Broken Together

Chapter Seventeen: Dead

~Xavier~

I wait to shift, wanting to speak to him in my human form.

As we approach I can see every face of each rogue. I imagine how I will end them. I imagine what it will feel like to rip them all apart. To burn them to pieces. As my eyes land on Tom, I immediately feel my beast begin to surface. I feel my veins throb and my heart race. My muscles are tight and I feel as if I might literally burst out of my skin if I get any closer to him.

"So kind of you finally make an appearance Alpha," Tom says. His mood is off. He is being...cocky. Taunting me.

My hands curl up into fists as I fight the urge to rip his throat out.

"I will warn you all once," I say looking around at each rogue. "Stay, and you will die." This causes a few of them to look at each other with worry, others look at each other and smile as if I am joking. But I am not laughing. "Leave...and I won't have as much fun," I say.

As my eyes bore into each one of their faces, I find the same look as I always have. Fear. All bark and no bite. His rogues would be easy.

But it isn't truly the rogues I want.

Its Tom. and his head on a fucking spike.

"Tisk Tisk Tisk...." He raises his arms straight out and turns to his pack and then back at me. "I think I like our odds." He laughs and waves his hand, motioning for something. I keep my body alert as a scent hits me and I am filled with confusion and rage. Fuckig rage.

Out of the woods comes a rogue dragging Aurora by the neck. There is a black bag over her head and she is struggling to get free of him.

"Let her go right fucking now!" I growl out. My body begins to shake as I watch Tom approach Aurora. He takes the bag off of her head and I see a bruise already appearing on her face. I'll break his bones, I'll fucking skin him alive! Ill fucking! FUCK just FUCK!

"Oh Alpha...I could never let her go. Not again. She is mine." He stops and pushes a hair behind her ear as she leans away from him crying.

My Aurora. I wasn't there. I locked her in that room and left her. This is all my fault.

"It was rather easy to take out your guards. The witches were quite helpful in masking our scents. But you know I really couldn't do it without the help of your father. That man really didn't like you Aurora." He laughs pulling out a knife and pointing it towards my mate. "He gave us the spare house key. He told us when you left the house. He let us know of a little surprise attack you had planned tonight. He was very helpful." My whole body goes numb.

"W-was?" Aurora says.

"Wolfsbane. Does wonders." He says turning to me. "Don't worry...we haven't touched a hair on your mother's head...yet. Thanks to the witches she is having a nice little nap."

I have never been close to my father. I don't even know if I have ever loved my father. He has betrayed me more than once and has defied me at every turn. He has only ever tried to use me and control me. So why does this hurt? Why does his death fucking hurt?

I can't let it affect me right now. I need to get Aurora out of this. I need to keep her safe. If she dies, I die with her.

I look over at Aurora whose eyes hold fear and sadness.

"Aurora, look at me, baby. It's gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay." I say to her. I want to ease her mind. I want to make it all better. My eyes move to the bastard standing by my mate.

"Why m-me?" I hear Aurora speak up. So brave it stings my heart.

"Yes! I was just about to get to that part. You see, my mate was your Aunt Aurora. And she-" His face turns to anger. "Was taken from me by another man. She allowed him to climb between her legs. So I ripped her heart out." He looks down at his hands smiling. "She betrayed me. I was heartbroken. When I learned about your mother Aurora, I just couldn't help myself. It was so easy to insert myself into your lives. You were young, your father was out of the picture, and man your mother was so desperate for someone to be a good father, to be a good husband." His eyes begin to darken as he recalls his thoughts. "When that drunk driver killed her...it truly destroyed me. All because little Aurora wanted a cake for her birthday." His knife points towards Aurora again scrapping her neck softly. "YOU! You took her away from me. So I took everything from you." He says smiling against her head and holding the neck to her.

My body is shaking. Chase has to hold me back. I can't do this I can't fucking do this! He has a knife to her neck, if I make the wrong move-if I don't get to her in time...

"Touch her again and I swear to the goddess I will be joining you in hell for the sins I will make killing you! Worthless piece of shit!"

Kill Kill Kill

Dameon says over and over again in my mind. I can't block him out any longer. I feel my teeth begin to come out and my bones start to break. My shift stops when I hear my little mate's voice.

"Don't Xavier. Stop." She says. My eyes immediately dart to her. What is she doing?

"Aurora-" She cuts me off looking over to Tom.

All of the rogues seemed stuck in place, awaiting his next move.

"I'll go with y-you. Just don't hurt anyone else. P-please Tom." She says. It breaks my heart to hear her plead for our safety. To give herself up for me, for this pack.

"No, no Aurora!" I yell, I plead, I scream.

When Tom turns to me, I watch as Aurora meets my eyes one more time giving me a small smile. She takes something out of her pocket and lunges at Tom, shoving something into his neck. He stops in his tracks, grabbing his neck and throwing Aurora into the side of a tree.

I hear her hit the ground and my body instinctively runs towards her. I can hear as the wolves all break out shifting and attacking one another. I smell blood all around me yet my only focus is my mate. My strong, brave, beautiful little mate.

"Aurora, wake up! No No No, Aurora please, I can't I can't fucking lose you please, please!"

I hear Tom beside me.

"Fucking bitch!" He yells trying to move towards me but stops as his body weakens due to the loss of blood. The wound on his neck must have hit an artery. Rogues were a lot easier to take down than a pack wolf or an Alpha. Aurora was smart, she aimed for the neck, a weak spot.

I watch as Tom makes it a foot away from me until his body hits the ground.

"Y-you'll ki-kill her." He says smiling once more before closing his eyes forever.

Tom is dead.