t w e n t y - f o u r
o p i a
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dedicated to onederstruck- (opia might've inspired the chapter title ;) )

WARNING: steamy towards the end.

TIA SCREAMED UNTIL her throat was raw; until she could no longer feel anything other than numb agony. She hated screaming, but it was all she could do to unbottle the feelings she had cramped inside her body until it was ready to burst at the seams. Daniel had tortured Colton, and Tia had only ever seen the vampire as an untrustworthy ally, but he had given her a place to live without knowing her, and his intentions for the town – their town – had always been just. She hadn't known Daniel well enough, but he had sacrificed three-hundred years of his life to protecting the supernatural creatures in the city, and had fought to keep peace, holding a Ball every season at his mansion to dissipate feuds and remind the community who ruled the streets of Armour Heights.

"Tia," Colton cried, reaching forward to prop up the Mexican as her legs collapsed from shock. It was rare for his best friend to let down her guard, but her heart had changed. Without Jasper controlling her every emotion, she had been freed from his suffocating clutches. She had allowed herself to cry; to appear weak in moments of heartbreak.

Eretria felt her eyes grow wet, and quickly swiped away her tears with the end of her jacket before pushing herself away from Colton's secure hold. She kept her eyes trailed over Jasper, watching his every move as he unceremoniously dropped Daniel's heart to the floor, the clots of blood merging with the tainted floor.

Tia studied her 'father's' face. If he felt remorse, or even regret, he did not show it.

"Oops," Jasper commented, gasping as though a horrific truth had just been unveiled. "What a shame. He seemed unpleasant."

His words sparked something inside Tia's cold soul, and she didn't think before pushing away from Colton's warm hold. She strode over to Jasper in rage, each footfall sending vibrations up her legs and into her spine.

"I am going to kill you," Tia shouted, startling both Connor and Sofia out of their daze. The Mexican didn't halt when she was merely meters away from the Alpha's face, Jasper's twitched-up lips infuriating her further. Tia fisted her hand, and pushed it towards Jasper's nose with a grunt. The male side-stepped the attack with ease, reading his daughter's actions before she knew what she was doing herself.

"I hate you!" Tia screamed, kicking out with her leg but all she managed to damage was thin air. "I hate what you did to our pack. I hate what you did to my pack. I hate what you did to Daniel!" She continued, thrusting a fist forward with each sentence but her attack was useless. Jasper was over double her age, and his muscles weighed more than Tia's entire figure. "I fucking hate you!"

With one final effort, Eretria unsheathed her claws, managing to catch Jasper's abdomen as his attention wandered to the remnants of Daniel's clan angrily gathering around the pair in a circle. She dug into his flesh, the satisfying squish of breaking skin singing in her ears as the ivory tore deeper and deeper into Jasper's intestines.

But Eretria's hope was short lived, and with a sigh, Jasper effortlessly removed the woman's claws from his body before gripping the woman's fists within his own.

"Hate is a strong word, Eretria," Jasper hissed.

Tia puckered her lips, trying her best to keep her terrified gaze from falling on Connor's face. She couldn't break his heart again, for hers would only shatter with it. "Well, I fucking despise you."

"Someone's been looking up synonyms in the thesaurus, I see," Jasper retorted with a raised brow. The likeness between Jasper and his son was uncanny – the deep rivets carved by their high-arched cheekbones were the same, and the glacial pigment of their irises made Tia's skin tingle as though she had caught hypothermia. "Nevertheless, I would be lying if I said I missed your wicked tongue."

"And I would be lying if I said I didn't want to watch you go to hell after shoving so much wolf's bane down your throat you choke."

Jasper cocked his head to the side, his recently-trimmed jawline as sharp as marble. "That's no way to speak to your father."

"Good thing you're not my father," Eretria narrowed her eyes to slits. "And I want to know why."

"Why what?" Jasper enquired, amused.

Tia attempted to tug her hands out of her father's, but her try was fruitless. "Why Daniel?"

For a second, Jasper's eyes flickered to the vampires gathered in the room, and the wolf standing among the sea of undead. It amused him – amused him that it was so effortless for him to take every life in the room without so much as lifting a finger.

"So many questions, Eretria," Jasper tutted, his eyes snapping back to Tia's wide brunette orbs. "Perhaps for another time, hmm?"

"You tell me right now, Jasper, or I will kill you and it will hurt like a bitch. Oh wait, I am a bitch. Looks like it's your lucky day." The school-drop-out seethed.

Eretria stood firm, and mustering all her strength she tore her hands from Jasper's poisonous touch. She couldn't quite pinpoint the exact moment where she realised she hated the alpha, but there were many instances where she had wanted to rip out his heart (even though she knew she couldn't) to count. After killing her pack, Jasper had taken Tia in, however it was not out of generosity, and deep inside her soul Tia had known that fact all along. Moreover, Jasper had used her countless times, and treated her as though she was nothing more than a possession. Yet being told she had to marry a man she did not love made Eretria's blood boil in her veins. Arranged marriages were not uncommon in the werewolf community, especially between alpha bloodlines. It bound packs together and forged alliances, but Tia had something alpha males wanted that exceeded the want of a simple alliance. Jasper had known that the moment he had taken her – he had always known that one day all he had to do was give her away, and as a result would gain a handsome profit and the power he relished. It had been the last straw when she had refused.

A deep chuckle rose from Jasper's throat, resonating the rumble of thunder. "Oh, Eretria, darling, you won't kill me."

"I'm sick of people like you underestimating me," The she-wolf growled. Tia bit her gums until they bled, a copper taste lingering on her tongue.

"Then you won't have a problem getting out of this alive," Jasper sneered, raising his arms and exposing his chest. "Good luck fighting my men, you'll need it."

Jasper tapped his daughter on the shoulder, only for her to flinch away from his touch. To say that Eretria was confused was an understatement. She drew her eyebrows together, formulating his words as they whirred through her empty mind. But as the wind howled and the house creaked beneath her very feet, she was hit by a realisation. They had been lured into a trap, and Jasper had ensured that his key rival had met his fate before leaving the scraps to his army of wolves and vampires.

"Goodbye, Eretria," Jasper smirked. He waved his hand in a sinister manner, each finger bending downwards separately from the next. Tia lurched forward, finally finding her opportunity to finish the monster, but her hand met air as he vanished through the angry crowd of vampires, leaving a trail of three bodies in his wake.

Eretria frantically glanced around, but her eyes were set in stone as she set off after the man she had to kill – and not for her benefit, but for the benefit of the whole supernatural and natural community. With Jasper in control of the city, he would kill innocents, including humans. Eventually, the town would so quiet, it would resemble death itself. Eretria refused to let that happen to the place she had grown up in.

Tia pushed past a vampire, who all appeared confused at the sudden disappearance of their prey, but a single scream was enough to tell the she-wolf that Jasper's men had descended. Her hands barged through the crowd as it started to move, eyeing the closest window as her exit. After stepping on multiple feet, she reached the window and smashed the glass with her fist. Eretria bit her lip to stop herself from crying out in pain, her fist throbbing as the glass fragments fell away with her blood dripping across the shards in a scarlet florescence.

Scouring her eyes over the fragments still left in the frame, Tia placed her hands down, the glass biting into her flesh. Yet the woman didn't have time to think; to curse; to panic. Her mind was hell-bent on destroying the one man who had destroyed her.

Once past the window, the stench of wet grass making her feel lightheaded, Tia dropped down one meter to the ground with a feline grace. She yanked on her top, and placed her hand over her breasts to hold them in place as she ran – once again her borrowed sports bra was slightly too small, and didn't provide all the support she needed.

Tia sprinted across the large field that stretched behind Connor's pack house. Equipment used to train pack members in the art of combat was strewn across the lawn, now merely obstacles in Tia's path. She picked up her pace as she jumped over a knot of thick rope, before sprinting after the dark silhouette before her. She was quickly engulfed by the forest, thorns snatching at her legs and pulling her leggings to shreds. Her legs moved swiftly – moving over such terrain was just muscle memory to Eretria.

"Stop running, and fucking face me, Jasper!" Tia shouted as loud as her panting mouth would allow. The words echoed through the forest, silencing the nocturnal animals with a single ominous syllable. No reply came. She had lost him.

Eretria kept running blindly, remembering the exact route from Connor's pack house to her own. It would take another half-hour to arrive at her destination, and by that time, Jasper could've gone in a number of different directions. But having been raised by the man and taught the routes of the forest, the Mexican knew exactly where he would head.

She changed her course, her breathing harsh as she ran until her lungs were threatening to collapse. After five minutes of exhaustion, lights began to blink through the tree line ahead. Tia burst through the trees, landing herself onto the industrial estate situated to the West of Armour Heights. Large metal shipping containers of varying colours were lined up across the dirt ground, moving vehicles abandoned and left until the workers returned in the morning.

Tia doubled over on her knees, using a cobalt container to steady her tired legs. The clouds had rapidly drawn together across the sky, shielding the bright moonbeams from Tia's body.

"Fucking coward!" Eretria screamed once more. She had to end Jasper before he decided to make Connor, or worse, Colton his next victim.

Out of the shadows a figure emerged, triggered by Tia's call. He advanced towards the woman, using inhuman speed and strength to ram her head against the metal of the crate as though she weighed no more than a feather.

Tia's vision swam, her tired body refusing her the strength to retaliate before the mystery figure grabbed her arms, pinning them above her head. She blinked rapidly to clear the haze from her eyesight. However, as soon as her eyes landed on the male before her, it was distinct that he was not the man Eretria had been chasing after.

"You're-" The she-wolf panted, still struggling to catch her breath as her captee pressed his large body against hers. "You're not Jasper."

She wasn't mistaken. With soft features, and broad shoulders from too much time in the gym, the man was the binary opposite of Jasper. His eyes were as black as coal, swallowing Tia's vision as they raked up and down her body. A tattoo poked out from under the male's black shirt, snaking around his neck as though it was strangling him.

"No, sweetheart," The man snickered, puckering his lips contently as Tia tried to struggle. "But he did say I could kill you. And that I could take my time." He smiled with glee.

Tia panicked as the man pressed his body against hers once more. She moved to kick him in the balls – her otherwise seamless and signature move – but the man read her reactions like a book. He grabbed her leg, pulling it roughly against his waist without prevail.

"Get the fuck off me," Tia hissed through her teeth. "Before I rip your dick off and wear it as a necklace."

When the man didn't get off her, Tia found her mind ticking through every single way out of the situation. One thousand thoughts sprung to mind, and all ended in disaster. Thinking once more, the she-wolf ground her teeth together and jumped up with her legs, taking her attacker by surprise from the sudden change of weight. Slamming her legs back down, Eretria ripped her hands from the vampire's searing grip before he regained control. Each movement send agony pulsing through Tia's brain, but she was blinded by disgust and the pain had dissipated into red-hot anger.

Tia balled her hands into fists, pushing the man away with all her strength, his lingering scent of bitter body odour diffusing away until all Tia could smell was the blood coating her body like a second skin. The wolf jeered forwards with her hand, forcing her palm through the male's chest until she found his heart and wrapped her short fingers around the dead organ. She squeezed, contemplating her objective to kill. Yet Eretria didn't have remorse for any man who tried to take advantage of her.

"Please-" The vampire whispered, his plea caught in the wind and spiralling into the abyss of the night. His body convulsed with each squeeze of his major organ, blood dripping down his chin until his face was disfigured.

Tia narrowed her eyes to slits. "I warned you," She hissed, before tearing his heart from his body. She let the corpse fall to the floor without much care, and took time to wipe the blood that had sprayed onto her face away with her sleeve. Her head pounded, and she felt discomfort every time she tried to move, but it was nothing the werewolf gene couldn't mend over time - particularly on the night of the full moon.

Panting from exertion once more, Tia gasped when she noticed the dark figure stood before her, his sharp face illuminated by the falling moon. She sucked in her breath until her lungs were full, gazing at the vampire she had just killed - and now resembled a pile of ash that needed to be hoovered up - and back at the werewolf.

"That was impressive," the male wolf growled, stalking towards Tia who backed up until her back hit the metal once again. He placed a single hand on her hip, before resting the other beside her head, caging her. "And not to mention extremely sexy," Connor murmured. He bowed his head, finding Tia's bare neck before placing delicate kisses across her collarbone. He wore a pair of shorts which were two sizes too large, yet his arousal was still noticeable, and Tia couldn't tear her eyes away from Connor's defined abdominals.

Eretria allowed herself to laugh, reaching up to stroke Connor's soft locks with her bloodied hand. "I don't think I've ever heard anything like that ever come out of you mouth before."

"The full moon makes me horny."

The woman's eyes widened, her heart beginning to beat twice as fast as Connor's lips lingered dangerously close to her own. "The full moon makes you weird as fuck," She chuckled, pushing herself off the wall to place a soft kiss on Connor's lips before he used his superior strength to slam her back against the metal container with a resounding clang. "I think I like it."

Before Tia could catch her breath, Connor's lips were forcefully on hers and fighting for dominance. Her fingers tingled as she raked them up the werewolf's back, mapping every single ridge of muscle as Connor's tongue slid into her mouth, the taste of blood almost overwhelming.

Eretria knew how to kiss - it was merely muscle memory to her - but Connor was different. Before, she had rarely felt anything other than sexual desire to lose her virginity before Jasper used it against her, but Connor sparked what Tia hadn't felt since she was separated from her parents in Mexico - closeness. Perhaps not love, but something more than the need for sex. Her stomach swam with nerves as she straddled Connor, yearning for more than just a kiss. As if hearing her thoughts, Tia felt Connor's hand slip to touch her thigh, caressing the skin as he began to trail kisses between the tiny bit of cleavage exposed by her low top.

"Connor," Eretria sighed, causing the male to cautiously cease his actions.

The alpha raised his head wearily, the liquid silver of his irises melting Tia's soul until it was irreparable. "Hmm?"

"I-" But she couldn't say it. The three fated words: I like you. It was too soon, but it was something she couldn't control. "I'm not losing my virginity on an industrial estate."

Connor's eyebrows creased. "You're a virgin?"

Eretria felt something tug at her heart. "Is there anything wrong with that?" She glowered.

"No," Connor replied instantly, his face softening; eyes wandering over the curves of the woman's body with lust. "It's just- Ti, you're beautiful. Any man would be blind if he couldn't see that. I just thought- I'm so lucky that I have you." Connor paused, biting his lips. The typically light pigment had been stained by a concoction of blood and dirt, the pastel shade of his face even pastier than Tia usually saw it. But she thought it was beautiful. She revelled the way Connor's skin reflected the moonlight in an abundance of glowing light; how his silver eyes made her insides churn. "I like you, Tia. Fuck. I like you a lot."

Tia felt a smirk tug at her lips, before pressing them against Connor's in a light kiss. "Me too," she whispered as she drew her lips away, leaving them both craving more. "I say we continue what we started back at the mansion."

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ITS HAPPENING ITS HAPPENING ITS HAPPENING

lmao am I allowed to fangirl this much over my own characters aha??

anyway, really hoped you liked this chapter!! drop a comment and let me know what you like about it so far, and what you think will happen next <33

thank you for reading! love you lots xxx