The Alpha's Addiction [BXB]

Chapter 18: Found Out

"I-I am fine. It was an accident," I stutter out, wringing my hands together in nervousness. Shit. This is not good. I didn't anticipate him reacting like this at all, either. It's strange that someone is so upset over something like this. The alphas in my life before him never cared even a little bit.

"You aren't fine. You favor one leg, meaning the other is damaged. Your face has clearly been mottled by the bastard's hands," his fists clench as he assesses me. "And who knows where else you're wounded,"

"There's nothing more!" I deny, but that only angers him further.

"You will show me,"

"Cyrus—"

"Now!" He shouts, eyes flashing to his wolf and in response my own immediately cowers, my omega whimpering in submission and exposing his belly. I know this sensation all too well. An alphas command. One that they use to force omegas to obey; something that was used on me many times. And it is impossible to resist.

My trembling hands go to the hem of my shirt, pulling up the fabric to reveal the large patch of inflamed skin sprawling across my rib cage to my stomach and all the way down to my lower abdomen. Rex's foot must've been goddamn giant. I hadn't gotten a good look at it until now. And I hate Cyrus right now for making me do this. He did what all the others did! Used his dominance to make me bow down to his order!

Then I glance back up to see how Cyrus is taking it I wish I hadn't. His pupils have shrunk, eyes completely glowing now with animalistic wrath. Oh, fuck.

"I will kill them."

"Don't be like this, Cyrus!," I plead, "I don't need you to get revenge for me or protect me! I can look out for myself!" 

"You call this looking out for yourself?" he motions to my less-than-ideal state. "How could you not come to me the second this happened?! I am your alpha! I am made to protect you!"

"You are not 'my' alpha!" I shout back.

His brows crinkle in anger, a snarl marring his usually calm face. "You are impossible! Is there no limit to ways in which you will trouble me?!"

"And I'm telling you to leave it the fuck alone!"

"I will not!" he roars. "You are my responsibility! If someone hurts you, then I must take action,"

I let out a dry laugh. "So you're going to force me to tell like the weak omega I am? Use your wolf on me again?!"

"It is for your own good that I do these things," he seethes, but I can tell he is bothered by what I suggest. That I am possibly comparing to others that have done the same to me.

"Ass! You think this is anything worse than what I've dealt with before? This is nothing! Just drop it!" 

After that, Cyrus goes silent. So silent it scares me. But then he simply walks to the door. He opens it, and only then turns back to me. "Make no mistake--I will find them. And for every mark that paints your skin, they lose a finger. And then their life,"

*

I find myself being dragged to the Pack infirmary by Xavier later in the day, the snitch that caused all this. Well, to be fair I was the one to tell him to let Cyrus know I wouldn't be coming to training. How was I supposed to know that would make the guy trek up to my room and cause a scene?! So now, courtesy of Cyrus's orders, I'm off to get my injuries treated. Honestly, now that it's all been revealed to the main person I wanted to hide it from, I don't another resisting. The shit those alphas inflicted on me does hurt like a bitch and it'll be nice to have some relief from the pain. 

The infirmary is a smaller building a block away from the pack house, with mostly warriors coming to and fro the main double doors. The ones entering sport bloody gashes, and the ones leaving sport bandages and crutches. 

"How do so many get injured like this?" I ask Xavier as we approach the entrance. A man with a bandaged head limps past us, obviously needing to come back as soon as possible. 

"Mostly territory disputes. Or on missions for resources. Many packs or bands of rogues choose to attack because they want what we have. Cyrus has been handling it well, though. Always nipping the assaults in the bud. Has also stationed tons more guards since he became Alpha,"

"Is there no way to appease these other groups? Like, make them stop attacking?" I ask in wonder. I had no idea all this was going on. We're kept so safe here in the heart of the Pack's land that I'd been ignorant of the violence going on outside.

Xavier shrugs. "We have tried to make alliances. Some Packs agreed. Others refused our efforts to make peace. They resort to violence because they don't know how to properly manage their people. They desire to take from us in some way or another. We've tried to provide aid in the past, but we also have to take care of our own. With a growing population of omegas and children, it's important to focus our energy here,"

I nod, processing all of the information. I try to push down the guilt of treating Cyrus how I have been, when he's been doing so much for me and the others that live here. 

"Don't be worried, though. You should've seen this place before Cyrus took power. There often wasn't enough room for all the patients. His father just didn't have the knack he does for running the pack," 

I take note of how much Xavier looks up to Cyrus. It's sweet. And shows that... well, Cyrus is a good guy. But for some reason, I can't stop sabotaging our relationship, if you can even call our strained communications that. At the same time, I also can't seem to distance myself from him like I originally planned. I find myself drawn back every time, whether its asking him to train me or lingering around the school house in the morning to see if he'll be with Xavier when the alpha stops by for tea with Morgan. 

And buried deep down below the frustration I feel toward him for forcing me to show him my wounds and for getting angry like he did, there's the stuttering of my heart when I think about the fact that he reacted like that to me being hurt. The fact that to him, my safety matters that much. I feel the give of the barriers I have built up around myself, and I realize I am scared. So scared, because this feeling has been buried for so long. The feeling that I have had only once before with my first love, Des. But even now, it's different. 

With Cyrus, it's different---so much more than I can comprehend, and I don't think I'm prepared to face the weight of that in the slightest.