Rising in the Shadows - 5. Chapter 5: Cyrus' Scourging

The following morning was filled to the brim with business for the small Alpha. Vincent woke up being cuddled by the much larger man. Better start cooking breakfast! I’m starved, and I know Mace will be, when he wakes up. He struggled for a moment, failing to escape his mate’s clutches.

Why struggle, human? Use magic.

Oh. Well, that will be handy! Thanks, bud! Feeling rather silly for not thinking of it first, Vincent slipped into Mason’s sleeping shadow and emerged at the foot of the bed. He watched as his mate’s arm slowly fell, but quickly latched onto the pillow Vincent was using as a proper replacement. That’s adorable! Quietly strolling into the kitchen, the mage prepared a meal fit for two kings and noticed that another grocery shopping trip was going to be necessary. I’ll add that to the to-do list for the day.

There were plenty of plans for the mage’s day, and Vincent was looking forward to the majority of them. Meditating and grocery shopping will be fun, but I need to see if Miss Elaine would be willing to help me in a small frost session. That, and Mace said something about looking at some emails from some of the other Alphas.

Paperwork boring. Want run.

We can probably squeeze in a run later in the evening. Vincent realized he hadn’t turned back into a wolf since his turning a few days ago, and felt a surge of anticipation for running in the woods. Scratch that. We are going to run later! Maybe Mace would like to come.

Yes! Run with mate! I want!

Alright, alright. Simmer down. We need to fix breakfast first. As Vincent was cooking, Mason shuffled his way into the kitchen, desperately trying to rub the crusts out of his eyes. “Mornin’, pup. When did you get up?”

“Not too long ago. I would have started breakfast earlier, but someone wouldn’t let go of me.”

Vincent felt the hands appear on his hips, along with the heated breath on his neck. “Can’t help it. It felt too good to have you underneath me last night.” Mason’s mind flew back to before he passed out. My mate is so good to me! He lets me do anything I want to his body, and gives it right back. I can’t wait for him to finish his half of the bond. He felt a rumble go off inside his head, and did his best to soothe his wolf. Calm, my wolf. It’s only fair that Vinnie marks us.

Yes, but don’t like.

You don’t like having hot sex with your mate?

Not what meant!

I’m not saying it would happen regularly. Vinnie likes being our plaything too much. Just think about three or so times a year.

Reasonable. Okay. Tonight then!

Tonight? Already going for it? I’m down, but what’s with the sudden urge?

Get over with. Want done. Want full bond!

I understand. Just don’t come back to me when you like what happens. Mason chuckled as his wolf began snarling within his mind. “So, what’s on the agenda today, hot stuff?”

Vincent continued flipping bacon and sausage in the large skillet as he leaned back into his mate’s arms, “Well, we have breakfast, those emails you mentioned, meditating, grocery shopping, and I’ll need to see if Miss Elaine is available later on for some frost training. I’ve been really slacking on that! Plus, if there’s time, I’d like to go on a run with you tonight.”

The mention of a run with his mate perked Mason up and he pecked the mark he left over a week ago. “I like the plans, especially the run. This will be your first shift since your turning, right?”

Giving an affirmative hum, the smaller man turned his attention to the chopped bell pepper and onion-filled scrambled eggs and stirred. “What you got planned for today, big guy?”

“I’ll stop by the farm and do some work there, probably go with you for grocery shopping, and complete the other half of our bond.” He ended the sentence with another kiss to Vincent’s neck, just as his mate turned around with wide eyes. “You heard me. My wolf wants you, Vinnie, and he wants you tonight.”

Vincent set his utensils down and wrapped his arms around Mason’s sides, “Mace? Are...are you sure? Your wolf wants it?” Watching Mason’s head bob up and down caused Vincent to stand on his toes in search for a kiss. “I’m...I don’t even know what to say. I want you, Mace. I want to complete our bond!” The mage felt his wolf howling in excitement, but a new thought raced through his mind. “What...what if I can’t control my hybrid?”

I didn’t think of that! He hasn’t brought his hybrid back out either since that night! Mason remembered Vincent’s Turning Day and how his hybrid came out meaner than spit! It attacked both Cyrus and myself, but we got it to calm down, and Vinnie seemed to have some control over it near the end.

Wait for bond.

I think that would be smart, my wolf. At least until we can see how much control Vinnie has. “We didn’t think about that, pup. Would you be okay with waiting until we see how you handle your hybrid?”

“That makes sense. My wolf wants to try, but I don’t want to end up hurting you or tearing down the house.” The couple hugged each other and shared a passionate kiss until Vincent broke away to tend to the food once more. “But until then, we can still have fun tonight after the run.”

Mason’s eyes flashed golden as he watched his mate’s backside sway with alluring purpose. “Keep that up, and we’ll have to put the food on simmer.” As Vincent finished cooking, he gathered a couple of plates and evenly laid out the food. Mason raised an eyebrow when both plates appeared to be equally stacked with food. Well, he is a shifter now and he will need more food. I can’t believe he used to eat like a bird just a month ago!

When they were finished eating, Vincent took the plates and utensils to the dishwasher and the two went to get ready for the day. They showered with plenty of touching and teasing, and got dressed in jeans and t-shirts. Vincent chose a solid black shirt while Mason went with a blood red color. The larger man was already mentally undressing his mate, but knew work needed to be done. “Want to look at those emails before you meditate?”

“Yeah. What are these emails about, big guy? You didn’t say much about them last night.” Vincent felt Mason being hesitant through his bond and quickly grabbed the bigger man’s hand. “You know I can tell something’s up, right? Are they about Stefan?”

Mason nodded, “Yep. One of them is from Frank Reardon.”

Vincent widened his eyes. Wait...why does his name sound familiar? “Is...he from Maryland?”

“Yeah, did the name sound familiar?”

“Yes, I just don’t know how I remember his name.”

“Well, he was the police chief over Elkridge when you were a kid. Now he's the Alpha over half of the Maryland counties. We spoke briefly before you talked to Ty on that conference call, and he wanted to give you a copy of the police report from...from that night.” Mason watched as Vincent’s head drooped down and knew that he had to comfort his mate. He scooped up one of the smaller hands and held on gently, “He also would like for you to give a statement of everything you saw that night. Some of the officers took your word as a kid’s make-believe story, but Alpha Reardon knows now that it was Stefan. Think you can handle that, Vinnie?”

Vincent slowly nodded his head, and gazed up at Mason’s brown irises with determination. “Yeah, I can do that, anything to help out.” Mason smiled and led his mate to his office. The mage gazed around, taking in the new room. I’ve been here for almost a month and I’ve never been in here! It looked like a standard home office, but it also felt like it belonged in an office building. The desk was very simple, but retained the modern feel throughout the home. In front of the desk sat two black leather chairs for potential interviewees, or anyone else that Mason felt he needed to talk to. There were several bookshelves, littered with binders and books across multiple shelves. Mason had all these books and didn’t tell me? I wonder if any of them are important for me to read.

“Here you go, Vinnie. Take a seat and I’ll pull up some of the emails.” Mason patted the large office chair behind the desk and Vincent made his way over. Sitting down, the mage felt the cushion had been worn down and his rear hit the hard bottom. Yeah, you’re getting a new one of these real soon! Mason’s arms leaned over his shoulder as the larger lycan fired up the computer. You’re getting a new one of these, too! This thing is at least eight years old. C’mon, Mace, get with the times! I bet this thing doesn’t even have two hundred gigabytes of space.

Mason opened up his folder to show Vincent the two emails he was meant to see. There’s Alpha Reardon’s...and one from Richard Drego. Don’t know who that guy is, but he’s probably another Alpha.

“Okay, pup. Reardon has two files attached in his email. There’s the police report, and then the shared link where your statement will go.” Vincent clicked on the police report and took in a deep breath as he started to read.

It was a standard looking report to the mage’s eyes, but he began losing himself when he landed on the victims' names. Paul and Marianne Bolton. Throats burned. His wolf whimpered as Vincent read the finer details. No signs of forced entry, but a few of the precious belongings were tossed around. Possible burglary attempt. Child present, Vincent Bolton, age nine. States of shadow man. Possible delusion.

Leaning back, Vincent covered his eyes and let his emotions take a moment to cool down. “You okay, Vinnie? Take your time with all of this.”

Keeping his hands over his eyes, the mage spoke hoarsely, “Thanks, big guy, but I need to get him, and if this statement can help Alpha Reardon, then I’ll need to do it.” Leaning back towards the computer, Vincent closed out of the report and opened the templated document. This looks like a blank police report. There’s a comment bubble up at the top! Clicking on it, a drop down message appeared, ‘Mason, your mate can fill in the blanks to the best of his ability. This is just easier for me to work with, as I’ll have immediate access to this as soon as it’s ready. No need to send an email, as it’s provided from my personal Cloud database.

‘To Vincent. My deepest condolences are required. I did not do my proper job as police chief over Elkridge that night, and for that, I will always be sorry. That word will never cut it, but it is all I can offer. Allow me to help make things right for you and your parents. This document will do barely anything towards finding Stefan Gregoro, but should he ever be captured by us, you, or anywhere else in the world, this will convict him of his crimes. I also believe this will offer the both of us a little peace of mind, as this document will hold the truth of how your parents’ perished. One day, I hope to meet with you and I will be able to give you my condolences in person. Happy Hunting, young one. -Alpha Frank Reardon.’

Vincent fell back into the chair with streams of tears rushing down his face. Mason’s arms fell down to his chest, but they bore no pressure on him. The mage had never met this man, but he was ready to give everything he had to help. This man doesn’t know me, but he writes this? I can tell he feels terrible for his mistake. “M...Mace?”

“Yes, my mate? Anything you need.”

“I want to meet...I want to meet Alpha Reardon.” Swiping his eyes with his arm cleared his vision for a moment, but more tears and blurry sight took over once again. Phlegm filled his throat and forced a cough in order to clear it. “I want to thank him.”

Mason clung to his mate even tighter. “We can arrange that. How about later this month? Surely, Alpha Reardon will have some free time.”

“Is...is he nice?”

“He is. His pack is an ally with ours and Tierney’s. I haven’t met him in person, but I’ve spoken with him several times.” Mason leaned down to plant his nose on Vincent’s neck. “Do you want to take a break, baby? Your emotions are all over the place.”

Vincent shook his head and took a calming breath. “No, I’d like to get this statement done, then look at the other email.”

“Alright.” Mason watched as Vincent brought himself closer to the screens, wiped his tears away, and began typing like a madman. Whoa! He types fast! Freaky fast! Words were being created faster than Mason could dream of. He couldn’t decide whether he should read what Vincent was writing or just watch the fingers fly in total fascination. Fifteen minutes passed and the mage leaned back. “Pup? You’re done already?”

“Yep. It’s all there.” Vincent felt somber, but knew he had accomplished something great just now. I doubt Stefan would let himself get captured, but if he ever slipped, this statement would send his ass to a mage-proof jail. I’m sure there is an accurate description of his magic affinities, but I put that in there just in case. “Okay, so on to Richard Drego’s email?”

Mason sidestepped closer to the screen, made sure Vincent’s edits were saved, and switched over to the next email. “This one is from Alpha Drego. He’s the Alpha over the southwestern portion of Pennsylvania, and he thrives on information. If he doesn’t have something on every Alpha in the game, I'd be surprised. He gave us a long file on Stefan. I read bits and pieces, but I figured you’d be more interested. It’s very detailed.” Mason opened up the thirty-seven page file and let his mate start reading, “It even listed Stefan’s favorite tea.”

“Oolong Darjeeling…” Mason’s eyes grew twice as wide as his mate mumbled. That...was halfway through the document. Did...does...does Vincent know...a lot about Stefan? “Vinnie? How much do you know about Stefan?”

Silence came from the mage as he slowly scrolled through the screen. Folding his arms, Mason resigned himself to letting his mate read. He dived in. Vinnie couldn’t even hear me. While he’s reading that, I can call up Frank and get a gettogether arranged. Mason walked out of the room and began scrolling through his contacts.

***

Reading the message again for the fourth time, Kaplan couldn’t believe what Dirk just sent him. “What is it, my pup? You’ve been staring at your phone for the past three minutes.” Kaplan turned to Cyrus and blinked several times. “Is something wrong?”

“I...umm. Well, first fun fact of the day, Vincent was just at Tierney’s.”

Cyrus curled his head to stare at Kaplan. “Oh? Mister Bolton? Did he catch a flight, or is this one of his shadow magic powers?”

“Yeah, he can move at the speed of light in the shadows, from what Dirk put in the message. Enforcer Wagner had a run-in with Vincent, and it wasn’t pretty.”

Wagner...Wagner...the grease monkey? “Tall, black hair, and in desperate need to find a new jacket?”

Kaplan nodded with his eyes glued to the message, “He told Vincent that he needed a visitation pass to be in New York and told him to ‘get off our lands.’ Tierney wants me to draw up a disciplinary action warning...”

“An excellent plan of action. I hope he gets what he deserves.”

“...and you’re going to carry out the judgement.”

Cyrus took a moment to process the thought, but started to giggle heartily. Excellent idea, Tierney! Very well done! This will be a prime way to have me set my preferred standards in disciplinary action. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Thank you for letting me know, Kaplan.”

The wolf blinked several times before stating his mind, “Cyrus? You’re not alarmed or confused by this?”

“Heavens no. This will be a great way to help introduce me as the incoming Alpha for the pack. I am, however, interested to know what the exact charges are. I imagine Tierney coming down hard, as Vincent is an allied Mated Alpha.”

Kaplan thumbed the message and read aloud, “Abuse of power and allied pack interferement.”

Cyrus waited for a moment. “Oh? Is that it? For shame, Tierney. I could tack on an additional three charges off the top of my head.” He saw the look of shock on the Beta’s face and did his best to withhold his amusement. “Are you shocked by my input?”

“Uh...a little, yes.”

“Let me explain something before you grow too judgemental, my pup. I hold my council to a very high standard, regardless of pack size. You are an ambassador for the pack. The other Betas, the Deltas, commanders of varying teams and forces, all of these leaders are to be symbols of my leadership. In this case, I have an Enforcer acting as a bully to visiting shifters. In the eyes of a lower member, or an allied pack member, I am now seen as a bully due to my Enforcer’s behavior.”

The panda closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Opening his glowing emerald eyes, Kaplan felt the mood of the room turn serious as Cyrus aimed his gaze ahead towards the television. “I will not be seen as a bully, Kaplan. My image is one of the most important things I carry, and I will not have it tarnished by one who does not care for his own.” The green glow transitioned back into the bear’s normal tan irises as he darted them back to the Beta. “I do not mean to scare you, Kaplan, but I am not always the jolly giant that I appear to be. As my boyfriend, you need to understand that. My path to success has not been paved, and I have slogged through the worst sludge this world has to offer. I hold myself to these high standards because I have been at the lowest, and I have no intention of going back there.”

Kaplan had never been given such a speech before. He almost trembled, but kept his hand latched to Cyrus’. I...didn’t realize he had that inside of him. That was so much for someone to share. “Cyrus?”

“Yes, my pup?”

“I’m...glad you talked to me about that.” Cyrus slowly turned his head to face Kaplan. “I respect people who tell me the truth. It helps me understand who they are as people and where their goals lie. I won’t ask you to reveal your whole self, but regardless of whether I’m acting as your boyfriend or your Beta, I’m here for you to talk to.”

Cyrus smiled and pulled the wolf in closer to his body. “Thank you, Kaplan. It isn’t often that I display that side of myself, but you accepted it just as you did for my jollier side. That means...a lot to me.” Cyrus curled his head as his panda knocked on his mind. Yes, my friend?

I want talk.

My bear...I’ve been waiting all night for this. Let me introduce you to Kaplan.

Yes. Want talk. Cyrus looked once more at the wolf and grinned, "Kaplan, I must ask something of you." When the Beta nodded, a muddled giggle echoed in the living room. "My bear wishes to speak with you. He's practically pawing the walls of my head."

Kaplan kept his grin, but he knew he was oozing anxiety from every pore on his body. "You're bear wants to talk...to me?"

"Yes. I promise, he won't bite, but he balances an unusual line between playful and bashful. He may have a hard time saying what he wants to say, but a simple request for him to share his thoughts will encourage him to speak.”

“I understand Cyrus. I’m ready.” Kaplan watched as Cyrus curled a sincere smile and closed his eyes, remaining silent for a moment. He must be talking with his bear. I can’t shake the feeling of hesitation, though! I’m nervous! I’m...meeting his bear! I haven’t even talked to Tierney’s wolf through his human form, so I really don’t know what to expect. The wolf silenced his thoughts as the large man opened his eyes with green irises shining against his rich umber skin. Kaplan’s nerves tensed up as he knew the Alpha’s animal was on display and in control.

Cyrus slowly looked down at the smaller man and meagerly smiled, “You...Kaplan. Nice meet you.” Hearing the ever so ragged voice of his boyfriend brought Kaplan back to his senses. His voice is still so suave, but there’s a deep rumble within his throat. The panda’s head curved to the side as he blinked a couple of times in quick succession, “Kaplan okay? Look scared.”

Gulping down any moisture in his mouth, Kaplan forced himself to speak, “No, I’m not scared. I...just never spoke to an Alpha’s animal through their human body.”

“It okay. I happy to talk. Don’t come out much.” Cyrus’ hand abandoned Kaplan’s and met with his other one, resting atop his knees as they grinded together. “I want to come and talk. Have not talked to any of the others. But I like you. You nice. You kind.”

Others? “Cyrus? What do you mean by the others?”

The bear placed his hands in between his knees and Kaplan widened his eyes as the Alpha appeared even more shy. What...is happening? Cyrus said his bear was bashful, but...this is very different from what I was expecting! “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

Kaplan’s question caused a much more animated wiggle from the bear, along with a response, “Yes, I know. Other men. Few, though. I don’t...meet many. I don’t like them. They not interesting like you. You smart and help people.” Blushing from the compliment, Kaplan appreciated the kind words from the panda. Cyrus saw the rosy cheeks rising from the wolf and had a new temptation, but was unsure if he should proceed. Reaching up with his hand, he retracted it for a split second, only to lightly touch Kaplan’s messy black hair. An expression of pure childish delight covered Cyrus’ face, as he began touching the Beta’s hair.

Kaplan was enjoying the fact that the bear was having such a fun time. He’s playing with my hair! Cyrus wasn’t joking when he said he would be holding the line between his two emotions. “Having fun?”

“Yes! I like messy hair. Fun to play with.” Cyrus kept pawing at Kaplan’s hair, but wrapped his arms around the wolf to bring the smaller body in closer, “This okay? I want you be near.”

Chuckling at the bear, Kaplan let his overall hesitation of the panda’s playful attitude slip away as his back was pressed against Cyrus’ chest, “Yeah. I like being next to you.”

“Good.” While holding on to the smaller man, Cyrus inhaled Kaplan’s scent. “Smell...like vanilla. Like wood.”

Yes, my bear. Kaplan studies with a lot of books, which may be what you’re smelling.

Make sense. I like.

I’m glad you are enjoying your time with our little boyfriend. Have you thought much more on showing Kaplan?

Silence created a vast cavern within the Alpha’s mind. The panda knew he made a statement to his human self to take charge, in showing Kaplan his troubled side. “Yes. I will.”

Kaplan craned his head up to his boyfriend in curiosity, “Cy?”

Realizing that he had said his thought aloud, the panda held tightly to the wolf as he felt somewhat embarrassed. “Sorry. Was talking to human. It important, and hard.”

“Maybe I can help?”

“Yes, but not yet. Want hold.” The panda had a stroke of intelligence cross his mind, and leaned down to speak softly into his boyfriend’s ear, “Want go to bed. No sleep, but lay. Come with me?”

The wolf nodded and was taken by the hand as he rose from the couch. He let the panda lead the way through a side door from the living room, into a dark room. Cyrus flicked a light switch and two lamps dimly lit the bedroom, revealing a large king-sized bed, ornately dressed with a pitch black duvet and white pillows. Feeling a new sense of nervousness being escorted into a bedroom, Kaplan took a deep breath. His emotions did not go unnoticed as Cyrus turned to him, “Why feel scared? We just lay and hold.”

Shaking his head to remove the clinging cobwebs from his mind, Kaplan renewed his smile, “I’m sorry. It’s just...this is the first time I’ve been in someone else’s bedroom like this.”

“It okay. You first in room, too. Take breath.” Heeding the panda’s advice, Kaplan took in a deep breath, getting a heavy dose of Cyrus’ natural scent that lingered throughout the room. Bamboo and sandalwood. It’s nice and not too overbearing. Exhaling, he watched Cyrus’ body language and could tell the large Alpha was practically aching to hold him. “So...we’re getting in bed?”

“Yes. Come. Bed comfy.” Cyrus journeyed to the far side of the bed and laid on top of the duvet, sprawling out on his right side to face his boyfriend. Kaplan gently sat himself down and discovered that the mattress was a very plush pillowtop. It feels like pillowy quicksand! He roamed his hand over the large puffy blanket, admiring the premium quality of the fabric. So soft! It’s so thin, but I can almost tell it would keep me warm on the coldest of winter nights. Scooting himself closer, Kaplan quickly found himself wrapped in the bear's arms. He laid his head on the pillow and noticed that the Alpha's emerald irises were glued to his own.

"I...I like your eyes, Cyrus." The wolf felt a squirm and could only assume that the panda accepted the compliment with glee. He watched the irises glow brighter as Kaplan grew more comfortable around the Alpha's bear. "This feels nice."

"Yes. Human tell me you have bad time in other pack. Met Alpha, and did not like him." Cyrus watched the little man look further down. "You and I are same. Mistreated. Hit for be different."

Kaplan shot his head up as he heard the new fact about Cyrus' past, "You...were beaten? I...I'm sorry you went through that."

The bear's eyes grew a shade darker as memories swept through his mind. His past haunted him, but he tended to keep it shoved down so far in his soul. But wolf same. He go through same. Like me.

Like us, my bear. You see why we are attracted to him?

Yes. I want hold. Comfort him, so he comfort us.

Exactly. He is still handling the news of us killing his old Alpha, despite him taking great measures to hide it.

I...I help him! I show him! We same!

Are you sure, my bear? We can not undo the action once it's done.

Yes! He need know he same. Cyrus nodded, "Yes. Want you to know. It...it hard for me to talk, but I want share with you."

Kaplan understood the seriousness of the conversation and how it affected the Alpha. He knows what I've gone through because he went through it himself! "I know it's hard. I know Alpha Ren is dead and will never hurt me again, but I still get revisited by some of the bad memories." Raising his head back up to meet Cyrus' gaze, Kaplan couldn't hold back his curiosity, "You...were hurt?"

Curling his neck in a half-circle, the bear's recollections began trickling in his mind. Be calm, my bear. That's all they are to us now, just memories.

Yes...still hurt, though.

I know, but I believe we will always feel that pain. The panda turned his attention back to his company, "Yes. We hurt. We...feel shame."

"Shame? Why would you feel that way?" Kaplan saw the man before him trembling, gaining intensity with every passing second. "Cy?" He placed a hand on the bear's forearm, causing Cyrus's head to face Kaplan's. The emerald irises turned a sour hunter green, and as much as the wolf wanted to look away, he knew he needed to stay still. "You don't need to tell me if you don't want to. Just know, I'm here if-"

"Stop." Kaplan's neck bent on instinct as a deep and ragged voice echoed throughout the room. "Kaplan…" The wolf slowly craned his head upward and saw that Cyrus was staring away from him, "I'm sorry. No mean to use voice. I...want tell you about pain, but it hard. We same. We were hit in other pack for be different. But we not help it. We happy with who we be." Struggling to keep his emotions in check, a tear fell from Cyrus' eye.

He's...crying! I've never seen an Alpha cry from sadness. Kaplan sat dumbfounded with what to do in this situation. I feel like I should do something. Kaplan slowly lifted his hand upward. The glowing eyes caught the movement, but Cyrus remained motionless. The small hand lifted higher and higher, until it reached next to the panda's cheek. The knuckle of a single finger landed ever so gently and wiped the tear away.

Dropping his mouth open, Cyrus' lip quivered, as both of his minds comprehend what the little shifter just did. He...wipe tear. He care.

My, my...Kaplan Alvey, you once again go above and beyond my expectations. What a noble and chivalrous move, and to do it fearlessly to an Alpha no less. Gazing at the lycan, the panda's irises burned bright emerald, "Kaplan...why do? Why take tear?"

Smiling meekly, the Beta rubbed the used digit on his shirt, "Because, I think...that's what you would have done for me." Seeing how the larger man's mouth was still agape, Kaplan chuckled ever so lightly, "You've been kind to me, Cy, you've rid an evil from my life. I think I owe it to you, to help with your pain. So whatever you have that's causing it, I want to help you...no matter the size."

The words hit Cyrus as if a brick slammed into the side of his head. "It big pain. No one...I don't show to many people. It scare them."

"It may shock me, but it won't scare me, Cyrus. If I'm going to be both your boyfriend and Beta...then I need to be by your side. This is important to you, so it's just as important to me."

Cyrus looked deep into the man's brown eyes and found nothing but undeterred affirmation. "Okay." The panda slid over to the side of the bed and planted his feet on the floor. Standing, the green irises took one more glance at Kaplan's determined gaze and smiled. He...he going to see.

Yes, my bear. He deserves to see our past, and our motivation to keep what we have obtained in our life. Nodding, the bear turned away from Kaplan and began to unbutton his shirt. Let us hope he retains his resolve.

Watching the large man disrobe his left arm, revealing the delicately designed tribal tattoo in dark black ink. The wolf’s expectations of seeing the Alpha’s white ink tattoo on the other arm was shattered as the back of the shirt draped towards Cyrus’ right arm. His heart fell into an abysmal chasm with only hopes of finding the strength of escaping. Cyrus’ entire back was covered in various scars. Kaplan’s bottom lip quivered as he took in the sight. Those...are scars! “Cy...Cyrus…” The large man’s body trembled, causing Kaplan’s eyes to rise and become deeply bothered by his boyfriend’s emotions. He’s crying again. “Who...did this to you?”

Staring at the blank wall, searching miserably for a lost piece of his soul, the panda merely whispered, “My birth pack.” Releasing a ragged sigh, his body shook as he opened himself up to the wolf, “They do this.”

His own pack! There...there are so many burns...and...and deep cuts! It looks...like he was whipped...and struck with silver-laced weapons! A pack would do this to one of their members? Feeling the monumental sense of betrayal from the scars, Kaplan almost wanted to remain silent. He knew Cyrus had revealed such a terrible secret since the Alpha was barely functioning as a social entity. I...I need to talk to him! I can’t just sit here and stare. “Why...why would they do this to you?”

“Because I different!” Cyrus’ bear did not mean for the words to come out in anger, but the flooding memories from that night attacked him. What should have been a momentous occasion turned into the most harrowing trauma that plagued his life. “I speak different, I walk different, I act different! For that, they hurt me! They not want me in pack. They hurt me and tell me go away!

“It was good day. Fun day. But they lied! They make me feel special, then turn mean. They hit me with silver and burn. Laughing...they laugh. I hate them...I hate all them. They make special day bad!” Clenching his eyelids tight, he let the tears fall from his face with no resistance. He turned his head just enough to open his hunter-green eyes and face the small wolf on the bed.

“They do this on Turning Day.”