Higher Than The Alpha (#Wattys2014) »ᴄɵᴍᴘᴌᴇтᴇ«

FOUR

FOUR – Stupid Human [Victoria]

Walking through town was not a fun experience. As usual. It was loud. It smelt of a range of foods and didn't mix well together. And people were pushing and people with prams were using them to get where they wanted to go. It was the usual. Unfortunately. I glared at a man's back as he pushed past me trying to get somewhere fast. If he was in such a rush, why didn't he leave earlier?

Sighing, I blamed Lex. Lex whose name said in my head made my heart miss a beat. Although, now knowing what I did, I wasn't sure which emotion made my heart do so. Just as I wasn't sure why I had let Lex decide to go to the cinema on a Saturday.

Rounding the corner which made the cinema dead ahead, I slowed my walking as I saw Lex waiting, leaning his back against the wall, his arms crossed across his chest. This time I was aware which emotion it was that made my heart pound. Looking at him, you would never know that he was truly a predator. Except for the aura he was giving off. People were walking into one another to stay away from him. Why was he so pissed?

Looking at him again, I noticed his – uh oh – sapphire eyes glaring at someone shorter than him. And that was when I saw the white-blonde haired girl with sky blue eyes, fake tan and designer clothes, Morgan Michelle, the girl Lex had dumped on our birthday.

What was she doing here? I wondered as I came to a stop. As I stopped, sapphire eyes looked in my direction. Watching Lex's eyes reach me, I started forward again. How had he known I was there? He pushed of the wall and waited for me. As I came to a stop besides him, I looked over to see Morgan staring with her mouth dropped.

"You dumped me for that?"

I heard the growl start roll out of Lex's throat. Immediately, I reached for him, not realising I had until I felt his shirt under my hand. The growl stopped.

"Urg, don't even bother crawling back once you're done with her." And with that, she walked off. Or was it strutting? "Oh, and nice contacts! Maybe you should let her give you a tattoo while your at it!"

As soon as I dropped my hand from his chest, Lex growled, immediately I placed my hand back, and he stopped. I rolled my eyes, my hand was like a damn on-off switch.

"Lex?" I called, noticing the predator that wanted to give chase to Morgan.

His voice came out as more growl than words, which told me I had the tiger talking to me at that moment. "Never liked her. Weak. Prey. Food. Not my mate."

"So why did you let Lex date her?"

"Human side was stronger. Human and animal balances at eighteen. Stupid human."

I raised my brow at that. "I'm human." God, it was weird talking to him. Although, I wasn't sure if it was weirder because it already seemed normal.

Lex's face grinned, his sapphire eyes sparkled. "Smart mate." Arms came around me as he pulled me into a hug and nuzzled into my hair as he had yesterday.

Then next time he spoke, his voice was human. "You and my tiger seem to be getting along."

"I guess."

Lex snorted. "One minute I have Morgan in front of me, the next, I have you in my arms."

"You don't remember anything while he's taken over?"

"I do, generally. But he seems to be punishing me at the moment."

"For what?"

"Well, he let me hear his thoughts on how "stupid" I am."

I chuckled. And Lex relaxed.

"Ready to hear more laugher?" I teased.

"Hmm?"

"Film's about to start."

"Film?" I blinked. "Oh. Yeah, come on."

I felt my stomach clench, and my head spin as Lex entwined his fingers with mine, pulling me into the cinema.

I was surprised by how easy it was to forget. Forget that I'd liked Lex since I was a kid and that he'd hurt me, unintentionally, by dating everyone else. Forget that dating a man and tiger in one wasn't the norm. Forget the world.

But as the film came to an end, I knew that I had a choice to make. Did I want to accept Lex and his furry side? And I knew the answer couldn't be maybe. And if I said no, what would happen to me. Surely it wasn't something we "humans" were supposed to know. And if I said yes? How long long would it be until Lex realised that I wasn't for him? That his tiger had got it wrong?

I noticed Lex glance at me as we left the cinema. He looked like he was about to say something before he stopped. Then he seemed to change his mind again. "What are you thinking?"

Swallowing my nerves, deciding to be honest. "Us." I glanced at him as I said it to see his amber eyes pale before returning back to amber.

"And...?" He sounded hopeful, yet more nervous than I felt.

"I don't want to be hurt, Lex," I sighed. "I don't see how it can work."

I heard a growl that was quickly smothered, and I looked at Lex's eyes to see his tiger truly fighting him for dominance as his eyes went from amber to pale to blue to pale to amber before repeating in quick flicks. The more they fought, the quicker the colours changed.

"Why not?" Lex asked in a human voice.

"Because–"

I yelped as I was grabbed from behind. A hand slapped over my mouth, an arm of steel wrapped around my waist, and then I was being lifted. Lex's eyes went sapphire as he leapt towards the attacker, freezing as a knife made an appearance from another man who held it against my neck. Swallowing my fear of the attackers as Lex's growl vibrated the walls around us, I stayed as still as possible.

As Lex's growl didn't stop, I became very much aware of the malice lurking beneath. Lex was pissed, even I could see that, hell, I would have ran at the first rumble, but something deep inside that he wasn't, would never attack me like that. And that was when I heard growling from the chest I was being held against. My mind paused, at least that explains why their not running. But what type of were were they?

And then before anything more could be said, I felt a needle prick my skin and liquid enter my body. No! What had they done! But as I struggled, the knife was being held millimetres from my neck so that I wouldn't cut myself – no, they seemed to want that pleasure... I felt my body become heavy. Too heavy. They'd drugged me! Then I screamed the last thing I could before darkness took over, "LEX!"

  

  

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