Thirst for blood

The morning sun cast a golden hue over the open-sky training ground, where members of our pack were beginning to gather for the day's activities. I scanned the area, my eyes searching for Cleo among the familiar faces.

There she was, standing alone in the garden, her silhouette framed by the gentle morning light. With determination in my stride, I made my way toward her, my heart pounding in anticipation of our encounter.

As I approached, a mix of emotions churned inside me - frustration, anger, but also a lingering sense of longing. I reached out, intending to cover her eyes playfully as I had done many times before, hoping to break the tension that hung between us, but before I could even touch her, she spun around with surprising speed, slapping my hand away with a fierce intensity.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, taken aback by her sudden reaction. "I was just trying to—"

"I know what you were trying to do," Cleo interrupted, her voice sharp with irritation. "But I'm not in the mood for games, Alex."

"Remember when we were little. You always used to have a good laugh whenever I sneaked up on you because you couldn't pick up my scent and were excited that it was me. You were so adorable." I paused, my voice softening as I reminisced about our childhood memories. "I miss those days."

Her eyes settled on mine, and her expression was one of coldness, yet, I reached out, my palm resting on her cheek,  gently brushing the hair away from her face. She turned her head slightly to avoid my touch, avoiding eye contact, but my arm tightened its hold on her neck until she relented and met my gaze once more.

Suddenly, she slapped me across the face. The force behind her blow knocked me off balance, leaving me staring at her shocked. In a flash of emotion, she stepped toward me, her fists clenched, her eyes filled with rage. 

"Get the hell away from me."  Her voice was low, dangerously low, and every word punctuated with a vicious punch to my chest. 

"That was uncalled for." I let out, trying to restrain myself from lashing out.

 It was difficult, though, with all the anger and hurt inside me, threatening to erupt. It was like someone had lit the fuse on my emotions. All at once, everything became too much. "Why the fuck do you keep acting this way?"

"You showed me that you could fuck a corpse. Of course, I am disgusted by the sight of you, and that's why." She blurted out.

"Damn it, Cleo! What do you want me to do to amend for this?!"

"Get away from me and stay as far as you can. Can you do that?"

Silence. We both stared at each other, neither daring to break the eye contact. After what seemed an eternity, Cleo finally broke the stare and looked away, her eyes trained on the horizon. There was a strange sense of calm that followed her words, "That's what I thought."

With that, she walked past me and I raised my hand to grab her wrist but stopped, breathing slowly to try to regain control. My fingers curled into a tight fist. 

A second later I heard footsteps coming behind me, and I turned to see my mother, and from the look in her eyes, I knew she saw it all.

"Your problem is not Cleo... It's someone else, son..." She said, stopping beside me.

"Mother, I don't want to talk right now." I let out, struggling with the hate and anger bubbling within me, keeping them suppressed.  I knew how bad it would be if I exploded again right there, in front of everyone.

Suddenly, she reached for my chin and turned my head to the left, causing my eyes to rest on Cleo approaching Cole, and I zoned in on their voice, canceling every other sound out. 

"Where've you been?" He asked as she stood beside him.

"It doesn't matter," Her cold voice echoed in my ear.

"Your problem is the competition that lies between you and Cleo." My mother's voice boomed through my skull. The weight and pressure of her words felt familiar and comforting. Like I was being held underwater by her words, and she was guiding me along. "And that's something you need to sort out, Alexander."

"Yeah, yeah." I sighed, taking in another deep breath before releasing it slowly, willing my heartbeat to slow down. My muscles relaxed, and I released the tension that built up inside me.

"The ceremony is about to begin! All participants need to be on the training ground by five." A loud voice called.

The air was tense as we gathered on the training ground, everyone on edge for the upcoming competition. A couple of feet away from me, Cole stood, looking as mysterious as ever, his face giving nothing away.

I took a deep breath, trying to shake off my nerves. This competition meant everything for our pack, and I needed to stay focused, no matter what personal stuff was going on.

The ceremony kicked off, and you could practically feel the excitement crackling in the air. Alpha Ashur, my father, stood tall and powerful, commanding everyone's attention as he spoke.

"Welcome, everyone, to the annual hunting competition!" His voice boomed across the grounds. "Today, it's all about showing off your hunting skills and proving what you're made of."

I stole a glance at Cleo, sitting among the judges of alphas, and I drew a breath as her eyes locked with Cole, and I called out through our mindlink, 'When I win this you can have my one wish."

Not looking my way, her voice rang in my mind, "What if I ask for your head?"

A faint smile curled at the corner of her lips, and then she met my eyes with this coldness that looked like the definition of a thirst for blood.

"On your match! Ready! Go!" The call came, breaking through my emotions.