14

Enko

The Fire always made it harder to control myself. It burned through my veins, my muscles, hardening them into rocks. A smolder ready to ignite at the first breeze of anger.

A hand grabbed my shoulder and I spun around, fist ready to pummel whoever into the ground. But especially the one who deserved the brunt of this wrath. I barely stopped the punch in time to save Kairos' GQ model face.

He raised his hand to meet my fist, "Chill out, man. He's fourth on the leaderboard. We can't kill him. The Archfox would go ballistic."

"Chill?" I raged. "Fucking chill? Don't tell me you're going to do nothing after what he did to our girl?"

"We will punish him, Enko. All of us. But we need to talk to Seven before we do anything rash." Kairos tried to calm me, but I was seeing red. Like Seven gave a shit about Dove right now. He was too preoccupied with himself, as always.

I turned around and kept going. Kairos made no further move to stop me. He'd learned to stay out of my way since he met me. It wouldn't have been the first time I beat the shit out of him because I couldn't control it. I couldn't rein in that scorching fury inside me.

No, it was better he stayed out of my way.

Fuck, I didn't want to be this person anymore. But when it came to Dove, I would do what was needed. That was why the goddess picked me. She knew I would do what needed to be done. Just like before.

This was who my Fated needed me to be.

I shook my head, trying to drive the memories from my head, but they fueled my rage. I tunnel-visioned on that sick fuck across the field.

I was faster than Kairos or he would have stopped me. I slammed into Vince at the full speed my magic allowed, bringing him to the ground with my hands around his neck.

My vision sharpened, the colors brightened. Feral instinct took over my senses as his eyes turned bloodshot. Students circled around us, none daring to interfere.

"You touch our girl?" I growled at the fucking prick, enjoying his flailing arms thrashing around as he suffocated, unable to get a drop of air. That feeling of power and control that was so dangerous entered my veins like the best drug.

No pain. No mercy. Only fury.

Kairos touched my shoulder, and I swung at him. He dodged, causing me to release Vince and allow him the air I had denied him. He scrambled backward in a crabwalk before holding his throat. His eyes widened in terror, his head shaking like he could deny what he'd done.

"Bro, she came onto me! Why would I touch her? Maybe she thinks she can have any guy she wants since she has three mates," Vince snapped, shaking his head.

He yelled his lies for the onlookers, wanting interference in a fair fight. Those near him stepped away, bowing and shaking their heads as they retreated from Vince's desperate grasping at straws.

Vince turned to Kairos who watched on with apathy. That was his way of controlling the situation, acting like he had ordered me to fucking beat the living hell out of Vince. "Call him off. You're being unreasonable. You know I'd never—"

My fist connected with his face, silencing him. I didn't remember closing the distance. "Don't fucking lie."

Was that my voice?

I couldn't stop myself. I leapt on top of him. My fists kept flying, out of my control. Feral. That's what made me a monster. But it's also what made me valuable.

My fists were covered in blood, both my own from split knuckles and from the bloody mush that was Vince's face. It splattered over my clothes, my face. I could fucking taste his blood on my lips.

The feral red dissipated. Kairos analyzed the situation, the damage I had done and the crowd that needed to be controlled. He'd fix this. Just like he always did. Not for me, but for the Fated that we were destined to share for the rest of our lives. For Dove.

I pushed myself off Vince, his body completely still. I watched his chest rise as he took in a struggling breath, squeaking like I'd crushed a tube or two.

Kairos called out as he saw the movement, "Next person who touches her, we won't allow to live."

He grabbed my arm, pulling me away from the crowd. Nobody dared meet me in the eyes. They all broke away, leaving a huge opening for me to pass through.

Kairos froze and I nearly slammed into him. He focused ahead.

A breeze blew her scent to me, her long white locks flowing out around her head. Her soft brown eyes widened in horror. An expression with which I'd hoped my Fated never looked upon me. Where she'd never had to see what I was capable of…and the control that I wasn't. Her lips parted and her little gasp escaped as her eyes flashed around, from Vince's motionless body to my fists covered in his blood. Everywhere but my eyes. I moved forward. She flinched, stepping backward.

She was terrified of me.

My breathing turned heavy, going from rage to panic.

"Enko, she'll understand. We'll make her understand," Kairos was saying, his voice distant. "She's our Fated. You did it to protect her. Everything is fine. She will understand what happened. Enko, come on, chill out, man."

I shrugged off Kairos' arm, wishing there was something I could do to make Dove understand. But how could she?

I was a monster.

More animal than human.

A beast.

The trees flew by me before I noticed I had shifted. Seven could overtake me, but thankfully, he minded his own business. Unlike Kairos, who wanted us all to be a fucking family .

He wanted to pretend he understood. How could he understand what I'd been through, what I had to do to survive? When he had only lived his cushy rich life in his mansion?

I ran for as long as I could until my brownish red fox form collapsed, curling my six tails around myself as though I could hide from what I'd done.

I remained in my fox form until I calmed down enough to shift back, going straight for the gym after grabbing a set of clothes out of my locker. Usually my excessive daily workouts would curb my feral fury. Not since I'd met Dove. When it came to her, I couldn't control myself. I'd tried so hard to hide it from her, my true self.

Now I'd shown her I was worse than the others. Far worse.

I wasn't a loner freak like Seven. Or a pompous rich boy like Kairos.

I snapped the weights onto the bar and began my workout. A few of the guys from the team were there, all avoiding me. They must have heard about my psychotic break. News traveled fast.

It was bad enough when I'd taught that tiny first-year a lesson for sparring with her in class. But Vince deserved it for what he did to her. Deserved worse, even.

A few of the guys muttered from across the gym, their weights left forgotten as they continued to glance over at me. My heart throbbed, whooshing blood into my ears, I couldn't make out their words, even with my super-hearing.

"Got a fucking problem?" I yelled, resting the bar above me and sitting up, my fists clenched, ready to launch across the room and shut them the fuck up the only way I knew how.

They scattered back to their own workouts, a few mumbling a response, "Nah, bro."

I jacked up the treadmill to full speed, putting in my headphones and tried to run off the crazy. When that didn't work, I headed for the boxing bag. I couldn't feel my knuckles hit the duck-taped leather bag. They were already numb from hitting bone.

In the locker room, I cleared out the shower. I had it all to myself because everyone jumped out of my way, doing their best to avoid me.

Kairos appeared out of the corner of my eye as I changed clothes. Maybe I should find a better hiding spot like Seven. It had been two hours, but my rage boiled up rapidly. "What the fuck do you want?"

"Glad to see your workout calmed you down, like always, " he said sarcastically, crossing his arms.

"Kairos, I swear to the goddess—"

" Hey, chick, this is the men's locker room!"

A few of the guys whooped in the distance and that feral rage came back. I could smell her before she even came around the corner.

Kairos cupped his hands around his mouth. "If any of you idiots have your cock out, put it away or you'll regret it."

Dove came into sight, looking completely too small and vulnerable compared to the rest of the sweaty occupants of the locker room.

Her hands twisted around each other, staring at the floor.

"I said I'd bring him out," Kairos told her, but he couldn't hide his smile.

Her chocolate eyes raised to mine. She was so soft and small and vulnerable, her big brown eyes gazing up at me. So fucking small. I need to protect her.

"I'll give you two a minute," Kairos said, clearing out the locker room as he went. Varma would hear about it, but he wouldn't cause any problems for me when the first tournament was happening soon.

"I don't know what came over me," I told her suddenly, stepping forward instinctively. I expected her to back away in fear, but she held her ground this time.

"He won't mess with us anymore," she said, her hands still twisting nervously. Her throat bobbed as she gulped, "Thank you, Enko."

I reached out, stilling her movements. She stared down at the scabbing cuts on my knuckles. Her hands were so soft and small within my calloused bloody fists. Her touch calmed me, transforming one feral instinct into another. "You never should have had to see me that way."

I leaned forward, pressing my lips against hers, wrapping my arms around her in a way that I hoped said I'll never let you go. I'll always protect you.

Our lips broke apart and our eyes locked onto each other. Goddess, I'd never get enough of that beautiful smile, the light making her eyes sparkle even in the darkness.

"Kairos told me you have a past." I opened my mouth in betrayal, but she continued, "He didn't tell me anything specific. I have a past too, Enko. We all do. And I'm here for you if you need anything. If you need to talk."

But how could I tell her what I was? What I'd done? If she knew, she'd never see me the same way again. I could already see her own pain from her past behind her brown eyes, and I didn't intend to cause her more.

It was wrong of us to keep secrets from her—not just my secrets. But she was so soft, so sweet, so innocent. How could I tell her that she was Fated to the darkest, most wicked man alive?