Fighting by Anaya Phoenix (sci fi books to read .TXT) 📖

“Protected her!”

“Time after time-“

“For her own good!”

“And never once apologized for it.” His nostrils flared and he stood outside the water, clad in only boxer briefs.

“I would never apologize for helping to keep her away from me. She deserves better than I could ever be. I’m high born, Luna! High born and immortal, the two worst things I could be. I can’t love, I especially love her. Think about, me remaining how I am until the world ends and her…. Wolves have long lives Luna but not long enough. You can’t ask me to go through that, you can’t ask me to put her through that because that’s not fair! You don’t think I feel, Luna!? You don’t think it hurt when she took away the bond!? I can’t feel her anymore inside here.” He jabbed his finger into his head and growled out the words. He turned around but I could see the liquid pooling in his eyes.

“You chose to let her go. You chose to let the darkness take over. There is nothing that will make me think otherwise.” I growled and stepped closer and knew that this would be an impromptu training session for the hyena. Without a word he turned around and punched me in the gut, making me fall to my knees to hold it. I spit up blood and looked up at him, not allowing my wolf to come out. This was just me and him, friend to friend.

“You sound just like her. So hurt and abandoned. I never abandoned her!” He peered down and roared into my face, I never flinched I just stared at him.

“Mason, was it?” Mason looked up at Shay and I groaned internally but otherwise spit up the blood that seemed to come from my throat.

“My name is Seamus, I’m new around here and I sure as hell don’t have a mate. So, I’ve got no idea what’s going on or what you’re going through. But, I am sorry. Not about the circumstance, but for you. You’re so far up your arse you can’t even see what a good thing you had.” Mason stood tall, watching the hyena with blue calculating eyes. The hyena walked toward and around Mason, humming and tapping his chin.

“Seems to me like you had a great thing. A girl who loved you, probably more than she loved herself, and who didn’t care what anybody else thought. A girl who held on to you for the longest time while you gave her the short end of the stick. You took in all her love for your own selfish greed, now you’re angry that she finally realized what a cunt you are actually are.” He came full ircle and patted Mason on the shoulder before chuckling and standing back where he was, directly in front of him and behind me.

“Congratulations, my man, you are the epitome of a douche bag.”

“I was protect-“

“Oh save the lies for chicks like her and Luna, you can be honest with me. I imagine she’s cute and devoted, she was always by your side even when your side probably wasn’t the best thing for her. She probably defended you to a T from people like her sister and everybody else who laid down their lives to protect her. Because that’s what being in love is. It’s understanding that your own needs don’t matter, and you would do anything if it meant the other person was happy. Sound familiar to you? Oh wait, that’s right. That means Elizabeth was in love with you, big shocker there!” I had no idea what the kid was doing but, at this point, I’d just have to trust him. Seeing as my body was still trying to recover from Mason’s blow.

“So a girl loved you, and all because you were trying to protect her, which really means you were just trying to save yourself from any heartbreak, you led her on and got pissed off when she finally stopped following. How DO you do it, man? I obviously have to pick up a few tips from you.” With a humorless chuckle Shay clapped twice and stared at Mason in silent judgement.

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“I know enough to know you’re a little cunt, need I know more?” They were silent for awhile before Mason sighed, I knew he’d just finished debating whether or not he actually wanted to fight Shay. But he couldn’t, you can only run from the truth for so long before you just understand that you have to accept it.

“I hurt her, for my own selfish reasons, didn’t I?” With a groan I nodded and Shay scoffed.

“Ya think? It’s like taking out your own heart and giving it to someone, then them squishing every time and each time the squeezes get just a little harder. I know you’re not a shifter, so you don’t have the connection we have to each other but just imagine that. And imagine putting someone you actually care about through that, on purpose! Not cool man. But, we can’t tell you how to live your life. You seem to be pretty fine to me, I don’t smell any sort of darkness about you. Then again, maybe you’ve gotten really good at hiding how you feel and what you are. So maybe the darkness is coming to you, but as long as it doesn’t get out of hand then this should be fine. You can do whatever you want, this is your life and she is your mate. We can only suggest, deeply, that you think about whatever you’re going to do next and also find some place around here where flowers grow. I think I smelled some lilac around here. See ya around.” With that Shay left and I crinkled my brow before getting up to all fours and gearing myself to actually stand up.

“I think… I think he’s cool. But, then again, I thought you were cool but you’ve spent the past five minutes on the floor groaning quietly. Can’t really trust myself, can I?” Mason stepped around me and I rolled my eyes, standing up and stretching my newly healed muscles.

“You all can go fuck yourselves!”

     I knew I would have to look for Ander at some point, I couldn’t avoid it. The longer I stayed down here and didn’t see him the more likely it was that he would erupt. It was killing both me and my wolf to not be around him. The actual effect of withdrawals hadn’t hit me until I’d come down here and forced my body through such a rapid healing process. It sent tingles down my spine that worked to disable me, but I had to find him. I didn’t care that he probably wouldn’t talk to me, I just needed to see him to know if he was OK. See the actual being rather than memories in my mind. I stopped outside his door, standing right next to the threshold but not making myself go in. He would probably explode into a right and proper mood, and I would have to sit there and take it until he stopped being mad. He was a Mascot, though, and they never stopped being mad until they got even. With the smallest of sighs I walked in to find him standing with his back to me. He’d been waiting for me, he probably felt the pull grow lesser as I came closer and was ready to rip a new one in to me.

“You cut off the link.” Was all he said, his voice soft enough that I had to struggle to hear him.

“To protect you all from what was happening, also didn’t want any of those dark fey assholes pulling on it.”

“I understand the pack link, I really do, but our link. You cut off our link.” I could tell he hadn’t talked in a while, probably too busy sulking around. His sulk face was scary, not something I would want to be around.

“I had to protect you too.”

“I am Alpha.”

“Alpha or not, I had to protect you.” He stayed silent then, the only sound that was heard was him breathing and shifting from foot to foot.

“I’m honestly OK with you screaming at me, I don’t think I can handle this whole silence-“ He turned around then, his greens eyes taking me in from head to toe. I knew he was assessing everything that was physically wrong with me and all the things that could be wrong with me that I was hiding. I spread out my arms and smirked at him, softening my rigid body posture.

“I’m fine, really. I swear.’ He took a step toward me and faltered slightly, I took a step toward him as my brow crinkled. He chuckled softly and stood up to his full height.

“It hasn’t been a good month.” He said softly.

“Not for me either.” I laughed slightly as tears hit my eyes and suddenly he was there. He cradled my cheek as the tears fell and the fear flowed freely. He stuffed his face in my hair and took the deepest of sniffs while kissing it softly. I sobbed against him and he held me closer, I wrapped my arms around him and stuffed my face in deeper to his neck.

“I’ll make them pay. I’m so sorry and I’ll make them pay for everything they did to you.” His voice was shaky and silent, but I couldn’t focus on that. I needed him now, I couldn’t focus on his pain because it would hurt more. So instead I let all the hurt and heartbreak pour out of me with the tears. He kept whispering soft vows of revenge until the tears started pouring out and my body was good and exhausted. I’d forgotten that I had only gotten a couple days of sleep out of our entire almost month up there. My body would go into panic mode real fast if I didn’t manage to get at least a couple days more. Without a word he lifted me up and carried me to his bed, cradling the back of my head as if I were a child. Any other time I would’ve complained, but now it felt comforting. He laid me down first and I rolled over on to my side and watched as he came down beside me, instantly reaching for me as I did to him. He stared at me, and I stared back at him with the smallest of smiles. They would leave us alone, plus Filly and Leo would also be demanding some time. At most, I had a day or two to spend with my mate and relaxing before we were thrown into the thick of battle again. I would utilize that to the best of my ability.

I woke because somebody was watching me. I felt their eyes boring into my body and with a growl I lifted up from the warmth of my bed to see green eyes like mine staring at me intently. With a groan I relaxed my body and nuzzled back closer to Ander who didn’t see Jesse as threat enough to be worried or wake up.

“Go away little brother, or I will smite you.” I grumbled after