"Me. I will go"

"No, you aren't going anywhere" Easton interrupts.

"Easton-"

"NO!" the older alpha's voice boom through the empty shelter they were in. Samael stayed in his place watching the pair lose their temper.

"Listen to me-"

"I said no, Blake. You are not going anywhere" the alpha kept his stand firm, not hearing any of his mate's excuses. His anxiety was kicking in just to think what if he loses Blake again? And what if Blake doesn't come back? What if this, what if that. "No" he denied again.

Blake could feel the uneasiness through their bond yet his overflowing emotions took the best of him. "Easton-"

"No!"

"WHY THE FUCK NO?!?" if Easton's voice was louder earlier, Blake's was enough I shake the walls of the house. It took both the alpha mate as well his brother by surprise. Both of them knew Blake enough to say- "he could never get serious". But, the one in front of them had his eyes glowing piercing blue, his breath coming in halts, and low growls been heard at the back of his throat.

"WHY THE HELL NOT, EASTON?" he repeats, his voice still loud. "I don't like it when you tell me what to do. I understand you are worried about me but there is always a limit! Have you ever thought that your "mate" is also an alpha wolf?

That I also have the same pride and ego as yours? That I also have this urge to protect what's mine just like you? THAT I SO FUCKING WANT TO PROTECT PACK!

Have you never thought about it?" the words that left the younger alpha's mouth stunned the older one. He opened his mouth to reply and yet no words came out of them. Blake just stared at his mate for an answer and when anxiousness and distress spread through their bond, he felt everything of that. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Without sparing one more glance at his mate, he turned on his heels and looked at his copy.

"What's the plan?"

Samael nods, feeling awkward to be caught in his twin's marital fight, and with the look on Easton's face, it was indeed their "first" marital fight. He glances at the older alpha, who was in his own world with his mind all mush from the overwhelming reaction, he was still not over the fact that his little mate got mad at him.

Samael takes a huge puff of breath and resumes his talk. "Christian is a very clever man. He might have already known my intentions of not attacking you, thus he made a move himself" Blake just stares at his twin to continue.

"Like I already said Christopher is locked in there and judging from the attack earlier he freed a lot of supernaturals for the fight. That might have either cost him losing all those people or drugging them in.

Since I, the only warlock that did his hypnotic works back then, wasn't beside him he must have got down on the battlefield himself"

"You mean he knows the spells and stuff?" Easton questions, bringing himself back to the serious mood of the room. There was an unbearable distance between the mates as they stood at least three feet away from each other.

Blake was still triggered and Easton could not bring himself out of the deep pit called "guilt". He knew eighty out hundred percent of whatever banter Blake just delivered made sense or maybe all of it did. So, the older alpha felt a bit guilty or maybe more than a bit.

However, neither of them made a move to talk.

"He is capable of them but not to an extreme level. I have seen huge books of sorcery and magic in his library. Plus-" the warlock goes silent all of a sudden, his mind remembering things it shouldn't.

"Plus?" Blake questions curiously.

"Nevermind that. All you have to know is we can't get him without proper preparation" Samael completes his saying.

Blake suspects something so do the older alpha but they let it go since the man himself wasn't willing to tell them. "We will be needing an army fighting them off. Though the supernaturals supporting him aren't in the right state of their mind, they are powerful" the warlock warns.

"So are we..." the voice comes from the back right after the door bursts open and walks in Tib along with Cassius.

"Sir Tib" Blake's smile was evident upon seeing his idol and that triggered Easton.

"Die already" he mumbled quietly but the half-warlock caught upon it.

"I wish, Easty. I wish"

"Gross! I am no one's Easty"

"Aww baby" he rushes to his best friend to hug him while Cassius had a bored expression on his face. Easton made up a nasty face, putting his arms between them to push the half-vampire away.

"Gross!!" Easton withered but no one in the room cared as this was much of a common scene for all those who knew Tib well.

So, practically Samael was offended. Being a person who never liked to touch anyone and would never let anyone touch him, it was too much content for him to handle.

"Blake Jensen" the younger alpha offers a hand to the huge vampire who had his hands folded to the chest. He notices a tiny human beside him and reciprocates the manners.

"Cassius" the handshake was firm and professional but cold, to Blake at least. The temperature of a vampire is very low as no blood flow through their veins to make their body warm. And Blake was aware of the fact, yet the cold touch was more than what he expected.

The younger alpha acknowledges it with a nod and turns to the rest. Easton was making a face that was screaming to throw Tib out of the place but none cared. "We can bring in the warlocks and vampires," Cassius says as he walks towards the older alpha and Tib. He plucks Tib away from the alpha by his elbow and drags him by his wrist to another corner of the room.

Away from Easton.

The older alpha finally breathes comfortably with the warlock being gone. Tib struggles with the cold compress against his wrist, he was afraid if the vampire would sense his heartbeat through the touch. He pulled back the wrist from the vampire held it close to his chest.

The place the cold vampire touched was flaming hot with tingles. Was that even possible?

"Are the convent members alright?" Easton questions upon the mention of warlocks.

"Y-yeah! No one's seriously injured but I had to have a word with their leader" he mumbles. The head of the convent was scary and reserved. She never spoke a word if her eyes could deliver what she wanted.

"I will go-" Cassius begins.

"No!" the half-vampire immediately fits in. He could never take Cassius there. If that woman even notices him, it will only will chaos.

"Anyways, we can have the warlocks and the vamps...." Cassius just nods as in an agreement that he will bring them.

"So it's decided" the half-vampires cheers on. "Now that everything is settled, I wanna talk to the new person in the tribe!!" he rushes to the warlock who still had his protective wall on.

Samael distances himself to the further wall upon watching the half-vampire run towards him. Tib sighs snapping the wall away in a second. "What??" Samael wide-eye watch the protection escaping into thin air. He sticks further into the wall, his mind going with the overwhelming presence in the front.

"Cassius!" he mimics the way the vampire introduced himself earlier. The vampire raises a brow which makes the half-vampire laugh. "Oh wait, I mean Tiberius. You can call me Tib" he stays put and at a distance of one foot.

"And I still want few years of notice in advance before I die. So, I won't touch you, don't worry"

The name Tiberius did ring a bell in the warlock's mind. Tib was one of those few people he was warned about by Christian. Two sentences the rogue defined Tib in was "He is one manipulative sly fox. Cross his path in the wrong way, he won't blink before taking your life out"

But, the scene unfolding before him was very different and quite contrary to the rouge's words. "Hmmm..... Since you are a black one and also since I am a hybrid, I can't read your mind. But, the look on your face tells me you definitely must have been thinking about your father..." the blacks of his eyes descent upon the mention of his "father".

"...and his words about me?" the warlock's eyes shoot right at the hybrid when he delivered the words. Now he knew why his father called him sly. Tib winks his way and walks out of the place without a word.

Cassius follows Tib, so does Samael. Blake sighs walking towards the door. Before he could step out, Easton pulls him in by the elbow and locks him between his arms. "What the hell, Easton?" the younger alpha glares at his mate who had a very sorrowing look on his face. "Let me go"

"No..."

"All you have learned for today is no?" he pushes the older alpha on his chest, but the beast didn't move an inch. "East-"

"Shhh" the older alpha silences his mate with a finger on his plump lips. The gesture completely mutes the younger one, a weird emotion flowing in through their bond. Easton reverts his finger and places the hand back on the door beside the younger one's head.

He bows his head in front of his mate which takes Blake by shock. "Easton!" he puts in his rough voice. Easton shakes his head and remains bowed. "Easton, don't-"

"I can't have an ego when I am with you" he mumbles so quietly that it was almost missed. "I don't need this pride of mine. Yes, I want to protect my people but only if you are willing to protect them with me" he states with his head still down.

An alpha having his head bowed down was a symbol of defeat. Many of them choose to die than bowing in front of anyone else. And bending your head in front of another alpha?

They would rather cut their head off with their own hands.

But now, Easton Knight, the alpha who everyone feared throughout California was in a way showing that how worthless he was to another alpha. But, did Easton see it in this way too?

Blake's eyes shimmered with tears. He very well knew what pride meant for an alpha. He was also alpha, he knew what courage and bravery Easton was showcasing right now.

His heart broke and flooded with emotions at the same time. No one outside this room would believe him if he said that Easton Knight bowed his head. That too in front of another alpha.

Upon everything, there wasn't even a sign of disagreement from Aziel. The wolf, who fought with his mate just to be the dominant one in this relationship. The wolf, who was triggered with just the word "submission".

But, here he was submitting to Blake.

"I can sell you my everything, Blake. But, in exchange all I want is you. Your safety, your wellness, your love.... everything. Everything that is yours.

I never once imagined that my way of showing love was thing hard on you. If only I had known-" he shakes his head. "You are my mate, my everything. I should have known. I am sorry. I am so sorry.

I- I never once-" Blake lifts his mate's head before he could finish the sentence.

"Shhh" he places a finger on Easton's lips just how his mate did. "I am sorry for losing my shit as that" Blake confesses.

Easton shakes his head denying the blame. "No, I was also wrong" Blake denies back. "I should have thought from your point of view. My bad" he smiles and that melts away the older one.

"It's okay" Easton smiles back lovingly.

"It is okay" Blake's smile grew bigger.

"" they say in unison before breaking into fits of laughter. They wrap their arms around each other, soaking in the warmth of their bond, which was getting stronger with each day passing.

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