Forbidden nature
~
Cadence
~

He that steals honey should beware of the sting.

Those who stole blood would know something would always bite back. Just as hard and unrelenting.

Cadence wouldn't bite. She would stab and wouldn't be satisfied until she saw red.

It was the least she could do, after all, what a person took, another must give back just as equally. In this case, however, it would be a life.

Because all that ran through Cadence's mind was if Tristan didn't shoot the youngest Fenris brother, she would be very much dead.

"Drive faster, Tristan!" Cadence bellowed.

The message wasn't well received when Lycus told Gabriel what happened and once Cadence caught word of the hybrid's whereabouts, taking his steps to the Fenris pack and breathing the same air as Accalia, Cadence and Tristan nearly lost the plot.

In an instant, the Alphas' orders lost all meaning and the hunters booked it out of the forsaken town.

"I'm going as fast as I can, Cadence—"

"Don't you get it, Tristan?" Cadence shouted at her cousin and unbuckled the seatbelt smothering her like ropes. "This my fault. I let him out! He could — he will kill Accalia!"

Distress took hold of Cadence and shook her so hard she thought her heart would shatter out of her chest.

Droplets of rain began to pitter-patter the glass windows, glossing over in fog and blurring the car ahead of them.

Lycus overtook Tristan's jeep nearly an hour ago and hadn't braked once when coming to bends and skidding harshly enough to leave marks.

"We shouldn't have left Accalia," Tristan muttered regretfully, bags hanging deep under his eyes and face drawn in tired lines.

Cadence pulled her lip into her mouth to silence herself.

A face came to hers and Erisa pinned Cadence with a calculated glare. There was no looking away from it.

"She can't fight, she can hardly stand," Tristan grumbled, slumping against his seat from distress.

Erisa laughed eerily and leant her chin on Cadence's shoulder. "You sure? She managed to punch and stab the Big Bad Wolf just fine."

Cadence grew tense in the shoulders. "That's because Lycus would never hurt Accalia."

"By hurting you, he did," Tristan said to Cadence and shifted gears. "And what the hell were you talking about back at the church with wolves dying on the full moon?"

Cadence laughed dryly, knowing she truly dug a grave for herself by saying that. At the moment, a run of glee went through her like a stroke of luck, but all too quickly, it ran its course.

"I should've kept my mouth shut." Cadence shook her head in frustration. "Alexene killed a bunch of Lycus's wolves on the night of the full moon and no one knew who did it, except me. Alexene was returning the favour for all the people he killed."

"And rightfully so," Erisa jested, not missing a beat. "I don't like the vamp, but as it goes: An eye for an eye."

"Damn straight. But Cadence you gotta be careful around Lycus, he didn't kill you back at the church, but he wants to hurt you." Tristan informed his cousin and flicked the window wipers on as the rain grew heavier.

Cadence inhaled with a curt nod. "I know he does, but we can't be focusing on me right now, for all we know this hybrid freak could have gotten to Accalia."

This urged Tristan to press down on the accelerator.

The hybrid would be indestructible. A wayward of unnatural abilities no human could go up against, so much so, that even Gabriel and Lycus were hesitant about him. That was a surprise to all, the most prevalent Alphas to walk the earth were scared of their little brother.

How did he come to be? How did any of them?

Cadence's head ached even thinking about it, her neck growing tense from brushing her fingers across the sensitive skin.

Taking a left, they were led onto a rocky dirt road which led them into the Fenris pack.

The manor came into view, stark and handsome, but what loomed within ... made Cadence's heart soar with worry.

Accalia could very well be dead. What if Rexton made her call Lycus up as a last goodbye, the final goodbye?

Cadence would never see her again. Never hear her, never be in her presence again.

The only form of reuniting would be in death, where all the other loved ones were.

Every minute passing blurred into fastening seconds that couldn't come quicker. As everyone escaped their seats, a figure came from the front door and dashed to the Alphas.

It was Nina. Her green eyes pitted wide and curls fell around her as she raised a hand to skid everyone to a halt.

"Gabriel, slow." Nina softly murmured and placed a hand on his cheek, face warming at him.

Cadence went grave, feeling a combination of anger and annoyance. "Where is he? Where's Accalia?" She bellowed to the Luna.

Nina cleared her throat, only managing a slight glance at Cadence before looking at her mate. "She's in there with him, but—"

"ALONE WITH HIM!" Cadence roared and shoved her way through Tala and Lycus, the hunters tailing behind her.

"Cadence—" Nina tried to grab her attention, but to no avail, too desperate to see her cousin that could be drained dry, Cadence marched right to the front door and bumped into a wall.

Glancing up, Lycus mirrored Cadence's wrath like a mighty clash of pain and steel.

"What are you doing?" Lycus simply asked her.

Cadence's lip curled, befuddled as to why, of all questions, that comes out of his vile mouth. "Going to see if Accalia is alive! Mind getting out of my way."

Lycus tipped his head, getting in her face with a snarl. "You let me go first."

Cadence blinked. "I know you're trying to protect your precious little brother from me, Lycus, but kindly get out of my fucking way."

"I'm trying to protect you from getting yourself killed, you ignorant little girl!" Lycus shouted at her.

A click sounded from behind them and an arm pinned across Cadence's shoulder, Tristan's leather jacket coming to the side of her vision.

"Don't try to get in Accalia's good graces now. You strangled Cadence. It is my job to protect her, not yours, lycan." Tristan spat with disgust and leered the gun at Lycus.

A waking growl shook through the forest, loud enough to shake scatters of sand and bring the moon to earth. "My brother is right, we need to go first. Follow behind or get out of our lands." Gabriel barked, coming to Lycus's side.

"Get a move on then." Tristan bade them a shark grin and tucked his gun away.

By Gabriel's words, he went first. Lycus sent a scathing look to Tristan before turning on his heel and going into the house. Nina and Tala followed suit, the Luna baring an apologetic smile to Cadence that wasn't returned.

"Don't do anything reckless, Cadence," Tristan pleaded to her once they were alone.

Cadence forced a fake smile that pained her cheeks. "I'll try."

Air left the house when Cadence stepped inside. An unexplainable shift that swept through like wildfire. Placing herself near Erisa, through the warren of bodies that had yet to move, Cadence briefly caught a glimpse of the hybrid.

Munching on a bowl of cereal.

Through the gaps the bodies made for Cadence, she managed to see milk dribbling down his chin as he continued to spoon himself generous amounts of cereal.

The people in the room didn't move an inch, seemingly carved into clay and burnt into hard and unmoving stone. Only the hybrid moved as he ate away.

If it wasn't shock rippling through Cadence, she couldn't describe what else she could be feeling.

She couldn't see Accalia, she couldn't see blood and there appeared to be not one drop on him. He wasn't consuming blood like it was his last meal.

"Rexton," Gabriel breathed out.

The hybrid halted, turning his head and his eyes fractioned into circles at the audience standing before him.

Gabriel stood at the front lines because he wanted to and if anyone would go down first by the hybrid's hand, it would be him.

The hybrid stood from the couch he was lounging on, rising to his full height that came closer to the heavens than hell where he rightfully belonged.

And by all that was holy, Cadence had never seen such a handsome creature. The rotting corpse that tore into her neck was no longer there, but a young man that seemed to exude a boyish charm. Warm-eyed, with an unfailing face that seemed to not be of this world—she tore her eyes away.

She wouldn't humanise this creature, even if his looks purified him in a gracing light, not in the faintest of chances would she let it happen.

But Gabriel did. The Alpha's shoulders sagged, as though a weight of feathers were lifted off him and without hesitation, launched his arms around the hybrid in an embrace.

The hybrid didn't stiffen or recoil from his brother's touch but wrung his arms around him like he hadn't touched anything so familiar in the longest of times. He hasn't experienced human touch in over one hundred years.

Cadence looked at Lycus who stuck to the wall, frozen in place with a watchful gaze pinned to the living room couch.

Cadence followed his vision and saw Accalia sitting on the other end of the sofa. She was sitting next to him. Inches away. Sitting near like an old friend.

How collected Accalia looked. Unfazed with her feet tucked up on the couch, leaning her chin on her knees and watching the world around her with warm eyes.

Without question, Cadence shoved her way through and beelined it to her cousin.

Accalia offered Cadence a kind smile and she appeared to be unharmed.

"She looks fine," Tristan whispered into Cadence's ear and her body jolted, not realising he followed after her.

"But at what cost?" Cadence asked herself.

In unison, they trailed their steps to Accalia and loomed over her, inspecting her like an experiment.

She made a face, brown eyes darkening at their judgements and said, "Why are you both looking at me like that?"

Cadence and Tristan glanced at each other and then back at Accalia.

"No reason." Tristan forced a smile at his sister.

"No bite mark, no blood," Cadence affirmed with a curt nod.

"I'm fine, Cadence," Accalia waved her hands around her body to ensure just that.

Cadence crossed her arms and raised a brow. "Your back?"

Just as those words left her mouth, she grew tense in the shoulders, a shiver slithering down her spine and she spun around on instinct.

"Do yourself a favour, and don't look at me!" The threat hissed out of Cadence like a viper and she hoped venom spat right at him.

A hand locked around her wrist and she peered down to see Accalia attempting to pull her away with the very little strength she had.

Concern wrapped itself in a blanket around Accalia and it was an emotion Cadence hated to see. Who was protecting who here?

Screw trying, Cadence thought, it was shot to hell anyway.

"Matter of fact, just act like you killed me and I'm not here, got it?"

The hybrid's eyes were so alike to his older brother, whiskey laced with flecks of umber. Cadence lost it when he locked sight on her neck.

Her hand immediately locked around her throat and she cringed, tearing her eyes away from him. "You're so dead—"

All too quickly, a shadow posted in front of her before she could lunge and it wasn't shocking that Lycus stood over her.

He hadn't said a word to his brother, hadn't made a move — just a frozen statue that watched everything play out before him like a game.

Lycus looked over Cadence's head and gave a nod to someone behind her. "Take her outside, Tristan."

Cadence bitterly laughed and rocked on her heels. "A bunch of pathetic —"

She was flipped upside down, the world shifting off its axis and her head slammed into Tristan's back.

Tristan's laughter vibrated through his body and Cadence wanted to pummel his head into the dirt. "Let's calm down a bit, cousin."

Footsteps trailed behind her and an earnest laugh told Cadence that Erisa followed after them, stepping outside into the crisp air and leaving the wolves to themselves.

Accalia amongst them.

"I'm outside now, you can let me—"

Tristan dropped Cadence and she collided into the dirt, winding her. She rolled into her back and released a harrowing cough.

"You said you'll try!" Tristan growled at her.

Cadence huffed, sitting up and watching the two hunters sparing looks of frustration at her.

"What do you expect me to do? I hate him, I want him dead. I want his entire bloodline wiped out. He bit me, he took something I can't get back. I felt—"

"Violated?" Erisa questioned and her electric eyes swam with lighting ready to strike down.

Cadence wanted to retreat into herself right then and there. Never to return.

Erisa squatted beside her, her inky hair shielding her pale face, but Cadence could still see the incensing torment that bloomed from within.

"I'm sorry," Cadence whispered to her. Erisa shouldn't have come here, coming here promised an ordeal of pain she did not deserve.

Erisa chanced her a tight lip smile and swept some of Cadence's fringe out of her face. "Don't. You have a right to feel what you feel. He took your blood, he did violate you, Cadence."

"I want him dead for it, Erisa." Cadence bit out and a familiar notion swept across the two of them.

"You've done it once for me," Erisa rose to her feet and dragged Cadence up too. "You can do it again. For yourself."

Cadence's shoulders sagged, wishing it was as easy as before even if it was the darkest choice she had to make that night. It wasn't a matter of taking a life but what became of it. In death.

Cadence needed to place the bodies somewhere, Cadence needed to come up with a story. Cadence needed to protect Erisa that night.

"You're not killing Rexton, Cadence," Tristan grumbled. "Not yet. Not with everything else going on."

"But—but the bastard was eating cereal, of all things!" Cadence shouted to the sky and threw her hands up, the spite brewing.

"That's a reasonable reason," Erisa sided with Cadence.

"Gotta admit, I didn't expect to see that shit when walking into that creepy house, but he has two brothers that can deal with him," Tristan argued back, kicking the dirt with his boots.

"Good for them, big happy family reunion! Can I have your gun? I can make it quick." Cadence laid her hand flat and waited for her cousin to fall his gun into it.

Hunters had to adapt to the brutality of life much quicker than most. When walking through life, it had to be with a sword, bloodied or not. It had been with unfailing fury, always fighting and even if they wished it wasn't the case, they had to have a keen sense of their surroundings.

And all in synch, Cadence, Tristan and Erisa's heads snapped back to the house and the bellowing yell couldn't be unheard.

"Look at that Cadence, they didn't need you for an argument, did they?" Erisa commented, colour painting her tone and she clapped Cadence's shoulder.

Before Cadence could make a move back to the house or even question what could be going on, glass shattering echoed throughout the forest and a body flew out the living room window.

The person scattered across the earth's surface, to the tip of Cadence's boots and when she looked down to see Lycus, she knew she didn't need to be the one to start an argument.