Christopher Lawson –
“That was a close one, Chris! Is someone losing their touch?” The taunting words didn’t throw me off, I wanted blood and I always got what I wanted.
“Says the guy that nearly tripped over his sister’s bike, not five minutes ago.”
Neil’s eyes narrowed into slits as his playful smirk turned into a furious scowl. “You pushed me!”
I lifted the paint gun I was holding and shot him three times in the center of his chest. The resulting three yellow splats of paint that followed left a satisfied grin on my face, “And now… I just won.”
Neil brushed his blonde hair back in frustration, a scowl still on his face. He replied, “Man, you cheated.”
I looked him square in the eye then retorted, “Neil, if this was a real fight- with real guns and silver bullets- you would be dead. There’s no such thing as cheating when it comes to war. So who’s lost their touch now, big boy?”
I clearly struck a nerve when the big brute came barreling towards me, his fist ready and clenched. I barely had time to dodge his punch, the side of this fist roughly scraping against my scruff covered cheek.
“Fuck,” I growled, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck stand up at being disrespected by someone of a lower rank. Usually Nikan ,my Wolf, would be barking random bits of profanity and urging me on to rip his throat out by now -he took our Alpha blood to heart and thrived on the fact we stood higher than others- yet lately he had been quiet and a lazy little shit, only coming out when he was called.
“Chris!” I heard Molly’s high-pitch voice scream from the other side of the training grounds.
I looked over just in time to see Molly jogging down a grassy hill at the far side of the arena. It was moments like this that I wished my father wouldn’t allow audiences in the fenced in training ground, but he thought he could encourage his fighters’ bloodlust with the entertainment of vicious brawling.
Molly’s outfit was even skimpier than yesterday’s. She had on a tight, pink tank top that showed off her tanned midriff as well as cut off jean shorts that could practically be classified as panties. She must have been wearing another one of her double push-up bras since her perky boobs looked like they were about to escape into the wild. Just looking at her made me realize that normally I would have a rock hard boner right about now, but nothing seemed to be going right with my body today.
I heard an appreciative growl from my left; Neil was watching her very intently with a tent of his own forming in his basketball shorts. Well, at least someone was enjoying the view.
Most boyfriends would be outraged with this, but I couldn’t give a shit- Molly just didn’t do it for me anymore.
“Hey baby,” She purred, wrapping her arms around my neck and rubbing her tits against my chest.
I think she was trying to be sexy. In reality, I felt like a giant stuffed animal being humped by a dog in heat. “Hey,” I replied, standing still.
“I’ll just see you back here tomorrow for training, man.” Neil gave me a quick pat on the back and nodded in understanding between Molly and me.
He was probably assuming I was going to lay her down on the ground and do her right here. If this were two weeks ago I would already be going down on her like a starved man, but not today.
“Molly, enough.” I grimaced when she tightened her hold; I lifted my hands up to pull her away from me. I used more force than I would with other women, feeling slightly guilty when I saw the flash of hurt in her eyes.
Her arms laid limply at her sides as she stared up at me, “What’s wrong, babe?”
“My dad worked us pretty hard today during training, that’s all.” I debated telling her I just wished she would leave me alone and let some other guy go stick it in her for once but figured that wouldn’t end well.
Ever since we had left Kelowna last month she had been overly clingy, her once chill, aloof attitude had turned for the worse. If I was lucky I would get one maybe two hours to myself, but mostly, I couldn’t even take a piss without her trying to talk to me through the bathroom door. Originally the only way I could get her to shut up was to mess around till she hit the point of exhaustion. When she was finally asleep, I would get some peace and quiet, going downstairs and watching some TV.
“Okay, babe, let’s just go home.” She smiled, but I could tell it was forced. Molly always knew when I was lying to her.
I nodded and offered her my hand; she took it a little too quickly and grasped my hand tightly in hers.
“I wish the Alpha didn’t make you guys train four times a week now, I feel like I barely see you.” Molly sighed, dipping her head down and letting her red hair cover her face like a veil.
I simply shrugged, “He wants to launch the attack on the other pack before the end of the year- that only gives us about six weeks to get everyone trained and our best fighters back to being the best.”
Molly let out a surprised gasp but tried to cover it by coughing and then nodded. I glanced at her quickly to find she had a confused frown on her face. She only grasped my hand harder and tugged on it a bit to make us walk faster.
I knew I hadn’t given her the answer she wanted; I was supposed to say that I had missed her and that I would talk to the Alpha about cutting down on some of the hours. She wanted me to prove that I wanted to be with her more than train, but my mother hadn’t raised me to lie.
A pang of sadness settled in my gut at the thought of my mother. I would never mean to hurt her intentionally but by leaving her she had shriveled into the shell of the strong, independent, beautiful woman she used to be. Her once shining raven coloured hair that always had a perfect wave to it was now dry and breaking off at the ends. Her eyes once looked like golden honey, now gazed lifelessly back at me when I tried to talk her. She could barely lift herself from the chair to return my hug – she felt so much smaller than the last time I had seen her. The once great Luna, Maria Lawson, no longer existed and I could have stopped it.
Since I had returned back to the Autumn Lakota Clan I’d only seen my mother at the Pack House once. My father was very strict when it came to visiting hours, since he believed that the stress of people visiting might cause her condition to worsen. He said that it would cause the silver in her blood to spread faster.
Whenever he reminded me of this I got this weird knot in my stomach like I know he’s lying but just can’t figure out why. But he was Alpha, and his word was law.
“Chris, I’m going to take a shower – do you want to join me?” Molly’s voice sounded strained as she tried to drawl the words out seductively.
I gently removed her hand from hers and walked into our reasonable sized cabin. “No thanks.” I answered. I really did need a shower from training all day under the hot sun, but I wasn’t in the mood to get in with her. Not anymore.
I lay awake all night; tossing and turning from a nagging feeling I had in the back of my mind that something was wrong. If Shane were here I would have talked to him about this. I miss my brother, I thought. Dad said he had offered a place for Shane to stay if he wanted to come home or visit but Shane had refused.
“Chris, sugar, I’m going to out for a run with Rachel for about an hour, so don’t wait up!” Molly’s voice called from downstairs.
“It’s seven in the morning on a Saturday, you could go run away to the circus and I wouldn’t care.” I scoffed, grumbling to myself before turning my face back into my plush pillow.
“What was that?”
I groaned inwardly, “Nothing, see you later!” I yelled back to her, mentally begging her to leave so I could get back to sleep.
The resounding bang as the heavy oak door closed shook the walls and caused a loud smash in reply.
“Is it that fucking hard to not let the door slam?” I snarled to no one in particular. I dragged myself from bed and walked into the hallway, rubbing the sleep from my face.
Broken glass was scattered everywhere, a cracked photo frame lying in the middle of the wrecked scene. If this wasn’t a guest house it would have something to clean up with like a broom and dust pan, but since it didn’t I walked back to my room to grab a shirt before making my way over to my father’s Pack House.
“Dad?” I paused, waiting for an answer, “Alpha?”
I could hear what sounded like loud banging come from the far side of the Pack House. Knowing my dad he was in his office working out with his punching bag, it was almost concerning how obsessed he was about personal fitness. I reached his office and pushed the door open, then froze in the doorway.
“Alpha!” Molly groaned. Molly had her shirt off, her pink lace bra exposed. My father’s hand was slipped under her bra as his teeth raked across her neck and my father’s other hand was shoved down her running shorts.
I should have been jealous or angry or disgusted or something, but honestly, I just felt nonchalant about the whole thing. I did feel a little creepy just standing there, so I decided to say something. “I wouldn’t fuck you, so you decided my father would be the best replacement? Classy.”
My father and Molly broke apart, scrambling to put some distant between themselves – it was a bit too late for that though. Molly was still panting and my father’s face had changed from shocked to furious in two seconds flat.
Their stiff postures melted into ones of attack as my father sprung forward to press my back into the door until it was closed shut. His hand never left my throat as he smashed me back against the dresser on the other side of the room.
“Molly get your shit together and bond him.” My dad’s stern voice was cold and distant as he watched me with a calculating look. Molly looked hesitant, scared even of my father. He clearly noticed and used it to his advantage, “Make him fucking drink it!”
Molly’s blazing blue eyes left mine to turn their deadly glare onto my father. “If it was that easy don’t you think I would have done it already?”
They continued bickering, my father’s grip on my throat loosening and I saw it as my chance to get the hell out of here. I pivoted my body slightly, glancing over my shoulder to make sure they didn’t see before lunging for the door. The only sound I heard was Molly’s gasp of pain before drops of liquid hitting against something metal.
Inches away from freedom I felt a pair of calloused hands grab my shoulders and yank me back into their ironclad hold. The metal cup of metallic smelling liquid was forced against my mouth as someone held my nose – forcing me to drink the warm liquid. It tasted like blood and had a mint aftertaste- personally I would have preferred beer.
“I’m putting him back with Maria, I’m tired of this Molly. He’ll never help us willingly. He’s too far gone for that.” My father’s unforgiving voice sounded defeated, he almost sounded like a real disappointed father. Almost.
I struggled against his hold but whatever that shit was that they had given me made me feel sluggish. I felt disorientated and pissed off, with anger still surging in my veins but I managed to jab my fist into my father’s jaw earning a bewildering look of pain on his face. In response he snarled and shoved me into a dark room before closing the door with a forceful jolt.
The dimly lit room had only one window, at the very top of the ceiling and just out of my reach. I looked around but besides the steel door I was forced there was only a few other things. A porcelain sink that looked like it hasn’t been cleaned for decades, which it probably hadn’t, and a cracked mirror that hung above it.
“Jesus, James” I made sure to fill his name with all the hate I had in my heart, “it’s like a fucking freezer in here!” I rubbed my hands against my exposed forearms, regretting wearing a t-shirt now.
“Language,” A meek voice scolded from behind me.
I let out a very unattractive yelp, jumping back into a wall. My eyes looking all around the room for the owner to the voice and found a dark figure slumped along on ratty looking pull out couch.
“Mom?” I whispered, taking a few steps towards her. A dull ache began to form in my chest from seeing what she had become.
My mother’s slight figure used her elbows to push herself up into a sitting position. “Christopher,” She whimpered.
I hurriedly made my way over to the ripped up couch and slowly went to reach for her. I felt a slight tap on the back of my hand, as if to say no. “What’s wrong?”
“Y-you can’t stay here,” She gasped, a look of pain crossing her pale face.
I deadpanned at her answer, “Ma, it’s not like this is an online motel rental gone wrong.”
The ghost of my mother cracked a small smile breaking the serious façade she was building. “Don’t smart ass me, Chris.” My mother breathed, her voice low as a whisper.
“Sorry,” I sat down gently on the mattress, “We have to get out of here.”
I let my gaze wonder around the tiny room, looking for any means of escape. The window was set in a poorly built brick wall, with a few odd red bricks sticking out here and there. You could tell the wall was made in a hurry and not originally part of the house. “Ma, if I lift you up, do you think you can reach that brick sticking out there slightly with your foot?” I pointed to a low brick jutting out from the wall, about three feet or so from the window opening.
My mother, Maria looked over at me with a mild look of concern. “What if I fall? My Wolf she couldn’t – I couldn’t handle it.” She paused, leaning away from me to firmly press down on the mattress before leaning back. “But I could stand on the bed.”
Understanding where she was going with this I stood up and braced myself to move the pull out tebed. On a normal day my human strength would be more than enough to move a couch, but right now I still felt the nauseating effects of whatever Molly had given me.
Nikan, I mentally called. I waited for the tingling sensation to start, the feral growls to break out in my head as Nikan awakened, but nothing happened.
“Nikan, he’s not answering.” I grumbled, the one time I really needed him and he was like a spoiled brat
“Are you really concentrating?”
I closed my eyes and rubbed my hands along my temples to calm myself down, “Well I would be if it wasn’t for this pounding headache from whatever that bitch gave me.”
I heard my mother’s startled gasp before I felt her feeble attempt grab my chin to force me to face her. “What was it, Chris? What did it taste like? Smell like?” A bit put off by all her questions I hesitated. “I need you to tell me, now.”
“I-I don’t know, it was warm and tasted like blood.”
“That red headed little bitch!” Her answering growl left me a bit surprised – she almost sounded like a Luna. “Honey, there’s a reason you not feeling well and probably haven’t been for a long time. She blood bonded you.”
“Blood bonded?” I repeated.
My mother sighed, “Yes son, blood bonded – it is when a witch or warlock gives another supernatural creature or human their blood. But usually it’s done with their many lovers to keep their bond mutual. One look in their eyes with their blood in your system and you’re practically their life size doll. Such possessive creatures.” Her voice was nothing but a whisper at the end.
I felt like the slowest kid in class having to keep asking questions, “But that would mean Molly was a witch, and she isn’t?”
She scoffed, and ended up coughing from the harsh movement in her throat. “Oh please, the slut has witch written all over her.” She seemed to mentally shake herself out of her jealous haze to look over at me with another one of her motherly concerned stares. “What I don’t understand is how you didn’t know about all this… Unless she’s been feeding you her blood without you knowing.”
“Ma, we have to get out here. I can’t even remember Molly ever giving me a drink other than now!” I stated hoarsely, the weight of the situation hitting me like a ton of bricks.
Molly has basically been drugging me this whole time. Yet, I can’t remember why, fuck I can barely remember anything before coming here a few weeks ago. It’s like I’ve been placed on my own version of The Truman Show.
My words seemed to cause my mother to panic. “Honey, you need to leave, now, before they bond you again. Then you’ll remember everything, you have to.”
A sudden rush of adrenaline flowed through my veins and I gave the couch a rough heave to the other wall adjacent to where the couch was before. The sound of old metal groaning from the force and metal chains rattled in unison.
“Chris,” my mother gasped in pain, “The chains.”
Around her hands were thickly built shackles of silver, I couldn’t touch them. I couldn’t save her. “Ma, why isn’t it burning your skin? Let your wolf out!”
Her face was masked in pain as she lifted her hand up to gently stroke my face, “I haven’t had a Wolf for a very long time, Chris. Don’t lose yours – go find your brother, go meet your mate, have kids, and go live your life.” Her thumb brushed across my cheek as affection grew in her eyes along with tears. “I’m so sorry for bringing a man like your father into our life.”
“But you said your Wolf was still there just weak?” I pleaded, desperate to make her change her mind to somehow save her, to change her fate.
“Half-rejection, honey,” She exhaled softly. “When you were only six or seven I rejected your father when I saw what he was doing to you and your brother but he didn’t accept. My Wolf began to weaken without the bond being broken she died along with our mated bond. I’m dying, Hun, I knew the only way to get you out of here was to make you think I’d come too.” She had tears rolling down the sides of her cheeks now. “When you find Shane tell him I love him and am so proud of him.”
A sound of a door being banged shut echoed in the small room, before the sounds of keys clattering followed. A gentle shove from my mother caused me to nod, and I stood up slowly, using the couch as an anchor to scale up the brick wall.
I had only one thought on my mind – a mate dying from a one sided rejection. Mate. Rejection. Parking lot. Harper. It was like a dam had broken in my mind suddenly flooding images of being at a club, a park, and the hospital with Molly. All the nasty words, the longing, and my father’s plans of war on their pack – that wasn’t me. My mate was going to die. She was in danger and I had left her.
“Ma, I have a mate and you’d love her.” I murmured, wanting to leave her with something, anything, to give her a sense of peace. My hand reached the crumbling windowsill – I was almost there.
My mother’s pale face brightens slightly, the look of pain leaving her eyes replaced with a look of hope. “Go get her.”
Those three words gave me the push to shove my left foot through the glass window, shattering the glass completely. The heavy steel door groaned and thumped against the back wall at the same time.
“Don’t even fucking think about it.” My father’s voice warned, his Alpha tone leaking into every word.
“James, don’t.” My mother’s voice used its own authoritative tone.
“You think suddenly you have the right to talk to me, whore?”
In a panic I glimpsed over my shoulder to see my father backhand my mother right across the face. Her broken body crumpled against the floor with a thump, her shackles breaking from his supernatural force. Her breathing slowed then stopped.
“Mom? Mom!” I cried, snarling and twisting the rest of my body throughout the window. The familiar tingles finally building along my limbs, my eyes probably flashing a deep yellow from my Wolf’s sudden appearance. “I will kill you for this, old man.”
I didn’t wait for another word from the monster I called a father before I jumped from the window ledge, down eight feet into the remainder of the broken glass shards. Never looking back I disappeared into the shadows along the edge of the forest covering the lands behind the Pack House. “Count on it.”
- - - -
Early Update: I know a lot of you are head over heels for Shane .. but do I have ANY Chris fans out there now? I mean guys he hasn't been himself for almost the whole book... Give him a chance? Or are his past actions unforigivable? And what does this half-rejection mean for Harper? ..... Espeically now with a war coming.
P.S. A quick thank you to everyone who has been reading from the start or just started my book but have kept reading with all my slow updates and slow plot lines <3 This book is all written off the top of my head - no planning. I truly appreicate everyone's support on every chapter (:
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