"Alaric!" Griffin called after the retreating Alpha, but he wouldn’t even slow down or acknowledge him.
"Come on, Alaric!" Griffin demanded for his attention, but there was still nothing.
Frustrated, the big Alpha caught up to Alaric, grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him around. But the moment Alaric turned, his blue eyes flashed with anger.
"Not a word about her!" he hissed at Griffin.
It was not hard to guess his intention with his relentless pursuit. Except his friend didn’t back down.
"You know it’s exactly about her!" Griffin shot back, unflinching.
In response, a deep, ominous thunder cracked overhead like a warning. As if that wasn’t enough, the air sizzled around him, static crawling over his skin. His muscles twitched as the charge from Alaric’s body snapped against him, the fine hairs on his arms rising in response
"Your petty tricks won’t work on me—"
Griffin was still saying when Alaric slammed a bolt of lightning straight into his chest.
The world blurred as the force of the blast sent Griffin crashing into a tree, bark splintering on impact. The air was knocked from his lungs while the sting of residual electricity burned through his veins.
Thank the gods they were outside else they would have destroyed school property. Not that they couldn’t repair it with their money, but anyone could have gotten hurt in the process.
Griffin groaned, pushing himself up slowly, his body still buzzing from the shock. His vision refocused on Alaric, who stood rooted in place, watching him with cold fury.
A slow grin tugged at the corner of Griffin’s lips. Then he rolled his shoulders, saying in a gravelly tone, "Fine, you want a fight? You’ll get one."
Griffin rose to his feet, and let the change come upon him. His muscles began to bulge, veins pulsing beneath his skin as his body grew and stretched until it became larger than usual. Though he didn’t fully shift into his terrifying Hulk-like form, the East House Alpha still looked intimidating in this size.
Then, with a wild glint in his eyes, Griffin let out a maniacal laughter as if reveling in the challenge.
"You want to blow off some steam? Let’s work out, baby."
Without hesitation, Griffin charged at him. Alaric shifted his stance at the same time, his expression sharpening as lightning crackled to life in his palm, snapping and twisting into the shape of a whip.
And just like that, storm clashed with beast.
The electric whip lashed forward with a flick of Alaric’s wrist, snapping through the air like a living serpent and striking at Griffin’s path.
But Griffin saw it coming, nor was slow. He dodged the first strike with a deft roll to the side, his huge body moving with surprising agility for someone his size. The second strike nearly clipped his shoulder, the crackling energy leaving a faint scorch in the air.
Griffin grinned, the thrill of the fight making his blood sing. "You’re holding back, Storm. You never do well when you’re emotional."
Alaric’s eyes burned with electric fury as the words hit straight to home. His control over the lightning was masterful, but even right now, it fizzled at the edges, fluctuating with the emotions raging inside of him.
The whole issue with Violet was brewing inside of Alaric like a temper resulting in the manifestation of his unstable powers. A flaw Griffin very much noticed.
"This isn’t about me, is it?" Griffin said, his voice nearly drowned by the deafening clap of thunder. "You’re angry at her, not me. You’re heartbroken and in pain."
"Shut up!" Alaric roared, and without hesitation, he lashed out again, and this time the whip wrapped around Griffin’s arm, a surge of electricity jolting through him.
Griffin snarled, his muscles seizing for a brief moment as the pain shot through his limbs. But instead of crumbling, he roared through the agony, yanking Alaric forward with sheer brute strength, his biceps flexing as he swung him sideways like a ragdoll.
Alaric barely managed to brace himself as he flipped midair and landed in a crouch, his boots digging deep into the earth.
"That’s all you got?" Griffin taunted, shaking his arms free of the lingering current
Alaric took a deep, controlled breath, lightning gathering in his palm once more, this time coiling around his knuckles like gauntlets. "Not even close."
He launched forward at blinding speed, lightning enhancing his reflexes, his fists a flurry of strikes. Griffin blocked the first two punches, the force behind them numbing his forearms, but the third hit got him, a crackling punch slammed into his ribs that sent him skidding several feet back.
Okay. Perhaps, he shouldn’t have provoked him. Griffin realized, clutching his side. The pain was intense, but it only fueled his drive. With a beastly growl, he charged again, this time feinting left before pivoting on his heel and delivering a monstrous uppercut.
Alaric reacted, but a fraction too late, his anger having blinded him as Griffin’s fist connected squarely with his jaw.
Alaric’s body was lifted clean off the ground before he crashed several feet away, rolling across the dirt. The force of the blow momentarily blackened his vision, static buzzing in his ears.
Fuck. Perhaps he used too much strength.
"Alaric, are you okay?" Griffin bent to check up on him, only for Alaric to send a shock through his body.
"B—bastard!" Griffin cursed, his body locking up from the attack, right before he fell beside his cardinal brother. Both alphas gasped for breath, neither making an effort to rise.
The heavens opened up at that moment and rain poured down in heavy sheets, drumming against their battered bodies, mixing with the scent of burnt ozone and sweat. But as cooling as the rain was, it was not enough to calm the pain Alaric carried inside.
Griffin turned to Alaric, "So can we talk now? "
"Not her, please. I can’t deal with it right now." Alaric shook his head, pained.
"You do know it’s all Roman’s fault. He had an ulterior motive from the start and played us all." Griffin added with emphasis, "He probably deceived her too."
"No," Alaric said, his voice raw and frayed, as if each word was tearing him apart from the inside. "It’s not just what she did, it’s the fact she gave up on me so easily. She made those decisions without a second thought about how they would affect me. She never believed I could protect her, never trusted that I was strong enough to stand by her side. Violet Purple never believed in me."