Cobie holds onto Erik tighter than ever, loud sobs raking his body as he did. Erik's hair was mate's with blood and there was dried blood on his nose and lips, even around his ears.
Erik was dead.
Gone.
Cobie was never going to hear him laugh, or see his brown eyes, nor will he ever hear Erik's voice again. His mate has been taken away from him. Cobie trailed one hand down Erik's hair, to his cheeks and all he way down to his chest and rest his hand over his heart.
Dead.
"What did I tell you, Cobie?" The father said. "You are mine! It is written in the prophecy."
Everything and everywhere was silent. Cobie couldn't hear it but he could feel it. He knew the pack bond has been severed. He was reluctant to turn his gaze away from Erik but he knew there was something wrong with the wolves.
"He is not!" Colson screamed from the window, his hands balled into fists.
"You should have died in the fire. This goes to show that if I want something done well, I should do it myself." The Alpha snarled, baring his teeth towards Colson. Aetos takes a couple of steps to the side as if guarding the window that was way up.
The Alpha's words managed to snap Cobie out of his grief. The man stood up, his clothes stained with Erik's blood, his hands balled into fists and his eyes bright red.
"Abbadon!" Cobie yelled his father's name, his chest rising and falling at a fast pace.
The Alpha lets out a roar and launched towards Cobie, stepping over Meg's body as he do. Cobie managed to dodge the attack, standing in front of Erik to keep the body safe. Now that he could look around it seemed like the Astir wolves were shrinking. Their mouths were open like they were screaming but no sounds could be heard. This made anger boil within him and the urge to grab Alpha Abbadon's neck and snap it was growing stronger with each passing second.
"Never call me by that name, boy!" Abbadon snapped.
"But that is your name, father!" Cobie growled. "You are going to pay for everything."
Abbadon rubs his hand down his suit and laugh. The sound coming off as bitter and full of anger. "You can't keep fighting it. We are part of a prophecy. There is no more running away. I will claim you here in Astir and raise our new pack here! I'll be the Alpha of Alphas!"
"We already have an Alpha!" Colson screamed, leaning over the window sill.
"You mean the weak idiot I killed? He couldn't even shift. He just had claws and fangs like a baby." Abbadon snarled, pointing at where Erik's body laid.
"He is my Alpha!"
"He is our Alpha!" Colson adds.
The fighting had stopped and everyone's eyes were on Cobie and Abbadon. The Astir wolves were on the ground now, head slightly tilted to the side.
"He is dead!" Abbadon roared, his claws digging out of his nail bed. Those words pierced through Cobie and he almost took a step backwards. Erik was dead and it was all his fault. He should have left Astir when he had the chance. There was no telling how many Astir wolves had been wounded outside the pack house and there was no telling how many excluding Erik had died.
Fuck, this was all his fault.
"He was weak! He wasn't the one for you! The prophecy said the one of will! Me and not that bag of bones and blood lying still behind you." Abbadon said as he moved closer.
"Don't listen to him, Cobie! You know he is wrong! He's the lying asshole who tortured you for months and years."
Abbadon doesn't even bats Colson an eye. He was just focused on Cobie. "You know I did it because you were resisting. Deep down, you know I'm right." Abbadon said. "Who better than the two of us can rebuild a pack and make it stronger? Sometimes to build something stronger, you have to break a lot of things."
Cobie didn't know what to do. Suddenly all what Abbadon was saying was making sense to him. He looked at the ground, not knowing what to do. If he goes with Abbadon there was a chance that Astir and Colson and Pa would be safe. The wolves don't even have the strength to fight now their Alpha was dead and bonds were broken.
He looked around and stood at Aetos who took a step forward while shaking his head.
Cobie sighed. It was the only way. He takes a step towards Abbadon, followed by a couple more until he was in front of the Alpha. Abbadon smiles wolfishly and pulled Cobie in for a hug, his claws lightly digging into Cobie's arms.
"You made the right choice."
"What the fuck, Cobie?!" Colson screamed from upstairs. The twin grabbed one of Cobie's handguns and made sure the bullets were normal before running down the stairs. He pulled open the main doors and ran towards the black line of mistletoe separating the house from the rest of the wolves.
"Get back in the house, Mate." Aetos blurted out before he could stop himself.
"I just need to bring my brother back to his senses." Colson snapped at the vampire. He grabbed the gun and aimed it at Cobie's shoulder before shooting. The bullet whizzed through the air and pierced Cobie's skin.
Cobie let out a loud cry, pulled away from Abbadon and clutched his shoulder. His blood already dripping out and staining his shirt.
"Cobie..."
Cobie lets out another pained cry.
"You shot your brother."
"He wasn't thinking well. Guilt was clouding his judgement." Colson retorted. "It's a thing we used to do when we were younger. I pinch him whenever he starts to guilt trip himself."
"This isn't pinching. You shot him!"
"Watch." Colson spat at the vampire. Oh shit, Erik was going to kill him.
Cobie blinks repeatedly and spun around to shout at Colson.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
"YOU WEREN'T THINKING!" Colson yelled, the vein in his neck pushing out. "He killed our mother! He killed your mate! You shouldn't be hugging him, you should be slicing his neck open and laughing as he bleeds out onto the grass!" Colson screamed. "I was burned alive!! You were tortured! Remember what you told Erik. You told him you were tired of running and that you were ready to fight."
"That's enough of you." Abbadon snarled. He whistled and snapped his fingers and before anyone could see what happened, Colson began to cough. Blood spilling out of his lips.
Cobie's eyes widened and he looked around. An Unseelie has gotten past them despite the snow. Cobie growled and his eyes glowed blue for a brief second. He traps the Unseelie into a bubble and pulls it to him while Aetos runs towards Colson.
"You are not welcomed here!" Cobie snarled at Abbadon. "Get out of my town."
"Whatever happened to the little boy who hugged me a few minutes ago?"
"He got tired of your yammering!" Cobie yelled and shot a water ball as hot as a mini sun right at Abbadon, who takes a staggering step back. "He's sick and tired of running and hiding." Cobie screamed as he shot ball after ball at Abbadon.
The few berserkers who were left began to growl and step closer to Cobie. Colson sees this and froze. Cobie wasn't safe. Since the Alpha of the Silver Moon pack was dead and without any successor, they weren't in their right minds. It was like they were in a trance.
"We need to get upstairs. They're gonna get my brother." Colson cried, tears rolling down his cheeks. He knew he had to stay within the circle. He promised Pa and Cobie he would be safe.
Aetos slid his hand underneath Colson's thighs and the other resting on his back. Aetos carries Colson back into the house, moving at the speed of light.
"Give this to my brother. He needs it." Colson said, tear tracks still on his face and dried blood around his lips. "Look after him. I'll be fine in the house." Colson hands Aetos a grey handgun filled with the Addonexus blood stained bullets. Aetos stared at Colson for a few seconds before nodding. They needed to get this over with.
Cobie stood his ground, glaring right at his father, right at the man who had taken everything from him. He couldn't hold back his anger anymore and lunges forward. He fights as hard as he could, hitting Abbadon in the face and sides a few times. Abbadon hit back, his claws digging into Cobie's skin and tearing at it.
"Stop fighting me boy!"
"Never!" Colson screamed all the way from the top and shooting the berserkers who had formed a circle around Cobie and Abbadon.
As he tried to take a break, Aetos materializes beside him and hands him a gun. Cobie grabbed it immediately but as he was about to turn around, Abbadon took hold of his wrist and snapped!
Cobie falls onto his knees as he screamed in pain, the gun falling out of his hand. Abbadon grabbed Cobie by the neck and raised him up, his hands squeezing Cobie's throat tightly.
"Be it by force or willingly, I will mark you as mine." Abbadon roared.
Colson aimed his gun just as Abbadon bit down on Cobie's neck. Cobie lets out a blood curling scream as his father tore into his neck. The last of the berserkers lunge at Aetos and Colson passed out.
*
Abbadon three Cobie's body right beside Erik's and watched as Cobie began to writhe and shake, foaming at the lips. Cobie was in so much pain. It felt like his entire being was on fire. Like the fire was within him and spreading. Even breathing hurt.
Something was wrong.
He turns to the side to see Erik one last time. Pain shooting through him as he did.
"I-I lo-l-love you." Cobie whispered. "I l-love you. Erik." He closed his eyes and opened them, tears sliding down his face. Not it's translucent color but instead a bright yellow. Each drop of tears were a different color until his cheeks were a bright colored rainbow. This is it. This was how he was going to die.
He'll see his mother again and hopefully, Erik too.
He takes one last look at Erik and then closed his eyes.
*
Cobie heart beat one.
Two.
Three times and then stops.
*
Everywhere fell silent, though it was six in the morning the sky was still dark. The snow had stopped and so he the wind. Time stood still.
And that's when they heard it.
A light thump.
It wasn't coming from Cobie. No. It was coming from someone else.
All eyes snapped towards Erik's body. The heartbeat became clearer with each beat until Erik slammed his hands into the ground and lifted his body off the ground, his head still hung low.
"Impossible." Abbadon said.
There was a light tick, no winds and no sound until it happened. The skin on Erik's back began to part, blood rolling down the Alphas back before something dark burst out.
"Fuck!" Abbadon cursed, taking a step back.
Dark hair began to sprout on Erik's body until every pore and every skin was covered with dark fur until standing in Erik's place was a wolf with its eyes closed.
Aetos eyes widened when he saw Cobie's lifeless body begin to stir. It felt so wrong because Cobie didn't have a heartbeat. Yet, Cobie stood up and opened his eyes and everyone gasped.
Cobie's entire eyes were black, leaving behind no whites. He raised his hand and pointed at Abbadon.
"ƨɘvil ɿuo ɿoʇ boold ƨin. yɒq oƚ ɘmit." Cobie screamed, his voice coming out high pitched.
The wolf opened its eyes and Aetos was colored impressed, despite bleeding from the multiple bite marks on his body by the berserkers.
The wolf's eyes was a perfect rainbow blend. The wolf threw its head back and bowled so loud and so full of power that the trees shook. The berserkers ran away with a low whine while Abbadon stood there, shocked. Erik went right for Abbadon, his fangs digging into the man's body. He settled his claws into the Alpha's body and ripped the Alpha into pieces, blood splattering.
Erik let go of Abbadon's head and marched up to Cobie, he laid it's head on Cobie's feet, his paws digging into the earth. Cobie sits on the ground and the wolf raised its head and nudged at Cobie's jaw.
"bɘʜƨiniʇ ƨi ƚi." Cobie whispered. The darkness in his eyes going out and he fell to the ground. Dead. Erik pushed his snout against Cobie's face, his ears flicking as he tried to focus on finding Cobie's heart. When he doesn't hear it, he lets out a loud piercing howl that forced Astir wolves to shift back to their human forms. Including Erik himself.
Erik fell naked beside Cobie and gently took Cobie face into his hands.
"Cobie..." Erik called out.
"Erik..." Aetos said.
"He can't be dead." Erik sobbed. He bends down to press his forehead against Cobie's, his tears falling onto Cobie's still face.
Pa rushed towards Erik, his eyes brimming with tears. "Cobie? Colson?"
"Colson is alive. I can hear his heartbeat from here." Michel replied as he made his way towards Erik.
Erik pressed kisses all over Cobie's still face, his finger stained a bright rainbow swirl from Cobie's tears. Pa watched silently before making his way inside. They had successfully rid the world of Alpha Abbadon yet it didn't feel like a victory. Heck, it wasn't one.
Colson's heart was still beating strong. Pa pulled his boy into his arms and took him down the stairs and out of the house. He laid Colson beside Cobie's body and gently shook him awake.
Colson sits up with a jolt. He looked at Pa's face before turning around. He crawled to Cobie's side and grabbed his brother's hand, tears running down his face.
Cobie face was blank, his eyes close and his lips dry. Almost like it was chapped. Like he hadn't drank water or licked his lips.
"Water..." Colson said slowly. "He needs water. A large body of it."
"The beach is half an hour away." Pa answered.
"How about a bath?" Erik asked and Colson nods. Erik pulled Cobie's body into his arms and carried him into the house while Pa rushed ahead to the nearest room with a bathtub and switched on the tap.
Thankfully the room was downstairs. Erik held onto Cobie as the bath got filled. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the face of his mate. He could feel his wolf turning around in circle inside him, whining and whimpering.
"Put him in Erik." Colson ordered.
Erik pressed one last kiss to Cobie forehead and prayed to Selene that this worked. He put Cobie into the tub, water covering him whole and Colson tipped his brother head until he was completely under.
The bathroom was filled with just Erik, Colson and Pa. They all stared intently at the bath and prayed to the goddess.
Two minutes turned into two hours.
Two hours turned into three.
It was nine in the morning yet the clouds were so dark it felt like it was nine at night. A slight chill had settled over Astir.
Yet, Erik knelt beside the thumb and cried.
"We should pull him out. Give him a proper burial." Pa said quietly as he placed one hand in Erik's shoulder. Erik shook his head. Just a little bit more time.
Colson remained quiet, tears running down his face as he kept staring at the bathtub.
Three hours turned into six. Noon.
It starts slowly. A twitch here and there. His leg jerking under water. Colson and Erik stand slowly as they watched it. None of them spoke, fearing that it would stop if they do much as breathe really loudly.
Everything stops for a second.
Then two.
Until finally Cobie rose, water spilling everywhere as he tries to catch his breath. "ERIK! ERIK! WHERE'S ERIK?" Cobie screamed, the water in his eyes blurring his vision so he doesn't know Erik was standing right in front of him.
"I'm here, Cobie. I'm right here." Erik climbed into the tub and pulled Cobie into a tight hug, burying his face into his Cobie's wet hair.
"You died." Cobie wept, gripping at Erik's skin. "You died!"
"I'm here, Cobie."
—
*author walks away again*
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