BETA LANCASTER

PART 8 - LIGHT & DARK

TAYLOR

"Taylor, go cool off bud." My brother Jenson growls at me from within the cabin as I'm refused entry to my own fucking home as I snarl and pace about on the porch.

Admittedly, I've fucked up. In all honesty, I wasn't expecting to see that beautiful face hers when I came back from my swim, to touch her and taste her like that was like some fucking dream. But as soon as she invited my wolf to come out and play, I've never felt him surge forward with such determined force before. He's desperate for her, but I'm desperate to keep her safe from him. The panic that ran through my heart when he tried to force the shift when she was still in my arms made me push her away for her own safety whilst I tried to reason with him. And now I just anxious to fuck to get to her to make she's ok.

I've had pretty decent control over my wild wolf for years but ever since I've been marked all my senses are off kilter. Everything is intensified, anything could be a trigger, a smell, a touch, a look. Not having Harper in my bed last night was a mistake. Being away from her at such an early-stage post marking has just made my already volatile wolf completely pissed off and that's when he's the most dangerous. Exercise usually takes the edge of his angsty moods, but he's been fighting me like a raging bull all fucking night and again this morning, pushing me to go and claim what's ours.

Over the years my wolf has grown to tolerant of my brothers' wolves, but that's where his patience ends. We don't run other wolves. We keep to ourselves to keep other safe. Until I know he won't hurt Harper, I won't allow him to meet her. He has to play by rules this time. I lost the love of my life because of him. I won't lose my new mate now as well. 

Common sense would be to follow my brother's advice and to walk away. But every fibre in my body won't let me leave this porch until I enter my home and have my mate back in my arms. Looking at the door that stands between us, I could easily cut through the wood as if it was mere paper. But I've scared her enough. So, with every thread of self-restraint I have left I knock on the door once again to my own home.

"Just... let me in. I need to speak to her. To explain." I rasp.

I hear the click of my lock been undone before my door finally slowly swings open but before I can take even one step further my brother stands in the doorway blocking my path. His wolf eyes shining out.

"I said, go-cool-off." He says sternly.

"Get out of my way, before I make you." I snarl back.

As an unmated male wolf, him being locked alone inside with my mate is making this whole situation ten times worse. He needs to leave so I can try and repair the damage I've caused with her and not get in my way.

"Then make me." Jenson challenges as he steps closer to me before a large growl ripples in my chest.

"Stop." Harpers soft voice pleas as Jenson turns to look over his shoulder as my eyes snap onto my little mates scared face and my heart thuds in my chest.

"Are you ok? Harper, I'm so sorry. I never meant for you to get hurt." My voice coming out gravelly as my eyes drop to her blood-soaked sleeve on her top and anger bleeds into my senses that I did that. To my own mate. "Let me see your arm."

"Stay away from me Taylor." She says coolly.

"Just let me in and let's talk. That's all I want." I say quietly as I go to push past my brother, but he holds out his palm pushing me back on my chest then shakes his head.

"Like I said, make me." Jenson growls.

Bad move.

Jealously spikes in my already heightened emotional state, no wolf stands between me and my mate. Within a heartbeat I pounce onto my brother by grabbing him by the collar then yanking him out of the doorway. He crashes down the porch steps at high speed whilst Harper screams with fear behind me. But I can't stop. Jenson hits the ground hard, but he's a highly trained wolf, his reflexes that have always been fast and in the blink of an eye he's already rolled back over and springs back up to attempt to bring me down. A heavy blow smashes against my jaw as Jenson channels his wolfs full energy to deliver the blow. It's a real good one, forcing me to drop to one knee as my world spins sightly.

"No, Harper don't. Stay inside." Jenson suddenly roars as I snap my head up to see my golden-haired terrified mate shuffling against the outside of wall trying to sneak away before her jaw drops open with fear spread across her face.

"Your eyes. What's wrong with your eyes." Harper gasps.

My wolf howls loudly in my head, highly displeased with our mate's reaction on seeing him surface for the first time.

"Harper." I whisper as I hold my hand out to reach for her. "I'm not going to hurt you. Let me explain."

But once again she backs away with fear, flinching away from me like I'm poison to even look at. My wolfs anger starts to build, he's not handling rejection well from a female that he already considerers as his.

"Stay away from me." She sobs as Jenson jumps onto of me to try and pin me down, but I wrestle him back, snarling into his face before looking back at my fragile looking mate.

"You're the only one that calm me, please. Come here. I won't hurt you." I beg to her.

"Just stop Tay. You're scaring her." Jenson roars at me once more.

Pounding paws grabs mine and my brother's attention as we turn to see where Harper was once stood on the porch a flash of white fur before the most exquisite wolf I've ever seen leaps from my porch and charges off towards the forest. There's not an inch of colour on her coat, she's a pure white. A rarity to be found these days.

She's everything light to my everything dark.

Every other noise melts away. I know my brother is shouting at me to stop, but I refuse to listen. Taking a huge running jump, I spring off the porch and shift into my Onyx black wolf and chase after the snow like wolf who's desperately trying to escape us, but there's no way we're going to let her escape.

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HARPER

My heart is pounding so hard from fear I swear at any moment I could vomit. But I can't stop. I've no idea where I'm going, but that doesn't matter. I just need to keep running. With every ounce of strength, I have I keep pushing forward. The trees are denser here than the pine forest back home. The twigs and branches keep snapping back into my face and tugging at my fur, I swear it's like the very trees in this place are trying to hold me back to keep me from leaving.

My wolf is beside herself. She won't speak to me nor tell me what's happening. Her whole focus is getting us out of here and I give her full control to take us to safety. I'm not like my sister, I'm no warrior. My defence strategy is flight, not fight and we sure as hell are not sticking around for a chat with the Beta.

Oh god... his eyes... those black- hypnotic- demon like eyes.

He's a monster.

As soon as I have that thought, my wolf whimpers in my head letting me know that she doesn't feel the same way. She's scared but more than anything else I can feel her sadness. I put a pin in this discussion with her for now, as all I want to do is get the fuck out of this valley.

However, terror fills my heart when I suddenly hear a loud howl then approaching paws coming up fast from behind me making me yelp with fear. My white wolf picks up her speed now, pushing herself to the very limits as our mate howls once more calling for us and I break down crying inside.

Oh, goddess help me. 

He's coming for us.