Choleric

Chapter XXVI

Chapter XXVI

"I suppose that's one of the ironies of life doing the wrong thing at the right moment."

- Charlie Chaplin

[UNEDITED]

Smoke was a funny thing.

The way it dances like no ballerina could; twisting and turning, leaping impossible lengths and encapturing the audience with its intoxicating grasp. The way it wrapped around them, seeking to find every inch within before suffocating them with the thickness of its breath and bringing them to their knees with its weight.

That's how Celia felt as she stood in a room with Cassius and his beta Cash. She had never been to this room before. The pristine conference room by the river had a certain coldness to it that sent shivers down her spine as the boys conversed about the series of unfortunate events caused by the Alpha himself. Not that they knew of his involvement yet, but Celia could see the cogs behind Beta Cash's brain turning slowly as he placed the pieces together. He had to have known of Cassius's plan to break the curse and release the beast that tormented him.

"The bitten go through seven days of transition, but it is no secret the last two or three can be extremely painful and traumatising to the victim and their families," Alaera walked in with a small platter of dips and set them on the table before taking a seat opposite the two boys. "We will want to have them dealt with by then," she announced, giving her son a piercing stare that told him to agree with her.

"Yes, I know mother. It has been two days since they have been bitten which means they have tomorrow to stay with their families and the next to say their farewells," he informed Aleara, as if he had everything already figured out. Celia found it strange watching her mates family dynamics. She had a newfound respect for the short, uptight retired Luna who wore nothing but a painfully tight ponytail and a frown etched permanently onto her face. Sacrificing the man you love for your child must be the most devastating thing she had ever heard a person endure.

"Well," Aleara sighed before pushing herself away from the table. "It looks like you have everything sorted."

Celia watched as the older woman waltzed out of the room and lightly closed the door behind her, leaving an eerie silence in her wake. Luckily, it didn't last long as Cash took the opportunity to evaluate Cassius. He scanned his Alpha's eyes for any hints, but as always there was nothing behind those piercing blue orbs.

"The bad souls were yours weren't they?" He accused, his polite yet raspy voice cut through the air of the pristine office. Celia watched Cassius, expecting his anger flare at the accusation but instead he just lifted his shoulders slightly in a shrug of indifference.

"Don't know how they escaped; I made that place myself and there's no way they could have gotten out by themselves," he angrily shoved back the thick strands of hair that into his eyes before growling in frustration. "How did this happen?" He screamed, suddenly standing. The muscles in his arms twitched in agitation and he released his anger as a mighty shove to the table, effectively flipping it over.

Celia jumped back in surprise, the rectangular shaped glass narrowly missing her as it flipped over and shattered against the hard stone floor. "Cassius!" She snapped, trying to bring her heart beat down. He breathed heavily, the cotton of his black shirt stretched against his chest each time it expanded to draw in livid breaths. The fact that he had lost his chance to be free had finally broken him.

The three of them stood in silence. Both Cash and Celia watched Cassius as he tried to reel in the outrage that churned inside him. "Fuck!" He swore, finally ending the stormy silence before turning to his Beta. "Get out there and find out what happened," he ordered harshly. The order took over Cash instantly, his eyes glazed over as Cassius's words crippled his mind and body, forcing him to obey. An alpha's order was an impossibly painful experience, the way it took over every thought in one's head and every cell in the body. Cash would not rest until it had been fulfilled. He wasted no time sprinting out of the large room, dark fur sprouting from his bare skin before he even made it out the door.