Beastly

Chapter 60

Xander's eyes glided over the water. The ice that floated over it in little chunks didn't stop him as he

peeled away the clothes that clung to his skin. Soon enough, his bare chest was exposed to the cold

air as he began to walk from the edge of the lake, deeper and deeper into the arms of the freezing

water until his body was submerged from his chest downwards. His body felt like it was pricked by

constant needles, but he paid no mind to it. Compared to the things he had been through, this was

barely anything.

The barren trees around him were silent and not even the sound of birds could be heard. It was only

reasonable to assume that they had migrated.

Because it was so silent and because his ears picked up the smallest of sounds, he could hear the

chatter going on in the town, even though he had blocked the mind link he had with all of them. He

could hear the laughter of children and the rowdiness of warriors as they fought against one another, in

a bid to be occupied.

He could also hear the footsteps and low cursing of the man that had been following him for close to 45

minutes since he left his home. The trees didn't hide him that well and Xander was sure that he knew it

as well. With the thought of a possible confrontation in mind, he turned towards the direction of where

his clothes and shoes were and watched as his mate's adoptive brother got closer and closer.

If he recalled correctly, his name was Donovan and he seemed to be a hot-head when it came to his

little sister.

He stopped at the very edge, next to where Xander's things were and like Xander expected, his things

were kicked into the water. He watched his things float aimlessly and when they began to sink

gradually, he raised his eyes to the man that looked at him with the most daring disgust he had ever

seen from a human man.

The beast inside him instantly became riled up by the disrespect. There were always two options for his

wolf in scenarios like these; force the person to submit or kill. For his wolf, anything else was just a

waste of time and even now his incessant growls echoed in his mind ruthlessly.

"You did something to her, didn't you?" the question was dripping in disdain as Donovan's eyes glared

at him. Xander tilted his head, not moving and choosing to wait for his next move. Would he come into

the water after him? It seemed that Donovan wanted nothing more than to impatiently rip him to shreds

"Answer me, you bastard!"

A small growl escaped him, out of his control and filtering into the air the power that accompanied it. He

saw the other man's eyes widen slightly, but he didn't back down despite the obvious fear that crossed

his features for a split second.

"I'm not afraid of you. That isn't going to work on me!" he declared, his voice still stiff and unrelenting

Xander stayed quiet, gazing back with an empty expression.

From the moment Donovan had stepped out of the house, Xander had been alerted by the warriors he

had stationed. Deliberately, he had allowed Donovan to come to him and made sure nobody stopped

him.

Xander was many things. Amongst them; a murderer and a sadist by design, a well-beloved Alpha, a

man with mental problems that he was presently trying to overcome and a saviour to those who

needed his help the most. His whole existence was contradictory.

Despite being many things, Xander was not one for power struggles and neither was he one for

speaking to family members of the woman he loved more than life itself. Yet it was because he loved

her more than life itself, that he was unable to piece together how to handle this.

'We should kill him and dump his body in the lake to see how fast he'll sink.'

The suggestion was totally unwelcome and violent but he still chuckled outwardly at how different he

and his wolf chose to handle situations.

"Why won't you fucking say anything?!" Donovan said, his legs coming into the water a little, shoes and

all

"I advise..." Xander finally began, pinning him with a warning look, "...you get out before this water

freezes you to death."

Although his teeth were grinding together in irritation, he actually listened and backed up to stand by

the side of the lake once more.

"So you do listen." Xander commented, his amusement shining through his expression as he smirked

"Don't speak to me like I'm some fucking piece of gum stuck under your shoe."

'But you are.'

"I assure you that wasn't my intention." he moved a little, turning to take a quick glance to the North of

him before directing his attention to Donovan once more, "You followed me all the way out here for

what exactly?"

"Don't fucking bullshit me. You did something to her. What was with all that touching and shit back

there?" he pushed a hand into his hair and cursed again "I need a cigarette."

"Your sister doesn't like that you smoke."

"And she told you that?"

"No. I just noticed that she doesn't."

"Are you trying to paint yourself as attentive? That's pathetic."

His body was heating up little by little with rage. The water served the purpose he had come to it for

and now, he could avoid having a messy confrontation that would end with his hands being painted

with blood.

His mate would never forgive him if that happened.

"I'm not expecting to have any form of relationship with you Donovan and I doubt any apology I make

right now would be genuine."

"That's because you're a piece of shit!"

"Rest assured, the fight you want me to come out of here would only end with you in a pool of your own

blood. Are you really that desperate to get your sister to hate me more, at the cost of your life?"

When there was no response, Xander knew he had caught him. The man was trying to bait him and if

Xander took it, it would give Donovan leverage. He had to hand it to him; he wasn't as clueless as he

spoke. If Xander got out, Ava's brother would be in a mess, but even if he didn't die, the mere thought

of him raising his hands on Donovan would put him in a bad position.

Donovan who was a human. Donovan who had basically helped in nursing her to the person she had

become.

"You are aware that she won't change her mind about anything. Although I'm yet to see what exactly

you want her to change her mind on." Xander said, moving a little in the water "She's not a kid."

"A few months ago she didn't want to have anything to do with you and now she's letting you hold her

like it's the most logical thing in the world." Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

"She's my mate. It is the most logical thing in the world."

Taking his wet hand, he passed it through his hair like Donovan did before, brushing his dark hair away

from his vision.

"You fucking hurt her! Do you have any idea how damaged she was when she left here?" the

composure he gained, only lasted a little while before he swore again "You fucking broke her!"

"I did." Xander replied, his voice and eyes hard "I hurt her. I broke her. I did almost everything

imaginable and almost ruined her chances of ever having a normal life."

"And you're not sorry?! How can you-"

"I've given up on using words to apologize. My life is now dedicated to making that woman happy.

Why? Because she's worth more than your human mind will ever be able to understand."

"And you really think I'll believe that shit?"

Xander chuckled loudly, his lips spreading into a grin.

"I don't give a fuck about what you believe."

He allowed his aura to escape him at one go. The force, enough to be felt by even a human. His eyes

darkened slightly as he observed the effects; Donovan backing away little by little, with a nervous

expression on his face.

"Understand this human." his deep voice resonated through the quiet woods "As long as she believes

me and continues to let me stay by her side..."

His body drew closer to the edge of the water and the closer he got, the more Donovan backed away.

"As long as she lets me make her happy..."

His steps faltered and like a helpless prey, he fell onto his back with a soft thud and a grunt. Xander

stood over him, tilting his head to the side and smirking.

"As long as I have her, nothing else will ever matter."

...........

Worriedly, she paced the porch, glancing around in hopes of sighting her brother that had stormed off.

Everyone else was inside, having the food that Gladys had prepared, but she had been unable to settle

and eat, thinking about the amount of time that had passed since she last saw Donovan.

It was going on to two hours now and still, there was no sign of him. It was not like she could even call

as neither of them had cellphones.

The sky was dulling into a hue of pink and orange, with dark clouds scattered around like a painting on

a wide canvas. Ava huffed, thinking about the things that could go wrong with Donovan moving around

a territory of werewolves.

"I'll go look for him." she muttered, beginning to ascend the steps quickly before pausing

If her human ears could twitch, they would have, as the sound of a car coming towards her direction

became clearer and clearer. She waited impatiently, almost bouncing on the balls of her feet by the

time a black car pulled in. Her nose picked up Donovan and she was visibly relieved when one of the

doors opened and he came out, a blanket draped over his shoulders. His eyes found hers as she

rushed towards him.

"Where the hell have you been? And you left without a coat! Are you okay?" she asked, looking over

his face as she held onto his cold hands

"I'm fine." he mumbled, his voice dry, "Nothing a little chicken soup can't fix."

Xander appeared in her vision, wearing completely different clothes from when he had left the house.

He rounded the car, with a blank expression on his face, but she saw the mild amusement swimming in

his blue eyes.

Donovan's head suddenly lowered to her ear, his cold breath tickling her ear as he whispered "Your

mate is scary. I'm sure you're scarier though."

He pulled away before she could stop him and walked past her to the house. Confused, she looked

between his retreating back and Xander that was now standing closer to her.

"What the hell does that even mean?" she muttered, shaking her head

"I think it means your protective big brother approves of us little mate." Xander answered, nodding at

the driver of the car as a signal for him to leave

"Us?" she scowled at him, trying to imagine just what had happened during the time they were gone

"There is no us Alexander. What exactly did you tell him?"

As he opened his mouth to speak, she shook her head vehemently and shook her hands in the air.

"You know what? You can tell me later." she said and sighed heavily, "I knew I shouldn't have let him

out of my sight. I'm going to eat some pie and get him warm."

She took a few steps away before turning to look at him for a moment when she sensed he wasn't

moving.

"Well, come on. It's been a long day."

His eyes followed her as she moved farther away from him, her dishevelled hair being carried by the

wind. He couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face as he watched her.

She was right. There was no 'Us' for the both of them.

But if the universe ever gave him a chance. If he was gifted the opportunity for a next life, for a second

chance, he would spend the entirety of it making sure there was.

'You're being so mawkish, it's sickening.'

Chuckling, he ignored his wolf as he followed in after his mate. Thankfully, she had not picked up on

the smell of blood. He would have to explain a lot to her later on, but for now, he settled for being

momentarily uncomfortable in his own home.

How blissful.