Ruin Of The Alpha MxB

5 | The first encounter

The wolf inside Phineas stirred as they approached the Alpha's office. The restlessness of his wolf made him fidget. Sweat collected on his forehead, his mouth dried, and his heart felt heavier. This was not his nature. Pinocchio - his wolf - was calm and unruffled. Always. Were his halcyon days over now that their Alpha had returned?

Suddenly, his legs began to quiver, his limbs along with his body and heart becoming too heavy to be carried with a leisurely pace. Left leg first, right leg next. Left. Right. Left Right..., he continued pushing himself to keep going. To not crumble.

Now that the office doorway was in view, he was more attuned to what was inside. He could detect a presence inside, strong and authoritative. A true Alpha. The fog in his mind cleared a bit and he deduced it was not Nick inside but whoever it was, they made his mouth water. He had an epiphany, but it was too late to retreat as Carson was already in the process of opening the door.

Once they were inside and there was no barrier holding him and his mate apart, he let himself go and feel. The first thing that assaulted him was the scent of walnuts and melted chocolate. It sent his senses into overdrive. The next was a pair of eyes. He did not meet the Alphas's eyes but he could feel them on him. They refused to leave him, roaming up and down his body with patience it seemed. He returned the favor. Barefoot in the office, his feet were not ugly but rough. A Herculean body with blue veins - a cool undertone certainly - visible on his hands. Caramel skin. If those evidently thick thighs were presented to Phineas a few years back, he would have saliva pooled at his feet by now. Nonetheless, he was not the pining Phineas anymore. He had to grow up.

"Alpha, this is Phineas." Phineas' head whipped to the side so fast that Arthur who was reduced to a wide-eyed, mindless mess came out of his stupor and blinked. Meanwhile, Phineas was filled with dread at the four words that spilled like hot lava out of Carson's mouth. His skin was prickling with the burn. Alpha? The realization dawned on him and no matter how much he wanted to deny it, he could not. He was away for a few days and they suddenly got a new Alpha?

"Wilder's brother," Arthur deduced.

The Alpha's voice turned out to be a beacon for his eyes. A look at the man and his hands and legs were overcome with goosebumps, even the uneven hair at the back of his neck stood to attention. From across the room, he could sense the other man experiencing the same level of surprise as him if not more. Shock, he concluded after risking another glance at the hunk. It was not the feeling of surprise but shock dancing in those captivating grey orbs. Lightheaded, he tucked his tail and sprinted out of the office.

Carson gaped at the wide-open double doors that were a testimony to the disaster seconds ago. The cracks behind them were very much visible for the pack members to see. A train of terrible thoughts began its descent in his mind. He did not want Phineas to die or worse, watch him die. Alpha Arthur had already been painted a monster in his mind. With the terrible temper the Alpha had, Phineas would more likely be sprawled on the floor of the office, replacing the phenolic yellow rug.

With a faked confidence, he shifted his eyes to Arthur's face. "I am sorry, Alpha." The apologies fell on deaf ears, the warning bells ringing in Arthur's head were too loud to get past. The warrior fidgeted foot to foot, scratching his arm as he spoke again. "He gets like that when it comes to Wilder. Maybe he is spooked to see a new Alpha and was frightened of what action you will take against his brother for initiating a fight."

"Out."

Before the Alpha could change his mind, Carson hauled ass out of his office. Heaving a sigh, he slumped against the wall of his bedroom. The cool wall did nothing to soothe his restless mind. After years, he was experiencing this feeling, he was not worried about Phineas but he worried for the man. A knock on the door alerted him that it was time for training. For a moment, he entertained the bizarre idea that he stopped by Phineas' room on his way to the training ground and turned the doorknob. While his feet stopped, his hands refused to cooperate as he discarded the idea for the time being.

On the other side of the Elmwood door, Phineas was standing on shaking legs doing his best to take gulps of air. With much difficulty, he unclasped his necklace and retrieved a key. He tried to thrust the key inside the hole of the bedside table's bottom-most drawer. He missed twice before succeeding. He snatched one bag out of the stack of paper bags.

Once he calmed down, only then did he feel the slight sting on his neck. He rubbed the spot and hissed at the pain. A mirror never lies. It told him the true tale behind the sting. In his moment of panic, he had pulled the chain too hard. Maybe it was his bad day because as soon as he went to apply a soothing ointment Phoenix burst into the room with a look of rage. The younger Grey's observant eyes noticed the red line near his brother's hovering hand right away. In nanoseconds, his face went from red to pale. Since the chemistry between the brothers was strong, one could call it a chemical reaction and Phineas was the deciding element.

Rushed footsteps were heading his way. He steeled himself for the upcoming questions. "Who the fuck did this to you? I heard about the new Alpha, was it him? I swear to God I will go to him right away and kick his ass. Let me just call Achi-"

"No!" Phineas yelled. Going on a rampage and threatening the Alpha about how he hurt Phineas would be nothing but a disaster. The meaning of 'hurt' would be taken otherwise by the man, all emotional and not at all physical. " I was styling my hair when the comb got stuck in my necklace and resulted in this mark you are raving about." Phoenix still seemed suspicious, his narrowed eyes a dead giveaway. "I thought being the mother hen of the family was my role," he joked for good measure.

Phoenix shook his head and picked up the ointment from beside his brother's feet. A head nod towards the bed and Phineas' legs were moving. Both were quiet while the younger put the ointment on the older. The silence did not last. "You are a bad liar." Phineas'brothers knew him better than they let on, so he had no idea why he was surprised by his brother's words.

"Enix, I am not lying. He did not hurt me." Not directly, at least.

"But something did, and you are not telling me what it is. Do not worry, I am letting it go and only because I trust you." Phoenix threw a dazzling smile at his brother and the rest of the day was spent with him complaining about how Wilder misbehaved with him when they were in the infirmary. Achilles and Aspen joined the two later in the day. Having them in the room with him managed to keep him distracted from the thoughts of the Alpha. His treacherous wolf would occasionally slip ultra-high-definition images of gray eyes and hard muscles as a punishment for shutting him out during the first encounter with their mate. Phineas did not do it on purpose, it was the shock. An apology was in order when he was alone.

The moon kept rising high in the night sky as Achilles updated them on pack gossip he managed to collect in the few hours they were back. Eventually, the four brothers tired themselves out and ended up falling asleep on the floor, tangled together in the weirdest sleeping positions.

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