Blood Ties

28

Lycus's head tilted, his lips pulling into a twisted smile as he glowered at her like she was poison to his sights. "No, I never figured it out. All I knew was once the person would rise and take my brother, hell would be upon us all. Damnation."

Damnation? Hellish flames, punishment and endless suffering — that would befall upon them all if someone that wanted Rexton had him?

It sounded too absurd to believe.

But once again, Accalia met that fear painted on Lycus like a sorrowful canvas. He believed this, every word the oracle had prophesied all those years ago and it drilled such a hole into his brain he found no other option but to lock his brother away.

"This thing that was after Rexton might not even exist, Lycus. You never met them, they never touched Rexton and you made sure of that. How can you be so sure they'd be around, if it's real, after all this time?"Accalia didn't want to brush him off like he meant nothing, but with the sayings of an oracle, what could you believe?

Lycus shrugged carelessly, ignoring her like she was a stranger to him. "By all means, Accalia, believe what you want to believe. Go be a hunter and I'll be an Alpha for our pack without my Luna."

"Lycus!"

He fled, his speed taking off like lighting striking down and stealing the air from Accalia's lungs. Leaving her breathless, leaving her moonless.

____

Cadence
~

"That's fucking tragic, Cadence," Tristan grumbled, shifting the gear stick and taking a sharp bend. He scratched his head in thought and peered over his shoulder to give a judgemental glower to the hybrid.

"To him? You're mated to him? That's gotta be messed up shit, there. Accalia mated Lycus and then you're mated to Lycus's brother — but you and Accalia are cousins, so that would—"

Cadence drummed her fingers across the dashboard and lifted her feet onto it, stretching as her combat boots pressed against the glass of the windshield. "We haven't even been in the car for an hour and you're already annoying me."

Tristan leaned over and clutched her ankle with a sharp pinch. "Get your feet off my fucking dashboard!"

Cadence rolled her eyes and kicked her feet back to the ground.

"Do not yell at her like that!" A voice hissed from the back.

The Larren family rounded on the hybrid, gawking at him to make it clear if he had the nerve.

Accalia smacked her hand onto Tristan's face, raising her unruly brows at him with apprehension. "Pay attention to the road, please."

Tristan turned back around and glared at the road ahead of them.

"I'm sorry, Rexton," Cadence heard Accalia say to the hybrid. "My family are quite aggressive with each other. Just because Tristan swears at Cadence doesn't mean she takes it seriously."

"But I do," Rexton said to Accalia and Cadence could feel a hole being drilled into the back of her head with the look he was giving her. "No one should yell at her like that or you, for that matter."

Cadence slapped her thighs and spun around on them, giving the two equal-fitting dark glares. "What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing—" Accalia muttered with a flat smile.

"You," Rexton confirmed without a beat.

Cadence smiled at him forcefully, teeth set crookedly. Her eyes were circled wide and inspecting. His hair was fluffy like you could run your hand through it and feel feathers. His attire was nothing compared to the hunters. Where they wore dark and fitted clothes they could move in, Rexton settled for a long dark green sweater and wide-leg trousers.