by J Chen
I felt the surge of our connection grow until it threatened to drown me; our combined pleasure making me cry out again as I experience his climax as surely as my own. Octavian lay against my body, shielding me from those who sought us out, allowing me to regain my bearings as the sensation died down and the entering army that was intent on seeing me ruined and dead.
“He's mine. You're too late.”
The answering growl of frustration from Zsofia and her men was unearthly; trembling the small building and causing the human patrons to flee in terror. I curled up against Octavian's side, though my thighs were still wet with his seed and I felt embarrassed at my nakedness and cleaned myself hastily. Behind the crowd, a face appeared that made my blood run cold: the man who had wanted to mark me, Marius.
“You died.”
From Octavian's words it was clear he was as confused as I at Marius' resurrection, but it was not the first time he had mentioned one of his pack was alive when he should have been dead. I watched Marius closely as he moved into the room, instantly noticing the paleness of his skin and the way that he clung to the shadows along the wall; as if he were deathly afraid of the sunlight.
“I did what I had to, Octavian. It isn't something your primitive brain would understand. And you, filthy boy. It certainly didn't take long for you to spread your legs for a Dragos, did it? That's too bad, I could have used your army but now I'll just have to see to it that they are disposed of the same as your parents were.”
Zsofia came forward; grabbing at Octavian's hair and growling deep at him; her anger palpable.
The wolves at the door entered the small room; their tufted fur bristling as they growled at their Beta. I counted twelve before I began to panic, and Octavian gave me a look; his low growl calling to me and telling me at once to Shift.
I did as he asked; my body contorting until I was on all fours and growling alongside Octavian; hearing an answering call from outside that came unexpectedly. The Hammer had arrived, and I could smell Luca; his anger and his loyalty calling to me and driving me forward. I growled menacingly at Zsofia, her head turned upwards and her pack surrounding her in order to protect her.
I could smell her fear; and she and Marius knew they were outnumbered and in danger. Without warning, the warriors of The Hammer entered the building; the golden-haired wolves crashing through the windows and thin walls of the tavern we had been trapped in. Marius disappeared into the shadows, but the commotion was such that I had to focus on staying out of the way and staying alive as the fight began and could not follow.
Wolves, both black and golden, tore at each other, the air filled with snarls and growls and whimpers. As they began to fall, The darker wolves retreated, leaving Octavian alone standing by my side as the golden wolves surrounded us. It was only then that I realized that I too was golden in color; in stark contrast to Octavian who remained at my side long after his own pack had fled.
Luca stepped forward first, snarling in anger at Octavian and ready to strike, but I quickly stepped between them, willing myself to shift back to human form as I tried to calm my lifelong friend. I did nothing to try and hide my nakedness from him, though Octavian, still in wolf form, moved bravely between us to cover me from the eyes of those who had known me since childhood.
“Luca, please. He saved me.”
Luca, large and golden and angry; shifted suddenly into a naked warrior who was panting and dangerous and his eyes never left Octavian. There was no mistaking the pain in his eyes, and the anger and hatred he felt for our Dragos enemy.
“Is that what he called it, and you chose to believe him, despite what I told you?”
He bristled in anger, a growl escaping his chest in low rumbles that set Octavian off just the same. I placed my hand up in the air between them, hoping that there was truth to the power of the Heir. Would they obey me, and drop this feud, if only for a night?
“Luca, I'm going to ask you to obey me, please. I'm asking you to allow Octavian to remain by my side until we can come up with a plan to save Genevieve. As your Prince...”
“King. You are our King, Laszlo, and you need say nothing else. I will obey you, and your...chosen...mate, as is my duty.”
Luca was fuming, but he held his tongue and tore his eyes away from Octavian. I nodded and moved to follow; watching in awe as the Wolven warriors who surrounded us parted with respect; allowing me to pass with Octavian still by my side, though the dark-haired Romanian would not look at me no matter how I tried to catch his attention. We shifted; taking to our wolf forms again to move through the roof tops of the city as to not cause a panic through the sleepy streets below.
Home was well fortified, and the arrival of the rest of the warriors of The Hammer meant there were at least two hundred people crowding the grounds of the large estate. No corner would be left unwatched as we tried to come up with a plan. I could feel something was brewing in Romania, with Genevieve's disappearance and the betrayal of the Dragos Clan against Octavian, but I needed a moment to rest and gather my thoughts. Luca was hesitant to allow me out of his sights again, and despite Octavian's now constant closeness, he refused to leave my side for a moment, until I gently pulled him aside.
“Luca, I need a moment to gather myself and to confer with Octavian.”
He nodded but did not leave, until I sighed heavily and looked at my oldest friend with a heavy heart.
“Alone, please. I'm sure you understand.”
The pain that flashed in Luca's eyes was something I would never forget, and as he glanced at Octavian with barely concealed hatred, he stepped away from me; allowing me to retreat from the room full of watchful eyes and back into my private quarters. I could feel Octavian following closely on my heels as I exited the library. There was so much that I needed to say to him, and so much I needed to know, but the moment I closed the door to my private room I could do nothing but stand in terrified silence.
I was afraid to look at him, my mind going back to his body on top of mine; the way his cock slid in and out of me as I gripped the bed and tried not to cry out. Octavian and I had been intimate, and I had no idea where we would go from here. He was still the rival of The Hammer, and I was still his Target. As long as we remained with each other, strife, pain, and separation would follow.
As I opened my mouth to speak, my back still turned towards him, I tried to figure out what I would say, but it was his voice that bridged the distance between us instead.
“Laszlo, I...”
Again I could sense his emotions; a rippling current that flowed in the air around us. He was terrified, and apologetic; but there was something desperate underneath it all. He wanted me as badly as I wanted him, though I had not yet been ready for what had happened between us. I turned to face him, but his eyes were on the ground, and his shoulders were slumped as he tried to find the words that would make everything alright.
“What happens now, Octavian? Do...do I belong to you?”
I felt his emotions shift from fear and need into something unnameable; as if he had flipped a switch somewhere in his mind and I could no longer read him. The cold stare that followed as he met my eyes again made me shudder, and I was instantly reminded of the reality; this was a killer.
“We did what we had to do, Varga. I refuse to call one of your kind my mate. I need to return home to my mother and find my sister, and you are with your people now. I have no further use for you, and this no longer concerns you.”
My mouth fell as I watched him turn and exit, following blankly as I tried to come to terms with what had just happened: Octavian had completely shut me out, and now he was leaving me behind. In the hallway, several warriors stood as he passed, though they looked to me for confirmation on whether or not to allow him to go.
I nodded solemnly, though it was Octavian who paused at the threshold, and for a moment the walls came down in his mind and I was overwhelmed by the depth of his tumultuous emotions. Fear, Regret, Anger, Betrayal. Love.
Love.
And just like that, Octavian was gone.
~End Part 1~