The First Chimera.

Chapter 14 - Part 2

Xander's POV

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Latching onto Ria's tether, I stalk through the packhouse, pack member's giving me a wide birth as I pass.

"Xander?" Zane walks a few steps behind me, his gaze burning a hole into the back of my head. I ignore it, intent on getting answers to the questions that's been bugging me all night. Getting to the ground floor, I spot Ria standing still, her eyes glazed over as though in a mindlink.

It doesn't take long before I'm standing before her, my gaze running over her neck and arm. Her neck still sporting puncture wounds from the bastards fangs, although the wound is no longer bleeding. Her arm seems to have been healed, now only faint pink jagged scars remain of the wounds that had been carved into her flesh.

"Your Highness?" Ria asks, a small frown pulling her plump, kissable lips down in the corners.

I have to muffle the low, annoyed growl that rumbles through my chest. Neither Erebus or I like it when she uses our formal title, as though she's putting a invisible and insurmountable distance between us.

"All the secrets this pack has kept, even from me it's heir, all surround you Ria. So, you will tell me every last secret my parents, your parents, my best friend, has kept for you. Now!" Erebus and I Alpha order her, flooding her with our alpha aura, determined to force her to submit. Force her to tell me so I can understand.

She stares at me, maintaining eye contact. Something that would normally lead to a challenge and yet it's almost as though I'm staring into the eyes of a being so powerful she feels no need to challenge a mere Alpha Prince.

"Xander, that's enough." Zane states, stepping up beside me, his hand on my shoulder.

"It's no where near enough," I snarl, pushing everything Erebus and I have at her. She doesn't flinch, doesn't bow, doesn't submit. There's defiance in her dark blue eyes, defiance and an ocean of sadness of unknown depths.

"I will not tell you, Your Highness." Ria finally speaks, her voice clear of pain, clear of anger.

Why isn't she submitting? Why isn't this working? Erebus let's out another snarl of anger and Ria finches, her eyes turning glassy with unshed tears.

"You will tell me! You will submit!" I roar at her, my alpha aura exploding out of me. The wolves on the ground floor cry out in pain, Omega wolves falling to the floor on their knees, Zane baring his neck to me, his grip on my shoulder now painful. Anger flashes in Ria's gaze, her eyes turning as hard and cold as sapphires.

"I won't tell you. Look at what you're doing Xander! You're hurting your own pack members!" She snarls back, her eyes flashing that blood redish pink colour as her wolf draws closer to the surface.

I grab her arm before she can storm off, her body vibrating with her anger.

"If you won't tell me, then I'll Alpha Order it out of Zane." I snarl down at her.

One moment we're glaring at each other, the next I'm being pushed back with such force I stumble back several steps, Zane standing protectively in front of me, his arms wrapped tightly around Ria, her hand at his side, her claws embedded deep into his ribs, blood dripping on the floor.

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Ria's POV

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The scent of Zane's blood hits like a cold slap to the face. I try to jerk my hand away from his ribs until his arm clamps down around my shoulders, keeping me in place. He gasps in pain, his breath sharp and laboured, a wet gurgling sound too faint for anyone else to hear is loud in my ears and my heart thunders in my chest, panic filling me with dread.

"Xander, walk away." Zane states, his voice steady, despite the obvious pain he must be in.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," I whisper repeatedly to him, even as he hugs me, pressing my body against his, hiding my claws still embedded in his body. He shouldn't want me anywhere near him, he should hate me and yet he's holding me so tight, Kakoa purring softly, wanting to comfort me, and my beasts who all push to the surface, wanting to fix the pain we've caused our big brother.

"Shh, it's ok. I'm ok. You need to use your magic sweetie, your claws have punctured my lung." Zane whispers, his breathing heavy even as he kisses the top of my head. Tears spill down my cheeks while magic heats my fingertips seeping through his skin. Slowly, I sense for the injury, letting my claws slip out of his skin while magic reinflates Zane lung, pulling the trapped air out of his chest cavity and sealing the five puncture wounds. I hold my breath until I can no longer hear the wet gurgle, and he breathes easier, and then a sigh of relief leaves my lips and my shoulders slump. Zane holds me, letting me lean on him, seek comfort from him even though I just injured him.

"I'm sorry." I sob, not even sure what happened. I don't even know why I attacked, or remember trying to attack. When Xander threatened to Alpha Order Zane into telling him my secret something dark had coiled through my muscles, as though my beasts had merged for a moment, creating the creature we fear most. If Xander carried out his threat... a shiver passes down my spine, such a thing would kill Zane. The only way for anyone other than myself to reveal what kind of monster I am is for them to have my permission, or permission from the goddesses which is near impossible to get.

Still holding me, Zane pulls back slightly and lifts my chin with a finger before wiping my cheeks with his thumbs, his eyes filled with the same heavy sadness that sits on my chest.

Today's my last day with my family. Why couldn't Alexander just give me this one last day to enjoy being with my family?

"Zane?" Xander's alpha aura receeds, and the other wolves scramble to tend to those who have fainted, or who are too affected by the heirs aura to stand, helping them to scramble out or to the hospital.

"Don't Xan..." Zane's words are cut off when a pack wide mind-link fills my blood with ice.

"The Pack is under attack! All warriors to the Northern Boarder NOW! Women and children unable to fight to the Packhouse!" Warriors race out of the pack house, shifting into their wolves with the tearing of cloth and the cracking of bones.

"Go find Tao and Jayla, Ria. Keep them safe," Zane kisses the top of my head before turning and heading out the packhouse. My eyes widen and I gasp as something clicks into place. The pack wide mindlink had been from OUR father, NOT uncle Zavier.

I push through the throng of terrified women and children, the elderly and those unable to fight. Children cling to their mothers, babies crying is fear, hurrying into the packhouse.

What surprises me though is spotting the other races leaders and their seconds in command running towards the fight. Some shift, some run in human form, all willing to protect this pack.

The last members of the non-warriors reach the safety of the packhouse as I latch onto my fathers tether, and then seek uncle Zavier's, my heart near stopping.

"s**t!" I mutter to my beasts as they press ever closer to the surface, pressing against my skin, clawing at my mind.

"ZANE!" I shout, running down the packhouse steps as the doors shut, the locks engage, locking me out. Both Zane and Xander turn to stare at me, their tops now at their bare feet.

"What the hell Ria? How stupid can you be?" Xander shouts at me as I take off at a sprint, my beasts pushing their alpha strength and speed at me, worry twisting my insides and dread chilling my blood. I ignore the Alpha Prince's tantrum, far too focused on where his father is. Pain lances through my neck and chest, my blood burning with the effect of wolfsbane and poison. A loud, menacing snarl leaves my lips. I create a connected mindlink to the both Zane and Xander, shooting towards the Southern boarder, my heart thundering in my ears.

"Your Alpha is on the southern boarder, alone. Dad is leading the fight on the Northen side." I hear their gasps of surprise. It isn't long before the vibrations of their feet pounding the earth follow me.

"Listen to her Xander. Ria knows what she's talking about. If you trust me, then trust her just this once." Zane states through the interlinked mindlink. Angle's worry causes the air to whip up around my feet, my magic warming my skin as it spreads through the markings branded into my skin.

"How far away are we?" Xander asks, and I'm surprised he's listening to Zane, let alone me. I push the useless emotions away, Selkie cutting our emotions off so we can focus on what's important.

"It's going to take too long like this." I hiss through the link, then ver off to the left, pushing my body to run faster, arms pumping, feet pounding.

"Zane, I need you to get your Alpha to jump when I tell you to. You need to jump as high as you can."I tell my brother, barely listening to him convince Xander that this is necessary. Seren pushes forwards, the shift smooth, painless, a ripple of magic as my body shifts into hers, the both of us in control.

Running in a wide circle, we come up behind Xander running behind our brother. Seren snorts in amusement in our mind, a slight smirk pulling at her lips. The ground shakes under us as we gallop, gold and silver scales rippling in the sunlight.

Unfurling her wings, she flaps once, then twice.

"Jump! NOW!"We roar down the connected mindlink. Both Xander, and Zane leap into the air as Seren runs under and leaps off the ground, pushing off with our great wings. The gentle thump of two bodies landing in the hallow of her neck between the spines that travel down Seren's back is all we need to know Zane and Xander are riding. White smoke billows from Seren's mouth and nose, her silent battle cry to those who'd dare to harm those we love.

"Hold on tight!"Zane yells through the mind-link to Xander and I chuckle at Xander's scream at finding a dragon underneath him.

"What the Fu'ck? She's part Dragon?"Xander shouts through the mind-link and I chuckle without humour, Seren's displeasure rumbling through her chest.

"I'm a mix-breed Alexander, but I have my uses."My voice, even to my own ears sounds cold and detached.

Seren flies faster than she's ever allowed herself to before, tucking her wings close to her body and diving towards the ground before throwing her wings out to glide, pushing herself to go faster and suddenly I'm grateful for all those summer trips to the lake with our family where Seren would carry our family for a flight. It's prepared us for today.

"Why would my father be out here alone while we're being attacked on the Northen boarder?"Xander asks, his thighs squeezing Seren's neck and she rumbles, uncomfortable with the pressure.

"Because he's trying to protect me."I state honestly, my voice detached. A loud rumbling growl vibrates through Seren at spotting a small group on the South Boarder with her keen sight. Uncle Zavier on his knees, still trying to fight.

"When we swoop and roll you both need to jump and make the landing. Protect your Alpha King, keep your backs to the group, and no matter what you hear don't turn around."I order, thankful it's not an Alpha order.

"What? You need to land so we can climb off!"Xander demands, his Alpha order washing over us. Seren roars, letting the group and Uncle Zavier know we're coming.

"It'd take us too long to climb down Xander. Just listen to Ria, she knows what she's doing."Zane states and pats Seren, Kakoa even purring to try and settle my beasts pushing at the edges of my control.

Seren tucks her great wings in one last time and drops into a dive, tucking her legs close to her body.

"Ready yourselves,"I say, and sense mother Hekate's magic straining, pushing back at the shift she stopped last night. Seren grits her teeth, and I push back against the clawing in my mind, giving Seren and I just enough space to manover a shift.

"Ready Ria?"Seren asks and a shiver works its way down her spine. I nod, and she spins, dropping Zane and Xander before righting herself and landing gracefully in front of the rouges. She let's me take control, shifting back into human flesh, the heat raditating from my eyes, and the markings branding my skin my only warning that the rage I bottled up six years ago is about to be unleashed as my gaze lands on a familiar face, with a familiar brand burnt into his cheek.