Pierce's P.O.V
I watch Tristan pace back and forth in timed intervals. Somehow, I kind of knew why he was feeling the way he was. He had slept with someone other than his mate and now he must feel guilty. But he shouldn't. Gabriel, should mean nothing to him.
My eyes linger on Gabriel's tied up form on the post a couple feet away from the grass I decided to sit on. Soon, I grab Tristan's hand forcing him to stand still. "Enough of this. You should feel no guilt. You weren't even mated, nonetheless, together. He's made that clear."
His grey-green eyes fall as he nods. He gazes at Gabe's blonde figure before looking back at me. "Can you allow him reprieve? Just talk to him and get him to understand." I shake my head causing a panic look to go through his eyes. "He's changed. He is nothing more than a threat to us now."
"Pierce." He pleads but I continue to shake my head. "Carry on with your duties Tristan." I say not giving way to his emotions.
I admit the anger from the trip up to the North has carried down here. Usually, I would listen to him. I don't feel like doing that. Especially if it involves that traitorous piece of shit I used to call a good friend.
After I notice he's gone, I decide to get up and walk over to him with a gaze that can rival the sun. He looks up and scoffs before chuckling. "So you're back? How was the-"
My fist collide with the bottom of his jaw and my other one connects with his nose causing blood to run out of it. All he does his spit and smirk at me, completely unfazed by it almost as if it was expected. "I'm guessing it went as well as I expected it to."
"Why didn't you tell me?!" I yell angrily which only makes him shake his head.
"Because of this. Look how you're acting. My loyalty is to him, not to you or Isaac. If he wanted it kept secret I made it whereas it was so." I glare daggers at him but it doesn't move him. "You cannot say I did not try to warn you. You just ignored me and branded me as a traitor because of love."
". . .So I suppose that makes you a traitor as well." My eyes widen before they narrow resisting the urge to land another connection to his swelling face.
"I have nothing more to do with him. I gave up my rights to him the moment I stepped out of that cursed place." I spit angrily before his eyes show some other emotion other than indifference. He looked sad and. . .distraught.
"You could not have possibly. . .rejected Cassius because of his title?"
"Title? Gabriel, I am a Beta. I'm tired of everyone trying to trivialize the issue as if you see absolutely nothing wrong with it! It is bad enough he's a Northerner. . .but an Alpha. . .my behavior was treasonous whether I realized who he was or not. And you knew."
"Of course I knew. He truly is in love with you, Pierce. Regardless of titles, he still wants you as a mate." He stresses causing my eyes to narrow to the floor at his confession. Love?
"Then why wouldn't he have told me personally instead? Why would he wait and allow me to find out about who he truly is along with his engagement to some Western wench at a Feast?!" I shout furious with dormant anger. "There is no love there. Only lies."
His eyebrows furrow before shaking his head. "There's a reason for everything he does. If only would ask him-"
"I'm not pursuing anything more with him than Alpha/Beta relations." I state matter-of-factly. It's bad enough the blonde wench eavesdropped and now knows of our past relations with each other. Things can only get worse even if I decide to hear him out.
I cannot even fathom the reaction Isaac would have if he were to find out. He already has begun to think I have some kind of feelings for one of the Northern werewolves. I can sense it. That's a sign from the Lunar Goddess herself not to go on with this.
"Pierce you're being unreasonable!"
"Ah yes, says the man who would give up a decade of friendship, family, and his own best friend for some Girl."
"I love her!"
"I'm sure you do." I say with a dull tone tired of the same tune he's been singing. I've had enough of it.
"Tristan also loves you. Does that mean anything to you?" His eyes fall before I scoff. " Of course not. I'm done speaking to you about your hypocrisies." His head falls before he grits his teeth angrily.
"Does she even love you? Have you even asked her?" I ask while bending down till I'm at eye level with him. All he does is stare at me with his green eyes beginning to brim with anger. "I'll tell you something interesting, that you might have known already. . .she doesn't."
He tries to lunge at me but I keep the same distance completely unfazed. "So I must ask you, was it all worth it? Losing everything for her?"
"Love is a bit more complicated than that." He says madly making one of my eyebrows raise. "Is it?"
"Unlike you, I won't give up on someone I want because of things that are out of her hands! She did not ask to be an Enforcer. Just as Cassius did not choose to be King! Lily did not choose to be mated to some other man but she is! Just as Cassius is with his engagement!" My eyes fall before I get up and look at him one more time.
"You're sad."
"No, you're sad."
I scoff at this before shaking my head. "I'll have Archer untie you. From here on out you are exiled. You can spend the rest of your days over in the Northern territories, just don't ever show your face around here again. I spared your family the details and allowed them to continue to believe you're dead. It's better for them that way. . .than to have a traitor for a son."
"Pierce."
I turn around and look at his bloodied face.
"You know I'm right. With Isaac's growing unrest, it's only a matter of time before war breaks out. I wonder which side you will find yourself on." I squeeze my fists until it begins to hurt.
"You're only doing what's expected of you as a Beta. I can't fault you on that because you are a good one. However, Cassius is your mate Pierce. You cherish him and it's only a matter of time. . ."
I walk away from him with a tightness in my chest. Despite me not wanting to believe him, he's right. It is only a matter of time. . .Already I'm beginning to miss him and regret every last, mean word I said to him. I'm still righteously angry with him, but it's already beginning to fade.
He saw through it all.
As soon as I step into my house I hear my sister fall onto the floor. Her curly, black locks of hair sprawls all around her. She raises her head and moans out before she notices me. Instead of green or blue, she has a mixture of the two for the color of her eyes which is rare for our family.
"You messed me up!" She rises but I push her back down only causing her to get even angrier. As small as she is, she is pretty fiery. It instantly reminded me of Cassius causing me to inwardly moan. "No welcome back? Glad you're home?"
"Whatever. I was expecting you not to come back as well." She says tactlessly. I see her pick herself up again and begins her dance again completely ignoring me. Ever since our eldest brother had past away she's been like this. Now that our father is gone it has only gotten worse.
"Kaia."
"Quiet. I need to focus." She looks at me with a glare. We've never gotten along. I can't ever think of a time when we have.
"Gabe is leaving."
That causes her to turn her head and look me. The indifference in her eyes disappears almost instantly. "He's never coming back, so say your goodbyes now."
"This is all your fault! Why would you send your own friend away?!"
"He wants to leave. I'm only honoring his wishes as his old, close friend." I say with an even voice causing her eyes to narrow and brim with tears. "I can't believe this. I can't believe you." She tries her best to sound angry but she's on the brink of shedding tears. After a couple seconds passes she pushes pass me and heads up the stairs. I hear a door slam not long after.
Sometimes I think she forgets who I am. I am a Beta before all else. I cannot just grant him a pardon when he does not even want one nonetheless deserve one. She is being unreasonable.
"Your sister must have inherited the short temper out of the three of you." My head quickly turns into the living room where I notice Isaac sitting regally on one of our chairs.
"Alpha." I give him a slight bow before raising my head again. What is he doing here? Can I have at least a moment alone to collect my thoughts?
"Pierce, riddle me this," He gets up and walks towards me. "Why send him away when obviously he deserves the penalty of death?"
"He's our childhood friend Isaac." My eyes narrow. "Why would that be a riddle?"
"Well, it's a riddle to me, because you didn't ask me." My lips purse as he fills in the little space separating us. "But it's ok. I would have done the same." I look at him completely thrown off with his behavior and words contradicting one another.
He puts his hand onto my chest and looks at me with a small smile. "Don't be so suspicious of me. You seemed a little disgruntled since the Feast so I thought I would check on you personally when we got back. However, you never came home until now."
His hands slide down to my abdomen making my eyes widen. The innuendo is as strong as the moonlight during a full moon. "Well, you can see why."
"Though she is the last of your family, she isn't worth all the love you have for her. She acts as if she hates you." That's exactly how she feels. She blames me for every bad thing that happened to us. Starting from the death of our mother to our father's.
"Isaac. . .I need time to think about things. . .now is not the time to rekindle the past." His eyes fall for a second before he looks at me again with a sigh this time.
"Fair enough." He tucks in his lips before making eye contact with me again. "Come by my office around the hour of the bird at Crescent day. We must discuss our future plans then. We were idle for a week. However, I will give you these last couple of days to yourself." I nod out of respite before he heads down the hallway and out the door. As soon as the door shuts I let out a very heavy sigh.
I make my way to one of the stools sitting below the counter. Once I sit down I cover my face with my hands trying not to let all of this weigh me down. This is beginning to become too much.
He knows. I know he knows I'm infatuated with someone. That's why he's doing this.
I drag my hands down roughly against my face. He's pining for attention that I cannot give him. Just by that mere kiss Cassius could tell-As I thought, I knew I cared about what he thought. He was aggressively possessive which is a very common trait found in Alphas. It shouldn't have surprised me, but it did.
I was too mad at the time to care about what that meant. . .but now that I'm calmed down I realize there is no possible way he could have faked his feelings for me. They are as genuine as the red moon itself.
My eyes gaze at the granite counters speckled with various colors and sized rocks. As my eyes scanned the counter I notice a very fine looking letter perched at the end of the counter causing my eyebrows to furrow.
Just by the smell alone I can instantly tell who this letter was from causing an unaided smile to cover my face. I read the name covering the front of the parchment written intricately in cursive. The ink must have been very expensive considering how bold and extravagant my name is written on here.
I flip it over to the back and see a gold wax seal imprinted with the sigil of this territory making me all the more reluctant to open it. However, I peel it open and take out the letter addressed to me. It's a fine, creamy gold with small intricate designs speckling the sides.
His scent comes wafting towards my nose causing me to only yearn for him more. He has power over me like no one else. Not even Isaac can bring me down to this extent. As my eyes fall down to the cursive written note I feel my heart beginning to pound out of my chest.
I remember the first time I met you. You made my heart soar out of my chest just moments away from almost losing you forever. It was a scary feeling and somehow I am feeling the same way as I did then.
I also remember those sweet words you said to me just a couple nights passed. To be honest, I was not expecting to hear anything close to what you had said and it took me by surprise. It made me feel extremely happy to know you felt that way about me. Yet, I waver now.
Pierce, I don't know any other way to say this, but you hold a special place in my heart that no one would ever be able to fill. You are important to me and I would hope to discuss these minor misunderstanding in person, if you don't mind.
Tomorrow at the hour of the wolf I would like for you to come meet me by the conjoining rivers. Though I wouldn't mind writing out my heart to you, I rather see you in person and hear your voice again. I know you are angry with me, yet I miss you.
I miss you immensely.
From Yours Truly,
Cassius
I read it over again before a heat rises to my face. He is bold. How can he write something like this? A blush begins covering my face. This man. . .will truly be the end of me.
I walk out the door and let the cool air touch against my face calming me down instantly. The onlookers gaze upon me with shy smiles and curious expressions which makes me become even more embarrassed than I am now. I wave them on and continue to cover the side of my face with my hand.
Right now, I must look ridiculous.
Whether it is his personality or his affront-ness, it always catches me off guard. It's truly hard to believe he hasn't been with anyone by the way he speaks to me.
Of course. . . he knows I could never say no. He's my mate just as I am his and he has made that very clear.
Cassius. . .how much more are you going to make me fall?
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[A/N] GUYS. What do you think could possibly happen next? Pierce is finally realizing how much he is beginning to fall, whether in love or from grace, it doesn't matter. He is sure Isaac knows of his growing feelings for a Northern wolf, which can only lead to one or two things.
Leave some Comments/Suggestions/Feedback if you like!