Briana- Alex's Sister

Chloe's POV

I walk through the entry way, fighting against every instinct in my body telling me to turn tail and run away.

And while I would love to disappear off the face of Alamore without a seconds thought, as Thomas so kindly reminded me, as an Incubus, that's impossible.

When Supernaturals find their Soulmates, it changes their very being and soul, it's much more than a botched arranged marriage. Those who are in non-matal relationships will no longer feel the natural grown chemical reaction of what Divine Children like to call 'lesser love'. All fondness they once had is erased and their own interests lie in whoever it is that they're prisoner to for the rest of their lives. So there's no choice about it, and most of the time people don't even have it in them to even notice or care about what is stolen from them.

And it gets more specific from there, as a half sex Daemon, after we've reached maturity, which takes around twenty years, our powers of sexual persuasion and mind manipulation awaken and we can no longer substain ourselves through food. From then on, our energy, as well as our powers, comes from the sexual energy we gather and collect from our partners and those active around us. Our bodies are made for it, and we all have a spark or ten for being mischievous and coy at times, but that all gets taken away at a moment notice if your Soulmate appears. Then the only person who can feed you is them, shacking you to them forever unless you want to live with endless and boundless pain.

As a Hybrid, my body isn't as reliant on sexual energy as a pure Incubus, able to survive off of regular and mana enriched food, even still, the only way I can charge my Incubus powers and tap into the mind control and pheromone spray, I need to be fed.

Chan relies on me and I promised to help him out and do all I can to see his dream realized even if it means giving my life.

Which it's almost come to a few times.

To go back on my word now would be petty.

So I swallow my pride, or as some would call it, fear, and force myself over the threshold of the house. I try to distract myself from the mind numbing sensations that seems to pass between our bodies, feeling almost like it was plucked from a history book of legends and placed here in the middle of the forrest.

The door closes behind me making me jump. I'd rather have my exits clocked and be ready to move at a moments notice. I don't like leaving myself so vulnerable like this, especially without back up. I feel naked without Chan and Thomas by my side. I much like the rewards of 'scary dog privileges'. With a half defeated, half determined sigh, I make my way down the hallway that has two wide openings, one along the left a few feet ahead, and another at the middle of the hallway, a stairwell ending the passageway, though I spot what looks like a basement door on the left side of the stair base. I mark the door in memory before taking in the kitchen as Alex passes it, the name almost sounding familiar in my mind as if it's been there a thousand times, as if I've screamed it on my lips at the top of my lungs and whispered the name to my heart, but the feeling is gone in an instant and I find my anger simmering beneath the surface, hate for these shackles that feel so dense on my ankles as I shuffle forward into this fabricated fairy tale.

When I turn right into the living room, it's only then that I realize the hallway s lined with pictures from every season and every occasion... noticeably lacking  in the past few years, and the living room is no exception, photo albums stacked in a woven basket by a stone faced fireplace that doesn't look like it's been lit in ages.

Alex turns towards me with a strained smile, every emotion the man is feeling out on display for the world to see.

It's a bit annoying to see every ounce of anxiety and fear coursing through him. I wish he would learn to put on a better face. Guess that shows the differences in what we've had to sacrifice. I should've known as much with him being a Divine Child. Mild disgust fills me, but I keep it inside as the wolf gestures around the large and frankly comforting house. From the blankets in the couch, the matching style throughout, the hand tool markings on the beams and floors show me how much love and care were put into this house. A part of me wants to click pause on the world and simply explore every single nook and cranny in this place, unlocking every secret and every mystery.

"Well, Welcome to my home. The Marks Home." He says proudly but the smile doesn't spark in his eyes. "Did you need to talk?" He asks nervously, but at least he attempts to hide the desperation, though a part of me does feel bad.

Regardless of how I feel about it, it's clear this chump bought into all the lies and propaganda we were force fed at youth.

Poor thing.

Which is exactly why I'm here.

"Let's get one thing clear before we get to all the ice breaker boo hoo." I start with a sigh, throwing myself onto a red armchair that could comfortably squeeze two people if you don't mind a cuddle. I stretch out across the length of it, my combat boot clad feet hanging off the side as my tail settles softly against the floor. I prop my hands behind my head as I study the wall, taking notes of the fractured timeline and family I see scattered around the house. Pictures came tell a thousand words and something tells me this guy's autobiography is all over the walls. If only I had a second alone. I turn my attention back towards the wolf, trying not to notice the way one of his curls stubbornly falls against his eyebrow, calling attention towards those stormy grey eyes of his. A little flustered and heavily annoyed, I clear my throat and continue speaking. "I don't believe in Soulmates. Truthfully, I'm a Hybrid, Incubus-Warlock specifically, so there's not a Divine loving, Celeste praising, hive mind bone in this fuckable body, nor do I plan for there to be. But on the other hand, I need to be fed, and I'm sure neither of us want to live with pain for the rest of our lives. Don't feel pressured to shackle yourself down, explore and live a little. We'll be designated fuck buddies and friends of course and both of our lives carry on without much of a disruption. Sounds great, right? Glad I thought of it. Now that that's out of the way......" I quickly try to hop up and make my escape, the intensity of his eyes on me getting almost too much to bear, flames creeping up my neck and cheeks.

But he stops me before I can even reach the hallway, his amusement catching me by surprise.

"That was a cute speech. How long did that take you?" He asks, and I almost fall on my ass from shock. Because when I turn around, gone in the wind is the wolf that wore his emotions like accessories, every worry etched onto the wrinkles on his face, gone is the uncertainty and doubt. In their place what I find a man leaned back on the couch his smokey grey eyes studying me with a hunger that doesn't seem sexual and yet shakes me to my core. His eyes are intense and his smile is slow and challenging as he nods his head slowly.

"Hard to get, huh? Not the type I expected for my Mate, but I do love a good hunt." He says nonchalantly with a casual shrug, those his eyes never leave mine, never falter. "I think I can play the long game. I won't fool around and I know you can't without getting sick. Whatever makes you comfortable, we'll do. But you'll come around." He tells me, and this time is smile glimmers with a glint of mischief and excitement which sends a chill down my spine and the breath from my lungs.

Suddenly I feel as if the rug has been pull from under me and I find myself defenseless, caught in his cockily amused stare.

I can't leave without seeming flustered and swept away, and I refuse to let this bastard think this is a game to be won or that he would win in the first place.

Smug stupid sexy flea filled bastard.

Against my will, I feel my body begin to react to him, so I flail to distract both of us from it though from his knowing smile, I'm sure that wolf nose of his already snitched.

I turn towards the closest picture on the wall, finding a family of four, one looking unlike the other but from the way she smiles and they all hold on to each other, you wouldn't know they weren't meant to be a family. My interest actually piqued, I point towards the strangely beautiful photo, taking in every piece of it, translating it to useful information. The woman in the picture is beautiful her skin a warm beige with rose petals sprinkled about like the freckles that adorn her face. Her curls are a mix of brown and natural height lights, large and full of life, restrained by only a simple cloth as it's pulled back from her face. Her eyes are warm and loving, wrinkles in the corner showing the experience she has with life. Her honey brown eyes seem to hold mine through the picture, so full of life, her smile full of bliss and radiance as she embraces her son that stands before her, a decades younger version of Alex easily recognized, maybe around the age of twelve, shaggy hair and long beautiful lashes and stick man arms. Crouched down next to them is a man with the same rugged looks and sharp jaw that Alex has now even their five o'clock shadow filling in in the same spots. Though his hair is shorter than his sons'a the former Beta's own curls are nothing to scoff at though it's clear his wife steals the show. And with her arms wrapped around the man's neck, leaning against his back, smiling over his shoulder lovingly is a caramel toned girl with a bright smile, startling green eyes and long locs that falls down her shoulders softly. Half of her beautiful twists are pulled up into a high pony tail while the rests barely brushes pasts her shoulders, small hoops adorning the young girl's ears, no older than ten. Clearly a Faerie, at first glance she appears lost, but seeing the way they all smile at each other and hold on as if they never let go tells me that that girl is apart of this wolf family just as much as anyone.

"Is this your family? They're beautiful. You're lucky." I hum, keeping tears at bay, trying to remind myself to forget about my own childhood, one that seems quite different from Alexander, the great Beta of the Autumn Falls Pack. It's hard to swallow the contempt that fills me when I think of how easy he's probably had it as I wait for his answer, trying to guess which defensive response he'll come up with.

What he says instead is, "I was lucky. I wish I knew it at the time. Maybe if I were more grateful they'd be here to meet you." He tells me quietly, not in a blaming way or filled with disgust and anger like mine would have been after the assumption I just made, but with retrospective grief, as if these thoughts hound him from sunrise to sun fall. And from the pain that echos in his eyes for the smallest of moments shines through, shame courses through me.

And I realize something in that moment that makes me want to turn around and run away and never come back, taking on the guilt and pain willingly if I got away from the depths of this man I could have never guessed.

Would rather he not have told me.

Because now I'm interested and I'm realizing that maybe there is someone out there in power who knows what it's like to have nothing. Though I never thought about how much it might hurt to have falling from having everything.

I now realize that he let me see those feelings that were racing through his mind, he allowed his heart to bare on his sleeves so that I could see it. Because those eyes of his just showed me how much he works every day to hide. How much pain and suffering he zips away and holds on tight. And for a moment, it's like I'm standing in the mirror.

Maybe it's the Soulmate bond, maybe it's my own interest, but I find myself unable and unwilling to walk away with so many mysteries at hand, curiosity coming for my neck once more.

Instead of running, with Chan's words in mind and a story that I can tell needs to be heard, I settle myself back down on the couch, curling my legs under me before placing my tail in my lap softly, my ears alert, not wanting to miss a single word. Friends with benefits or not, if this is someone that I'm going to accept into my life and bring around my family, then I need to know about who he is at his core and the things he endured to survive.

So I sit.

And I listen.

And I learn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hmmmmm what do you guys think about this chapter. From forbidden on, the series is going to be completely unrecognizable so I'm excited to see how you guys will react to these different takes on these well lives relationships and characters.

Thoughts?

Comments?

QOTD: Which book are you most excited to see rewritten?