Dark Twin Moon - The Awakening

Chapter 10:

As Kayleb had threatened his little brother, he didn't wait for him at the end of the school day. When Ian got home, his brother wasn't even there. He had no idea where he was. But he had to speak to him. Immediately after their public argument, he began to feel guilty.

All he wanted was his brother back. But now that they had achieved it together, he had to sabotage their renewed relationship. After all this trouble, it is possible that Kayleb would ever return to him as his brother. At least not as he used to be. He saw the broken look Kayleb was trying so hard to hide as simple pain, but he saw the subtle differences between the two things.

"Dude, were you even listening to me?" Grey, the friend who had brought him home, asked suddenly. They sat on the couch in the living room together - the same couch Kayleb had woken up on the second day of school.

He was a guest, so Ian had no problem with him being there. Even after the argument with his brother, he enjoyed their company. He is grateful that despite their hatred for his brother, they do not despise him. They made him feel like a regular teenager freed from his brother's shadows.

But there were some topics he didn't like, especially with Grey. He loves talking about all the girls he's been with. If Ian remembers correctly, he only talks about girls, not even subtly. He does so publicly even, getting particularly loud when the girls he talks about walk past.

Just as he was about to respond to his friend, he noticed the sound of the front door opening.

Not a second later, Kayleb was standing at the entrance to the living room. The front door was left wide open. "What are you doing here?" Kayleb's eyes were fixed on the unknown athlete he saw on his territory. From the strong resemblance of their smells, it was clear he was from the same pack as the other hock he'd thrown in a row of lockers at school.

The guy didn't say anything, ignoring him. He didn't even turn in his direction but looked straight at Ian, who was rocking anxiously in his seat, realizing he hadn't thought this through after asking Grey to come inside.

"If you're not out in fifteen seconds, I'll escort you out myself!" Grey seemed indifferent to Kayleb's assertive tone and showed no signs of wanting to argue or leave.

"Your brother invited me, and it's his house too. So I'm staying as long as he wants me to!" His words were like poison to Kayleb. He knew damn well what game this guy was playing, and if he wanted to, he'd play it with him.

He stalked to the living room couch and stopped directly before the for him unknown jock.

"When I see your Alpha, I'll stamp him in the dirt where he belongs next to all his precious little followers. After taking over this sad excuse of a wolf pack, I will shatter all your dreams and show you all what an angry Alpha really looks like." With every word, he got closer to the guy.

At first, the athlete showed no signs of fear or anything like it. Until their faces were only millimeters apart. With the last words, Kayleb showed his blood-red eyes to the little werewolf. He might have peed his pants in fear, but the Alpha lycan did not care. Grey's eyes widened at the sight of the red orbs.

An arrogant snort escaped his mouth - even though he was trembling like a branch in an autumn storm - with which he finally stood up.

"Your brother is a freak," Gray yelled angrily at Kayleb, but it was meant for Ian. "Tomorrow, I'll get you for school, but I won't set foot in this house again while this crazy guy is here." He tried to stay calm as he spoke, but he was shaking even worse than before, still feeling the red eyes on him, glaring at him and breaking his will bit by bit.

Before Kayleb could say another word, Grey ran outside, closing the door as quietly as possible behind him.

"I thought my words at school were crystal clear. I don't want this scum around me or on my territory. If you think they are good company, please let them destroy you. But the moment you come crawling back, crying, when they find out what you are and use you for it, I'll say: I told you so."

Ian looked at his brother in amazement. He had never heard him be this insistent about a subject. He tends to be strong-willed, but most of the time, he at least allows for discussions. Even if it didn't change his mind, he at least listened to others.

It made him angry, but at the same time, he feared his brother. Not enough to be scared, but enough not to try to make his case again. Mainly because he could see how hard his brother was trying to keep the beast in his cage. They both knew it would thirst for blood once it came out. It certainly was angry and dissatisfied at being held captive for so long. It hasn't seen a full moon in over a month, the longest it's ever had to be held back. Not even the smallest moon was his, and he hungered for it.

Ian wanted to avoid being there when it finally freed itself. As long as this all went on, not even he was safe from Kayleb's fury because it wasn't like when he was grieving.

He was now only a reminder of someone Kayleb had lost.

They didn't utter a word the entire evening as they lived, cooked, ate, and watched a movie together. That night was the first since his older brother emerged from his cocoon that they slept apart. Ian had even slept next to his older brother on the couch the first day after leaving his room but got up an hour early because it felt strange, as he had no idea.

Both couldn't sleep that night, but Kayleb had to stay strong. He swallowed the need to comfort his brother. If he doesn't stand firm on this issue, Ian might think he would come around one day, but he wouldn't. But most importantly, he must learn never to question his authority again.

Though he didn't want to, he reluctantly got up to discuss something important with his brother. Not bothering to dress, he left his room in only his underwear. Without knocking on Ian's door, he opened it. Only to find his little brother watching something on his phone.

Shocked, the younger lycan tried not to look distressed, desperately not trying to glance at his brother.

"We need to talk, whether you want it or not. Right now!" He closed the door, keeping everything they would talk about in the dark for anyone else.

When morning came, Ian expected things to go back to normal. However, Kayleb ignored him completely, refusing to make even eye contact or speak with him. His disappointment was too great. So he ate his breakfast in silence until a car horn rang out over the soft chirping of birds.

Kayleb has never seen the little idiot jump up faster in his life. For a moment, he could see a guilty glint on his face. But then he suddenly stormed out of the house.

He let out a deep sigh, unsure why it was weighing on him so heavily. Maybe because even in this new town, everything seems to remind him of Maxie: the warm wind blowing through the trees, the birds with their beautiful songs, and the silence when he was alone.

Although they came from a metropole where the birdsong could barely be heard through the busy streets, the wind was cold and not as unpredictable as in this smaller city, surrounded by hundreds of kilometers of forests.

He misses his endless smiles and bad jokes that kept him laughing for hours. Even though Maxie was younger than him, he had this strange obsession to protect him from everything and everyone.

Thinking about his twin again, a few tears ran down his cheeks. Kayleb believed he'd run out of salty tears or the crippling feeling of loneliness, but apparently, that was just wishful thinking. Why does he need to hurt so badly? If only happiness could return to him as people told him it should. He wasn't sure why it seemed like he couldn't get that one thing back when he had already lost so much. Instead, he drowned in grief every single day.

His thoughts were dark, monstrous, and potentially very dangerous. This time, there was simply no one to help him out. The only one who always wanted to help him at any cost was gone because his pride and stubbornness were too strong for his own good.

That was until a loud knock pulled him out of his misery; though he was in a dark alley of his memories, he didn't flinch when he heard the loud bang.

He hoped the person would go away if he didn't answer the door or make any noise, but the knocking came more frequently as time passed.

Since it didn't look like the person was about to stop anytime soon, Kayleb compulsively decided he couldn't take the sound anymore. But when he got up, he couldn't find the strength to stay upset; his body felt drained. So, instead of trudging towards the door, he shuffled toward it, which took much longer than usual. But what came into view as he finally got to the door and opened it wasn't only surprising but made his cheeks flush with a deep red.