I know they'll be giving each other questioning looks as I walk away, wondering to themselves, 'What could have set him off this time.'
Fuck!
It's been two weeks since I stopped being feral. When he was unconscious, I became broken but I had my emotions under control. Even Bear confirmed just now that I looked happier so why didn't he see that? Why couldn't he see I'm a changed person and more emotionally stable than before? Why didn't he understand and not treat me like I'm a fucking, ticking time bomb!?
I messed up just now but he needs to understand that I'm not irrational and irritable all the time. I just slipped now. I made a mistake because I was desperate. Desperate to find my mate. Who amongst them wouldn't be desperate if they were in my shoes? Who will blame me for acting irrationally under such circumstances?
They all probably will! They're probably blaming me for being impatient because they don't know what's going on inside my mind. They don't know what I'm up to. They don't know what it feels like to have a mate bond as strong as mine and not be able to see her.
They have no clue about how I'm feeling right now. Knowing the information to find my mate is so close, yet I can't get it. I wonder how they would react if they knew I already knew about my mate and I intend to find her without their help. I have no intention of waiting for another two weeks. Only tomorrow. I'm going to look for her after the trial, tomorrow.
I arrive at the basketball court closely followed by Ella.
"Where's the dressing room? Is there anything in here for me to change into?" I ask as I look down at my navy blue blazer and pants with beige suede loafers. I'm dressed for my appointment with Alpha Nate not for shooting hoops.
"No General, I'm sorry. With recent happenings, I'm afraid we've not really had the chance to..."
"Oh, it's okay. Don't worry about it..." I say as I remove my blazer, and drape it around a chair before folding up my shirt's sleeves.
When I'm done making myself comfortable enough, I grab a ball from the ball rack and bounce it on the floor a couple of times before shooting my first hoop in years.
I missed the basket!
Of course, it's been long and I've gotten rusty. Working and fighting wars to expand my uncle's pack has made me rusty at playing basketball.
I tried again and missed yet again. I hate to lose at anything and begin to get irritated when I also do the third time.
"It's been long that you've done this. Maybe you should try shooting from a shorter distance at first?..." Ella's feminine voice drifts into my ears, slowly calming my frayed temper.
I nod, taking a deep breath in and letting it out slowly. I didn't move closer to the net as she suggested. I stayed in the same position before shooting the ball again...
Basket! Finally! I exhale in relief.
"Yes! Woh-ho!" I hear Ella jump up and down while shouting in excitement behind me to cheer me up.
I finally relax with a triumphant smile. I hate, hate to lose at anything no matter how unimportant it is.
"You know, you should always be around me instead of those idiots. If they were here, they would have been snickering under their breath instead of encouraging me when I missed those shots. You have..."
"You want her to always be around you, not us because she's good at petting your ego, isn't that right?" Eric's voice interrupts me. Before I can turn to tell him to fuck off, a ball hit me hard at the back of my head.
My anger surged up
"God! I'm so going to kill you!" I growl as I turn, immediately charging at him.
I slightly bend and hit his midriff hard with my right shoulder and we both go down hard. Without thinking, l balled my fist to hit him but he quickly blocked my blow before it would connect with his face. That only makes me more furious.
Eric is the fastest among my men. Because he's fast, he's able to speedily block some of my blows. But I have the upper hand. I'm his Alpha after all plus fighting is in my blood. We fought. He punched me but I punched harder and faster.
Ella screams for us to stop until she can't watch anymore and runs out.
We're still fighting when the others rush in with Ella. She screams at them to stop us from killing each other but they dare not.
This is not the first time Eric and I have fought each other. The first time they witnessed us fight we turned against them when they tried to intervene and separate us.
No matter how hard I hit him, I have never known Eric to surrender in a fight and I know the bastard will keep going until I either kill him by mistake or put an end to it by begging. I have him in a guillotine chokehold when I shout,
"That's enough! Settle down, you bastard! No more fighting!..."
But, no! He won't ever stop. I'll have to beg if I don't want to end up killing him. Seeing the way he's bleeding makes me feel a little guilty.
"Stop now, Eric! Do you want to die?" I release my hold from around his neck to swiftly move behind to grab him around the waist, forcing him to the ground.
"Stay down! Do you hear me!? Stay the fuck down!..." I say forcefully.
When I feel him start to relax, I slowly ease my hold around him. At that moment, he swiftly turned and elbowed me in the face, cutting my eyebrow deeply.
"Dammit, Eric! That's enough! Are you crazy!" I shout. Blood drips into my eye as I tighten my hold on him again.
"I'm bleeding but you are not. Now we're even!" He says, breathing hard.
We are now both bloodied from our fight. My right eyebrow has a deep cut while he had a cut below one eye and a busted upper lip.
"That's enough!"
"Yeah!?... Are you sure you've had enough because I can go on and on with you, you knuckle-headed mule!" He forcefully says between breathing hard and grinning evilly
"Yes! I've had enough! I surrender and you win!"
I don't let him go until he stops struggling and I feel him finally relax. I lie on the floor beside him, both of us breathing hard.
"Pussy!" He says and we both suddenly start laughing.
"See... I told you, it's another form of exercise for them, didn't I?..." I hear Ivar say to Ella
"Exercise!? They're both bleeding and you call it exercise! You're crazy! You all are crazy!" She tearfully replies before running out of the court.
None of us go after her
"Ella cries too much for a warrior. Shouldn't we do something about that?" Eric says, looking with concern toward the door
"Well, maybe because she's a girl and you both frightened her!" Bear says, sounding not so pleased with us
"She's not just a girl, she's a warrior! Nothing should surprise her anymore!" Ivar says, looking not so happy by his mate's behavior
"She's learning on the job. She will soon get used to our crazy ways. Just leave her be" Henrik adds
"We will hasten her learning process at tonight's team meeting," I say and sit up before getting on my feet. Eric stretches his hand toward me and I pull him up.
He groans deeply
"Dammit, Thor! I think you broke my ribs when you plowed into me like a mad bull."
"You'll heal. Stop whining like a pussy." I reply and start to unbutton my bloodied shirt.
"So what about the appointment with Alpha Nate? Do we still have the time for a quick shower and change of clothes?" I ask as I watch him limp to the bleachers.
"There's no appointment. He said we don't need to come because it's an open and shut case. He said we should meet in court tomorrow."
"Okay..." I replied. "My eyebrow is healed already..." I say again, touching the healed skin where the cut was before. "How's your rib?" I ask with concern. I feel guilty as I watch him hold his side. What was I thinking? Fighting him when he just woke up yesterday.
"You're Alpha, you heal faster than the rest of us. I'll also heal in my time. Don't worry about it." He replies with a smile.
His room is the first we arrive at before mine and he starts to hound me the moment we enter.
"If I wasn't so beaten up already... I already promised Uncle Knox I would kill you! What were you thinking? How could you tell him when I was unconscious? You told him and still wouldn't pick up his calls? C'mon, man!"
"You know, I regretted telling him the moment I opened my mouth and I wouldn't have if I had known your stupid ass would sleep for two whole weeks!"
He laughs
"What happened between you two anyway?"
"God! Your Uncle Knox was a royal pain in my ass! He wanted me to smuggle him into the mansion so he could personally watch over you! How can I do that when everyone thought he was dead!? He wouldn't stop calling. I stopped picking up his calls when he insisted on coming after I explained everything to him and the problem we were having getting the antivenom.
What!?... I'm expected to babysit him and care for you at the same time!?"
"What if he had another heart attack? Aren't you scared of that? He told me he almost had one"
I chuckle
"He's just being dramatic, don't mind him! I kept in touch with his doctors so I knew he was fine."
"Okay, that apart... Now, do you want to tell me what set you off earlier?"
"Of course, why not? Just that you'll have to wait till after a month. That is when I can tell you." I reply and laugh out loud when I see the displeased look on his face.