Chapter 7 Xavier

Xavier

Never before have I hated my exceptional hearing until now.

No, that wasn't true. Every day of my life, having to live alongside humans has been a headache. They are loud, messy, and my only place of peace has been my home. Until now.

I rested my elbow on the marble island and pinched the bridge of my nose as Ruby continued to pound on her door on the fourth floor.

Is she going to get tired at any point? She's been at it for an hour.

My hand slid to my cheek as I sat there, still shocked that she had slapped me. She's brave, I'll give her that. Or maybe she isn't as smart as she looks. What human slaps a werewolf when they are fully aware that a werewolf could rip them to shreds?

Images from the night I had killed those men flashed in my mind, and my face morphed into a deep scowl. I took a deep breath, which was what I should have done that night, instead of losing my cool. It was too late now. Anyway, what was done was done, and now there were consequences to accept.

I didn't feel bad for those men; they got what they deserved. If their victim hadn't been Ruby, it would have been someone else who wouldn't have had someone like me to protect them.

I shook my head. I hadn't actually saved Ruby at all. Because of me, she jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. By law, werewolf law, she would now have to die. Humans can never be trusted with the truth that the monsters from their Hollywood movies are real. Even though those movies are so inaccurate.

History has proven time and time again that humans can't handle knowing that they are almost at the bottom of the food chain.

"Xavier, fix your face. You look like shit."

I looked over at Natalie as she walked into the kitchen and made a beeline for the fridge.

"She's giving me a headache. She won't stop screaming."

She threw a bottle of water across the room, and I caught it easily as she took a seat at the island. "What do you expect? She just needs time to process things."

"How do you process being told you're going to be killed? Or that werewolves are real?"

She puckered her mouth, looking thoughtful for a moment before shrugging. "You may have a point." She then pointed at me. "She's handling things much better than I expected, though. If I was in her position, I'd die from a heart attack. I think the entire house heard that slap." She chuckled, then sipped her water as I narrowed my eyes. "She's got balls, I'll give her that."

"She's not brave, she's stupid."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Oh please. Just like how you should have walked away and not gotten involved the other night?"

"You know I couldn't," I said through clenched teeth. Her brows furrowed for a moment, and I looked away from the emotions in her eyes. I didn't need her pity for the shit I've landed myself, and ultimately the pack, in with this situation.

Ruby was a problem, a loud fucking problem. It's been years since a human was condemned to death because they've learned of our secret. My father isn't going to be pleased that his son, a pureblood and alpha-to-be for our pack, lost his cool. Now a smart-mouthed human girl who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time would have to die.

My mind took me back to Ruby's room when she slapped me and made a face. What I should have done was rip her arm off. That's what any other werewolf would have done. I was the son of the alpha, damn it. And here I was, being slapped around by a human as if I was a little pup.

Why didn't I just walk away? I'm a Blackwood. I should have fought my urges and kept moving because a smart wolf would have seen past his anger and known that once she saw the truth she'd have to die anyway.

But her screams had been deafening, her fear so thick that the scent was overpowering.

A loud crash echoed through the house, and I winced as I clenched my fists. She was going to draw more attention to herself. Only a handful of people knew about her presence on the pack grounds, and it needed to remain that way, for now anyway.

I combed my hair back, my ears twitching now that she finally had stopped screaming for help. "You know this is a delicate situation, Natalie." Her eyes grew serious and I crossed my arms on the island as I leaned forward, "No one can know what's really going on here. What's really going on with..."

"Thank Jesus, she finally stopped screaming." I swallowed my words as Anna walked into the kitchen, her brown hair up in its usual high ponytail. "Someone needs to kill that human bitch already. Why is she here and not in one of the cells? I knew she looked like trouble from the day I saw her at that diner."

My fist came down hard on the counter as I growled. Anna gasped and drew back, her eyes wide with shock. I pinned her with a stare that had her scurrying out of the kitchen, and it only annoyed me further when Natalie started laughing.

"I think that's the first time I've seen you get upset at Anna. She's like an itch under your feet when you're wearing sneakers. She seriously needs to get over her obsession with you."

"Natalie, be nice."

She snorted. "Oh, like you just were? I still don't know how you managed to date her for a year."

Natalie and I looked to the door as my father walked in. Just like that, the headache that had finally eased returned with a vengeance.

"Natalie, what did you find out?"

"Alpha Mathieu, you're back. Um, I'm sorry, but I did not learn much. She saw through the illusion I created in her mind. I wasn't able to get anything from her, but I can tell you she's not a threat." Natalie bit down on her lip. "There's some kind of block in her mind. It's like a wall, but a strong one. I couldn't get through. The more I pushed the more painful it was for me."

Mathieu Blackwood, alpha to the Blackmoon Pack and my father, had a look on his face that I didn't like. This was a problem our pack did not need, especially right now. At forty-eight years old, he didn't look a day over thirty. He's six foot seven with a thick black beard and black eyes, just like mine. Just looking at him was intimidating, never mind the intensity that seemed to roll off him in waves. There was a time when I had feared him just like everyone else does, but not anymore. I'm going to take his place soon. A strong alpha fears no one.

"Xavier." I looked up from the salt shaker that had been holding my attention. I knew what was coming. "This shouldn't have happened. You, out of all the wolves here, should not have lost control like that. And for a human! Alphas must have control, Xavier. Explain yourself."

Natalie's brows touched her hairline as she made a sound in the back of her throat. I threw her a look, and so did Mathieu. "What is it, Natalie?"

"You're not going to like what he has to say." She bowed to my father with respect before glancing up at him from under her lashes. "With all due respect, Alpha, Xavier didn't have a choice in the matter. They were going to rape her."

Mathieu frowned as his dark eyes darted from Natalie to me and then back. "So, what is it then? Someone needs to explain exactly what happened before this has to be reported to the Council.

They won't give a shit about a human girl being raped."

"That's because the Council is made up of sick old bastards who only care about themselves."

Mathieu exhaled heavily with exasperation. "Natalie!"

"Sorry."

"The Council is there to protect us. You two might not have been around back when we were at war before, but another war, in this day and age, would lead to our extinction. We stay hidden in order to stay alive." He looked my way. "So all humans who find out about us have to die."

Over my dead body was Ruby going to die for my fuckup. This wasn't her fault.

"We'll have to talk in your office, Dad."

He frowned.

Living with wolves means privacy is limited because everyone has supernatural hearing. He knew that suggesting we talk in his office, which was soundproof, meant something was wrong.

He nodded and walked away. Natalie folded her lips inward, an apologetic look on her face, as I followed my father to the fourth floor.

I was about to pull the pin from a grenade by explaining to Dad why I had saved Ruby.