividly remember a story about someone trying to light the packhouse on fire with a relatively petite red container of gas and a barbecue lighter. Strange, considering the building is mostly made of stone. But, I suppose that was an 'it's the thought that counts' moment.