Halfway there
~
Accalia
~
Accalia had no chance to get to her room. One step through the threshold and an arm snaked around her waist and she was swept away.
"You're avoiding me," a voice hissed into her ear and it wasn't long until Accalia realised she was standing in Lycus's room as the world around her stopped spinning.
Accalia gripped the bridge of her nose and released a shaky sigh. "I'm not avoiding you."
"You're not even looking at me,"
Accalia levelled her eyes to him and blood spattered across him as if a comet had hit him. Blinking, the crimson slashed across his body cleared like it was never there to begin with.
As Accalia's expression grew stunned, Lycus shifted in realisation. "You're scared of me."
"I'm not."
"You won't look at me, I can't kiss you, sleep next to you ... so yes, you are scared of me and avoiding me." Lycus didn't hesitate and brushed his hands up her arms to keep her still. "Tell me why."
Accalia wanted to use Cadence as an excuse — throwing her cousin into a pit of excuses as to why she pulling away, but it wouldn't work; not with the look Lycus gave her.
"I forget who you are sometimes," Accalia admitted, giving her eyes a rest from him and looking to the ground. "I forget that you're the oldest living Alpha around and that you're known for being more a monster than a man. But Lycus, I see you as a man first before anything else."
Once upon a time, she viewed him nothing more than a beast. A creature designed to be killed by her people for what he was and could be capable of.
That curse broke and Accalia was no longer under that spell.
To be a lycan, you had to be a human first and that was how Lycus came to be.
Accalia was more bound to the man than the beast.
Lycus regarded her silently and placed his hands by her hips, his skin sending heat through her jeans. "I forget who I am too, especially when I'm around you."
Accalia had no response to that, but stood grateful they have somewhat come to a middle ground despite all the dodges she had made at him these past three days. After Erisa came and went, establishing the part she would play in taking down Cole, Accalia dodged all corners and halls Lycus could be in.
"You make me feel human, Accalia and I love you for that."
Accalia gasped, a jittery tremble passing through her body and she bored her eyes into his, not sure if she heard him right. "What?"
Lycus smiled cheekily and pulled her into his chest, holding her still as he stared down at her.
"I love you." Lycus said again as if this was old news, the saying more real than last.
Accalia's heart slammed against her ribcage and her throat closed up, loss for words. "I—I—"
"You don't have to say it back," Lycus murmured and cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing against her jaw.
Accalia saw past his words, saw the pain stinging his eyes as they dilated with overwhelming urgency. She closed her mouth, silencing her mutterings back into her throat and grew stiff in his touch.
She cared about him, cared about him enough to not bare seeing him hurt or in pain. It would break her in two if she ever saw him wounded or weakened. She valued him, cherished him and desired him in every way he did her — but it didn't embed into the sentiment of love.
Accalia couldn't bring herself to say something she didn't wholeheartedly mean even if she wanted to take away his hurt.
The purpose of the mate bond was to restore a lycan's humanity and be a counterpart they needed to seek humility than the monstrosity. Whose to say the bond needed to be founded in love?
"I'll wait for you, Accalia."
Accalia pulled away, not helping herself and said, "that's not fair on you, Lycus. I feel so much for you ... I do. But—but—"
Lycus thoughtlessly scooped her face in his hands again and didn't allow for her to move an inch. "I know. I feel it as much as you do, but I also feel your cautiousness around me. Remember I did tell you if you want to leave, you can. I won't stop — I'll try and not stop you."
Accalia shook her head, not wanting to hear that last part. Relaxing against him, his touch withholding something only he would have over her, she buried her head into his chest and felt out for his heartbeat that reaped with humanity.
"Don't say that. I don't think I can bare being without you, even with the conflicting thoughts I have, I'm just not there yet." Accalia confessed to him and secured her arms around him.
"I don't want you to leave me, Accalia. Not now, not ever. Not even in death."
Accalia felt her eyes burn and Lycus placed a kiss on the top of her head, sealing a fating deal between them both.
"I'll wait for you," Lycus whispered solemnly.
Would he always? Accalia thought gravely to herself and that thought made her hug him tighter.
____
Accalia tilted her head as she stared at the unfamiliar face in downright repulsion.
She couldn't tell if it was indifference or murder dancing across those grey eyes that suited well with the paleness of his complexion and the hollowness creeping through his cheeks, highlighting his ghastly appearance. He was everything you thought a lycan would never be.
"No wonder he's a damn lycan all the time," Cadence muttered with a laugh, "the poor thing looks dead. Almost feel bad for the guy."
"I can't wait till he is." Lycus piped in and tucked the photo of Cole Canus back into his jacket.
This man — lycan, scratched me, Accalia pondered and shook her head slightly, wanting to rid that face from her mind.
Her back didn't ripple in a sting of a constant reminder of claw marks laid into her back but tickled faintly with ache. The stitches would be removed soon enough and it was all thanks to Lycus's lycanthropy blood that sped up the healing process.
"How old is the photo?" Accalia asked, noticing it had ridges and yellow strains on it.
"Over thirty years old," Lycus answered.
"So in the 60s?" Cadence mumbled and Accalia clenched her eyes closed, breathing heavily to not laugh.
"The 80s, you bonehead." Lycus snapped and Cadence flipped him off.
"He could've changed a lot since then." Erisa hollered to everyone.
Accalia couldn't agree more. As sick as he appeared in the aged photo, he could have had his entire appearance altered and that only placed them in a situation of unsureness.
"We'll find out when you go to the Hell Blue's bar tomorrow," Lycus said to Erisa who shuffled near Cadence on instinct, fighting to keep her gaze levelled on the Alpha. "You'll have to change your appearance."
Erisa's face fell. She tended to dress in attire with dark eyeliner, a black leather jacket and clothing that covered her head to toe. But this wasn't about keeping up with her appearance, Erisa had to change a part of her outer self to blend with the likes of a beast in a human environment.
"That's a good idea, Lycus," Accalia acknowledged her mate, feeling her face flush from the flirty smirk he sent her way. "We want him to know what you look like, not who you are. So we will mask your scent, wear a different perfume and change your clothing."
Erisa nodded in confirmation.
Accalia mimicked her nod and in her peripheral vision, a figure swept into the kitchen, carrying three bowls of what would have contained cereal.
Rexton washed his dishes, avoiding anyone who passed him looks, which only happened to be Accalia and Lycus.
Accalia hadn't seen much of the hybrid, he had been isolated and ignored by everyone at all costs. After the rejection from Cadence, he retreated deeper into his shell, like he was back in his coffin. Cadence had yet to mention him. If he was out of sight, he was out of her mind.
"What are all of you doing?" Rexton murmured, coming into the lounge room and rolling his sleeves up to his elbows.
Accalia's heart bled from the pain in his voice. It rang with a craven croak as if he hadn't used it in days.
She looked to Lycus expectedly and wondered what went on in that head of his. He hardly acknowledged his little brother, barely mentioning his name and it made Accalia unsure of where they stood with each other.
Were they enemies? Were they brothers?
"Cadence's friend, Erisa, is going to spy on Cole Canus," Accalia answered him.
He suffered enough, Accalia finalised. Over one hundred years in a coffin for his differences and abnormalities compared to lycans. They weren't saints themselves. He will be dragged through mud and rain before Cadence even sees him as a boy pining for a conversation. And two brothers that treated him as though he didn't exist.
Rexton looked briefly to Erisa, his lips quirking up into a half smile. "She dresses funny."
Cadence slapped a hand over her mouth as a laugh burst out of her and she gripped Erisa's shoulder to steady herself. Erisa's face blazed with withdrawn annoyance.
He made Cadence laugh, a resonant and pleasing laugh that even made Accalia giggle.
Quickly as it came, Cadence silenced herself and threw a glare everyone's way. "Are we sure Cole is going to be there? We don't wanna waste time." She grunted.
"By the tellings of the moon cycle that Vaela saw through Cole's memories, that would've given us dates and times. He'll be there tomorrow," Lycus responded coldly, chancing a glance to his brother and then back to Cadence.
"Maybe I should go by another name," Erisa piped up.
A chorus of unsettling shouts and suggestions followed through:
"Erin."
"E."
"Jae for Jaeger."
Rexton pointed bashfully at Erisa with a worried expression. "She is quite small, I can hear the erratic heartbeats from here, are you sure this mere human will be safe?"
It was only concern in his voice, no stray of malice or rudeness, even if a hunter would consider his observation insulting.
Rexton raised a point. Would Erisa be safe? In the presence of Cole, of course not. No one was safe around him and there was a reason for that. But if anything were to arise, anything were to happen, could Erisa fend him off?
"She's a hunter," Cadence sneered and threw an arm around Erisa's shoulders, a little too strong that she nearly collapsed on impact. "She can protect herself. I'll be there too."
"I mean no disrespect to hunters, Cadence, I know of their courage and strength, but I must say, the only person strong enough to go up against Cole are my brothers." Rexton countered gently and Cadence looked ready to stab him.
Lycus grinned wolfishly and strode over to Rexton with a prowl in his step. "Giving us all the credit, Rex? Always so humble. And he's right, Cadence, no one can just go up against Cole. Rexton probably could but he—"
"Does Cole know Rexton? In any way?" Cadence cut Lycus off, pinning him with a cold and tedious stare.
Lycus frowned, tilting his head in regard before saying, "Never met him. Rexton was considered dead throughout Cole's upbringing and no one knew of my brother unless they were a part of my pack ... most of those pack members are now dead."
Accalia settled Cadence a confused look, wondering what her younger cousin was playing at and if it would lead to more harm than good. She didn't want to consider the latter as Cadence stepped up to Rexton, crossing her arms and jutting her chin out to him in recognition.
"Cole could recognise your scents," Cadence mumbled to Accalia and Lycus, slanting them with unfortunate stares. "The hybrid and I can watch over Erisa tomorrow."
Accalia's throat closed up with disbelief.
"Fuck no!" Lycus wasted no time in saying.
Cadence ignored Lycus's frantic outburst and focused on Accalia, a knowing look swirling across her face.
"You know I'm right," Cadence said to her cousin. "Even if I didn't have a fighting chance, I'd still go up against Cole, but not with Erisa in the line of fire. I don't trust the hybrid, but he will be able to take on Cole if anything goes south."
They needed the extra firepower, the needed measures to scope Cole out. Lycus wouldn't be able to do this or Accalia with her injury, not even Gabriel — they would be easily recognised with their scents and appearance. It would foil everything they've created thus far.
Accalia realised this, but Lycus wouldn't.
"You can't protect your little brother forever, Lycus," Cadence reminded him.
Lycus growled, teeth baring in a savage snarl. "You will do well to keep your mouth shut with matters you don't understand."
Cadence rounded on him, motioning around the room in a dramatic gesture and countered, "Maybe I'll take that advice when you tell us exactly why you locked the hybrid away. Was it his abilities? Is there something we gotta know before we—"
"Rexton is the strongest creature to walk the earth, that can be an undoing for him or all."
Cadence didn't back down and pointed to the hybrid, her face ridden in disgust at even gesturing to him. "He's a big boy, Lycus, I'm sure he can take care of himself. The last person he hurt was you ... he hasn't hurt a fly since."
Accalia hid a sheepish smile, covering a hand over her mouth and pondering on how much regret that would fill Cadence later on.
"Do yourself a favour, Cadence and shut the fuck up!" Lycus snarled at her.
"You're an idiot!" Cadence snapped with no intention of backing down.
"And you're a whiny bitch." Lycus countered just as venomously.
As bickering unfolded in a slew of insults, Accalia strolled over to Rexton and kept her distance away from him.
"You've been isolated a lot lately," Accalia said to him, crossing her arms.
Rexton's head perked up, brows pulling together in scrutiny, but not long after, he smiled. "I have. My brother deemed it best."
"But do you?"
Rexton tilted his head in thought, considering Accalia's question and shakily shook his head. "I would like to be outside more and I want to help."
No wonder Lycus and Gabriel were so persistent in isolating him to protect him. He was a contradiction of innocence and corruption that fuelled his every unnatural instinct. A force no one could control.
Rexton was a paradox that shouldn't have left his box.
"You must feel ... suffocated," Accalia whispered solemnly, relating to the feeling and how depriving it could become.
Lycus committed the same act to her, out of protection and fear of what he could not control. It only left Accalia with stitches keeping her cuts together and a war on the horizon.
"I'm still breathing," Rexton said thoughtfully and glanced over Accalia's head, seeking another out.
Barely, Accalia concluded and looked over her shoulder, seeing the harshness on Cadence's face.
"Stop arguing with my cousin and let Rexton make his own choices," Accalia called out, silencing the bantering carrying on through the house and Lycus halted on his next hiss of venom.
His head cocked to the side, that savagery spiking through his lycan eyes and his lip curled challengingly. "That isn't your decision to make, Accalia."
"And it isn't yours." Accalia remarked and pointed behind her shoulder to Rexton. "It's his."
His abilities could be the strength they need. Why wouldn't Lycus want that?
Lycus rounded on Cadence, towering over her as if she was an animal to be slaughtered.
Accalia didn't even realise Rexton moved away from her and to Cadence's side within a second, anticipating Lycus's next move intently.
"You want to make your own decisions, Rexton?" Lycus called out to him bitterly.
Rexton straightened up, standing in front of Cadence with a promising expression shining across his face. "Cadence needs my help, I will do whatever she needs."
Lycus scoffed and shook his head, sending Cadence a seething look. "If anything happens to him, you'll face the consequences." Lycus warned.
Cadence's gaze softened ever so slightly, only enough where she understood the extent of protection she would go ... just like Lycus would.
"Extra precaution, Lycus. It will only come to a fight if Cole finds us out. The hybrid will watch over Erisa and I'll be there too." Cadence assured him.
Lycus flashed a fierce glare Accalia's way before stalking out of the room, claws pronouncing from his nails and biting back a snarl at anyone who dared look at him.
___
A difficult chapter with all of their different beliefs and opinions.
Who do you think is more right?
— Caranyx.