Repeal

Chapter 8

Out of nowhere Alex appears. Blood mars the side of his jaw to the hollow of his throat. Flesh and blood are a mess on his left shoulder, and runs like paint down to his hand, but surprisingly enough, a grin is stretched across his face. “Hey mate!” he shouts. Chase sees Alex’s arm reaching up, but doesn’t move as his friend pulls his head down under his arm. The hand of the injured arm rubs into Chase’s head roughly.

Chase punches his friend’s stomach playfully, and pokes at his ribs til he’s released. Alex laughs, shoving him away. “Watch it, or I might have to teach you a lesson too!”

“Damn, I better behave than, shouldn’t I?” he grins. “So who’d you ‘teach a lesson to’ anyway?”

Alex casts his eyes over the bonfire. “Does it matter?”

“Was it Romy?”

Alex grins.

Chase shakes his head, already imagining Romy totally wolfed out, with a deadly look in her eyes, not that she didn’t have that look most of the time.

Out of the Blue, a shiver runs over Chase’s spine, and he feels the weight of a stare. It may have been the alphas for all the weight it held, forcing his muscles to freeze and breathing to halt. “And what if it was ‘Romy’” She mimics sarcastically. Forcing his muscles to move, Chase turns to look at her. His eyes can’t seem to lift higher than her knees.

“Nothing-I was-ugh-ahg,” Chase stalls, unable to force any more words out. His throat closes as pressure squeezes his head, and soon his very eyes are stinging. Not with tears, but a need to close, to submit.

“Can’t even talk, coward?”

 “Just like Alex?” Chase lets slip. He flinches, waiting for the strike. Mental or physical.

“More than Alex. At least he doesn’t act like a pup”

He flinches again, this time Chase’s eyes slide closed. He can’t even swallow, feeling her next to him is like a boa constrictors around his chest.

Romy barks a laugh. “Huh, you are younger than me! Funny. Not only are you a coward, you’re a coward puppy-” She cuts off. “You are older than Kiera thought, right?”

Chase says nothing. He wasn’t sure, but he has a suspicious Kiera was older than him. He’d hardly sneaked into the partner choosing this year.

“Coward, answer me” She snarls. His throat seizes, and his stomach threatens to empty itself. Suddenly he finds himself wishing for Kiera, wanting her to take Romy’s attention away from him. A hand curls around Chase’s shirt, dragging him forward. His eyes snap open to Romy’s blue eyes. “You coward, better learn to respect you’re elders, or stand up to them.”

Chase stumbles back as Romy shoves him away. For a second he’s too stunned to really move, realize she’s dismissed him. Than in a rush, he notices a single, perfectly pink line over her cheek. But her eyes meet his and the very –non-alpha part of him kicks back into gear. He spins away, but comes to another halt at seeing Kiera.

Kiera eyes Chase suspiciously. His hairs ruffled and sweats beading over his forehead and neck lightly. The glint in his eyes is feverish, desperate. In a rush he lets out his breath which Kiera feels on her chest. His shoulders don’t relax thought. Shaking her head, Kiera turns away from Chase. “Aren’t you supposed to be doing you’re rounds?”

One of Romy’s slim shoulders shrug. “Yeah.”

Kiera rolls her eyes. “You don’t even care, do you?”

Romy shakes her head. “Nah.”

After a few seconds Kiera sighs. “Jordan’s gonna kill you”

That earns Kiera a snort, “he can try.” Romy then turns to Chase harshly. “You still haven’t answered my question, Choward.”

Kiera looks between the pair, watching Romy cross her arms and Chase blanch slowly. Despite being taller than Romy-even though it’s just an inch or two- Chase looks smaller than a mouse. Every muscles tense over his body, and so does Romy’s, her’s for a completely different reason. Kiera growls threateningly as Chase try’s to sneak behind her. His eyes are pleading, but he stops.

“Answer the question,” Romy snarls. Kiera frowns as the other girl pulls her lips back, flashing Chase a predatory smile.

Chases body curls away from Romy, as if rejecting everything about her, as if her very voice is painful, acid to hear. “Don’t-Know” he bites out harshly. He falls back a step, and again Kiera sees the wolf that ran away. An annoyed growl crawls up her throat.

“Kiera” Romy says impatiently. “Please inform Choward of your birthday”

“...21st of October. Why?”

“Chase? Yes, or no”

A sheepish smile creeps onto Chases face, but Romy growls again. Instantly the smile flees. His fear perfumes the air, til Kiera’s almost dizzy and scared herself, but the predator in her flares to life again at the smell of terror. “No,” Chase finally chokes out.

Romy’s nose flares, her eyes flashing vivid orange in the light of the fire.

A pull tugs at Kiera’s insides. She turns she finds an ash coloured wolf curling back; as if in agony. For a tense minute, the four stay perfectly still, Chase cowering and Alex holding Romy’s arm. Seconds slid past, but no one move, and Kiera can’t even hear the fire crackling anymore. She hears nothing not until Jordan steps out of the tree’s in front of her. Life returns to the party, but the blood turns to ice in her veins as she watches him stalk over. Kiera drops her gaze to his feet respectfully.

“Romilda, Alex,” he barks. His jade eyes flick over the pair. “Come with me” 

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