The Astral Eyes

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"Now, Del we can talk about this, can't we?!"

Armand stumbled backwards, tripping over his feet and falling down on the rough dirt lining the roadway.

I snarled, my hackles raised and my ears pointed back. If he could hear my mind-speak, he would have known I wasn't going to kill him. I was, however, going to bite him hard enough to leave a scar no magic could get rid of.

Some part of me heard Irene begging me not to hurt him, but everything was hazy outside of Armand. My eyes only saw the nervous twist of his lips and the panicked bulge of his eyes. My ears only heard the scrape of his clothes against the dirt as he scuttled backwards and the pounding of his blood through his veins. My nose only smelled the fear wafting of the cold sweat coating his skin.

I was tapping into my primal instincts. Wolves were built to track, tear, and kill.

Unfortunately, I hadn't mastered the technique which was probably why I didn't maintain enough awareness to know Everett was coming.

One moment I was snapping my jaws a foot from Armand's face, the next something large and powerful slammed into my midsection. I rolled across the road and found my feet again on the other side. I shook out my coat, scattering the pebbles I collected back across the asphalt. When I looked up with a snarl, I discovered my attacker was my own mate. His bulky body blocked my view as Armand bolted back into town and Irene stayed by Victor's side. It was seeing my brother's wide, terrified expression that had me transforming back.

I fell into a heap on the roadside, tears in my eyes and anger vibrating through my body. Everett was quick to sprint forward. He gently grabbed my naked human form in his mouth and lifted me up off the ground so he could lay me a few yards away in the much softer grass. I heard him making some sort of huffing noise and maybe something like a whine before he returned his attention to me.

"I think Irene understood that I wanted her to take Victor to Moonshade. She's at least headed that way."

There wasn't any frustration or accusation in the feelings he sent over to me through our link. Instead, he settled onto the ground and wrapped his warm, furry body around me like a blanket. His snout planted wet kisses against my cheek as I continued to process my emotions.

"No one's hurt, everything's okay."

His tongue swiped my shoulder and I took a deep breath.

"Armand's the reason Victor's here. I'm going kill him."

I dug into the fur on his belly, curling up in his warmth. With my ear pressed against him, I listened to his steady breaths and heartbeat.

"Why would Armand do that? I'd probably kill him too if he put any of my siblings at risk."

"Even if it was Damien?"

I felt Everett send a tingling sensation through our link. It reminded me of laughter and matched the way his stomach bounced with his panting.

"Well, maybe not Damien. Though at this point I suppose I'd be upset since he is your beta. Losing him means losing a part of yourself and I wouldn't want to see that."

Despite his playful tone, I'm surprised to find he's right. When I considered Damien being put in harm's way, I felt the same prickle of agitation and fear that I did when I first saw Victor coming into the valley.

"Look," Everett said after some time had passed, "I know Armand is a friend and that you probably don't actually want to kill him. If you did, I wouldn't have made it in time to knock you away from him. That being said, you're allowed to be angry about what he's done. It is a terrible betrayal."