Behind The Alpha Book 4 CASS

Chapter 18

(Chapter song ‘Unholy’ by Sam Smith) 
CASS

I’m woken by a bang on my door. 
“CASS!  WAKE UP!” 
“Huh?  What…”  I snort awake and my eyes scream at the light pouring into my window.  I slam them shut and rub them until the sting fades. 
I tied one on last night. 
It’s been a few days since we got the blood.  Pucks gone again.  Apparently the Dragons found him and he fled to god knows where.  As a result, Embers been pushing to find him again and I’ve kind of been…stalling shall we say? 
I just keep making excuses about work or like last night, drinking myself into a stupor at home.
I’m avoiding Ember and this whole arrow thing, praying it just goes away, but that’s not happening it looks like. 
I literally crawl out of bed and stumble to the door.
I open it with squinting eyes.  I haven’t even checked myself in the mirror, but I know I look a mess.  I definitely smell even worse.
In the door way is a very irritated love bug. 
She’s chewing her lip and crossing her arms.  Looking at me like she’s sick of my shit.  Truth be told, I’m getting sick of hers too. 
“Good morning.”  I grumble, turn back to bed and fall back on it.  My heads pounding and I just want to sleep while my healing catches up to my hangover. 
“Good morning.”  She says as she walks in.  “You look like complete shit.”
“All shits thank you for the compliment.”  I raise my hand and flop it back down as I mumble into the pillow. 
“Tell me, Cass.  Are you purposely trying to sabotage our mission here?”  She eyes me from the side of the bed.
I lift my arm to her and point.  “Your mission.  Not mine.”  I point to myself and drop my arm over the side of the bed. 
“No.  Cass, we agreed this was good for both of us.”  She says as her frustration starts to show. 
I roll over and slam the heels of my hands into my eyes.  “No, Ember.  You agreed.  I just said…whatever.”  My tone was full of sleep and my own conflicted feelings.  Somethings off and it’s grating. 
She squats beside me.  “Cass, I get it.  You feel some strong feels and I’m not helping them at all, but I’m telling you.  This isn’t a bad thing ok.  When I fix this, you’ll be so much better off.” 
I sit up and get in her face.  “I don’t want to be better off.”  I lift my legs over her head and plant my feet on the floor.  I get up and pull off my shirt.
“What does that mean?”  She stands and follows me. 
“Nothing.  I need pain pills and shower.”  I undo my pants and hop out of them. 
I turn the water on and freshen up. 
“No.  Tell me, Cass.  You don’t want to fix the mistake now?”  She asks as she leans on the door frame.
I stop and stare straight ahead.  “I do.  I do want to fix the mistake.”  I nod.  I drop my boxers and hop in the shower. 
Her silhouette appears behind the shower door.  “Ok.  So no more bullshit.  We find Puck, deliver the blood and move on to the next thing.”
“Sure.  The next step to smashing my love for you to pieces.”  I say as I fill my hair with soap. 
“There is no love, Cass.  It’s all in your heart or head or both…I don’t know.  But it’s not real.” 
I throw open the door and stick my soapy head out.  “It’s real to me.  You’re beautiful.  You’re smart.  In some small way, you’re funny and I love you.”  I snap, pull my head back in and continue showering. 
I see her arms flail out.  “That’s just the magic of the kiss!”
I stick my head out again.  “Oh yeah?  Then how come I don’t feel magic.  All I feel is an intense love for you and you want to destroy it.”  I glare with one eye as soap drips down my face.
I’m fuming and vigorously washing the soap out of my hair.  I grab my body wash and start to wash myself.
“Cass, come on.  We can’t keep having this conversation.  You agreed…”
I rinse myself, turn off the water and open the door.  I grab my towel.  “Yes, you said.  I don’t want to fight so, get out of the way and let me get dressed.  I have to be at the training unit in an hour.”
“The training unit?  Cass!”  She yells to my back as she follows me out.
“Yes, Ember.  The training unit.  Where I work, remember?”  I scowl.
She leans to me.  Her long, silky hair hangs in front of her shoulder.  She points to me as I put on my track pants.  “We need to find Puck!”
I throw on a cut off.  “You…find Puck.  I’m going to work."  I run my fingers through my wet hair and slip my runners on.  I walk out of my room and grab my trainers bag by the door. 
“Cass!” 
I spin around and lean to her.  “Come with or stay here.  I don’t care.  But it would make my fucking day if you hopped your gorgeous ass into my car and come with me.”  I push out my chin and eye her. 
She studies my eyes and looks at her phone.  “Ok, but the minute I find him, we are leaving.”  She pushes past me and walks out to my car.
“Fine."  I sigh and follow her out. 

**** 

“So, you going to tell me who the redhead is?” 
I square up with River and proceed to prepare for an offense attack.  “Just a girl I met at the bar.”
“Ok.  Why don’t you look happy about it?”  He stands with his hands on his hips. 
I stand up straight.  I glance at Ember, sitting in the grass staring at her phone.  Looking at her now is starting to hurt even more as my brain takes over and thinks about our mission as she calls it.  “I don’t know.  It’s complicated.” 
“How so?”  He walks up to me and tilts his head.
I rub my nape.  “I love her.  Like a lot.  I want to fall asleep to her.  Wake up to her.  I want to sing to her and make her laugh.  I want to do all things but…”
“But what?”  He asks. 
I glance at her again.  “She…doesn’t…”  I look down and kick at the grass. 
“Oh.  Does she like you?”  He runs his hands through his black hair. 
I shrug.  “I guess so.  Sometimes it feels like she just feels sorry for me.”
“Does she know how much you love her?”  His blue eyes stare me down. 
“Well, yeah.  I tell her all the time.  All it seems to do is make her mad.”  I scrub a hand down my face and sigh.  “Now, she bent on removing what I feel for her and I don’t want her to.” 
“She can’t just remove your feelings, Cass.”  River gives me a weird look.
“She can.  It’s…like I said, complicated.”  I shake my head, turn and walk out the distance. 
River crosses his arms and cinches his brow.  “You’re going to have to explain more.  How can she take your feelings away exactly?  I feel like I’m missing something here.” 
I turn back and get ready to spar.  “Let’s just fight.  I don’t want to think about it right now.” 
River ticks his head.  “Ok, but I’m pretty sure you’re just confused about progressing with her.  She probably feels it and is just protecting herself.  I bet she’s been hurt before.” 
“You might be right.”  I square up.  “Ok.  Come at me.” 
“CASPER!”
I turn at the sound of my full name and straighten up. 
Oh shit!
Coming from the barracks is a very big, very dark, extremely angry Oliver Fredericks.
He raises his hand to me and crooks a finger as he stomps into the training area.  “COME HERE!!”  He booms. 
I hold up my hands and start to back up quick as he closes the gap fast.  “Oliver…I can explain…” 
He descends on my like a mad bull.  “Explain!  EXPLAIN!!”
His large fingers wrap around my neck.  He picks me up into the air and slams me into the ground.  He lifts me up and slams into the ground again.
My back explodes with pain and my eyes  explode with stars.  I choke against his grip and my hands wrap around his thick forearm. 
“OLIVER!  LET HIM GO!” 
Several trainers run to us. Recruits surround us and I can hear the shouts and mumbles as I try to see straight.
He pulls me up to his face.  His dark, tanned skin is flushed.  I can barely make out his back hair and beard.  His dark eyes drive his anger into my brain.  I’m completely fucked as he chokes harder. 
“YOU SNEAK YOUR ASS INTO MY PACK?!  YOU TERRORIZE MY PEOPLE?”
“OLIVER!”  River rushes him and Oliver lifts a leg and delivers a swift kick to River’s chest.  River bounces across the grass.  “STAY THE FUCK OUT OF THIS!” 
He turns back to me. 
“Oliver…It’s not…what you…think.”  I choke. 
His psychotic eyes flare into mine.  “Do you think I give a flying fuck why?  No, Casper.  I fucking don’t care.  I’m not here to hear your excuses.  I’m here to take you fucking out!  I’m not asking questions.” 
“OLIVER!  BACK OFF NOW!” 
Jayson and River grab him and try to pull him off.  Oliver kicks Jayson and lands a punch into Rivers face making him stumble back.
“THIS IS PACK BUSINESS!  INVOLVE YOURSELVES AGAIN AND I’LL KILL YOU NEXT!” 
“Help…”  I kick under his pin and my vision starts going white as my air is cut off.
“No one’s helping your sorry ass.”  He growls in my face.  I see the shadow of a girl behind him.  “Ember…”  I almost squeak. 
“Drop him or that arrow head you feel on your neck is going straight into your brain.”  I can feel her anger in my chest as I try to stay conscious.
Oliver turns his head slightly to her.  “You have two seconds to take that thing off my neck or I shove it down your fucking throat.”
“Try it, tough guy.” 
“Em…no…”  I can barely speak now. 
Within a second, he let go of me, kicked a leg out, spun and tripped Ember.  He grabbed her crossbow, landed on her back, grabbed her hair and shoved the arrow into the back of her head.
“NO!”  I say hoarsely as I try to get to my feet. 
“Don’t fucking move.”  Oliver grits.  “I was going to kill you, Cass.  You don’t infiltrate my pack.  EVER!  But since this pretty bitch here was with you and you seem to like her, I’ll kill her instead.” 
My wolf went insane.  He snapped.  Oliver was touching what’s mine and threatening her. 
Without a second thought, I ran at him full tilt.  Oliver is way thicker than I am.  He’s also a lot stronger and doesn’t give two shits about anything.  That includes pissing off the Alliance. 
I hit him full on and the two of us roll across the grass.  I land on top and lay the punches to him.  He blocks an arm and throws a punch to my face.  The tables turn and he’s on top.  He’s beating the shit out of me, but I’m still fighting back.  I kick him off and go for him again. I grab his hair and slam his head into the ground.  He elbows me, but at this point, I’ve reached blind rage.  I’m being fueled by possessiveness and ownership of Ember.  I didn’t care what he did to me.  I’m protecting my girl and he’s going to have to kill me to stop me.
I'm throwing lefts and rights so fast, I barely heard the guns cock and the warning shouts.
“CASS!  STAND DOWN!!” 
I’m being grabbed from behind and my wolf growls even louder.  My eyes turn blue and my face is red hot.  Whoever has me is losing as I rage on Oliver.
“CASS!  STOP!!”  My cheeks are grabbed and my head is turned.  I stop in mid throw.  I’m locked with the blue eyes of my love bug.  I’m breathing heaving, vibrating with anger and unclear of where I am exactly.  I saw death and I was delivering. 
“Just breathe.  Just…breathe….”  Her voice is calming.  It brings me back to reality.  I turn and look down at Oliver between my legs.  He’s a bloody mess and passed out.
I’m pulled off him to my feet.  “I…I didn’t…”
“It’s ok.  Cass, it’s fine.”  Embers voice still tries to calm me.
“I’m sorry…I don’t know…I didn’t mean to…”  I turn to River who’s weapon is trained on Oliver. 
“Cass, it’s fine.  We know it was self defense.”
“So what happens to that asshole?”  Ember wipes my hair and sweat fill forehead.  I’m still in a daze as I breathe out my anger.  Her touch on my skin is soothing my wolf and I feel him back away.  He calms knowing she’s fine.
River holsters his weapon in his pants.  “Nothing.  He’s right.  Pack business is his alone.  He’ll get his wrist slapped for taking care of it on Alliance Property, but ultimately, he has a right to defend the safety of his pack.” 
River walks up to me as I wipe my face of all the blood with my shirt.  “You want to tell me what this is all about?” 
I look at Ember who gives me the eyes.  I turn back to River.  “Nothing.  I’ll…just hit the showers.  I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have released my wolf.”
I spin around and walk to the Alpha building.  Ember is on my tail.  “Thanks…for that.” 
“I’d do it again…in a heart beat.”  I say over my shoulder.
“I don’t think anyone has ever defended me like that before.”  She says.
I stop and turn.  “They should have.  That’s what you do for someone you’re in love with.  You defend them with your life.  I will always…defend you…with…my…life.”  I make sure my words are very clear before spinning back around and heading to the showers. 
After getting dressed, I head out to the front of the building.  Ember is sitting on a bench.  I park my but beside her. 
“You ok now?”  She asks.
“I’m healed.  Just a bit shaken that I blacked out like that.  It’s not me, to be honest.  I was just…so angry…”  I glance at her and lean on my knees.
“I have a theory.  I think it’s because the blood belongs to his pack.  I found out it’s a pack full of control freaks, narcissists and all around bad guys.  These feelings you’ve been feeling lately have been coming from the vial.  Just like the arrow.”  She says. 
“So all this doubt and fear of losing you…it was all do to the mojo of their mark?”  I look a her and squint in the sun.
“Yep.”  She answers.
I turn around and look at my fingers as I tap them.  “I don’t think so.”
“What do you mean?” 
“I mean, I don’t think all of it was the blood.  It just amplified what I’ve been feeling lately.  I’m scared Ember.  I don’t…”
She smiles a bit and places a hand on my knee.  “Cass, you seem like a really sweet and nice guy…”
“Don’t give me that.”  I say as I sit back.
“Give you what?”
“That ‘You seem like a nice guy’  crap.  All girls say that when they want to walk.  I get it.  You hate me and the only reason you’re here is because you’re stuck with me.”
“No.  Cass.  Really.  It’s not you…it’s me.”
“That line’s even worse!”
“I’m sorry!  I don’t do break ups!” She threw her hands up.
I lean to her.  “THEN DON'T, EMBER!  JUST DON'T!”
I get up and storm to my car.  I throw open the drivers door, get in and slam it shut.  My hands are wringing the steering wheel as she gets in on the passenger side. 
“Cass…I’m truly sorry…” 
I stop her mid sentence by grabbing her head and slamming my lips on hers.  I bruise her lips and taste every inch of her.  I fist her hair and pull back just a bit.  “I want you.”  I mumble.  “Please…let me have you.”  I’m being consumed by dark want.
I kiss her again and I open my eyes to my room. 
Once I realize we’re no longer in the parking lot, I tear at her clothes and she tears at mine.  We’re consuming each other as we strip each other naked.  It feels very dark this time. 
I pick her up and throw us on the bed.  I didn’t waste time.  I fisted myself and shoved myself into her sweet, aroused pussy. 
“Fuck, Ember…”  I growl on her lips. 
“Yes, Cass…”  She arches under me and I bite her neck as I pull her hair. 
She claws my back as her legs rise high around my chest. 
“God…Fuck…Sweet pussy.”  I grit and shove my tongue down her throat.
My hips rock on hers with dominance and power.  I’m just taking her over.  My hate for what she’s trying do, fills me and I want to take it out on her body.
I dig my nails into her ass cheek as I thrust deeper.  “Come for me now.”  My wolf surfaces and I snarl at her. 
“YESSS!! FUCKKK!”  Her pussy clamps and her come soaks my balls as I slam her even harder.
I hook her legs and practically fold her in half as I sit up on my knees.  I slam her faster and harder.
“You want this don’t you?!  You want my cock…SAY IT!!”  I growl loud. 
“YESSS!  I WANT IT!!”  She screams.
“That’s right.  Good girl.”  I smirk as I bruise her thighs and dig my nails further into her meat. 
My length pounds her swollen lips and she’s soaking wet.  Fuck, I’ve never had a girl this hot.  Holy shit. 
I pull her up into my lap, I pull her head back by her hair.  “Fuck me.  Come on…”  I bite her chin and lick her jaw. 
She's dripping in sweat as her hips slam on my dick. 
“Give it to me, baby…Show me what you got…”  I suck her ear and consume her lips. 
I smack her ass and grab her cheek hard.  I help her pummel my shaft as hard and fast as she can go.
“FUCKKK…YESSS!!”  She screams as I bite her chest. 
“YES, BABY…FUCKKK!”  My dick hardens more and I feel my climax about to rock.
I grab her nape and her ass and slam her down.  My balls pull up and my orgasm explodes.
“EMBER!...FUCKKKK…DAMN!!”  I grind and growl as my come fills her. 
I slow down as the dark feeling subside. I pull her to me and hold her head in my shoulder. 
“I’m sorry…so sorry…I didn’t…”  I pant as I pet the back of her head. 
“It’s ok…”  She breathes.  “I liked it.” 
I pull her back.  “You did?”  I smile. 
She smiles back.  “Yeah…it was dirty.” 
I chuckle and move her hair out of her face.  “Dirty girl.” 
“Love can be dirty sometimes.”  She kisses my nose. 
“Yes, it can.”  I kiss her lips.  “My dirty love bug.” 
“Can we find Puck now?”  She asks.
I look her over.  “Yeah.  Let’s find your brother.” 
I don’t want to, but this blood is dangerous.  I need it away from me before I do something really bad. 
Something that could get Ember hurt.