16: Promises of a Bastard

Xavier's POV

My wolf wouldn't stop whining since I had escorted Celeste back to her room. She had cried for half an hour before saying she had a headache and wanted to be alone. I was trying to respect that. My wolf didn't seem to care. 

I headed to the east border, needing to check on some rogues that I was told were casually walking by the border. The sky was clear today, not a single cloud in sight, yet the air remains chilly. Winter is almost here.

"Status report," I ask once I arrive to meet up with the men currently in charge of east patrol. Cole and Terry were running this side today. I'd asked them to meet with me on my way over.

"They're just sitting there, Alpha." Terry was right. There were two mangy rogues sitting outside the border, seemingly uninterested in our presence. They're not feral but something about them is unsettling. Something is wrong. 

"You there! Shift or leave these woods!" I demand of them. They look at me, one of them growling. I growl louder. One has what I'm assuming was white fur, looking to be mangled with dirt and maybe blood. The other is a shade of brown in a similar state. Rogues come in a variety of appearances, no one knows exactly what each rogue goes through. 

'You should be with Celeste,' my wolf mentions for the second time since leaving her. I ignore him. 'She shouldn't be alone after crying. She needs us.'

"Shift or leave," I growl out towards the rogues, using an alpha command. They may be rogues but they'll still be pressured by the influence. The wolves look at each other, get up and walk away. How strange. . .

"How long have they been here?" We've been having more sightings of rogues recently, several of them acting along this behavior. 

"Since early in the day, Alpha." Cole, one of the warriors, responds.

"Have they tried to cross?" He shakes his head. 

"Redo the pack markings." Our claim should be fine but it wouldn't hurt. He nods.

'Celeste,' my wolf urges. Feeling like my time was wasted, I comply and head back to the pack house. 'Check on her,' he urges. I sigh.

I'll have to go out with Celeste again before the weather gets too cold. The thought of a younger, more vulnerable, her in the cold crosses my mind. How did she stay warm on a cold winter's night? I'm unsure if her previous pack mates would have shifted and slept near to keep warm. To keep her warm specifically. 

Entering the pack house, it's eerily quiet today. No one seems to be making a ruckus. It's a nice change from the usual daily routine of people running in and out. I go to the kitchen, chugging a glass of water, before deciding to go see Celeste. My wolf is internally pacing. I'm halfway up the stairs when I hear her cry out. That sends me running, pushing her already open door towards the wall just in time to see Christopher with his foot raised. "I wouldn't dare if I were you," I growl, feeling my eyes go black. Christopher drops his foot, looking at me wide eyed. 

"Alpha Xavier!" 

"Explain yourself." I take another step into the room, my eyes falling on Celeste. She's on the ground, there's blood on the corner of her lip. I growl loudly at the sight. "You don't understand!"

"Understand what? That you just hit my mate? The Luna of this pack?" How dare this bastard even think he can try to talk his way out of this. "Celeste," I draw my eyes back to her, "you okay?" She nods, holding her cheek. 

"She's lying to you!" I roll my eyes at his lie. I can tell the truth apart from the lie from a heartbeat. "She- She's a spy for the rogues! She has a boyfriend, I'm protecting this pack." My eye twitches. 

"Would you like to walk to the dungeon or should I have you beaten to a pulp first?" My wolf urges me to kick his ass. To pull him to the dungeons, kicking and fighting. To torture him there, starve him. 

"You don't believe me?" 

Celeste shakily stands, "Xavier knows about Lycer, there's no need to lie." 

'I need two warriors to the Luna's room, immediately,' I mind link my warriors.

"It's over, Christopher. Step away from her before you get yourself in any more trouble than you're already in." He doesn't. I growl, he returns it. Fucking alpha blooded bastard. He stops growling, sighing before stepping back. 

"Think your next move over wisely Xavier. I'm your sister's mate."

"All the more reason to take you away from her. Who knows when you'd pull this abusive bullshit on her." The two warriors arrive, knocking on the opened door. 

"Alpha," they greet, their eyes scanning the tense room. Upon seeing Celeste, both of their eyes dart to Christopher, rage clear in their eyes. She may not be properly inducted into this pack yet, but Celeste is their Luna. 

"Take him to the cellars," I order. "He's not to have any food or water until I say so." 

"You'll regret this, Xavier," Christopher says as he's pulled out the doorway. I doubt it. 

I go to Celeste, pulling her into my arms securely. One hand goes to her hair while the other rubs up and down her back, trying to comfort her. Or maybe I'm comforting myself. "I'm okay Xavier, I'm okay." I pull her back at an arm's length, inspecting her reddinging cheek. It's going to bruise. I brush the blood on her lip with my thumb. 

"Are you sure?" She nods, her eyes catching mine. One of her hands rests on my arm and she brings her other to my cheek. She's comforting me. She's the one who got hurt. "I never should have gone too far, I'm sorry." 

"It's okay, really. You can't be by me every second of every day." I nod, knowing her words are true. 

I tilt her head to the side, inspecting the bruise again. Christopher is going to regret ever laying a hand on her. I hold back a growl. I press my lips to her reddening skin. She flinches before sighing, the sparks undoubtedly bringing some relief. 

"Will you stay in my room tonight?" I need her close. To assure myself that she's okay. 

"Yeah, I think that would be nice."

The next morning I woke up early, Celeste in my arms. I don't think I've slept this well since meeting her. She's beautiful when she's sleeping, seemingly so peaceful. LIttle breaths going in and out her slightly open lips. I want to lean down and kiss her awake. But I don't. I gently shift her out of my arms. She immediately grabs my pillow and holds it to her. I smile at the sight. 

Christopher was sent to the back of the cellars. There was a mildew smell back here as well as the smell of drying blood. We almost never had it cleaned. Lesa was informed of what happened and I was told she broke down. I was told she tore her house apart before she was restrained for her safety. I'll have to go see her after this is said and done. We can't kill him, it would put Lesa in danger of breaking down or even potentially passing away. I refuse to risk my sister's safety. She wants to speak to him. I'm worried about what he might say. After he tried to manipulate me, who knows who this bastard is willing to lie to.

Christopher's chained to the wall. Unfed, no water in the past few hours. He's passed out at the moment. I grab a bucket of wolfsbane, a perfect wake up call. Putting on thick pairs of gloves, I scoop some up in my palm and splash it across his face. He wakes with a harsh hiss, pulling at the chains. He glares at me with disdain. I pull the wolfsbane closer to him as he shakes his head, "Don't do this, Xavier."

"That's Alpha Xavier to you." I take one of his feet, he struggles against my hold but I tighten it until I hear a pop. He bites his lip to hold back a scream. Well that's no fun. I dump his foot in the bucket and his scream emerges. Beautiful. I think of Celeste, her cheek that was fully bruised when I woke this morning. Leaving his foot in the bucket, I grab his dominant hand; breaking each knuckle. He screams again, kicking the bucket of wolfsbane. I step back before it splashes on me. "No need to make a mess, don't you think?"

"Fucker," he spits out. Blood drips down the corner of his mouth. He must have bit his tongue or cheek. Good. 

I walk out and he sighs in relief. I bet he's disappointed when I return with another bucket of wolfsbane. I unchain his now broken hand, holding it in the bucket as he screams, "Stop! Stop!" I don't stop. 

"Maybe you should have thought of stopping when you abused my mate." He stops speaking. "How many times did she beg you to stop? To leave her alone?" His eyes water at this point. I pull his hand out of the bucket, throwing it at him to let the wolfsbane splash on his chest and face. Blisters cover his skin where the liquid has touched him. 

"I'll never hurt her again," he promises, "just let me go!" I frown. 

"I don't think you're capable of holding up promises."