Elijah went completely pale, looking up at Kerberos who frowned darkly, his face the picture of inner conflict. He looked about ready to leap at him, knowing he was the person who had sliced up my chest but the fact was that he had done so in an effort to protect me, if I hadn't jumped in between them and saved that creepy tigers life I wouldn't have been injured in the first place. It was instincts versus logic.
Instead of pouncing he hunched a little forwards and I felt the rumble of a growl that only I could feel, that none of us could hear.
I took a deep breath and exhaled, relieved that I hadn't just made a huge mistake.
"That- I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
"Why not help me before, why not find me a place to stay before, when I needed it!"
"I-"
"I'm sorry that happened to you!" I growled. "I really am. But that hasn't happened to me here. I'm happy here! I can't just pretend we've been buddy buddy all this time. You ignored the shit out of me when I needed you. You were in a position to help me when I was almost fucking homeless and picking up scraps to make my way. You could have helped but you didn't."
"I wanted to make sure you were sober and drug-free. Then I would have helped you, you wouldn't take one test!"
I laughed bitterly. "Would it have made that much of a difference? Maybe you should ask yourself why! If I was on drugs or some kind of alcoholic, why wouldn't you want to help me then?!"
He went silent, holding his tongue his mouth a thin line as he looked down, trying to think of an answer.
I swallowed, awkwardly looking around the empty space at the branches and bushes and thin tall trees to see if anyone else was around. A couple sniffs confirmed nothing but us and the smell of the ferny trees. Only a few foreign scents that reminded me more of an forest animal than a human.
"You were doing pretty well... weren't you?"
I pinched my nose. "No..." I sighed. "I wasn't."
And he knew it, he always regarded me as a hopeless failure and looked down on me like I was a black hole sucking up money.
Maybe he had this idea that even though I wasn't doing well financially I was being some lazy arse leaching off of my friends, hell, I'd felt that way too. But living here had reminded me that everyone got an education, everyone had the base level of qualifications, of living standards necessary to grow up and pass the threshold in their lives where it became possible for them to find a job, even if it was just one working for a factory. I never got to pass that point.
There was a silence between us. I took a big bite from my sandwich. It was good, amazing in fact, and the beer was great with it. First proper sandwich I'd ever made when I thought about it.
He took a deep breath. "Well, I'm here now."
"Yes, you are." I nodded, because it was true, he was inexplicably and suddenly here now.
"And now that you know what will happen, what their game is, you won't come with me?"
I groaned looked up at him. "I'm not going through what you went through!"
"I don't believe you!" He glared.
My eyes widened, I felt speechless. "What do you mean?"
"You don't know what it's like, how it starts, and neither does he!" He glared, pointing at Kerberos. "Whatever training he's giving you, he thinks it's for your own good, it's not!"
Kerberos glared back at him, harder and meaner. A sneer on his lips. "I'm not putting him through any training." He hissed. "And don't try to tell me I don't know what that's like when I damn well do."
Both me and my brother stared at him in surprise. I watched him with big wide eyes. He didn't look at me, finishing off his sandwich without making eye contact at either of us. Leaning back against the tree he pressed the beer bottle against the bark and it popped open, seemingly pretending neither of us existed as he took a swig from the bottle and stared off into the distance.
"Kerberos..." I murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What do you mean?"
He sighed. "It doesn't matter."
"It does." Elijah said, surprising me. He sat forwards.
Ker glared at him. "It's certainly none of your business."
"Ker..." I touched his arm.
Elijah watched my hand, there was something wary in his eyes, he looked like he was ready to save me from Kerberos but I didn't know why he was afraid.
"How come you let him touch you like that?"
"Why shouldn't I?" He demanded.
Elijah shifted, looking down at his sandwich and examining it. "You're the leader?" He asked, disbelievingly.
Kerberos growled so loud and low my heart jumped in my chest and I gripped his arm, feeling his anger at being questioned like that, the automatic need to prove that he was indeed in charge here.
Elijah flattened himself against the tree, swallowing. "Fine. I get it. Stop."
While I had my hand on him, waiting for the vibrations of his growl to stop after it could no longer be heard, I leaned in without thinking. I wanted to lick him, I guess because I wanted to calm him down, but it would be a lie if I didn't admit that the scent on him was calling out to me, I wanted to taste it.
I reeled back in surprise when I realised exactly what I was just about to automatically do, my face burning.
Kerberos turned to look at me, but if he knew he didn't say anything.
"Why do you doubt it?" I asked my brother, genuinely curious.
Elijah took a large bite from his sandwich, he was slow but he looked hungry. "Why do you think? Group leaders are unfriendly and power-hungry. No one gets away with acting chummy with them, they get punished no matter what kind of cat."
"In the claw you were a part of." Kerberos stated firmly.
Elijah shook his head stubbornly. "In all the groups we visited and visited us as well. You lot are miserable authoritarian dictators with the power to match. I hate it, you shouldn't be anywhere near him." He hissed, growing more angry.
Before Ker could get angry in response, and I almost saw his hackles raising in front of me, I interrupted.
"He isn't like that." I said.
"I don't believe you, you're brainwashed."
"I-"
"You think because we're having a nice little picnic here that this is any less of a trap? You think you can leave if you want to?"
I sat back, startled for a moment, I glanced at Keberos. Could I leave if I wanted to?
I'd ran away once before and he'd brought me back, but it hadn't felt... It... I swallowed down what felt like a lump of clay in my mouth.
Was I not seeing the cage because I liked what I saw beyond the bars so much? Even when I ran away I had intended on returning, but when he had chased after me... I was surprised and worried but I had been happy.
I wanted him to grab me and clutch onto me and wrap his arms around me as he told me I couldn't leave, because he wanted me.
When I thought of expelling myself from this place, without him, I felt insanely lost. Even with the prospect of a job and consistent lodgings, which I so definitively wanted, the thought was repellent.
I wanted it all. I didn't want to have to pick. Kerberos was a dominant growly, sometimes distant, man but he had inserted himself into my heart and I had so much faith that he would take care of it that I couldn't stomach the thought of willingly walking away from it.
Something clicked in that for me. I leaned over and kissed him on his cheek, paring it with an invisible swipe of the tongue between my lips, and pulled away, looking forwards as though I hadn't done anything.
Kerberos stared at me with wide eyes, as did Elijah.
"If I am brainwashed..." I said slowly, but decisively. "I'm really happy." A smile naturally fell in place as I looked down at a curling twig on the soil in front of me, grasping it and twisting it in my fingers. "It might be weird, maybe it's not what you would want but... Me, myself and I? We're pretty damn happy over here..."
Elijah was staring at me, I felt sure from the look in his eyes he believed me but didn't know how to give up. "You might just think you're happy-"
"No." I interrupted, not letting him get any further with it. "You know I'm happy, because you knew me before."
He swallowed, and eventually nodded. "Yes." He pursed his lips. "You do... you look... healthier..."
I nodded.
He looked down. I saw the air deflate in his chest as he looked adrift for a moment. "I don't... know what I'm doing here now."
I smiled, my eyes fixed on the twig again. "You know I've always wanted a big brother."
He frowned. "You've always had one."
I shook my head. "No, I haven't."
He finished the sandwich and ran his hands through his hair, leaning back against the tree. "I don't know what brothers do."
I shook my head again. "You don't know what mothers do. Recently... seems like recently you're doing what a brother might do."
Elijah swallowed, leaning forwards he reached out, his hand frozen in mid air for a moment as he glanced at Kerberos.
Kerberos was growling again, again with no sound so that only I could feel it, he was trying to hide his dislike at the idea of him touching me. He wouldn't interfere here, he knew better.
My brother tussled my hair slightly. "You've grown up a lot." He said, his eyes a mixture of concern and gratification. "I barely recognise you."
I just nodded.
When he got up and wiped the crumbs off his trousers and started walking away I had the firm feeling that maybe our relationship would become something totally different than before. Better.
I wanted to look forward to it, but knowing he didn't look down on me or even dislike me as much as I thought for the majority of my life was far more satisfying than the idea of stepping into knew unexamined waters with him.
Kerberos sat beside me and all of a sudden drew me closer that I fell forwards onto his lap, leaves and other forest debris being dragged behind my shoes and the twig I was holding disappeared out of my grip as I squeaked in surprise.
His eyes were ablaze when he watched me. "You need to not do that again while we're in heat. I really like the idea of biting you right now."
I cocked my head, my hands resting on his chest. "He's my brother."
"Instincts aren't recognising that and..." He inhaled. "It makes it far more difficult when you tease me that way." He growled.
The tingling progressed into an outright warmth, starting from my cock this time. I took a deep breath, but that didn't help at all, his scent was slowly wrapping around me and every bit of it was delicious, a rush. I pushed back against his shoulders, trying to reduce my response.
"He might still be nearby..." I whispered, my face flushed knowing my cock filling out was obvious to him from my position..
There was a flash in his eyes as the light reflected on the bright yellow cat eyes once more, narrowing in on my lips, and I realised his teeth were showing, or at least in half-way transformation, startlingly sharp white teeth glimpsed at me as he opened his mouth to speak.
"Then tell me to stop." He demanded, my hands landing on his broad shoulders as he pulled me even closer.
[A/N] Regarding the new wattpad guidelines; I suppose at this stage I'm remaining hopeful. If I run into problems I'll take down sex scenes, however I believe they are only not allowed without the context of an actual storyline besides the sex. None of my stories are exclusively sex. So ideally this will not affect me.
If it does affect me I will take down those chapters and post them on my patreon for people to access (for free). I do have an Inkitt account which I haven't used too much, but it does exist.
Warm thanks to my patrons. (ㅅꈍ⌣ꈍ)
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