Beastly novel Chapter 60

Xander's eyes glided over the water. The ice that floated over it in little chunks didn't stop him as he peeled away the clothes that clung to his skin. Soon enough, his bare chest was exposed to the cold air as he began to walk from the edge of the lake, deeper and deeper into the arms of the freezing water until his body was submerged from his chest downwards. His body felt like it was pricked by constant needles, but he paid no mind to it. Compared to the things he had been through, this was barely anything.

The barren trees around him were silent and not even the sound of birds could be heard. It was only reasonable to assume that they had migrated.

Because it was so silent and because his ears picked up the smallest of sounds, he could hear the chatter going on in the town, even though he had blocked the mind link he had with all of them. He could hear the laughter of children and the rowdiness of warriors as they fought against one another, in a bid to be occupied.

He could also hear the footsteps and low cursing of the man that had been following him for close to 45 minutes since he left his home. The trees didn't hide him that well and Xander was sure that he knew it as well. With the thought of a possible confrontation in mind, he turned towards the direction of where his clothes and shoes were and watched as his mate's adoptive brother got closer and closer.

If he recalled correctly, his name was Donovan and he seemed to be a hot-head when it came to his little sister.

He stopped at the very edge, next to where Xander's things were and like Xander expected, his things were kicked into the water. He watched his things float aimlessly and when they began to sink gradually, he raised his eyes to the man that looked at him with the most daring disgust he had ever seen from a human man.

The beast inside him instantly became riled up by the disrespect. There were always two options for his wolf in scenarios like these; force the person to submit or kill. For his wolf, anything else was just a waste of time and even now his incessant growls echoed in his mind ruthlessly.

"You did something to her, didn't you?" the question was dripping in disdain as Donovan's eyes glared at him. Xander tilted his head, not moving and choosing to wait for his next move. Would he come into the water after him? It seemed that Donovan wanted nothing more than to impatiently rip him to shreds "Answer me, you bastard!"

A small growl escaped him, out of his control and filtering into the air the power that accompanied it. He saw the other man's eyes widen slightly, but he didn't back down despite the obvious fear that crossed his features for a split second.

"I'm not afraid of you. That isn't going to work on me!" he declared, his voice still stiff and unrelenting

Xander stayed quiet, gazing back with an empty expression.

From the moment Donovan had stepped out of the house, Xander had been alerted by the warriors he had stationed. Deliberately, he had allowed Donovan to come to him and made sure nobody stopped him.

Xander was many things. Amongst them; a murderer and a sadist by design, a well-beloved Alpha, a man with mental problems that he was presently trying to overcome and a saviour to those who needed his help the most. His whole existence was contradictory.

Despite being many things, Xander was not one for power struggles and neither was he one for speaking to family members of the woman he loved more than life itself. Yet it was because he loved her more than life itself, that he was unable to piece together how to handle this.

'We should kill him and dump his body in the lake to see how fast he'll sink.'

The suggestion was totally unwelcome and violent but he still chuckled outwardly at how different he and his wolf chose to handle situations.

"Why won't you fucking say anything?!" Donovan said, his legs coming into the water a little, shoes and all

"I advise..." Xander finally began, pinning him with a warning look, "...you get out before this water freezes you to death."

Although his teeth were grinding together in irritation, he actually listened and backed up to stand by the side of the lake once more.

"So you do listen." Xander commented, his amusement shining through his expression as he smirked

"Don't speak to me like I'm some fucking piece of gum stuck under your shoe."

'But you are.'

"I assure you that wasn't my intention." he moved a little, turning to take a quick glance to the North of him before directing his attention to Donovan once more, "You followed me all the way out here for what exactly?"

"Don't fucking bullshit me. You did something to her. What was with all that touching and shit back there?" he pushed a hand into his hair and cursed again "I need a cigarette."

"Your sister doesn't like that you smoke."

"And she told you that?"

"No. I just noticed that she doesn't."

"Are you trying to paint yourself as attentive? That's pathetic."

His body was heating up little by little with rage. The water served the purpose he had come to it for and now, he could avoid having a messy confrontation that would end with his hands being painted with blood.

His mate would never forgive him if that happened.

"I'm not expecting to have any form of relationship with you Donovan and I doubt any apology I make right now would be genuine."

"That's because you're a piece of shit!"

"Rest assured, the fight you want me to come out of here would only end with you in a pool of your own blood. Are you really that desperate to get your sister to hate me more, at the cost of your life?"

When there was no response, Xander knew he had caught him. The man was trying to bait him and if Xander took it, it would give Donovan leverage. He had to hand it to him; he wasn't as clueless as he spoke. If Xander got out, Ava's brother would be in a mess, but even if he didn't die, the mere thought of him raising his hands on Donovan would put him in a bad position.

Donovan who was a human. Donovan who had basically helped in nursing her to the person she had become.

"You are aware that she won't change her mind about anything. Although I'm yet to see what exactly you want her to change her mind on." Xander said, moving a little in the water "She's not a kid."

"A few months ago she didn't want to have anything to do with you and now she's letting you hold her like it's the most logical thing in the world."

"She's my mate. It is the most logical thing in the world."