"What the actual fuck..."
Nestled inside the plateau surrounded by redwood pines and just below the cliff was a giant hole that was about two hundred and fifty across and a hundred and fifty feet deep or possibly more since no one had ever tried to venture forth into this part of the area. Raze looked down on the edge to what they had long identified as one of the holes at the end of their world with mixed emotions.
With a sudden burst of anger, his hand stretched and grabbed Lev by the collar of his shirt and demanded, "What the fuck did you do!? Did you look where you were going?"
Lev struggled and pried the hand that grabbed him. Freed from his grasp, he glared back. "How are we supposed to know when your Alpha started hounding us to the ends of the world!"
"Of course, he'd come after you! What do you expect? First, you stole one of his aero trucks and now you're trying to steal his specimen. You don't even understand how dangerous this creature is! Have you seen what it did to the lab?!"
"Well, what do we do now? Shouldn't we find a way or send troops to get them out of there?"
Raze narrowed his gaze and Lev took a step back in alarm. "Send troops down there? That hole down there is among the entrances to the deep! I'm guessing that the reason Vinzer chased you was because he saw you heading in the wrong direction, you imbeciles!"
"Fine! I guess we'll just have to bring our own troops since you couldn't care less about---"
"What nonsense are you sprouting? No one is leaving this place until my Alpha has returned!"
Lev and Sonya looked at each other panic-stricken. "My Alpha is in there too! You, selfish moronic prick! You can't hold us hostage---"
Raze smirked, baring his fangs. "Oh yes, I can and I will. You're not leaving."
"FUCKER! Rolan is waiting outside at the southern border crossing with a fucking army! He is Rumi's brother and an Elder! If we don't return on the agreed timeframe, he'll send the militia here, are you crazy?"
"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK! Tell him to send the whole army over if that's what he wants. No one is LEAVING this side until my brother comes back ALIVE or else, your entire horde is TOAST!"
The entrance of another Elder put their argument to a halt. Vasily strode between them dividing the crowd. He put a hand on Raze's chest, an act that had the effect of calming the rage of the Beta's nerves.
Once the fire was settled, Vasily turned his attention on the Silverfrost's Gamma. "I will talk to Rolan," he declared. "I think it would be better to both sides that you two stays here until we can retrieve Rumi from the crater too."
"But..."
"If you return empty-handed, it would seem as if our side did something to your Alpha. Stay here and we can figure out a way to get both of them together. Besides, this part of the area is still within our territory. We can't have you sending troops over to save your Alpha. Even if you meant no harm, our people won't feel safe."
Lev stared down at the edge of the cliff with wonder and uneasiness of a child. Ha paused a moment, looked at Sonya, and then looked back at Vasily. "All right...we will stay. But please, we want our Alpha back."
┈┈┈┈ ⋞ 〈☪〉 ⋟ ┈┈┈┈
Rumi fell into a deep sleep. It was a sleep filled with fleeting visions of strange places, filled with curious and wonderful things. In these dreams, what once was irregular was now ordinary and proper. Plants were living things with their own thoughts and feelings. All was in perfect harmony. Or so he thought. As he sunk deeper into the spell of the forest as he dreamed, a nightmare emerged in the form of a majestic creature with ruby-red eyes...
When Rumi awoke with a start, he was first conscious of how his body felt refreshed. Slowly, memories of the mission, the attack, and the pursuit came back to him but he noticed that the injuries he received seemed to have completely disappeared.
Most of all...he was vaguely aware of how comfortable he snuggled into his cozy little bed...
Rumi gasped when he realized that he was lying down on the body of another person. He glanced down at Vinzer's face, confused. His heart was beginning to beat faster. It was strange to be able to feel it but as he saw a small campfire on the side, lit a glow in a dim forest, and the sound of the crackle was all that could be heard, he realized that Vinzer had probably taken care of him while he was unconscious.
The smoke twirled heavenward charming his worries away as he started inspecting his body. Werewolves could lick each other's wounds and it seems that was exactly what had been done to him. He gazed down at Vinzer's slumbering countenance once again, his soft snores were proof of his exhaustion. Damn it, now he felt guilty. He could see the man was wounded too...there were bruises on his face, down to his neck...
Unable to bear it any longer, he continued to examine the wounds and proceeded to unbutton his leather coat. A hand flew and grabbed his wrist. The pressure felt as if someone had cuffed his wrist to a heavy-duty titanium chain! He tugged on it and found Vinzer's dark eyes boring into him.
"Hey, I'm only trying to return the favor. Let go..."
Vinzer shot him a deadly serious look, pushing himself with his elbows, he sat down and faced Rumi once more. "Don't touch me."
The reaction sent a harsh shudder through him. Rumi's guilt was suddenly buried under the anger and resentment that had been building and churning within him since the revelation of the pagan priest. "Fine! I'll leave you and get out of here by myself---"
"Damn it! Do you even know how to lower your pride?"
Yes, that stung. Rumi felt a brief twinge of culpability. He glanced over his shoulder, "I didn't mean..."
"SIT DOWN."
"Let me just heal you. I can..."
"I didn't lick you," Vinzer clarified this and pulled out a vial of healing potion. "It's only good for one person."
Rumi was shocked. "Why did you use it on me? You could've just..."
"The creature wounded you badly and I...I didn't mean to strike you with the blade."
A wave of humiliation and remorse washed over him. "I'm sorry," he said solemnly. But Vinzer merely looked at him with a confused expression, as if he had no idea what he could possibly be sorry for. Or perhaps he didn't think Rumi would actually apologize. "Look, I know that you're upset. I betray you and you have every right to be mad at me. You should've not saved me. I'm sorry...that creature...it kept appearing in my nightmare. I must know what it was, Vinzer...I didn't mean to wreak havoc on your turf. I was so preoccupied with my own goal that I didn't even realize I was doing it until I saw your face..."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Vinzer told him and averted his gaze. But he could hear that voice held that tone; that tone was a dead giveaway that there was something to be sorry for. As Rumi fumbled with his hands on his lap, feeling awkward and ridiculous, digging his nails into his palms to appear nonchalant, Vinzer added. "I also have ulterior motives. I was trying to make you stay...longer, if possible."
Rumi slowly raised his head and met his gaze. "Why...?"
"I tried every tactic to get to you and I always fail. You're not the only one to feel this way for the first time, Rumi."
"You mean...you never had a lover too?"
Vinzer chuckled. "No...I had lovers, but none of them has ever made me feel the way you do." He told Rumi this, and his eyes seemed to be trying to communicate something more as his gaze burned into him. "The truth is, I don't know how to deal with you. I've never been gentle or kind. Nor was I ever considerate. I admit that when I heard the prophecy, my head was filled with nothing but evil intentions. But I couldn't do it. I don't want you to hate me, Rumi. I don't trust myself when I'm with you. I don't know how to deal with us..."
There was a look of surprise on Rumi's face. The confession made him suddenly shy, and he tilted his head slightly downward in a reserved gesture, a habit that only his brother knew, assuming to conceal his face. He could feel his cheeks growing warm and understand that he was blushing. If Vinzer noticed his discomfort, he was considerate enough to pretend that he did not.
"I don't know..." Rumi said, trying to think of something clever to say. "...a lot of things would change, could change, if we..."
Vinzer turned his attention to the crackling flames. "I know."
Silence.
Rumi mulled over many different strategies and approaches, but it didn't change the subject of what they had discussed moments earlier. It was like a big elephant in the room that he refused to address. He tried to think of how to describe what being in the place with him meant to him, but his words failed. So, he gave up. "Where are we?" he asked feebly.
Vinzer threw in some twigs to kindle the fire. "In one of the entrances to the deep."
Rumi's jaw dropped. "Are you...certain?"
"At this point, I'm one hundred percent certain."
┈┈┈┈ ⋞ 〈☪〉 ⋟ ┈┈┈┈
Perhaps he had judged Vinzer too harshly. It was difficult to trust a Lycan who was known for their violence and wrath. Even among their family members, the Romanoffs had used their status, influence, and wealth to destroy one another. Their sudden fall resulted in a desperate struggle for power among the other elites. Until Vinzer returned the control to their family by becoming the Alpha. In spite of showing that his skill was on par with the previous leaders and that he was the strongest Alpha that had taken over the leadership, shrill charges of "conspiracy" rang hollow. This was revealed as Rumi continued to probe, trying to comprehend what little information he had about him.
Surprisingly, Vinzer was more than willing to share all these with him.
"No matter how powerful and changed we are, blood can always spoil. A single mistake can bring the whole edifice crashing to its knees," he continued as they walked side by side, searching for an exit or a pathway they could climb. They wade through the forest and muck underground as they conversed.
"But you've won the title fairly. Being an Alpha isn't something decided by strangers but by strength."
The corner of Vinzer's lips curved. "You find this all too unfair?"
"Those rebels are disrespecting you. I know they haven't done much damage and you're too...generous to even let them. But it's all the same to me. People would label just and right based on only one version of the truth. If I were you, I'd do as I see fit."
Vinzer stopped walking, turned around, and gave Rumi a hard look with his dark ash-gray eyes. "Even knowing that you'll be despised by the person right in front of you?"
For some reason, Rumi's breath was caught in his throat. He couldn't avert his gaze. He didn't understand why Vinzer would say such a thing, but he believed that his words were motivated by something else other than the story of his great, great grandfather. The man who had driven his family's reputation to destruction.
This wasn't Vinzer. Rumi had a feeling that he had accidentally caught a glimpse of the real Vinzer through the crack in his cold, impenetrable mask.
"Maybe...if it's beyond compromise you just learn how to deal?" Rumi said, feeling the need to speak against Vinzer's heavy gaze. "Once you realize that no matter what you do, some people would never be happy at how you handle things, then you can drop the half-assed effort and stop being a saint."
Vinzer stared at him long and intense. "We only have two hands to hold on to the most important things in life. No matter how much you desire it, the third one's got to go."
That was the universal truth. No individual could ever scratch the surface and emerge unscathed, without a mistake and be completely successful. So, all the decisions that Vinzer had made so far were because he was holding back. The weight of his aphorism bothered Rumi greatly and he asked, "Aside from your family and proving your worth apart from the bloody history of your clan, what else is there to consider?"
"YOU." Rumi was stunned by the unexpected revelation. "You're not part of my equation but I want to hold on to you. For as long as I could..."
Hearing the words used in this context, Rumi realized they were back at that discussion again. The elephant he declined to attend to. "We are not talking about this again," he made a sidestep but Vinzer blocked his path.
"When are we going to talk about it? When we return above? Then, you will avoid me again. Pretend that you hate me and---"
"I don't pretend to hate you; I do hate you."
"I don't believe you."
Rumi choked back the urge to scream. How was it that earlier they had come to an agreement and now they were back debating on it again? In the first place, what was there to debate? "Get out of my face."
"No."
Rumi swallowed. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY FACE."
"Please," Vinzer implored, he was determined. "Accept what you feel for me. That's all I asked of you. I won't touch you unless you want me to. I just want you to be honest."
"I AM HONEST!" Rumi's tone was controlled, but his voice was desperate. "Why are you even pursuing this?"
"So, I can decide what to do next."
Rumi slowly backed away. Should he trust this man? What if these were just part of his grand scheme? Indeed, it wasn't too difficult to bring feelings of animosity but the other side of him that he refused to acknowledge, that other side that was hiding in the deep recesses of his soul...if he accepted that...it couldn't mean anything but trouble for him.
He retreated a step. And another.
The third one never came.
Vinzer caught him by the arm and yanked Rumi to him. Not just his face but Rumi's whole body stiffened with shock. Vinzer seized his jaw and turned it toward him. "I refused to believe that I'm the only one fascinated."
For a second, the world before him moved slower. Aware of the closeness and strange silence, his nostrils drank in the sweet and pungent aroma that Vinzer's body released unconsciously. "What are you going to do with me?"
"What do you want me to do with you?"
No matter how much he struggled to fight off the feelings of attraction to such a worthy opponent, he still ended up submitting to the warm feelings that kindled inside of him. Finally accepting defeat, Rumi wrapped his arms around his neck and urged Vinzer to claim his lips. Then, he returned his kisses with a desire that matched his own...