Finian POV
Entwining
Connecting
Cementing
She's in my binding embrace, teeth in deep, her body quivers against mine. Holding her naked flesh, fingers digging into the soft spot of her hips, a soft moan in my ear that's inviting.
Her hands on my shoulders as if she needs my support in this moment.
Sealing her neck with a tongue that surprisingly wants to lick more of her.
Stepping away while her soul opens to me.
Who she really is, the layers peeling back, exposing them for my eyes only. Flashes of memory, of things long ago buried to move forward. I want to see what she has buried deep inside herself.
A small pup maybe seven, neglected, dirty hair, unwashed body, too many bruises in various stages of healing littering her body that doesn't heal fast without a wolf essence inside. The split lip that makes it hard to put the food in her mouth that's from the garbage outside, she has gotten used to the taste of maggots on rotten food.
A pain in her stomach, she's always hungry at this age. Watching her greedily shoving the half eaten sandwich in her mouth until her cheeks are chipmunked out. The only thought this small little pup is having while looking nervously around is, she's thankful to the moon for providing her with such a feast tonight.
Moving on from this because I can't watch it any longer, I can't look at this small little girl scavenging for something she should have been provided with.
Another memory bombards me, forcing itself inside for my eyes to see. Her father dragging her to a fire, his hand clutching an old blanket that has holes in it. Victoria's childlike voice pleading with him, begging him with tear filled eyes, "please, don't." He looks at her, watching as he throws her blanket into the fire, her protector at night when the storms come, her shield when he rages at her. The smell of it as it rubs against her swollen face was the only softness she has known since birth. Her tiny legs give out as she watches her blanket burn. Tears in silence trail down her face mixing with the blood from her nose falling on a shirt that's threadbare. Another sharp slap to a face that is so used to a heavy hand, she flinches away but still looks on while the blanket is reduced to nothing.
Her blanket
She's left there on the hard ground, she doesn't move. Just a rock to her body, it's as if she's rocking herself, holding herself in this moment because no other wolf moves to help her. Instead, all she gets from the wolves around the fire is their laughter. Looking up with the bluest eyes I have ever seen, she asks the moon in her child like mind what's so wrong with me that I can't be loved?
She's a wolf that was made in love, now raised in hate.
Another image popping up, a shifted young juvenile wolf getting circled by other juveniles. She's on the defensive, yet she doesn't cower down, no bellying up for her, she has never tucked tail. Holding her ground with a snarl, they come at her then in groups because individually they can't face her wrath.
A wolf raised with hate becomes the most hated.
This is not what I expected to see, I don't want to see this. Flashing memories too quick to see shuffle around, Grey's face flashing. Holding that though I get to look at them.
A juvenile Victoria looking into my brother's eyes with trust, with a different kind of hope that she never thought possible.
She's in love with him.
The visions clear, she's standing in front of me. Naked, with her head held high, chin raised not bowed down in defeat. She doesn't move, she doesn't cry. She holds herself without any kind of outward emotion, but inside she's back to that little pup again.
Looking at Grey with the youth of my hate, he knows my look as I stare him down. Conflicting emotion swirls inside me, I could be something more for her but it's too late for that. Too much has happened between us for my gentleness, she deserves my hard hand.
"You should have brought your army, Victoria." I can't help the way my eyes rake over nakedness.
"Why? So innocent lives could be wasted, slaughtered over our differences." Her eyes do not travel over my flesh, they don't look away from my eyes. Her words are spit out not like a wolf who lost a fight but a wolf who will not bow down. I am going to make her bow, I'm going to be more than what her father ever was, I want to punish her for loving Grey.
Grabbing her with a strength that she hasn't had since her father's reign I force her to her knees. I expected a bigger fight from her, she complies with my roughness. With the intent to take her as a male takes a female.
My warriors are starting to howl into the air, laughing at Victoria. She seals emotions up, almost as if she is holding herself again when no one is.
My hands shake, can I really do this? Can I do this to her?
Meela's body knocks into me, "Fin!" Screaming it out for all the warriors to hear.
She's standing over Victoria with her teeth bared to me. She's protecting something that shouldn't be protected.
The warriors around start to rumble from their chests, can they actually fight their friends?
"Meela." Grey takes a stance in front of Meela shielding her if I wanted to take her up on the challenge she just issued me. I could never hurt that female, how could you hurt something that you want for yourself.
"Meela go inside the house." Each word Grey says is spoken clearly with authority.
"Fin you need to calm down." Meela's face peeking out from behind my brother's body, who's hands are trying to shove her backward towards the house.
"Fin enough." Now Grey's voice takes on the Alpha he's been trained to be.
Victoria isn't worth this fight between brothers.
"Get up Victoria go get dressed." Watching her get up on her own, she makes her way to the wolf who is dead, a coldness has already set into his body. Pulling his head on her lap, she looks the same way that she did when her father burnt her blanket, without hope. Whispering words in his ear, she rocks the both of them together.
Good let her have no hope, I am not her hope.
"Please make sure he goes back to my pack, he needs to be buried beside his mate and children, promise me." Her words directed at my brother, looking at him with pleading blue eyes. He nods to her, that's all she needs as she gets up walking towards the house.
Meela follows her inside, tracking her body until it's hidden from view.
The warriors start to surround me, clapping me on the back.
Congratulations ringing out but I don't feel as if I won anything. More of a burden to carry.
The wolves start to mingle around with each other while I stare at the house, the bond driving into me hard.
Her mind is a terrible chaos, sending me into vertigo.
The world tilts and I can barely stay standing. Such absolute grief for the loss of a wolf who has always been her friend. She's devastated that he's gone now, but she understands that he wanted this, needed this. Waiting all these years for the perfect opportunity to go out as a warrior. He will meet his mate with his head held high. I can feel everything she's feeling, thinking, I want it to stop.
"Pick up that wolf, respect his body." Now my focus is on the female with her throat torn out, eyes not seeing anymore. Her mother's body draped overtop of her, hysterical grief pounding into the air.
Victoria is responsible for that.
Bending down putting my hand on the mother's shoulder. She looks up at me with eyes that have lost a part of her soul. She says nothing instead she grips onto her daughter's shell of a body because her soul has ascended already to the moon. Rocking and crying, rocking and crying.
Walking away from this, Victoria should be made to see what she has done.
Meela's in the kitchen when I enter it. She jumps in my presence as if I could do her harm. I could never harm this sacred female.
"Don't be scared Meela." Trying to put her at ease.
"I could never hurt you." Her body visibly relaxes.
"Where is she?" Watching her bristle slightly.
"Upstairs with Grey." A small bitter scent of jealousy wraps around her sweet scent, my jaw tightens with the words she just said.
Taking her hand in mine the way Grey must be holding Victoria's in his. The energy coming off of her is soft and comforting, nothing like the way Victoria now affects me.
She is a hurricane force wind that hurtles into me.
She tries to pull her hand out of my grip but I won't let her. "Come with me." Leading her by her hand the way I watched my brother do.
"Sit." She does what she's told.
"I still can't believe how alike the two of you look." Words falling from her mouth hanging in the nervous air. Lips are red, cheeks blushing with color, she looks so beautiful. Her heat enticing my instincts.
The tension is so heavy between us.
Looking for the bottle I hid a while ago in the cabinet, taking two shot glasses from a small bar that holds no more bottles.
"What do you think they're doing up there." She has no answer just looking at the bottle, watching the liquid pour into the glasses. Her hands wringing together. She's swallowing more frequently, eyes cannot look away from what I'm doing.
"To my pup." Holding the glass up, making a toast. She grips her glass, looking at the soft amber that's filled to the top. She hesitates before picking it up. "To Charlie." She tosses the shot back, closing her eyes savoring the flavor. Pouring us another round.
"Why did you do it Fin, why kill Charlie?" Tears filling her eyes.
"She killed my pup Meela I had to take something she loved away, I knew what they were, her and that mutt." Swallowing the burning liquid down makes it easier to deal with what I have done to her.
Meela's takes another drink, her eyes looking at the bottle in a greedy hunger, the same way my eyes look at her.
"I'll need Grey by my side when we go to Victoria's pack." Another shot going down quick, she matches me shot for shot. She can drink.
"Why?" Her eyes are on my face, the caressing my features.
"I need him there for me or do you need him here with you?" Does she want a pup with my brother I wonder?
She pours herself more of the liquid that's making her eyes glassy, her body relaxing in her seat.
"You can have him, I don't need him this time." Getting closer to her, it would be so easy to take her in this moment. She's looking at my lips, tongue running over her bottom lip. Another pain of sorrow collides into my chest from Victoria. Rushing emotions threaten to choke me on how she's feeling. Once again she ruins everything for me.
"Why are they taking so long upstairs Meela? What are they doing up there? Come let's find out." I can't stay in this room another minute with this female who is starting to look at me with lust. I can how the whiskey changes her.
Walking out of the room, and up the stairs, I take a deep breath for what I might find.
Opening the door, Grey sitting beside Victoria holding her hand. Her other hand wiping tears that are coming down fast and hard. Looking up from her spot all I see is that little pup with big blue eyes wondering why no one can love her.
Why was she made so wrong?
I have taken almost everything away from her, and all she can think of in this moment is she deserves everything she gets. This is all her fault, no one else is to blame but her.
Grey comes over towards Meela who is swaying on her feet.
"Why?" Whispering in her ear, she turns to him, kissing his cheek.
"I'm weak Grey." She pulls herself away from him heading to the bathroom quickly as she starts to vomit in the toilet, Grey holding her hair for her.
My eyes turn back on Victoria, trying to look at her with disgust.
"You need to shower again I can still smell that mutt and now Grey all over you. Then again I should be used too smelling males all over you." I just want to hurt her.
"His name was Charlie and he was my best friend." It's choked out. Her tears are stopping in with my arrival. It's as if she's trying to reign all her emotions in. Nothing visible on the outside.
A compulsion to touch her proves too much for me to ignore. A fingertip to her chin angles her face towards me. I have to try very hard not to be overwhelmed with her, the illusion of her.
"I would have named my pup after my father, so I don't give a shit about your best friend, you killed my son, slept with my brother, you did all this. You challenged me and lost. You have no one to blame but yourself." Throw her thoughts back at her, let it sink in she is at fault for all of this, and she is at fault.
"Why did you even claim me Fin?"
"My wolf smelled him all over you, he claimed what was his, I, unfortunately, lost my mind for a split second and that's when I claimed you. I regret it, trust me when I say that, I regret it." Taking my finger away from her, the bonds humming strength stops thumping into me.
Standing overtop of her, looking down, making myself appear as strong as I can, as big as I can to intimidate, looming exactly the same way her father did.
"Take another shower Victoria I'm warning you and use lots of soap." She understands my threat.
"I am serious, now go and wash yourself again. I know you aren't used to being clean, but at least try to smell clean." Turning from her because her eyes just hold so much contempt for herself. She's starting to wilt inside herself.
I'm going to break her, the way her father never did.
Throughout the night she doesn't sleep, no rest for her which means I don't sleep. Her thoughts swirling around. Visions of Charlie, visions of what her pack might have to go through when I come claim my rights.
Tossing and turning, I decided to maybe distract myself with a female. Getting out of bed, turning the handle I can't do it. I can't bring myself to do that while she's in the other room breaking apart, falling apart with only her arms holding her.
She has a way of ruining me.
Getting up early for breakfast I assemble my Beta's to go over the plan of the takeover. Grey watching with eyes that want to speak but hold back.
It's not his territory.
Walking into the kitchen her tired eyes glance my way for a moment before I turn them somewhere else showing my loathing to this female. Her eyes seem to lose focus, as she takes her seat next to mine as if that's where she thinks she belongs.
She needs to understand she can never belong beside me.
The wind is blowing hard outside, while my heart is beating inside my chest with her so close to me.
I hate this feeling.
Leaning over to her ear so she only hears me. "No one will serve you here, get your own food." Making my voice sound hard, uncaring. She doesn't move.
"Then don't eat." I just want to punish her, I want her to understand I am not a hope in her life. I want her to suffer every day the way I have been suffering.
I notice Victoria watching me as Meela enters the room. I let my eyes take in the worthy female. She is everything a female should be.
A small twinge of jealousy swirls around Victoria as she watches me glance at Meela.
"She's worthy of my affection." That has an affect on her. Smiling to myself, lowering my voice. "I would have marked her for myself, she would have been all mine." A sharp heart pain peels a layer of her heart away, I want to feel happy about this. I want to bath is the satisfaction of hurting this female but I can't find any happiness in this.