Hey guys, this story now has a prequel focused on Lorelei! Please check it out and support if you like it; it's a new story so the support would help people find it!

https://www.wattpad.com/1153956501-he-who-flew-too-close-prologue

This story is a bit dead in terms of engagement so if you want updates please let me know with votes and comments as I'll likely be shifting focus to the prequel for a bit.

Tamer truly thought she was about to die then. As a jet of fire roared over their heads, he realised then that the curse of the wolf king - the imprisoning magic that prevented him from even warning her she was in danger that day - had never truly left him.

Since then, he'd been silently screaming. Screaming that this was too much to bare alone. Screaming that he was not strong enough. But not a single word had been uttered until it all came flooding out - doing so was admitting defeat.

He'd killed his mother. He'd killed his father. And now, he'd killed Winter.

Sweat poured down his back where the flames grazed him. The fiery light glistening over her teary eyes reminded him of another time that was pure Hell. Once that memory resurfaced it demanded his attention whole, drowning away the reality before him.

The lack of oxygen getting to his brain made the smashed bottle in his Father's hand blacken and blur. The torches in the mob's hands made orange light flicker over Winter's unconscious form. Her hair was matted, sticking to her forehead as she lay in a puddle of her blood. The silver chains binding him clattered and jingled with his shakes. People all around him had their weapons drawn, but his eyes were hopelessly stuck on her.

One of his father's henchmen caught him staring. Silently following the order of the leader like a dog to a stick, he yanked her by the hair and stuck a knife to her throat. Tamer hyperventilated; vomit rose into his mouth, the taste acidic alongside the coppery twang of blood upon his tongue.

He spluttered and stumbled until finally a single word formed.

"Lorelei," he whispered.

The crowd laughed.

"He's crying for his boyfriend!" one jeered.

"Oh come on, that is a woman!" another sneered.

Tamer's claws scraped across the ground as he balled his fists. His Father strode forward and yanked him by his hair, the scent of days-old alcohol assaulting his nostrils.

"Where is he now Tamer?" he sneered. "Where is your Prince Charming now you little fucking f*ggot?"

Tamer's teeth chattered. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh yeah?" His father grinned. "Then why haven't you introduced her to him?"

Tamer hung his head. His father smirked triumphantly.

"Little fucking prick thinks I don't recognise the look of lust in his eyes after seeinghow he looks at her," he spat. His father stood tall, narrowing his eyes in disgust. "I'm going to tell you something, Tamer, and you'd do well to always remember this: you are vile. You better keep your little fucking crush a secret because even the wolves themself will hate you when they find out you're capable of being unfaithful in their precious fucking mate bond. And Winter will leave you. You're about the closest you'll ever get to a Lupine f*ggot since they generally don't have same-sex discrimination."

"I don't know what you mean!" Tamer insisted. Winter is my...

"Hey, boss," a slow-sounding henchman asked, "does that mean that your wife was a f*ggot too?"

The man was immediately belted in the face. Tamer's jaw fell slack.

"Wait a minute!" he breathed. "This isn't about me, this is about Mother! You're mad because she cheated on you!"

It was as the oxygen was booted from his lungs that Tamer realised he shouldn't have said that. Immense pain splintered his ribcage.

His father spat on him and he collapsed into a heap as far as his chains would allow.

"This beast tried to kill us all," the man said, addressing the crowd. "It was content to live with blood on its hands to save one single fucking harlot."

The crowd jeered. His father made his exit.

All the colour drained from Tamer's face as he watched them dip their silver blades into their torches. The sudden sound of his pulse racing roared like a monsterous beast in his ears. This couldn't be real. He'd had nightmares less terrifying than this. He opened his eyes wider as if that would help him awaken, but no escape came.

"Father?" Tamer pleaded, terror so ripe he found himself turning to him. He knew their relationship was bad, but surely this was too much...!

"You tried to kill them, Tamer."

The door slammed shut and terror assaulted every pore of his flesh. He backed up against the ice-cold wall and shivered as he turned his head, but he couldn't tear his gaze off the oncoming danger. The fire ignited their ugly smirks contorted with malice. With each second they crept closer. With each step the clattering of his chains grew faster.

"Stay back," he warned, but his voice did not inspire confidence. Their fiery torches danced in terrorised eyes, bathing his skin in a preemptive bloody red. "I'll kill you. I'll kill you all."

That wasn't just a threat. It was something he wished to do with all his heart. He wanted that bastard dead - if he survived the night he'd do it himself. Acidic tears rolled down his cheeks as realised then that his father had won: he was a monster.

"Lorelei," he whimpered. He was breathing so fast yet somehow no oxygen was getting in. Already he felt as though he was about to pass out. Already he could feel the blades heat sear against his skin before they'd even touched him - a mere taster of the world of pain to come. Suddenly, he was gagging with terror, feeling as though he were about to go into cardiac arrest. "Winter?" he squeaked.

Someone, anyone, please...

Tamer's pupils dilated and a guttural scream left his lips.

Please help me.

*****

The sensation of tears plummeting against his cheeks awoke him. There before him was a crying Winter shaking him, but his brain couldn't register the image nor the sensation - all there was was an aloof numbness and an overwhelming ringing in his ear.

Wait did she.... See that?

Sound exploded into his eardrums with the sudden intensity of a gunshot - Winter was wailing like a newborn baby. Never in his life had he ever heard her cry like that. Not even when she learned she was about to be sacrificed had she made a sound like that.

All the fear and anxiety came flooding back at once - she'd saw. She'd definitely saw.

"Winter..." Tamer stuttered. Was she crying because of the torture sequence, the fact that he had feelings for Lorelei or both?

"I'm such a bad mate!" Winter wailed. "You were hurting this badly and I didn't even know it!"

"No..." Tamer reached out and Winter slapped his hand away. He recoiled, wounded. "Winter I... I just wanted to look strong so you'd feel safe depending on me. I thought you had enough on your plate!"

"Did Lorelei know?!"

Tamer licked his lips. "Not the specifics..."

Winter buried her face in her hands and cried even harder. Tamer chewed on his nails, a tremor of anxiety passing through him. His father was right. He knew this wasn't going to be good when this came out.

Tamer heard a thought of hers he wasn't supposed to. I don't know if I can be okay with the fact you love him more than you love me.

His heart sank. "A-ah," Tamer croaked. He tore his fingers through his hair, curling up into a ball.

"Winter, it isn't like that!" he pleaded. "Please, I picked you! I don't want to feel this way more than anyone!"

Winter sighed. She folded her arms. "Tamer I'm ... I'm sorry. Now is not a good time. It's fine."

It did not sound fine.

"Winter, I can't relax until I know we're good!"

"Tamer, I knew about this already. I thought I could be okay with it as long as I got the impression you didn't love him more. That's all."

Tamer retreated, knowing not to push it any further. He sobbed, wiping his eye with his sleeve. I don't deserve her.

Tamer heard the sound of someone thundering towards him. He had forgotten about Red, but Red hadn't forgotten about him; suddenly, he felt himself being hoisted in the air by the throat, sharp claws puncturing his skin.

He struggled and then froze at the sight of Red's face, struck by a stare that turned his blood to ice. He didn't know how someone could look so emotionless but radiate so much fury at the same time. His face was still, yet his eyes were burning with a vengeful light that cut through him like a knife. A strange sensation of exposure gnawed at Tamer; he felt so vulnerable before Red like he was looking at a force bigger than him - a force that felt as though it could read his every sin. Sweat poured down his temple; Red's blinding aura assaulted his skin with scorching heat.

"You..." Red's upper lip kept twitching like he could not psychically resist the urge to bare his fangs. The emotion Red had been trying to suppress exploded all at once - his face contorted with something Tamer could only describe as pure wrath.

"You didn't need to try and kill him," Red uttered, aura electrifying the air. "Xavier is an honourable guy. He would have stopped once he knew he was beaten!"

Tamer gnashed his teeth. "He tried to take her from me," he growled, doing his best to ease the nervous shake in his tone. "Surely you of all people could understand that?"

Red considered it then cocked his head. "Actually, Tamer, I don't understand," he stated simply. "Maybe I could if the relationship was worth saving, but this is the relationship you keep trying to kill over..." Red's grip instinctively tightened on his throat. "This complete and utter farce of dishonesty... It is just an obsessive mess."

Tamer balled his fists, a growl passing his lips despite the tightening grip on his windpipe.

Winter emitted a squeak, touching her throat. Red's eyes widened as they snapped towards her and he dropped Tamer. Winter didn't look any more relieved to have her neck freed, however; infact, she looked even more distressed to catch Red's stare, freezing like a deer in headlights.

This guy, Tamer thought, storming to his feet and feeling every pore of his body explode with anger. He knew Winter could sense Red was a danger to humans.

"You're a predator, aren't you," Tamer hissed.

Red's nostrils flared but he ignored the accusation. "She can feel your pain," he observed sharply. "You knew that you were going to be fighting yet you chose to disregard her safety by mating with her." His expression darkened, venomous light searing through his eyes. "I cannot stand guys who don't take care of their mates. You're all she has left and you have the audacity to be in love with someone else?"

Tamer was utterly astounded that this piece of shit of all people was suddenly being judgemental of him.

"Oi, Xavier," Tamer called. "What the fuck is his problem? Why is he of all people turning his nose up at me?"

"I think that Red is jealous, Tamer," Xavier mumbled. "Red's mate is dead. I think the fact that you have two mates is pissing him off. Not to mention, Red is...uh, well he doesn't love people often, but when he does, he really loves them. Kinda to an insane point. I think your relationship isn't meeting Red's extremely high standards."

"Ohh," Tamer whispered darkly. "She's dead. So did you kill her then?"

Red looked like Tamer had just shot him. He crossed his arms over his chest and staggered backwards.

"So you did," Tamer stated. "Interesting that I could just guess that, huh." He leaned in, hissing, "I don't want to hear any judgement from you about my relationship, mate-killer."

Red tensed at the last two words.

"Alright, easy," Xavier warned. "The last thing that needs to happen is you two getting into a fight."

The pair seemed to ignore that.

"You know, Tamer," Red said lightly. "I'm a pretty good judge of character. Being a judgement-focused god like myself requires it. And a clingy, obsessive guy like you..." Red's eyes darkened as he spoke slowly. "I think that you're absolutely the kind of wolf that would become a man-eater when your mate dies. The kind that would start devouring souls to fill the wound in your own."

Tamer's upper lip curled, outraged. "Red," he whispered, trying to keep calm. "There is nothing I hate in this world more than wolves like you. You're the whole reason why humans ostracised and abused me my whole life. The reason why I couldn't love without being called a predator."

"Interesting that you think you're better than me. You're a murderer too." Tamer flinched - Red caught it. "Oh, you think it's okay because you only killed someone who deserved it." Red wriggled and examined his claws in the moonlight. "Well, interestingly enough, I also only kill people who deserve it. And while I also don't enjoy it, I also do it to keep the humans I love safe."

Tamer grew rigid. He took a deep breath, trying to keep calm. "You're nothing but a damn predator, Red. Stop trying to paint yourself as a damn hero."

"I know that I'm evil, Tamer. The point I'm trying to make is that I think I'm you just one very bad day away."

Tamer licked his lips. This prick. I want to smash his fucking face in.

"But you haven't just killed deserving people have you, Red?"

"Tamer, if I didn't stop you, you would have killed Xavier. And I don't think a good intentioned guy like him deserved it either."

Tamers blood boiled. "You know what? If I'm a bad person for trying the save one of the few things in this world that makes me happy, then so be it. I'm a bad person."

Something dawned on Tamer then. Speaking of things that made him happy, the only other person to do so wasn't there. He'd been so focused on protecting Winter that the reaction was delayed - Red was so dangerous he demanded all his attention.

It took a moment to register what had happened. That Red being here meant that Lorelei had lost. That he wasn't coming. That he wouldn't see his smiling face, telling him that it would all be okay.

Something boiled in the pit of his stomach. Something that blazed through his veins like acid. Like a volcano about to erupt, he trembled, balling his fist so hard his knuckles whitened. The world didn't feel real all of a sudden. In the red-hot haze shrouding his mind, it danced and distorted as if he were drunk.

His legs moved without thinking. His arm reared through the air seemingly of its own accord.

"TAMER, NO!" both Winter and Xavier screamed.

But it was already too late.

Tamer pulverised Red's face with his fist.

The bones of Red's nose shattered. Gasping, Red staggered, blood exploding over his face. Before he could react, Tamer swung left and right, the thud of impact belting twice through the air. Red groaned; Tamer smashed his ribcage with his foot, sending the oxygen rasping from his lungs. When Red bent double, Tamer slammed his leg down onto his back. Finally, Red tumbled to the earth and Tamer clambered on top of him, battering him to a bloody pulp. Never in his life had he been this angry. The thud of impact, cracking of bones, and spewing of blood satisfied him to no end. This guy had fought all his life using fire - apparently, he wasn't very good with close range.

Eventually, Red managed to catch both his hands, pulling the most deranged snarl. His fangs were growing larger, glowing a stark white against the crimson pouring down his face.

"By the way, Tamer," he sneered. Their arms wrestled; Tamer could feel the raw power of Red edge him backwards. "Lorelei is a traitor. They were sent by your father to look after you. And when they found out about the sacrifice, they went and begged him to pull it off. Also, if I were you... I'd ask them why they didn't tell him about the obvious abuse that is darkening your soul."

Tamer froze. Could that explain why Lorelei wasn't present at his wedding? He shook his head. No. This prick could not be trusted.

"LIAR!" Tamer bellowed.

Red twisted his arm. Tamer and Winter screeched at the same time. Red shoved him, freeing himself and bouncing to his feet.

"That was a warning," Red said coldly. "Punch me like that again and I won't hesitate to fight back regardless of your damn mate."

As much as he didn't want to, Tamer retreated. He backed off Red and paced back and forth like a caged tiger.

"Tell me the reason for the sacrifice," he demanded, finally having been pushed too far. He had to know why this was happening to him, why he was being made to fight despite only wanting to live in peace. "I demand to know!"

Red considered him. "There was a reason it was hidden from you, you know. Once you find out, you'll become the bad guy, and once you're the bad guy..." A gleem of yellow light glistened in his iris. Red lifted his arm and began preening the blood from his hand like a cat. Tamer swallowed; why did he get the impression Red was looking very ravenous all of a sudden?

"I would love to hear what kind of scenario you think could possibly make me the bad guy here," Tamer laughed.

"Red, I don't know what you're about to say," Xavier pleaded, "but if it affects how you view Tamer then perhaps..."

"It's because of her relationship with the sun god, Tamer," Red said. "The constant reincarnation and dying of of his dead mate's soul is causing darkness to spread through his own, and the darkening of the literal sun doesn't spell good things for this planet. The sun is his soul. Because she exists, the sun may blacken. She's basically a giant timebomb of mass destruction; every second she's allowed to live is a second she causes more pain and destruction. She has to die. And quickly to save more hurt."

Tamer's face darkened. Winter was being blamed for a mentally unstable god. The anger inside him was more slow-stirring and purposeful this time - the calm before a storm. He locked eyes with Red and squared his shoulders. He had a duty to protect. Now was not the time for emotional outbursts.

"You motherfucker," Tamer whispered. "I knew from the moment I met you you'd try to harm her."

Red narrowed his eyes. "I don't know if killing her is the right thing to do," he admitted. "But you'd risk the whole world for one woman?"

"Yeah," Tamer said. "You wanna know why? Because the reason for all this pain, the constant sacrificing of women, is for an absolute dog shit reason. I'm supposed to give up my mate to save a world that was nothing but fucking rotten to me? Yeah, no way. I won't look at some shitty king as a hero for killing some innocent women and threatening to kill anyone who doesn't give him his way. Tell the damn sun god just to get a damn therapist instead."

"I see," Red said slowly. "I was kind of hoping you'd kill her yourself when you found out, but perhaps I might have to get my hands dirty."

Tamer brandished his claws. He used to think that Red was an unfeeling psychopath. But now that he saw that he was clearly empathising with this god with soul bond induced trauma, he hated him even more.

"Wait a minute," Winter piped up shakily. "If that truly is the reason for the sacrifice, you have no reason to proceed. Me and Apollo made a deal. He agreed to save my village in exchange for being able to experiment with ways to tear our souls apart. He doesn't want me dead."

"You got conned, Winter!" Red snapped. "The village slaughter thing was never real! That was a lie told to make you cooperate! No one has ever tried to disobey him before, but if they did, their friends and family wouldn't be killed for it. And besides, you can't sever a god's mate bond! I know that better than anyone!"

"What?" Winter said, touching her temples. "No, that can't be, I thought I'd done something...!"

Tamer put his arm around her but didn't take his eyes off Red. At this point, he wasn't surprised. Just utterly disgusted.

"You mean to tell us we had thought we had killed so many innocent people but none of that was ever true?

Red said nothing and a tense silence followed. Tamer noticed his breathing was growing more raspy and haggard. He was weak, drenched in blood head to toe - Lorelei had done a real number on him. They wouldn't get another opportunity like this again. If he wanted Red dead, now was the time to strike.

He decided to give him one last opportunity to explain himself. Tamer could sense how deathly afraid of him Winter was and knew she wouldn't want him fighting with him if it could be avoided.

"And why are you so concerned with saving lives Red?" Tamer asked lightly.

Red examined his own clawed hands. Much to their horror, he sank his fangs into his forearm and tore, spraying blood over the foliage. Winter slapped her hand over her mouth and winced; Red chewed and swallowed without a lick of pain obscuring his face.

"This body of mine," he whispered. "It exists to punish evil, and yet, I am evil myself. If I can save more lives than I can ever conceivably take, perhaps it'll balance itself out. Perhaps I'll stop feeling the urge to enact judgement on my evil soul by constantly harming myself."

"Oh no," Xavier panted, dragging his hands down his face. "He thinks if he kills her he'll be free from his suffering."

Winter's nails dug painfully into Tamer's shoulder. The sheer terror and desperation in her grip sparked a festering pit of anger boiling in Tamer's stomach. His upper lip curled in disgust. For now he was wordless, unable to quell the wretched storm brewing within.

"Red," Xavier said gently. He hobbled his way over to his brother, barely able to walk from his injuries, yet still he pressed forward. Red edged backward with a swallow, sensing the animosity towards him from Tamer. Xavier beckoned him toward him with a movement of his finger. "Come here. I'm not going to hurt you." Red stood still but remained alert; Xavier embraced him and Red stiffened. "Red. You're not in pain because you kill people. You're in pain because you killed someone you cared about. Saving a bunch of strangers won't free you from your suffering. Nothing will."

Red's eyes widened, quickly shoving him away. "No. There's no way I have to suffer like this for the rest of my life. There's no way I exist just to cause pain and suffering. I've got to have a greater purpose. I've got to be capable of good things. This has got to be it!"

"Red," Xavier said sternly. "If you kill that woman you and I can't be friends."

Red sucked in a breath. "Seriously...?" He chewed on his nails then shook his head - Tamer guessed he didn't have a lot of friends; surprisingly, that simple threat seemed to be working. "Xavier, if I don't do something then there will be no world left to have friends in!"

"No. There has got to be another way. Promise me you won't harm her."

Red seriously looked like he was about to start crying. He hung his head. "I..."

Tamer stared at him. Never in his life had he seen such a pitiful mess. This existence reeked of pain. It disgusted him - this thing could do nothing but cause pain and misery wherever it went. Xavier was right -- nothing would free Red from his suffering. So long as he lived, Red would do nothing but make others suffer. He had to be put out of his misery. And fast.

"Red," Tamer said. "Are you serious about wanting to do something good for this world?"

Red's head snapped up. He gave a weary nod.

"Then go ahead and kill yourself," Tamer hissed icily. "That's the only kind thing a monster like yourself could ever do."

All the blood drained from Red's face.

"Tamer!" Xavier bellowed. "Red," he said urgently, placing an arm around him, "are you okay?"

Red said nothing. He stared at the ground, frozen. Then the steady sound of dripping roused Tamer's ears. He looked down. A large amount of blood was dribbling down Red's back.

"Ah," Red whispered. "You're..." A spiral of yellow light began piercing through his iris. His pupils thinned into demonic slits. "...Actually quite evil, aren't you?"

Red started. He shook his head and his eyes returned to normal. He looked incredibly confused all of a sudden, glancing frantically at his surroundings as if he didn't know where he was. His eyes landed upon his elongating claws and tremours ripped through his body; terrible realisation dawned on his features and he made to flee. The sudden contorting and twitching of his body stopped him in his tracks, however. He collapsed into a writhing mess upon the ground.

"Red!" Xavier demanded. "RED!"

Red tumbled on all fours, whimpering and panting. A strange sound rooted Tamer to the spot. It sounded like the smothered sound of someone trying to scream through a dream. Steadily, it grew into a chorus, like a balloon gradually releasing air. Goosebumps prickled all over Tamer's body. Sudden primal terror erupted from his chest. His blood turned to ice as two gigantic shadows began to creep over him.

"What the actual fuck?" Tamer whispered as two gigantic tumours began to rise from Red's back.

Red's scream ripped through his eardrums. He began pounding the earth beneath his fist. Never had he heard such an agonising sound in his life. Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon of flesh, rows and rows of pulsing feathers tore through his skin. Each individual feather was writhing like a swarm of insects.

Tamer found himself instinctively clutching Winter. She smothered him back. The feathers dribbled endless strings of blood and flesh, steadily unravelling to a towering height.

Eventually, Red grew silent. Flame burst from the wings and ignited the night. The repulsive stench of smouldering flesh wafted through the air. All of a sudden, Winter was going absolutely insane. Her thoughts were a torrential blast of terror so intense it confused Tamer. Finally, he managed to catch a cohesive thought:

"I know this monster," she squeaked. "They told all us women about a god with wings of fire and blood. They say he seduces humans and devours our souls as punishment for loving Lupine."

Tamer realised then that that screaming was the literal souls Red had devoured. They were still trapped inside him.

Red got to his feet. His body moved strangely like the wings were the strings of a puppet. His upper body hung limply forward before finally straightening itself.

"Red," Xavier pleaded, "if you kill him you'll destroy your relationship with your father. That's all you have left!"

"Oh, I'm not going to kill him," Red said. He looked up. Any traces of a soul behind those eyes were gone. All there was was demonic hunger upon an eerily still face.

Red was gone. In his place was a monster who felt nothing but the urge to punish anything he defined as evil. And unfortunately for Tamer, his cold words had made Red define him as evil.

Red was utterly drenched in blood head to toe, now a monster that could feel nothing but hunger. Those yellow eyes clashed starkly against the crimson, pupils slitted and glowing like a panther's in the night.

"I've got a better idea," he whispered. "The mate needs to die anyway right?" Slowly, he draped his tongue over the blood on his hands and purred as the taste of hit his tongue. "For his punishment, I'll make him like me. And we'll see how you like being told to kill yourself when you've lived like I have."

Winter clawed at her face and screamed.