Their Pride

Their Pride Part 16

Chapter 15

I watched in awe as the change took over their bodies. I expected Michael to shift first seeing as he was the elder, but to my surprise, Marcus was finished and ready to lunge in seconds. This was the first time I had ever seen Marcus shift, and the image before me was confusing.

It was hard to tell what color his coat was. The orange color stood out, but if someone was to look closer, they would see the sheen of black that covered his fur. My mind reeled at the evidence before my eyes. Marcus was a half-breed. He was both a black leopard and a regular leopard.

How had he been pride leader the entire time without anyone finding out? I guess he had just hid his secret well. I finally understood why he took me in so quickly. He was the only one who knew what I was before I myself knew. He knew the entire time and didn’t even tell me.

A tap on my shoulder caused me to look away from the two leopards circling each other. Blake was staring at me in frustration. It was obvious he wanted to do something about the fight, but what could he do? Blake didn’t even know how to fight; there was no way that he could break up this fight.

I broke my eye contact with him to glance at the two once more. Should I let them fight it out? The answer was yes. Neither one of them deserved to be saved. I knew that my thought process was wrong, but they had hurt me. I thought I could trust them both, but they were keeping secrets. They knew things that no one else did.

I grabbed Blake’s arm and began dragging him out the door. At first, he struggled, but eventually he gave in. So much for getting answers, I thought to myself. Looking at Blake, I realized that I and he needed to have a talk. Walking out the door, I thought of another person I needed to speak with, Sebastian.

“Ally! Will you please slow down?” Blake said while freeing his arm from my grasp. “I know that you have some questions, but I think we should talk at your place.”

“You're right.”

I sighed while making my way towards the car. The door creaked open, but I just ignored it. I was so tired. Tired of the drama. Tired of the secrets. Tired of the deceit. Tired of the lies. I was just so tired. Sitting back, I waited for the sound of the engine starting. After a couple seconds of nothing, I opened my eyes.

Right in front of me, standing on the hood of the car, was Marcus in his animal form. He stared at me, before shifting into a man and hopping off. Making his way towards the passenger’s door, he kept glancing over his shoulder as if waiting for an attack.

I was guessing he didn’t hurt Michael enough to incapacitate him. The door squeaked open for the second time in minutes. Marcus bent down and made eye contact with me.

“You know what I am now. I know you well enough to know that you won’t say anything. Not because you forgive me, but because you have an honor code engraved into you.”

I just stared at him. There was no reason to talk; we both knew he was right.

“I want you to find Sebastian. He should be at school, but sometimes he leaves early. He is the only one who knows that wasn’t commanded to not speak of it. Don’t get mad at him Alex. His grandfather didn’t want him to say anything. It is hard to betray the only family you have ever known.”

His eyes were misty, and I knew he wasn’t just speaking of Sebastian. He was also talking about himself. I brought my hand up and grabbed his shoulder. Pulling him towards me, I hugged him. I could feel every problem I have had roll off me in waves as I let go. Tears flowed down my cheeks. As I snuggled into the man I considered my father.

“Shh, just let it out,” he whispered in my ear. He stood awkwardly in the doorway, but didn’t complain.

“Is she going to be okay?” I heard someone ask. Then my surroundings came back to me. I had cried in front of Blake without realizing it. How could I let my guard down like that? I pulled out of Marcus’s embrace and flashed him an embarrassed smile.

“It’s okay. We all need to let loose sometime,” Marcus told me with a genuine smile. The first one I had seen on his lips all day.

I nodded my head at him. “We better get going. I’m going to stop by my apartment first, and then I will go get Seb.”

He looked concerned by my decision. “Are you sure you don’t want to just get it over with and talk to Sebastian?”

“We need to talk first,” I said motioning between Blake and myself.

“Follow your instincts.” With that, he slammed the door and ran back towards the house. Right before he entered, he shifted. I guess the fight wasn’t over yet.

“Your apartment first, Ally? Are you sure you don’t want to pick up Sebastian?”

“I’m sure. We need to get things ready for Korbin anyway.”

The rest of the ride back was silent. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence though. It was a silence shared amongst someone you trusted, and I knew that without a doubt, Blake was someone I could trust. I found it comical how just a week earlier, I found him a mystery. In reality, he was an open book. His emotions were always in his eyes, he never lied. Sure, he evaded the question, but he never outright lied.

The car stopped, and the engine was cut off. We made no sound as we climbed the steps to my tiny apartment. Opening the door, I immediately went to the couch while Blake walked to the small kitchen area.

I heard the unmistakable sound him opening the refrigerator. I let out a sigh as he walked in.

“Water?” he questioned. I knew he was trying to avoid the questions to come. Did he not realize that I didn’t find him responsible for anything?

“Yes, please. Now, sit. We need to talk.”

He nodded and sat down beside me on the couch. Scratching the back of his head, he questioned, “What is it that you wanted to talk about?”

“I’m a black leopard too.”

He let out a breath and hope shined in his eyes. “Really? You know what it is like then? If something happens to me, you will take care of Korbin for me?”

“Of course I would.”

“Good. It will be easier for him if someone like us took care of him. This is great.”

The happiness radiating off of him caused me to smile. How could something I found so hard to deal with bring such happiness to someone?

“If all three of us are planning on staying in here, we need to work out sleeping arrangements,” I told him.

He wiggled his eyebrows. “I know where I want to sleep.”

I let out a laugh while smacking him on the arm. “On the couch? Korbin can sleep in the bed with me, or we can let him sleep on the bed and I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re not sleeping on the floor.”

I shrugged. “I’ve done it before, and it’s really no problem.”

“When?”

“With the pride. I was classified as the lowest rank seeing as I didn’t shift. Sleeping on the floor was my right.”

Anger shone in his eyes. “Can I say that I’m glad they banished you? They were a bunch of egotistical jerks and they don’t deserve to even be in your presences.”

I smiled. “Thank you.”

“Now, that we figured out the sleeping habits, why don’t you go take a nap? I know the real reason why you wanted to come back here first.”

He was right. I could barely even walk to my door without collapsing. Today had been a long one. Secrets had come out, and I didn’t know how to deal with them all. I looked back to see Blake making himself at home.

He didn’t even turn to face me as he began talking once more, “Go to sleep, Ally. I have enough sense to keep watch. I’ll wake you up if the big bad wolf or any other creatures of the night show up.”

I shook my head as I made my way towards my bedroom. Throwing myself back onto my bed, I snuggled into my blankets. A warm comforting feeling overtook my body as I fell into a dreamless sleep.