Julius POV
TRIGGER WARNING
After storming out of the bar and going back to pack's territory, I went home. Trist and Chen quickly noticed my foul mood and left me alone.
I'm not happy that I lost control over that jerk, but I can't just block his words in my head. Fresh bruises... Danny was sparring with warriors from time to time but not that often. After I moved out of the house, I wasn't spending with him as much time as before, so I'm not sure if...
Brandon used too much force with Danny at the beginning, I remember that, but later it seemed okay, and then I moved out and...
Fuck, but Danny keeps saying that everything is okay and Brandon for sure wouldn't; they are mates, for Goddess' sake. Brandon may be a cheater, but he isn't an abuser, isn't he?
I take a big breath and try to get to sleep as my phone start ringing, and to my surprise, it's Mae. What the hell would she want from me, especially after our last encounter? And yet I take her call, and yet I listen to her rather chaotic explanation and request, and I don't hesitate even a moment.
In a matter of seconds, I'm outside; my wolf runs so fast in the direction of Danny's house. I know it's probably nothing, but I must make sure; I just must.
I shift in front of his door, and for a blink, I hesitate but don't knock; just crawl inside. As always, Danny hasn't closed the door. There is no one downstairs, but I can hear muffled screams and cry from upstairs; Drake is almost ripping inside me to get out, and that's when I just stand up and run upstairs, totally ignoring the fact that I'm moving on my two feet.
I barge through the door to Danny's and Brandon's bedroom, a place I've never been before.
And that's when everything just happens so fast, but later when I have to repeat all the details to Natasha and Chen, I have no problems remembering them; they will stay in my memory forever. The fury in my veins is boiling.
Brandon is lying on top of Danny, holding him by his throat. I see tears and fear on his face as Brandon pounds into him. My cousin's eyes are shifted, and his claws are out, and I clearly see big stains of blood on the sheets beneath them.
"Julius, come and share the whore with me!" He bursts with laughing, and I roar, coming to them.
In a flash... everything is happening in a flash.
I grab Brandon and rip him away from Danny, throwing him into the wall; he crashes into it but gets on his feet very quickly. He looks at me, laughing loudly like a madman.
"You want his ass so much! Get in line!"
But I don't wait. I don't give him any time as I jump on him, clawing his chest and throwing punch after punch into his face. He is strong, and his wolf is partially out, just like mine, but because we move so fast and keep attacking each other, the full shift is impossible.
I feel his bones cracking under my fists, and I feel his claws cutting my skin; although I don't feel any pain, I feel nothing but a blind fury. I want to kill him; I want to rip his heart out of his chest.
When I push him out of the room, we both fall down the stairs but stand up fast. He jumps at me, but I block his punch. I kick him with my knee and sink my canines into his shoulder. He howls in pain but gets to claw my back, and yet I can't be stopped; only his death will make me stop.
Finally, I press him down into the floor, clenching my fingers on his throat; he claws my hands but can't push me away. I snarl, squeezing my hands tighter; Drake wants him dead, I want him dead, I want him dead so much.
He bursts with blood from his mouth, but I don't loosen my grip.
"Julius, stop!" someone grabs me and pulls me away from Brandon, three sets of hands. I resist; someone screams because I sink my claws in him.
"Julius, for Goddess's sake, stop!!!" Trevor screams so loud into my face that I am finally able to distinguish where I am and what has just happened.
Trevor and his two friends look at me, totally scared; one of them is holding, maybe unconscious, but I hope maybe dead Brandon.
Darke's rage and my rage are still in my veins, but... I just stand up and run upstairs. Danny... Danny is what matters now; nothing else matters now!
He is still on the bed, trembling and crying, trying to cover himself like a scared baby; he actually tries to move away when I come closer to him.
"Danny, it's alright, it's me, Julius, it's alright," I whisper softly as he starts sobbing hard.
I sit next to him and try to pull him into my arms, but he whimpers in pain this time. Shit, no visible wounds except cuts on his legs, but who knows what Brandon managed to do to him.
I wrap my arms around him as gently as I can, and he sobs pressed into my chest, trembling so much, almost as if he is in a seizure.
"I've got you, I've got you, it's over, I've got you," I whisper to him, although I must fight so hard not to burst with rage again, rage that is still in me.
"Julius?" Trevor is standing at the broken door with his eyes wide open and horror on his face.
"Alyssa and Chen are almost here; we mindlinked them. What the hell happened?" he whispers.
"Is Brandon dead?" I ask lowly, trying to surpass my growl.
"No, but you've battered him seriously and..."
"Make sure when I go downstairs, I won't see him because I will kill him, and nobody will be able to stop me!" I say as Danny sobs and trembles in my hold.
Bloodlust, I feel bloodlust for the one who dared to touch the man in my arms, the man that belongs to me and only to me.
Danny POV
Voices... in my dazed state, I hear voices very close to me. I try to move, but the terrible pain rushes through me, and I stop. I want to open my eyes, but they are so heavy I struggle to do it; I want to speak but can't because of the pain.
"He has a bruised throat; he will probably not be able to speak for a couple of days. He also has a dislocated hip. I think it happened during today's intercourse or, rather rape. The blood was partly from his anal canal and mostly from the opened cuts on his legs. But the cuts are older, and they are not from today. I haven't found anything else."
"And that's not enough for you!"
That voice I know. It's Julius, he is angry, but I'm still so happy that he is so close.
"Julius, I know you are agitated, I'm too, but shouting won't change anything and won't help anybody," I think that voice is Natasha's, but I'm not sure. "Alyssa, make sure to patch Brandon enough, so I would be able to send him to a dungeon. I want him out of the infirmary and away from Danny as soon as possible. And you, Julius, just stop moving around; you have some wounds too, and you should take it easy."
I relax a bit, I'm in the pack infirmary, and Julius is close, so I'm safe, even if only a bit. I try to remember what happened. Brandon was so angry, but not only him; I also felt Bruce, and he wasn't a normal Bruce; I felt rage and emptiness from him.
I finally manage to open my eyes; I see the plain room and people around my bed.
"Danny!" Julius notices that I look at him and move closer in his wheelchair. I see cuts and bruises on his face and hands; he gently takes my palm in his and starts patting my hair.
"Hey darling, you are safe," he whispers, and I manage to nod, telling him that I hear him.
Alyssa comes closer and checks my eyes, and asks me some strange yes or no questions like how many fingers I see and what day is today. She gives me some water, but drinking is painful.
"Danny, you have a swollen throat, so it's better if you don't try to speak for some time." She says, and I nod.
"Danny" this time it's Natasha" Brandon is also in the infirmary, but I placed two warriors in front of your room; no one will enter. Julius can stay here with you if that's what you want?"
I nod again, she asks if I want to know what happened, and I nod once again.
"Brandon's friends were at Mae's bar, and she and Terry listened to their conversation, and he was worried that Brandon was furious..."
He was. I haven't seen him that angry ever before.
"... Terry was worried about your safety, and Mae called Julius, so he came to check on you and..."
I close my eyes, trying to surpass my tears. He saw me; Julius saw me so disgusting, so weak, so dirty.
"Shhh, Danny, it's alright, you are safe, I promise you that," Julius whispers, still holding my hand tight. "He will never touch you again."
I hear some commotion in the corridor. Preston is shouting that he must speak with Natasha now! She sighs, obviously irritated, and goes outside the room. I hear Preston's screaming that his son didn't do anything and Julius is a fucking brute.
"Danny, I gave you painkillers, but the next couple of hours will be difficult." Alyssa decides to get my attention" Try not to move; try to sleep; I will check on you in a couple of hours. Julius, you are patched up. You can take a second bed. I think Danny shouldn't be alone today."
And that's when she leaves, and Julius and I are alone. Preston also stopped screaming; probably Natasha took him out of Infirmary.
Julius moves a bit and lay next to me and gently pats my head as I put it on his chest. Listening to his heartbeat helps more with my pain than the painkillers. He is so close to me, and I'm so happy because of it. I don't want to leave his arms ever again; I want him to hold me forever like that.
"I'm so sorry, Danny," he whispers, gently playing with my hair." I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you earlier; I'm so sorry for everything. I'm sorry I haven't noticed what was happening."
I latch into him harder as he gently kisses my forehead. I don't want to cry again, and yet I can't stop myself. The tears are running, and I start shaking, Julius holds me whispering that he got me and he will find a way to make it right, that everything will be alright.
But I don't believe him. My mating mark is painful, it's a painful reminder that my mate is still alive and we are still bonded, and no matter what, that will never change because marking between true mates is unreversible. Mates are Goddess blessings, but in my example, it turned out to be the curse, the nightmare. I'm now awake, but only for a short moment.
Julius holds me as I close my eyes and let my sobs lull me to sleep.
But I'm not able to sleep the whole night. The pain in my hip wakes me up when there is still dark outside. Thankfully Julius is still with me, I'm still in his arms, and I'm still safe. He looks so calm and is already healed. There are no cuts and bruises on his face anymore. He is so handsome, so different from Brandon.
And Brandon is alive, and he will never let me go; he will not stop until he finds a way to once again have me back with him, no matter what. And since we are marked, he will always be able to find me; there is no place in this world I would be able to hide away from him.
Was it my fault from the beginning? Has it turned out like that because I couldn't love him? I tried, I really tried, and there was a time when I almost believed I manage to do that.
I am so stupid, I should've done something after the first hit, but I didn't want to admit that something was wrong with me. And something is wrong with me; something seriously is wrong with me. My own father couldn't love me, and my own mate couldn't love me. My father chose to sell me in exchange for keeping the roof above our heads, and my mate chose to abuse and cheated on me in exchange for keeping his wolf strong. For both of them, I was something they didn't want or care about but was useful enough, something they could capitalize on.
I snuggle more into Julius, hoping this night will never end, hoping I could just stay like that with him forever...
"Mate, don't cry," I hear a raspy voice. I move a bit and look into Julius's face. His eyes are dark, so I think, like last time, Drake is the one here with me.
"Mate, not sad, mate belongs to us," Drake says, moving his fingers to my face and gently touching it and my lips.
I don't move away as he leans closer and slowly touches my lips with his. I close my eyes and let myself get lost in his gentle touch and closeness. When we stop kissing, he looks me in the eyes and says:
"Mate never his, mate always ours."