Aurélien Cullen thrived on chaos. Maybe that's why fate presented him with a werewolf for a soul mate. After all, what's more chaotic than a love that goes against your very Biology?
"You have such a beautiful soul, Seth Clearwater."
Seth Clearwater...
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If Seth Clearwater needed to describe how he was feeling in one word, that word would be dazed. Or maybe winded. Or disoriented. Any of those words or their synonyms would fit because one minute he was watching his pack alpha getting battered by the girl he'd been obsessed with for the past two years, and then Seth was getting thrown into a tree by the aforementioned girl for trying to intervene in the aforementioned battering.
That wasn't even the most confusing thing, though. The most confusing thing was looking up after landing in a sprawling heap on the floor to find his boyfriend crouched in front of him protectively, body coiled and ready pounce, and growling at Bella Swan threateningly. This was confusing because Aurélien loved Bella Swan like she was his sister so, despite the fact that she was now ridiculously strong and had knocked Seth into a tree on pure instinct alone, he couldn't fathom why he would be treating his best friend like she was a threat. (Seth has seen Bella bump into items of furniture accidentally and then apologise to them far too often to ever see her as dangerous).
"Seth!" Bella gasped out, crimson eyes full of horror and regret. "I'm so sorry." Seth gave her a small smile, hoping it conveyed to her that he didn't hold a grudge against her. He'd never been a newborn vampire, but he vividly remembered adjusting to the life of a shifter and how much his erratic emotions and newfound strength had caused him problems.
"Bella," Carlisle warned, eyes glued to Aurélien. Seth couldn't see his boyfriend's face but he imagined it looked the same as it had when he'd come across him draining the blood out of a dear all those months ago — pupils blown wide, his gaze sharp and watchful, and his lips dream back in a snarl, displaying his teeth threateningly. Feral. Aurélien had seemed like a feral animal in that moment; all vicious instinct and no humanity to be found. Like a wild cat; a leopard or a lion.
Seth had realised in that moment all those months ago that the display of vampiric prowess he'd witnessed the very first time he'd seen his imprint — when they were training to face the newborn army — was only a shadow of what truly lay inside him. Inside all vampires. They may not turn into beasts as shifter did, but they were beasts all the same. Not evil, but far more animalistic than any human. They could shift from their usual nature quicker than you can blink, shedding the human facade they'd learnt and meticulously maintained over the years and become a vicious animal that acted on instinct alone, faster than a bullet and stronger than an elephant.
Seth knew this all to well as a shifter who spent most of his time with shifters. But Bella — who'd never seen the Cullen's as anything but welcoming and gentle and protective, who'd never actually witnessed them embracing their animalistic side fully, who had no sense of self preservation to speak of — made the mistake of taking two steaps towards Aurélien and Seth, not realising that the former was no longer himself and therefore not her protective friend and brother in that moment.
Just as Seth predicted, Aurélien let out a growl and pounced on Bella, sending her slamming into the ground. He immediately got a grip on her neck and squeezed, and Seth tried not to shudder at the cracking sound that signalled that he'd broken skin with his vice like grip. Bella flailed desperately, but failed to dislodge Aurélien. She may be a strong newborn, but he was older and more experienced, the desire to protect his mate from someone he saw as nothing but a threat spurring him on. Bella didn't want to hurt Aurélien, but in that moment he had no such qualms.
