Xander's POV:

I placed my bag down with a huff, breathing in the incredibly specific scent our room has, and taking it as its own little 'Welcome Home'.

Doe wasn't here, though that wasn't too much of a hiccup.

Sylvia went ahead and took care of making copies of her documentation for review, and tied up all the little details she said she didn't want to bother me with.

I took the time to hurry to get unpacked and organized, so that way when I did go find Doe, I could give her my full and undivided attention for as long as she pleased.

Maybe I should try to find Nico first then. I know he's gonna have questions and want a copy of the accounts.

I decided that I wasn't going to tell him what I'd found out about our family, not until I'd chatted with mom first.

I'd spent the rest of the time I had at that Clan mingling just how I'd wanted to. The treaty was successfully altered and signed, and Augustus weirdly left me alone for the rest of my time there.

He did see me off though, so I suppose that was nice.

Definitely a much different trip than I was expecting.

I lugged my bag onto the foot of the bed, eyes narrowing at the slight pressure that haunted my chest for only a moment.

Huh...

I waited a moment for it to come back or give me any sort of message, but it didn't.

Instead, my answer came with the sound of the door unlocking.

My smile at her presence faltered at the look on her face.

At the tense posture, furrowed brows and tears brimming her eyes.

Not of sadness. No, As soon as I checked the air I instead found complete and utter anger.

And a hint of her blood.

That feeling began again in the chest, this time with intention.

I turned to her, my senses piling into overdrive to deduct what I could by the time she'd closed the door.

The racing of her heart, the heavy breaths she was trying to control, the scent of...

The tips of my fingers burned through the ache of claws begging to be released as soon as it all clicked.

The realization of who had rendered her to this state.

I contained it, biting back the growl. For now, I held it back because I wasn't going to approach her all riled up.

Relief softened some of her features as I stepped to her, speaking my name with a broken little sigh.

I hurriedly pinpointed the spots on her he'd left his scent... Her shoulder, her hair, and the one that merged with her blood, her hand.

Or more accurately, her fist.

I pondered on that one a little longer, settling my hands on her shoulder as soon as she was close enough.

Her anger brewed on, eyeing the side wall instead of looking at me while she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

The back of her bloodied hand.

I took a gentle hold of her wrist once she was done, eyeing the small gash before she would look at me.

"What did he do?" My words carried the depth and hint of a growl I was choking to restrain.

She bit out an exhale, shaking her head once before answering.

"It's more of what he tried to do. And then what he said," Even her words held a similar edge to mine.

Tried?

The insinuation only added to my frustration before she could give me the rest.

"He tried cornering me in the hallway and convincing me to have sex with him since he thought you weren't home yet to 'get in his way'. Then when I said no proceeded to grab me back and scream about me 'Whoring out for a vampire but not my own kind'."

My body stilled, yet the gnashing and tearing of feral anger begging to be released on her behalf only grew.

How fucking dare him.

Get in his way? How long had he been thinking about this?

I don't know why I bothered to wonder. Any answer would be too long.

I couldn't even address the last part of her sentence before my anger thinned my pupils.

She noticed, and the frustration in her eyes lessened. As if seeing me react like this validated her own reaction.

I took a moment before speaking again.

"And this?" I rubbed my thumb against her palm.

"I... lost it after he said that. The fucking nerve he had just pushed me over the edge and I nailed him right in the face."

Oh...

Fuck yeah.

I was gonna save a little bit of what I was about to do for her, but it seemed like she already got her hit in.

Pride managed to squeeze its way through the clawing emotions, while I kissed over the wound.

It sealed under the quick swipe of my tongue, the subtle boost that the taste of her blood only invigorating the plan I was making.

"Go and get cleaned up. I'll be right back." I spoke.

I didn't wait for a response or even a solidification that she'd heard me.

The second my door closed behind me, the claws freed themselves and the growl vibrated my chest.

I was on the hunt, following her scent backward, picking up my advanced speed every few seconds.

I was nearly all the way to the other side towards Nico's room before I started hearing things.

Angry words from Marcus of all people.

"...how many times I've told you to leave them alone! I don't have time to deal with your stupid ass actions on top of what I already have going on!"

My brows rose as soon as I turned the corner and spotted them.

Marcus held the boy I'd never felt good about against the wall, fists bunched into the collar of his shirt with a wave of anger I didn't think he was capable of

Austin, if I'm remembering correctly, just stared at him with one eye shut and a hand covering his mouth.

I could smell different blood from here.

I stepped closer.

"I don't know how you never stopped to consider the fact that she doesn't want you! Or stop to think of what the princes would do-" Marcus paused, doing a double take once I came into his periphery.

The one against the wall had the gall to look panicked at my presence.

What the hell did he think was going to happen?

"Xander," Marcus greeted with a hefty exhale and a nod.

He then gave me a look, gesturing to our little friend here and stepping back as if to say "He's all yours."

This kid was starting to grow on me.

I won't lie and say I didn't appreciate him for advocating for her. As well as keeping him here

Austin tightened against the wall

"W-wait! Marcus, you're not really gonna let him-"

"Let him?" Marcus repeated in disbelief, "That's my boss, dipshit and I'm yours. I really would have thought that you considered all of this before trying what you did."

True, very true. But some just need to learn the hard way.

"Wait- wait wait hold on- hold on!" He pushed more against the wall while I stalked closer.

His fear permeated the air, still cupping the right side of his face.

I just sent Marcus a nod of approval, snagging Austin by the collar and disappearing.

~~~

"Shit! Wait please just- Just hold on!" the boy flailed and whined, not the best combo for someone who was currently hanging hundreds of feet in the air off of my balcony from his shirt.

He grabbed and clawed at my arm that was keeping him there, sometimes attempting to pull himself up.

You'd think that he'd learn by now that trying to kick and get some footing on the notches of my railing only got you held out farther.

I leaned down, setting my free elbow on the railing.

"So, tell me, Did you really think that what you were doing was going to work out for you?"

His wriggling and begging were working in pleasing the angered part of me.

Another part wanted bloodshed, but I also felt that if Doe wanted that, then she could be the one to serve it.

She'd already spilled some, the look at his mouth I'd gotten from his squealing showing me a nice chip in one of his bottom teeth.

The blood running down the side of his chin showed her good work of it.

"I didn't think that- Why the hell would you care!?" He sputtered, "I had condoms so it's not like I was gonna get her-"

"She told you no," I snarled, claws tearing through the already weak grip of his shirt I had, leaving him to hold tighter to my forearm, "And your next tactic was guilt. Manipulation."

Did he not understand? Did he just not fucking get it?!

How many others were there like this? With this crazy mentality?

I took in a breath, reminding myself that I had to be careful about what I said.

He didn't know what she was to me, but regardless that didn't make what he did any more okay.

I couldn't tell him to back off with the simple reasoning being that she was with me in more than just a physical way.

These kinds of boys respected the men these women were with more than they respected the wants of the woman involved in their stupid little hunts.

Instead, I had to try to make him see reason. Grow basic empathy and morals.

How people come to end up without those things continues to boggle me.

"I wasn't- listen I'm sorry! Please I promise I won't do it again!"

He didn't get it. He didn't get it at all, just didn't want to get dropped.

He didn't give a shit about what he'd done to her. His apologies were as empty as his promises.

Something in me itched to just drop him, but my own damn morals were getting in the way.

I wanted a redo of the staff. I want everybody save for Marcus and Lily to get interviewed by both me and Nico. Maybe even our girls for good measure.

Rid our floor of anyone who wasn't absolutely spotless. Save our girls from anything close to this happening again.

Still, these plans didn't sate my instinct's need for recompense.

Reason wasn't getting through to him, so I had no choice other than to resort to fear.

If I couldn't drop him, then maybe I could just replicate the feeling.

My pheromone itched under my skin, poised and ready to do as I wanted.

"People like you really are the scum of the earth."

I let it loose, targeting his eyes, his chest, and his stomach to blur and lurch as if he was really falling to his demise.

His brain would fake the rest for me out of necessity for reason.

The way he screamed and writhed, head turning every which way told me that it was working.

The curt, fearful breaths. Mangling more strangled begs and pathetic apologies like I would have bothered to gain my wings to save him.

I let it go for ten seconds and then longer, the pure fear in the eyes he temporarily couldn't see out of easing more and more of my savagery.

"Hey, Xand-"

My pheromone ceased the second I heard her voice, leaving the boy to collect his wits and breaths while I turned to her.

She just looked between the two of us wide-eyed, lips slightly pursed.

She didn't exactly notice what had happened when I returned given that I was using my speed and she was still in the bathroom, just heard the balcony door open.

There were a few seconds of awkward silence before Austin decided that speaking was a good idea for some unknown reason.

"Doe... please." He whimpered and my growl started up all over again.

She just blinked at him, giving a slight glare to his pleas, and turned back to finish her thought.

"Nico's here to talk to you." She said, sidestepping to reveal my brother stepping out with her, giving a very similar look to the situation as she did.

Surprised, but accepted rather quickly.

"Can it wait?" I asked, "I'm a little busy. We can talk about the trip later."

"It's not the trip I want to talk about," He clarified," Not yet at least. I wouldn't take you from something like this if it wasn't."

I took a moment to think, eventually hauling Austin back over the railing with a disappointed sigh.

His heart did sound like it was on the verge of a heart attack so...

"Here?" I asked, and Nico shook his head.

I was confused to see his eyes flicker to Doe, "No, We need somewhere private."

He stepped back inside and I moved to follow.

Doe stepped back to give us space, and even spit on the boy I was dragging behind me, regardless of how he was trying to gain his balance and stand.

I wouldn't let him.

Nico opened my door and let me exit, turning and tossing the boy into the wall with a thud as soon as the door was closed again.

He staggered and grimaced, but looked to me as soon as he could with a defensive stance.

"Pack your shit," I hissed, "You're done at this castle."

I'll send him anywhere else. I don't care where, just nowhere that he can return.

His eyes rounded in tragic disbelief, but only wasted a few seconds before staggering away as quickly as he could.

I watched him turn the corner before turning my attention back to Nico.

He wasn't even going to question what he'd just walked in on and witnessed.

"What's so important that not even Doe could hear?" I questioned, immediately getting caught off guard by the uncharacteristic worry in my brother's eyes.

"I just didn't know if this was something you wanted her to hear."

This caught my attention, and I stood straight before he elaborated.

"Dad sent someone after Khloe last night thinking that I wasn't here, and I'm worried that he might be after Doe too."