Forbidden Mate: Awakening

~NARRATOR’S POV~

The sun was setting, painting the road with a warm glow. Jaxon walked cautiously, glancing side to side as if now, his own people were a threat to him. He couldn’t still come to terms with what had happened. His own father of his own blood and bones had attacked him and wanted to kill him – because he refused an order. He couldn’t even believe it happened.

Lily had then found him, saved him, healed him and brought him back to the same place he was running away from. His family, his home.

Jaxon felt so pitiful towards his own life. He was beyond redemption but Lily and everyone else offered it to him. Why?

The last person he wanted to see was Don. He just wanted to get what his mother asked him to get and return to his abode to peacefully heal from all the psychological and physical injuries he’d retained. Don also looked like that day was the first in weeks since he stepped out of his room. He held a staff to support his walking because he looked like he had a limp in his step.

He didn’t want to confront Don, but fate led him to him. As Jaxon turned a corner, he saw Don staring at him, his eyes filled with darkness and anger.

Why is looking at me like that? I need to get out of here.

He turned back and made his way to another road but a hand held his shoulder and turned him.

“Why are you avoiding me?” Don asked with an eyebrow raised.

“I’m not. I just need to be… get somewhere.” He turned again but Don stopped him.

“I never thought you’d come back…after you betrayed us.”

“I didn’t betray anyone.” Jaxon’s heart panged.

“I saw you. You have before and you will, again … ”

Jaxon didn’t understand what Don was saying.

“It seems you’re still not alright in the head, Don. You need more treatment. Stay home and heal.”

“I’m very well alright and I saw what I saw. You killed her.”

“Who?” Jaxon’s patience was waning.

“Lily. You killed her. You killed her with your bare hands. She trusted you but you killed her.”

Don had a dream that made him believe Jaxon was a betrayer and a killer. Jaxon wanted to explain, but it seemed Don wasn’t ready to listen.

“What did you do, Jaxon? Why would you do that?” Don’s voice was laced with anger and pain. “Why did you kill her?”

Jaxon took a deep breath, trying to keep his emotions in check. “Don, you know I would never hurt Lily,” he replied earnestly. “I don’t know what you saw in your dream, but it wasn’t real.”

Don’s grip on his staff tightened, and Jaxon could see the turmoil in his eyes. “I saw it, Jaxon. I saw you betray us all. You killed her in cold blood.”

“It was just a dream, Don,” Jaxon said, his teeth showing. “Dreams can be deceiving, and they don’t always reflect reality. I would never harm Lily or anyone in the pack.”

But Don seemed to be beyond reason. He raised his staff and took a defensive stance. “I can’t take any chances,” he said with a steely determination. “If you won’t tell me the truth, then I have to find out for myself.”

And with that, the fight began.

The sun hung low in the sky, causing eery shadows to spread across the road where Jaxon and Don faced off. Don’s eyes were ablaze with anger and confusion, his staff held tightly in his grip. Jaxon tried to maintain a calm demeanor but Don was taking it too far.

Don took the first swing, his staff whistling through the air with an intimidating force. Jaxon ducked, narrowly avoiding the blow, and countered with a quick kick to Don’s side. Don grunted in pain but quickly recovered, retaliating with a pound of strikes. Jaxon blocked and parried, using his agility and speed to stay one step ahead.

“Don, please stop!” Jaxon pleaded. “I don’t wanna fight you.”

But his words fell on deaf ears. Don continued to attack, his strikes becoming more and more erratic. Jaxon knew he had to defend himself, but he couldn’t bring himself to harm Don.

Don swung his staff low, aiming for Jaxon’s legs, but Jaxon leaped over and landed gracefully on the other side. He grabbed a nearby branch and swung it at Don, who deflected the blow with his staff.

“Don, this isn’t you!” Jaxon called out, trying to reason with his friend. “You’re being controlled by your fears!”Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

But Don seemed lost in his own turmoil, unwilling to listen to reason. He swung his staff again, and Jaxon had to duck and dodge to avoid being hit. He spotted a fallen log nearby and used it as a shield, blocking Don’s strikes with the sturdy wood.

Their fight intensified, and Jaxon realized that he couldn’t hold back any longer. He needed to defend himself and subdue Don before things escalated further. With a swift move, Jaxon grabbed Don’s staff away from him sending it spinning away into the grass.

“Don, I really don’t wanna fight you!” Jaxon pleaded, “Just calm down for god sake!.”

He held up his hands in surrender, hoping to reason with his friend once more.

“Don, listen to me,” Jaxon said urgently. “I don’t know why you had that dream, but I promise you, it’s not real. I would never hurt anyone in the pack, especially not Lily.”

But Don’s mind was already clouded by fear and confusion. “I won’t let you betray everyone!”

Don’s eyes widened with rage, and he lunged at Jaxon, grappling with him in a desperate attempt to regain control. They wrestled and rolled on the ground, each trying to gain the upper hand. Jaxon managed to pin Don down, but he hesitated, not wanting to harm his friend.

In that moment of hesitation, Don managed to break free and scramble to his feet. He lunged at Jaxon once more, and this time, Jaxon had no choice but to defend himself with equal force. He used the fallen log as a weapon, landing a solid blow on Don’s arm, causing him to drop to his knees in pain.

“I’m so sorry, Don,” Jaxon said sadly, “I never wanted it to come to this.”

People quickly gathered and some took Don away, back to their camp, where they tended to his injuries and tried to bring him back to consciousness. Jaxon was left standing alone on the road, his heart filled with grief and regret. He felt guilty, knowing that he had unintentionally contributed to Don’s worsened state.

He picked up Don’s staff again and clenched the wood in his hands. Don was going insane, but was he really? Was it paranoia, schizophrenia or was he saying the truth?

Jaxon collapsed to the floor and broke into tears. He was losing all his friends, his strength, his own sanity and himself.

In the days that followed, the pack decided that it was best for Don to be admitted to a mental home for his own safety and the safety of others.

As for Jaxon, he remained confined to his mom’s house.

••••••••

The phone line buzzed before it was picked. Leo tapped a button and it was put on speaker.

“I never thought you’d want to hear my voice again, brot-”

“Do not call me that.” The baritone voice rang out from the answering machine. Leo rolled his eyes but listened, “What is it this time?”