ANIMALS

Thirty-Two || Baby I'm Not Afraid To Die

~Tristan~

"It's so beautiful up here," 

Noah mentions as he stands at the edge of the rocky cliff, my arm wrapped around his waist to keep him from falling. The plateau settled above the bustling island was one of the few quiet places left on the small island and I often came here to think about my missing mate while watching the stars. 

"Babe, can we get away from the ledge now? You're scaring me," I ask and Noah turns toward me, holding my hand as he takes a step back with me. 

"You're right, it's pointless to die now when I have such a beautiful life with you ahead of me," Noah mentions as he kisses my blushed cheek. Sometimes he was such a headstrong butthead and other times he's the sweetest boy on the island. I don't understand him and maybe I never will. 

"Do you think Mason will be able to find us?" Noah asked as he wrapped his arms around my waist. I peered over his shoulder at the little evanescent blue and pink flowers below us, lighting up from our presence alone. 

Just being here brings back the beautiful memory of the first time I saw Mason Figuroa. 

"I know he will," I sigh as I rest my chin on his shoulder. 

"Speak of the devil," Noah smirks and I turn around. Mason steps forward out of the evergreen forest with just a sleeveless sweatshirt to show off his large biceps and a pair of gym shorts. 

"Mason, what happened? Are you okay?" I asked him as I slowly approached my haggard mate. He looked like he had been through hell and back to get here and I wish our bond was stronger so I could know anything about what he's going through.

I tried to grab hold of him but he shoved me back, walking up to edge of the mountain and flipping his hood down to reveal his shaved head. Noah and I both silently gasped while he watched the bustling city below in a moment of silence that could kill. 

"Mase, what happene-"

"That's not important," He spits out, cutting me off like what I had to ask was unimportant. 

"Is this why you hid from me?" I asked him, knowing the members of his own pack were the ones who did this.

 A punishment he must have put in place as alpha for associating with any Caspian clan members after the death of his parents. 

"Tristan, you seem to forget you're the alpha of the damned Caspian Clan. The same clan that murdered my parents! Your own brother slaughtered them in cold blood and you expect me to love you? How do I know you won't kill me too?" Mason growls but refuses to face me. 

Feeling like my heart had been ripped out and tossed over the cliff to be hit by a semi in the city below. 

Noah steps back, feeling like an innocent party caught in between us. 

"How dare you? How dare you judge me by the actions of a brother who doesn't even share my blood! I didn't choose to be alpha of the Caspian's! I was kidnapped and forced into it! If it were up to me I would have run away years ago!" I fight back with urgency as Mason steps a little bit closer to the edge and I quickly realize what he's about to do. 

"NO!" I reached out and grabbed him by his waist, pulling him back towards me before he could take the final step and the two of us are on the ground. 

TRIS-

NOAH STAY! 

Wresting on the cool rock, Mason strikes first as I take the first blow to the face. Catching his fist next I squeeze it tight, breaking at least two of his fingers before undercutting him into a shock that lets me roll him so he's on the ground and I'm on top.

I try to hold his arms down but he's too strong. Shaking out of my hold, I dodge his fist before connecting mine to the center of his nose and letting him scream out before he takes hold of me and flips us around again. This time its a hard hit to the eye and I cry out of pure pain and anguish, giving him a matching shiner without mercy. 

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Noah screams as he lays his body over mine and Mason stops, unable to lay a hand on our innocent crying mate as I writhe with pain both physically and mentally. 

"You're my mate Mason! Deal with it and get over yourself!" I call him out and he slowly backs off me, catching his breath as he realizes the damage he's done.

And I see what I've done to him. 

"I didn't hide from you because I hated you or because of my pack. I hid from you because you deserve better and I could never love you as much as you love me," Mason explains with tears in his watery brown eyes. Without hair, they looked three times bigger than before and I instantly burst into tears. 

"I'm your mate Mason! I was made to love you and so was Noah! That's what mates are for!" I explain as if he was a child that didn't understand the concept. With Noah hovering behind me, his hand rested on my shoulder, I sit up and take on Mase head-on. 

"I know what a mate is!" Mase screams back, running his hands up and down his face. I see the pain in his composer and the way my existence itself tore him apart. 

"If you think you'll be better off without me, then do it." Mason's eyes open wide as I say it but I don't take it back. 

"You don't mean-"

"I just want you to be happy," I reassure him and a single tear falls from his bruised and bloodied cheek. 

"Fine," Mason stands with his hands on his side as he tries to look strong but I know he's breaking. 

"I, Alpha Mason Figueroa, herby reject-" As soon as he starts the ritualistic words a fire so hot burns my chest as if I'm currently on fire and burning alive from my rejection. I'm brought to my knees as I cry out in pain, unable to stop the unbearable stabbing with flames. 

"you, Tris-"

"NO! STOP!" Noah cries out, stoping Mason from finishing he words he could never take back. 

Realizing what he almost did, Mason drops to the dirt in front of me out of shock. Noah forces me into his arms, holding me close to his chest as I silently wept. Crying so hard that it hurt me to my very core. 

"How could you even think about rejecting us?! After everything that's happened!" Noah protectively yells at Mason just as my other mate starts to come out of his temporary shock. 

"Oh god, oh fuck, fuck, fuck, Tristan? Tristan, can you hear me?" Mason asked but Noah shifts us back. 

"Get away from us, you fucking monster," Noah calls him out but I could barely focus on them as I waited for the worst pain in my life to subside. 

"No! I'm not going to abandon you!" Mason fights to stay but Noah wasn't having it.

"You already broke his heart! What other damage are you going to do to my mate," Noah growls and for some reason, his growl did not seem human. 

It was beast-like. 

"I'm never going to leave you two again," Mason promises and I can tell by the cracks in his voice that he was crying too. 

I feel Mason's arms wrapped around my back as he joined Noah in holding me. 

Doing his best to start fixing the holes he burned into my poor naive heart and soul.