Heavenly Poison

Damien Gray

I woke up around six thirty the next morning. I was tired when Emilia first shook me awake. Luke was still dozing off in his cushion bed on the floor and I envied that he actually got to sleep in.

I sat up on the bed, facing Emilia. I knew that if I remained laying down, I would eventually end up falling asleep once again.

Emilia was wearing one of my white undershirts, and nothing else. It was too tempting to have her in my bed, wearing only that piece of clothing. I had to remind myself that we had to wait.

The previous night, we had gone to bed right after we left the kitchen. We had been close to fully mating, but a few things had stopped me from pushing it too far.

Sebastian was awake in his room. I could hear him moving around. We also had the other Wolves staying over. When it came to privacy, it wasn’t going to happen in a house full with Wolves and two other Legens.

“You can sleep in some more if you want,” I told Emilia, as I ran my hand over her bare thigh.

I was just torturing myself more by doing so but I couldn’t help it. Something in me kept pushing me to touch her, to be closer to her, even when I had her lying down right next to me.

“No, I won’t be able to sleep,” she replied.

Right after saying that, she yawned and began stretching her arms over her head. The action caused the thin white shirt to rise up and expose more of her body to me. I couldn’t remove my eyes from her. I found myself mesmerized, staring every single detail of her body.

“Damien,” Emilia called, snapping me out of my thoughts.

She gave a small chuckle, and rose up a few inches from the bed.

“What are you looking at?” She whispered, teasingly.

“Like you don’t know,” I replied, and stood up from the bed.

“I’ll go downstairs. I can hear the guys talking down there,” I told her.

I grabbed a gray shirt that was draped over the couch and slipped it on. I’d only slept on my pajama pants, which had also proven to be a bad idea.

I wasn’t wearing a t-shirt. Whenever any part of me came into contact with Emilia’s skin, that electric sensation slowly took over my body. It made me want her. It made me crave her so much.

“It’s the bond. It’s getting stronger. You can feel it more now, more than you did before,” Emilia quietly told me.

I hadn’t realized that while I drifted into my thoughts, I’d been staring at her.

“How does that work?”

“My Wolf is a natural Alpha. She should’ve called to you since the moment we met.”

“It did,” I quickly added.

“It did, but only enough to keep you close. It’s stronger now that you’re here, surrounded by other Wolves.”

“Really?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever told you, but most Alphas usually have sons. It’s strange, but it happens almost all the time. I guess the Werewolf spirits do that to keep the Alpha lineage strong, and going.”

“But Anthony had you,” I said.

“Yes,” she nodded.

“I don’t understand what all the fuzz is about with Alphas being guys,” I genuinely told her.

“Males are stronger, that’s just a fact. My dad would have probably given the pack a male Wolf, a real heir, if my mom hadn’t died,” she said.

Her voice softened, and she propped up her knees and rested her head against them. I had been near the door, ready to go downstairs.

When I saw her like that, I couldn’t leave. I made my way towards her and took a seat on the bed, making sure to keep some space between us.

I was still feeling the stirrings from the morning when I woke up beside her. I didn’t need another hard on right before going downstairs.

I was trying to think of something to say, I just didn’t know what.

“This probably has nothing to do with what you went through, but Seb and I have been alone since we were thirteen,” I blurted out.

Emilia’s eyes widened in surprise and then a small smile took over her lips.

“I know, you told me.”

“Oh,” I muttered, trying to remember when I had let those things slip.

“But you didn’t tell me how it happened or why,” she said, with hopeful eyes.

I was starting to regret having brought it up. I was hardly the kind of guy that shared my feeling, not that I thought I had too many good feelings to share.

The only person I had cared about before meeting Emilia had been Sebastian. But caring for Sebastian had always been easy. He had been taking care of me all of my life. He was the one that did all the hard work, while all I had to do was stay out of trouble.

Things were different with Emilia

“You don’t have to say anything. But if you want to, I’m here,” she said.

We were both silent for a long time. Luke came stumbling towards the bed, sill half asleep. He gave a small bark and I picked him up from the ground and placed him on the bed.

He and Emilia, who was still not too fond of the puppy or his name, were still not on the best terms.

The pup growled in Emilia’s direction before cuddling against me.

“I think you have enough carrying around. You don’t need to deal with my stuff too. It’s all in the past anyways,” I said, shrugging nonchalantly.

It wasn’t true, not at all. Sebastian was still hurt by what had happened years ago, by what our parents did to us. But he hardly ever brought it up. The past was still there but he had moved on.

I hadn’t.

“Now that you’re here, maybe we can take a trip around Mountain Peak grounds,” Layton suggested, as he slapped my back with more force than necessary.

Zeverus laughed when I groaned out in complaint, and that made the other guys start laughing as well.

Micah, Jared, and Tyler were nice enough to not point it out or make a big deal about it. They only laughed. Layton however, found it quite amusing.

“You need to start working out,” Layton told me, with a smirk on his lips.

“I work out enough,” I retorted, which amused them all even more.

“You’re still not as strong,” Layton pointed out.

“Is that a nice way of saying he’s a wimp?” Zeverus asked.

I shoved him away, using my mind. He’s grin quickly morphed into a frown.

“Who’s a wimp now?” I asked, finally giving in to a smile of my own.

“At least you’re not Cassidy,” he shrugged, his frown easily dissolving away.

“What do you mean?”

“When Cass gets ticked off because we’re bothering her, she usually makes a good point,” Tyler piped in.

He shivered dramatically, while the other guys nodded in agreement.

“What does she do?” I asked, just as Sebastian stepped into the kitchen, already dressed for the day.

“She’s really into her element. One of us ends up toasted if we piss her off,” Micah replied.

“Are you guys talking about Cass?” Sebastian asked, sounding interested all of a sudden.

“My mate,” Layton added, through gritted teeth.

“Where’s she at anyways? I figured she’d be up by now.” Layton seemed upset with Sebastian, and the question only made it that much worse.

“She’s still in bed. She went to sleep late last night,” Zeverus replied.

He was trying to get Layton’s attention, probably hoping to find a way to ease the tension that was formed when Sebastian stepped into the kitchen.

“You two really are close,” Sebastian commented while grinning in Zeverus’ direction.

While Zeverus shrugged, Layton growled.

“Maybe now I can give you that tour around Mountain Peak?” I asked, looking directly at Layton.

“Now that’s an idea,” Zeverus said, playfully punching Layton’s arm.

Jared took a few steps behind Layton, looking like he was ready to back up his Alpha if he needed to. I was really hoping that it wouldn’t be needed.

Layton was too busy glaring at Sebastian to notice any of us.

“I’m gonna pass,” Sebastian said.

“What are you going to do?” I asked, more for Layton’s benefit.

“Busy morning,” Sebastian shrugged. “Tania called me up. She wants to go to the mall,” he replied.

When Layton heard Tania’s name, his frown let up a bit.

“Cool, then we’ll see you later,” I told Seb.

He grinned widely at me, waved at the guys, and then walked out of the kitchen calmly. He had been aware that Layton was giving him a killer look but just as always, he hardly seemed bothered by it.

“Is Tania his girlfriend?” Layton asked me on the way out.

“You could say that, but not really,” I replied.

Only Layton and Jared were in the front patio with me. We were waiting for the guys to get showered and ready so that I’d show them around. Anthony had passed through about ten minutes before. He was headed for the pack prison where Wayne was already waiting for him.

“Cassidy is mine,” Layton firmly stated.

“I know.”

Jared shook his head, but he didn’t make any comment.

“I’m not going to stand by while Sebastian tries something on her.”

“He won’t try anything. I’ve already talked to Sebastian about this. He’s just happy that we found another Legen,” I assured him.

“Cassidy’s happy about it too,” he agreed.

“That’s good. All these years, we always thought it was just us. Now we have somebody else.”

Layton nodded, and he gave me a half smile.

Layton was walking in the middle. Zeverus was on his left and I was on his right.

Jared and Micah were following behind us making quiet conversation. Tyler had decided to stay behind. Since Cassidy was still sleeping in, Layton thought it was better. He wanted someone to watch over her while he was out.

“Now that we’re alone, there’s something I needed to tell you,” Layton said, filling in the silence that had taken over during our walk. .

We all came to a halt nearby the pack prison. There were some guys hanging out in the front area or walking to and from the building. When they caught sight of me, they would nod or wave before continuing on their way.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“You’re going to tell him?” Zeverus asked, giving Layton a surprised look.

“It’s going to come out whether Layton tells him or not,” Micah interrupted before Layton got a chance to reply.

“What’s wrong?” While Layton was looking between Zeverus and Jared, Micah was staring at me intently.

“It isn’t fair to have you come on board with my plans or ask for your help if you don’t know what started this all,” Layton replied.

I took a step back and leaned myself against the tree closest to me. They all had grim faces on, even Zeverus, who I’d discovered was the cheeriest in the group.

“I’m guessing it’s something bad,” I stated.

“You have to take care of your third in command and his son,” Layton said.

I nodded in reply and waited for him to continue.

“I don’t think I’ll need your help with them. The pack, Sebastian, and I can take care of Luke and his father. We already have Luke in prison. It’s only Brian— Luke’s father— that might give us some problems. Sebastian thinks it should be easy to deal with him.”

“It’s good to know you’re planning how to make that work,” Zeverus told me, giving me an approving nod.

He didn’t know it, but it actually meant a lot. Layton and Zeverus were only a few years older than me, but having their approval, I’d realized, was important to me. It made me feel like I was doing things right, like accepting the Alpha position wasn’t completely out of my league.

“I want to know I have your full support when Emilia and I take charge and Anthony steps down as Alpha. Anthony knows there will be problems with the other Alphas. They won’t want me,” I said, moving my eyes from Layton to Zeverus.

While Zeverus gave me another nod, Layton looked away. He seemed to be in deep thought, and I feared he was having second thoughts about standing behind Mountain Peak.

After all, we were a big risk. I didn’t want to think that was the case but it was something that kept running through my mind.

“Zeverus and I will be here with you. I’m sure it’ll mainly be the traditional packs that won’t accept you taking the Alpha position.”

“Those are?” I questioned.

Layton looked away, again seeming lost in thought.

“Caine, the Alpha of Locus Pack and Dylan, the Alpha of Midnight Moon, are two that come to mind. But there will be others,” Zeverus answered.

“So I guess it’s not so bad that Layton is in disagreement with Dylan?” I said, chuckling, despite how serious the mood around us was.

The conversation I was having, all the conversations I’d been having lately, were another world from the one Sebastian and I had been living.

Being in a pack was difficult. Sebastian and I had given too little credit to Alphas and packs and Werewolves in general. They had rules, they had respect, they had bonds, and they had more customs than I was able to keep up with.

“Last year, Zeverus’ cousin attacked both Blue Bloods and New Elite. His name was Liam. He’d gone Rogue, but he came back to seek revenge. Once he arrived at our territory, he befriended Cassidy. You already know how she is. It was so easy for Liam to take advantage of Cassidy’s innocence,” Layton explained.

When he first started speaking, he’d caught me by surprise.

The other guys, Zeverus included, listened to Layton intently. They had heard the story before, I was sure of that. And yet they listened to him like it was the first time Layton had told the story.

“Liam took her away from me. He kidnapped her. I got to her in time, but she got injured in the process. Cassidy begged me not to kill him. I wanted to. I would’ve killed him, but Cassidy begged me so much not to do it.”

“You didn’t kill him,” I flatly stated, knowing he probably hadn’t.

Layton shook his head.

My eyes drifted in Zeverus’ direction. Liam had been his cousin after all. He must’ve been torn about it. I know that I would’ve killed anyone who even thought of hurting Sebastian.

“Cassidy is more important to me than anything else,” Zeverus told me, like if he’d somehow read my mind and knew what I was thinking. “Liam and I were related, but he was practically a stranger to me.

“I never told this to Cassidy. She thinks Liam is dead, but I couldn’t go through with it,” Layton added.

My eyes snapped back to his and I couldn’t help but frown at him after he said that.

“You kept it from her?” I asked, harsher than I’d actually intended.

If Cassidy had cared about Liam, I was sure she was still torn up about it. There was no point in Layton allowing Liam to live if he hadn’t bothered to tell Cassidy he wasn’t dead.

“How exactly does that involve the Alpha of Midnight Moon?” I asked, because I just didn’t understand where his story was headed.

“I couldn’t keep Liam in our prison. Cassidy would know Liam was there and she wouldn’t keep away from him. I knew that eventually, she’d convince me to let Liam go. She can be very persuasive,” Layton said, and the other three guys laughed at that last part.

“I can tell,” I said.

“Dylan was really good friends with my father. I respected him a lot. I had talked to him every time there was a gathering and he was present. I considered him my friend,” Layton continued.

I cocked an eyebrow at that. If Dylan was everything I heard he was, I couldn’t picture him and Layton being friends. They both seemed too dominant. Even I could tell that despite the fact that both Layton and Zeverus were Alphas, Zeverus seemed to not mind letting Layton take charge.

Zeverus did what he wanted, but he actually listened to Layton. If they didn’t agree with something, they found a way to compromise.

Since they had arrived, I kept thinking that the reason Sebastian and Layton didn’t get along was not just because Sebastian kept finding a way to flirt with Cassidy. Layton was jealous of Sebastian, I was well aware.

But I’d noticed that both Sebastian and Layton were used to leading.

“I sent Liam to him. I only asked that Liam was kept a prisoner in his pack and nothing else. Dylan agreed.”

“How did that turn out?” I asked.

I didn’t have to ask, though. The grave look on every one of their faces told me everything.

“Dylan set him free. I wouldn’t have found out if it hadn’t been for his mate, Leila,” Layton replied through gritted teeth.

He growled loudly, but I didn’t think he meant to. Before I got a chance to say anything, his entire body began shaking, and he shifted into a large gray Wolf.

I didn’t move from where I was, and I noticed that all the guys went still. Zeverus seemed ready to intervene in case Layton did anything, but I was sure he wouldn’t. Layton was mad, but his anger wasn’t because of us.

“Layton just needs some time to cool off,” Zeverus told me on the walk back to the mansion.

Jared had gone after Layton, either to watch out for him or to make sure Layton wouldn’t hurt anybody unintentionally.

I had to call Anthony to let him know what had happened. Everyone in the pack knew to steer clear from Layton’s Wolf.

“When did it happen?” I asked Zeverus.

He was the only one that could answer my question now that Layton was gone. Asking Zeverus was just as good as asking Layton. It practically seemed like Layton’s relationship with Cassidy really included one more person, Zeverus.

“We have no idea when Dylan released Liam. When we spoke to Dylan’s mate, about four or five months ago, she said Liam had been free for a while. She had so many great things to say about Liam.” Zeverus’ last words sounded like he was mocking the girl who’d said that.

“But Cassidy didn’t hate Liam.”

“Cassidy is too nice for her own good,” Zeverus said with a frown.

“Have Dylan and Layton talked?”

“Yes, a few times already. They fight every single time. I’m not even sure how it is that one hasn’t killed the other.”

“You’ve been there?”

“Yes, I have. Cassidy hasn’t. She has no idea things are as bad as they really are. Layton sometimes downplays it for her. She thinks the fight is about something else.”

I shook my head at hearing those words.

“She’s going to find out and she isn’t going to like it.”

“Believe me, I know. We’ve all told Layton, but he doesn’t want to tell her. I don’t know what he’s waiting for. He probably thinks he can pull off a full on war with Dylan’s pack without Cassidy knowing the real reason behind it all.”

“A whole war over one guy?” I asked him after a while.

“It’s not just Liam that’s the problem. Dylan betrayed Layton’s trust. Alpha’s pride, you can call it,” he shrugged.

Just that statement made me think a lot more about Werewolves and their laws, the way they ran things.

Thinking about going to war against other packs felt so out of my reach, so bizarre. Yet I had Zeverus— an Alpha— by my side, telling me that a fight was inevitable and very much real.

Cassidy and Emilia were watching a movie in the TV room when we arrived at the mansion.

“What have you girls been up too?” Zeverus asked.

He walked into the room and headed straight for Cassidy. Cassidy started giggling when Zeverus wrapped his arm around her and began tickling her.

I cocked an eyebrow at that, not able to remove my eyes from the scene in front of me. I was wondering what Layton would do if he saw Zeverus and Cassidy behaving like they were.

Emilia suddenly appeared in front of me and that got my full attention.

“Lets go upstairs,” she said, as she grabbed my hand and started pulling me out of the room.

“You and Cassidy are getting along?” I asked her when she closed the door to the room.

Emilia nodded, and there was a teasing smile on her lips.

“What’s going on?”

“Cassidy showed me something,” Emilia said.

I didn’t think much of her words, until she placed her hands on the hem of my shirt and began tugging it up.

“What exactly did Cassidy show you?” I asked, not sure if I liked where things were going.

I wanted us to be together. Emilia knew that. I just didn’t feel comfortable doing anything with other people around who had enhanced hearing. I wanted for the moment to be ours and ours alone.

“Why didn’t you tell me you had wings? I can’t believe that you can fly. You’re like an angel,” Emilia said, sighing loudly.

I tensed up when I heard her words, although I had to admit, that wasn’t how I expected her to behave.

“I’m not an angel.”

“I know, you’re much more,” Emilia told me.

She somehow managed to get my shirt off without me even noticing while she did it.

The tips of her fingers kept running slowly over my chest, like if she expected something to happen.

“No, I’m not. I’m much worse,” I told her.

The dreamy look didn’t leave her eyes, but she did manage to straighten up and attempt to keep a serious face.

“Ever since I met you, my dad put so much pressure in our relationship. I never told you all of it, but he did,” she said, before placing a kiss on my bare chest.

When her lips came into contact with my skin, a small shiver ran through my body.

“How much more was there to tell? Your father wanted us to mate and have a kid. Can it get any worse than that?” I asked, snapping unintentionally.

Remembering the time when Anthony was desperately seeking an heir for Mountain Peak wasn’t exactly my idea of fun. I’d wanted to keep those thoughts locked away, just like I did with many other memories.

“It could, actually. But if you’d told me about this before, things would’ve been different. Damien, you’re stronger than us. You have this huge advantage. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I knew you were far more when you were just you. But then you went and did that to Luke and his friends. It changed everything. Now, finding out that you can fly, I feel like you’re invincible,” she said.

There were tears in her eyes. She wasn’t scared though. I knew she didn’t fear me or what I was. But having wings was what had made my parents kick me out.

The wings had been what had scared them and made them call me a freak. The wings were what casted me in another category, they made me different. Yet Emilia seemed happy that I had them.

“You haven’t seen them,” I told her, not wanting to get too excited at the prospect of her actually liking them.

“Can I?” She asked excitedly.

I probably widened my eyes even more when she asked.

“Do you want to?” My voice was so low and shaky, I wasn’t sure she’d understood what I had said.

She quickly nodded her head and the smile on her lips grew even more.

She had her hands pressed against my chest, and she was looking up at me like I was the most amazing guy in the world.

I wasn’t really. I’d killed so many of her kind out of revenge, because I could. I didn’t know how she would react if she ever found out about that part of my life.

In that moment though, I kept my focus on how she felt pressed against me and the way she was admiring me.

I nodded at her, after what felt like hours but really only must’ve been seconds.

Just before I got to extract my wings from my back, Sebastian barged into the room. His hair was messier than it usually was, his shirt was torn in certain areas— like if he’d allowed his wings to come out— and he looked like he’d been rolling around in mud.

“Brian is here,” Sebastian hurriedly said after he caught his breath.

I noticed that he guiltily looked at Emilia, before his eyes landed on me. Emilia and I both stood still. She didn’t pull away from me, and it took her a while to register what Sebastian had just said.

“Is he alone?” I asked, finally pulling away from Emilia and creating some space between us.

“He’s not,” Sebastian replied.

“That isn’t the main problem,” Layton spoke up, entering the room with Jared trailing on behind him.

Layton’s eyes had shifted to black and he was clenching his hands into fists. He looked furious. For a second, just like Sebastian had done, his eyes were on Emilia as well.

“It seems like your pack hasn’t decided who to follow,” he said.

“What do you mean?” Emilia asked.

I started walking out the door. If Brian was attacking or planning to attack, Sebastian and I needed to be out there with Anthony.

We walked in a group down the stairs. Layton came to stand by my side, while Jared was flanking him. I took two steps at a time, still waiting for Layton to tell me what the real problem was.

“Oh no,” Emilia said breathlessly, her hand moving over to her chest.

Her eyes had that lost look they usually took whenever she was communicating with somebody through her mind link.

She was shaking really bad. My hands caught her just in time before she hit the floor.

“What is it?” I asked, looking at Layton for help because Emilia seemed a step away from breaking down crying.

“Half of Mountain Peak has decided to change sides,” Layton replied.

I felt in shock. I literally had nothing to say. My mind had gone blank. We had asked everyone in the pack what they wanted. If they wanted to leave, they should’ve just gone. Staying and pretending to be part of the pack was much worse. It was practically betrayal.

“Where is Anthony? Is he out there already?” I asked.

I picked up Emilia in my arms. By that point, she was already crying uncontrollably. I knew that it must’ve hurt her, what the pack was doing. I just didn’t think it would get to her so bad.

When I said Anthony’s name, everyone except for Layton—who looked completely pissed off— and Emilia— who seemed inconsolable— looked down at the ground.

“Where is the Alpha?” I asked, frowning when nobody answered.

“Anthony… he,” were the only words Sebastian mumbled.

All he had to do was look down and shake his head for me to understand what he was trying to tell me. A silence so thick and disturbing followed Sebastian’s words.

By then, Emilia’s sobs had turned into hysterical cries.

The only thing I could do was stand there, tighten my arms around Emilia, and wish there was something I could do to make her feel better.