1 Hour Before Jae & Syri's Confession
WARNING: Violence
Kace slowed his pace when he was sure the true blood was not following him. The male released a breath and came to a walk as he replayed his interaction with the prince of Eternal Dawn; he could not stop recalling the tenderness in the prince's emerald orbs. No one had looked at him so gently, and Kace almost wanted to turn around and find the prince, so he could look up into those deep green eyes, but the moment the desire formed, the wolf forcefully removed it from his heart. He would not allow himself to become vulnerable to any wolf other than Jae. Jae was his rock, his safe place, and Kace did not want to lose that.
The blue-haired released a long, slow breath as he made his way through the garden and let himself get lost in the moonlit petals covering the ground. The wolf cleared his mind of the events of the day and found a quiet corner of the garden in which to sit and rest. The visiting packs would be leaving in four days, so all Kace had to do was avoid the prince of Eternal Dawn, and everything would return to how it was. And Kace was excellent at avoiding things, so it would have been a simple task had he not been found by his hunter.
The wolf's sensitive ears detected the quiet breathing of a predator stalking its prey. Kace remained still and closed his eyes as he took in a deep breath and studied his hunter. The scent was strong, most likely alpha. The footsteps were quiet and determined; the predator was not taking this lightly and most likely had the intent to kill or severely maim. Kace recognized the scent the moment the hunter leaped into the small corner.
The blue-haired was quick to avoid the black wolf that lunged at him and lifted his fists in defense as he faced his hunter. 'He's come for his revenge.' Kace's eyes narrowed as he studied the wolf's movements. They were slow and calculated. He had been following Kace for a while and had waited for this moment to strike.
Kace prepared to defend himself from the wolf as it charged him, but the wolf shifted into his human form just before reaching Kace and brought the blue-eyed to the ground. Kace let out a groan as his breath was knocked from him.
A wicked laugh radiated from the man above him as Ganz pressed his forearm to his prey's throat. The alpha raised a brow as his eyes trailed over the scars on the blue-eyes male's neck. "Looks like I'm not the only one who gets to mark you." An evil glint entered the alpha's red eyes as he added, "Not in that way, of course," and bared his claws.
Kace gasped for air and tried to rip the man's arm away from his throat, but Ganz grabbed both of the blue-haired's wrists with his free hand and pinned them above his prey's head. The blue-haired released a cry of pain when Ganz dug his claws into his wrists.
"Why didn't you shift?" Ganz inquired of the man beneath him. "Not that it would have helped," the alpha added with a smirk. The man furrowed his brows as he lowered his head and sniffed Kace's scent. "What are you?" Ganz suddenly became curious as to what rank his prey was. "You smell like an alpha, but then again...not." The alpha tilted his head as he pondered the rank of his prey.
"There's no chance you'll tell me, right?" Ganz released a crackle at his question before tightening his grip around Kace's wrists. Blood now trailed down the blue-eyed's arms and stained the purple flowers beneath him. "How silly of me to even ask. I haven't heard you utter one word, you know. Can you even speak?"
Kace released a growl in response to Ganz's question, and his eyes filled with flames. "That's better. Now, let's see how loud you can scream," Ganz snarled as he removed his forearm from the blue-eyed's throat and hovered his clawed hand above his prey. Kace stifled his cry when the alpha dug his claws into his shoulder.
"Hmm, not loud enough." The alpha was not concerned about being discovered as he had watched the true blood head back to the castle before following the blue-haired deeper into the garden. And Ganz knew the guests in the banquet were too intoxicated to register his prey's screams even if they penetrated the palace's thick, stone walls and somehow made their way into the lively hall.
Keeping his hold around Kace's wrists, Ganz ran his claws from the shoulder up the blue-haird's arm, tearing streaks in Kace's pale flesh. Kace shut his eyes tightly as he fought the scream that clawed at his throat. Tears formed in the blue-haired's eyes as the cry broke through his lips and echoed into the night.
"That's better!" Ganz praised the man trapped beneath him as he relished Kace's cry of pain. "Now...what should we mark next?" Ganz asked with crazed eyes when his prey's cry had died down. "Hmmm, how about this pretty face of yours? I'm surprised no one has marked it yet. Maybe it's because you are too pretty." A vile look entered Ganz's eye as his gaze trailed over Kace's elegant yet masculine features. "Shall I change that? Then, the strong true blood wouldn't want you anymore. Wouldn't that be a pity?" The alpha snarled as he pressed the top of his claw against the line of Kace's jaw.
Kace grit his teeth as the alpha dragged his claw along his jawline, tearing into the blue-eyed male's soft flesh. A tear fell from Kace's eye as he endured the torment being bestowed on him by the ruthless alpha. The blue-haired fought the urge to shift into his wolf form and resigned to the fact he would have to fight the alpha in his human form. Kace had vowed to never shift into his wolf form without the protection of the mask that veiled his eyes, and he would hold to his word even if it meant taking this torment until he could force the alpha off him. He had promised Jae, and he could not bring himself to break it.
So, he endured the pain inflicted on him by the cruel alpha until he caught an opening. The blood seeping from the wounds in his wrists had covered his arms and made Ganz's hold on him slick. The moment Kace felt the alpha's hold slip, he took the chance to break free and push the alpha off him.
Kace was no weak wolf, so he had no problem throwing Ganz onto the ground. But as soon as the alpha hit the earthen floor, he shifted into his wolf form and wriggled out from Kace's grasp. Slipping in his own pool of blood, Kace found himself on the ground watching as a ferocious werewolf charged him.