A Son’s Rage

Elijah

S carlett's words echo in my mind as I barely manage to put on some fresh clothes because she's afraid someone will learn of us, which I really fucking don't care if they do. I want the world to fucking know she's mine.

My hands are shaking with rage as I try my best to not break every fucking thing around me.

I leave my room, slamming the door viciously behind me as I yank my top down, storming through the mansion with one aim in mind.

Find my fucking father.

My anger rages around me like a hurricane, festering within me like poison that burns my very insides, growing stronger with each passing second. How could he do this?

I barely notice Indigo as she moves out of my path, but I'm too consumed in following his scent until it leads me to the kitchen, where he is holding Jessica, kissing her neck sensually. Something that makes me sick.

Fucking asshole.

"So, the one fucking thing that was left of Mom… you decided to get rid of that too?" I spit as I slam my fist into the nearest wall, making the couple jump apart. They hadn't even noticed me until I spoke.

"Elijah! What are you doing?" Dad asks, concern flooding his face. He looks at Jessica, who looks pale, and she adjusts her top, brushing her black hair out of her face. "What are you going on about?"

"Elijah..." she murmurs, but I don't even spare her a second glance. I walk over to Dad and grab him by his collar roughly before slamming him into the worktop behind him, his shoulders banging into the cupboards above, and I hear something crack.

"Elijah! Stop! That's your father!" Jessica panics.

"Yeah, I fucking know, although maybe it was better if he wasn't!" I snarl, glaring at the man before me. We are almost equal in height, but I am stronger, and it shows. He's trying to pull me off but he ain't winning this shit.

"Get off me, Elijah!" Dad growls, his eyes flashing teal. But ignoring him, I yank his shirt down, tearing the fabric as I expose his neck, my eyes going to the mark that is plastered there. Gone is the lotus with the three claws, in its place is a wolf's paw with its claws out.

I fucking feel sick.

Each wolf has its own mark and form. No matter who you mark, your mark will always remain the same. Each wolf has a mark that represents them, almost like a signature. Once you are mated and marked, it is your scents that combine and you wear the mark of your significant other.

I feel disgusted that I hadn't even realised the change in Jessica's or Dad's scents. It's slight since they spend so much of their time together, but the change is there.

"Fuck you!" I hiss icily as I pull Dad away from the counter and slam him headfirst into the table. Jessica's scream rings in the air, but it doesn't overpower the whistling in my ear or my thundering heartbeat.

He grunts as he staggers. But I'm not fucking done. Every single fucking thing he did after Mom died flashing before my eyes.

The way he stopped talking about her...

The way he easily moved on...

The idealism of mates is fucking overrated, because how do you fucking move on within a year?

"You are a fucking twat!" I thunder as he grapples with my hands, trying to push me off.

"Elijah, please! Please, it's not his fault! It was in the moment, please! I'm begging you, please don't do this!" Jessica begs, breaking into sobs, fear making her voice tremble.

"Stay the fuck out of this Jessica ! Or I might say shit that I won't be able to take back!" I snarl. A part of me wishes she never came into our lives, but wishing that meant I would never have met Scarlett or Indigo and that's not something I'd wish, even in fucking anger.

I glare at her, growling lowly until she backs away, whimpering under the effect of my Alpha aura rolling off me.

Elijah, stop it! Don't scare her! I said stop! Dad thunders through the mind-link, but I don't really fucking care. No one cared when Scarlett went through shit.

"Elijah, please... he can't breathe," she whimpers, as she watches us terrified.

What is the issue, Elijah!?

I ignore her, turning my full attention to Dad, whose face is almost purple.

"What is the issue? You moved on from Mom, your so-called mate, in what, less than a year? Everything in this fucking house changed. You stopped talking about her, you fucking forgot her, and now the first fucking chance you got, you removed her mark from your neck? You know what, why don't you get rid of me, too? After all, I'm the last thing that even has an ounce of her left!" I snarl coldly.

Pain and hurt flash through Dad's eyes and I ease up just a little so he can answer me properly. "Son… that's not true… I still love your mother. Ella can never be forgotten. She has and always will have her own special space in my heart. Please don't ever think otherwise," he whispers.

"Hard to fucking see it." I slam him into the worktop once again, making Jessica scream as the smell of blood fills the kitchen.

"Your mother made me promise I wouldn't give up on life, for me and for you."

"Don't! Don't try to put this on Mom!" I snarl, punching him across the face.

Scarlett

I freeze hearing Mama's scream. I turn the shower off trying to listen. What was that? Hearing nothing and no mind-link to assist me, I quickly grab a towel and wrap it around myself, rushing from the bathroom. Opening my bedroom door, I almost crash into Indigo, who looks pale. She looks at me, worry and fear clear on her face as she grabs hold of my arms.

"Scarlett, Elijah's really pissed off," she whispers worriedly. "Do something, they-they're fighting." Her heart is racing, and her face is ashen.

I frown, worry filling me. I don't see Indigo like this often. I don't say anything, about to rush past her when she freezes, staring at my neck.

"Wh-what's that?" she whispers.

"Now's not the time," I answer, rushing past her and down the stairs, taking them three at a time and jumping the last five. I tighten my towel around my breasts, running into the kitchen. The smell of blood and fear strong in the air.

I stop for a second, taking everything in, and my stomach churns at the sight before me.

"Elijah!" I yell, taking in how he has Dad pinned to the counter, noticing the crack in the table beside them, and one of the cupboard drawers are hanging off.

Mama is whimpering, her hand over her mouth as she stares with glassy eyes at the men before her. Her face is grey, and she's shaking. I can see she is going back into her former shell.

I glance back at Elijah, realising that he's done a number on Dad, realising his actions are reminding Mama of Zidane. Her eyes seem almost unseeing and her heart is racing way too fast.

"Elijah, stop," I say sharply.

"Stay out of this, Scarlett. Take your mother out of the room," Dad rasps, his eyes full of worry as he looks between me and Mama. I can't help but feel warm at his concern for us and not himself, although he's bleeding pretty badly.

"You should worry about yourself, no one else!" Elijah growls, slamming Dad's head into the cupboard behind him, making me flinch at the loud sound.

I turn quickly, glancing at Indigo who is standing in the doorway, her heart thumping loudly. "Indy, take Mama now," I order her.

"You come too," she whispers, but I shake my head looking at the two men in front of me.

I'm not letting my family become like this.

"Go, Indy! Take Mama!" she breaks into a run the moment I stride over to Elijah. She grabs Mama's arm and drags her from the room.

"Elijah… calm down… please." I keep my voice firm yet calm as I place my hand on his shoulder. He tenses when my fingers touch his skin. He turns to me, a deep frown on his face when he realises what I am wearing. His eyes, still full of rage, follow the water trail that trickles down between my breasts. His eyes widen in surprise, his grip loosening slightly as he looks away.

"Stay out of this, Red," he says, his voice calmer.

"No. That's your father you're hurting… the man I see as my Dad," I add softly, knowing that might just trigger him, but I don't like him hurting him. His eyes flash in anger. "I know you're hurt, but this isn't the way to go about it. Let's act like adults. Please, Elijah, you've hurt him enough."

I pull him back slightly, and he loosens his grip slightly. Dad remains silent, observing us intently, and I remain smooth, knowing he's watching my every move. But at the same time, I'm more concerned about Elijah hitting him again.

Elijah's eyes meet my sage green ones, his own returning to their normal blue.

There's pain in his eyes as he looks at me, then at Dad, before letting go of him roughly. Glaring coldly at him.

"If you have another kid, I swear by the Moon Goddess you can consider me dead," he warns his dad icily. Taking hold of my wrist, he pulls me out of the room, making my eyes widen.

Dad is silent, and although I want to see how he is, Elijah's grip is tight.

"Elijah!" I say as he pulls me down the hall from the kitchen and into the bathroom. Tugging me inside, he slams the door shut behind us and pulls me into his arms. He buries his nose into my neck, taking deep, calming breaths. I don't say anything, standing on my tiptoes to try to make up for some of the height difference between us. My back arches slightly as he leans over me, holding me tightly and almost lifting me off the ground.

I place my hands on his chest. I can feel his racing heart beneath my fingertips. His embrace is tight, but I feel comforted by it. The negative feelings from earlier are washed away when I realise why he left.

I can understand his pain, knowing how fast Dad moved on after his mama died. Anyone would be hurt by that.

"Are you ok?" I ask softly, sliding my hands up his chest. I cup his face, forcing him away from my neck so I can look at him. The slight prickle of his stubble, coarse against my fingers, feels good.

He doesn't reply and I give him an apologetic smile, kissing his lips softly. "Stupid question… want to talk about it?" He looks away, his eyes softening despite the pain that still remains.

"Not really," he admits. "Fuck, if you didn't stop me…"

"I knew you'd listen. If not to me, the towel may have worked," I say teasingly, trying to cheer him up. I hate seeing him so worked up.

"It sure as hell did. Knowing your pussy is fucking bare under that makes me want to bend you over and fuck you all over again," he purrs in my ear. I shiver in pleasure, his words making me clench my thighs together and I give him a look.

"Shame you can't do that right now. Remember Grandma Amy's coming over for dinner, too," I remind him, locking my arms around his neck. He presses his forehead to mine.

"I'm in love with you, Red and I really fucking mean it," he whispers. My heart skips a beat, staring into his eyes, my own emotions ricocheting as those words send my body into overdrive. His words echo in my mind, my breasts rising and falling.

He loves me. Elijah Westwood, my stepbrother, loves me. My cheeks flush despite myself. It feels like a dream come true, but it is real. This is real. I can see the emotions swirling in his eyes, the way he looks at me as if I am the only girl in the world, and I know he is telling the truth.

"I wanted to say the same. Upstairs before you left. I do want this to work, I really do. I don't know how or what Mama and Dad will think. Or how we will go about it, but I do want us to work," I whisper, feeling so damn vulnerable admitting that, my stomach fluttering nervously.

Elijah smirks, his hands running down my waist to my ass. "So, you love me?" he asks softly, completely disregarding the rest of what I just said.

"I didn't say that." I roll my eyes.

"You kinda did, Kitten," he whispers, his hands slipping under my towel and grabbing my ass. He groans, and I feel him throb, making me smirk.

"I didn't. Come on, we should go before they want to know what we're doing in here," I say, blushing lightly when the smell of my arousal surrounds us, making me flush a little.

"Fuck, you need to control yourself, Kitten. Or I won't give a fuck about no one," he groans, pulling away from me as I smirk.

"You should work on your self-control," I tease, walking to the door. He grabs my arm, spinning me back around and presses me against the tiled wall, making me gasp. My towel slips down a little from my boobs, the tip of my pink buds peeking out, his eyes darkening with lust.

"One kiss, sweetheart," he demands, resting his forearm against the wall above my head. I pout, tilting my head.

"I think you should wait until tonight, especially after the way you left me upstairs," I say, frowning at him. Elijah looks at me with a smirk.

"My bad, but I could make it up to you," he whispers, leaning in to kiss me. But before his lips can meet mine, the door swings open. Elijah steps away from me quickly. My eyes fly open when I see Indigo standing there, her eyes wide as she stares at us both.