Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Chris frowned and knew he had to get there but he was still a bit far from her. He needed to do something from there.

"Hey move! Sit down!" He yelled frantically as he waved my hands at her motioning for her to sit down.

Isabelle leaned forward with confusion written visibly on her face while squinting her eyes and suddenly her eyes widened and she sat down right when the man grazed her arm with the knife.

"Psychopath." Chris muttered and threw him a punch making him fall on his butt.

"Ouch!" He groaned.

"Are you okay?" Chris asked grabbing Isabelle's arm.

He twisted her arm to examine her injured arm and didn't notice the man standing up with a murderous look in his eyes.

"Chris! Look out!" She yelled suddenly covering her mouth with her hand and her eyes wide open.

Chris swerved and grabbed the man's hand before he could strike with his knife. The man struggled to pull his hands out of Chris's bone crushing grip.

'How dare him touch our mate?! With his filthy hands?! I'll kill him! I'll fucking kill him!' Xerxes yelled pacing around in Chris's head. Christopher couldn't agree more.

Chris turned the man's hand the other way while keeping eye contact with him and the knife fell to the ground.

The man's face turned red immediately and veins bulged out of his neck and arm as his eyes turned red as well.

After his weapon had been lost, his eyes darted around for a make shift weapon. His thought was broke into when a fist collided with his nose.

"Mother... Oh My God!" He yelled wanting to move his hands to touch his nose before he realized Chris was holding his other arm.

He felt blood run down his nose and then down his lips. He tried sniffing and then bam! Came another punch to his nose.

Chris let him go as he fell to the ground with his back on the floor. Chris who had his beast power in his control was seeing nothing but red colour.

All he wanted was destruction... Death to this man. He crouched down beside him and balled his fist grabbing his collar with his free hand in a tight grip.

He brought his fisted palm and connected it to the man's jaw. A crack was heard in the night wind as he continuously punched him till his whole face was battered.

The man had passed out and Chris's hand had become bloody yet he kept dealing his punches.

"No... no..." Isabelle screamed from behind but Chris had blocked the whole world out. He was focused on the battered face in from of him.

"Chris... stop! You'll kill him." Isabelle yelled grabbing his arm as he pulled his arms up to punch the man again.

He paused on sensing the familiar touch as he whipped his head around to growl at the person who was disturbing him.

He paused when he saw Isabelle's crying face then it became shocked.

Isabelle froze when she noticed his eyes was red as it was staring at her brown ones. His face is full of blood from punching the man repeatedly. She gulped on her spit harshly as she looked down at him in slight fear.

He looked down at the man in front of him that was lying there limp and unconscious. He looked down at this own bloody hands and saw that all he could see was red. Red.

'Its only Chris. That's all. Just Chris. He's not a monster. It's just Chris.'

She told herself mentally as she bent down holding her breath. She moved closer to him and gathered him in her arms patting his back as he heaved heavily. He buried his nose in her neck taking in her heavenly scent as he bared his fangs ready to mark her.

He snapped his mouth shut before it was too late and pushed her away. Isabelle staggered backwards and looked at him with a hurt expression.

"Run away, Belle. I don't want to hurt away. Go." He said in a low voice.

"No." She replied shaking her head.

"Go,Belle."

"No!"

"GO!" He yelled and looked up at her with his still red eyes.

"Can't you see?! I'm a fucking monster when my anger gets out of control. Leave now before I do something I'll regret."

"No... No." Isabelle sobbed closing her hands with her mouth.

"Go, Isabelle." He said looking away.

There was no movement for a while before he heard her sniff and then she snorted. Soon, he heard nothing than his own heavy breaths as he inhaled and exhaled.

"I won't leave." He heard her say firmly and when he turned his head she was standing in front of him.

"Go away. I don't want to put you in harm's way. Go, Isabelle." He replied in a low growl that didn't sound human.

"You won't put me in harm's way, Chris. Don't you get it?!" She yelled frustrated.

"Chris won't put you in harm's way but Xerxes will." Chris replied in his normal voice as he looked down at his hands that claws had begin to crawl out of.

Furs was starting to sprout out as well. Suddenly, he felt someone grab his face and the next thing he knew, he was looking into two very familiar brown orbs that was filled with tears.

"Guess what, Xerxes? I'm your fucking mate and you won't harm me. Do you understand?" She said in a threatening voice.

"Why are you do fucking stub..." He couldn't finish his sentence as Isabelle pressed her lips against his with tears streaming down her face. Slowly he felt his claws retracting and his furs were gone. His eyes wasn't seeing red anymore and his bloody hands wasn't bloody anymore.

He reached up and cleaned her face while responding to her slow kisses. No matter how hard he tried to clean her tears, more kept streaming down.

He frowned and pulled her away to see her keeping her head bowed and tears still pouring down her face like a dam had been broken.

"Isabelle? Does it hurt? Where does it hurt? What's wrong with you?" He asked frantically.

Isabelle shook her head 'no' to every question yet she kept crying profusely.

Chris pulled her face up and cleaned her eyes before taking her lips into his again. She responded slowly and finally she stopped crying.

The slow kiss turned into a hot and passionate one soon enough with Chris's hand roaming and exploring her body and Isabelle's hand in his hair and the other under his shirt.

"We should stop." Chris mumbled against her lips.

"Do you want to?"

"No." He replied truthfully as he took in her lips again and then paused.

"Wait just to be clear... You meant kissing right?" He asked.

"What else would I...?" Isabelle paused and her face grew bright red as she finally understood what he meant.

"You... You pervert!" She yelled and got up on her feet, dashed to the chair and pulled one plastic nylon walking away in a hurry.

Her whole body was bright red as she almost cried in embarrassment. What just happened?!

She kissed Chris openly in the middle of the street! Yes, there was no one there still...!

"Hold up for me." Chris yelled after her az he pulled the other bag and ran after her catching up with her with no effort at all.

"Hey hold on." Chris said with a frown and looked at her arm. He tilted his head to look at her arm which was bare of any sort of injury.

"Hold on... Where's your injury?" He asked.

"What injury? Nothing happened." Isabelle replied avoiding eye contact with Chris due to her shyness.

Chris could swear he saw an injury on her arm when that maniac cut her arm with his knife. He tilted his head and started to doubt his own eyes. But he did see it happen.

"Oh alright... I really thought that knife grazed you. Thankfully it did not. Let's go." He said nodding his head.

Isabelle's stomach grumbled as she looked down at it. Her stomach kept embarrassing her these days.

"Come on. I'm hungry." She spelled out ignoring Chris's teasing face.

"Belle..." He called.

"Don't tease me." She said simply.

"No, I wanted to say something else."

"Oh? What's up?" She asked and slowed down.

"I..." He caught up with her as they heard Matilda's voice from afar making it unable for Chris to say what he wanted to.

"There you guys are! Where have you guys been?!" She questioned as she walked towards them with Alex trailing behind her.

She was dressed in a black joggers jacket and trousers with her pink slippers on her leg.

"Oh we..." Chris said and looked to Isabelle who immediately made up an excuse.

"We stopped over at some places. My friend's places here and there. Have you been hungry?" Isabelle asked and pouted.

"Yass!" Matilda replied rolling her eyes at her sister's question.

"Alright! Race you home?!"

"Hold on... Give them the stuffs you bought." Matilda said nodding her head towards the two guys standing behind them.

"Oh... You know what? Let's have a rematch someday else?" Isabelle replied sharing a look with Chris.

"Ugh! Fine." She replied and collected the bag from Chris.

"Let's go!" Matilda yelled throwing her arm around her sister neck.

Both sisters walked ahead with their hands around each other necks while they laughed seldomly.

Chris looked at Matilda and then sighed. The question would wait then. He looked at Alex who was staring at him.

"Well seems it's just me and you. Let's go?" Chris asked.

"Brother... do you wanna perhaps have a race? See who gets home first?" Alex suggested.

"Me and you? A race?" He chuckled at the thought of a teenager racing with him.

He was the Alpha. He could get home in 1 minute if he wanted to but he agreed nonetheless.

"Sure."

"All right, on the count of Three..."

"One..." Alex started.

"Two..." Chris continued.

"Three!" They said simultaneously and each took off immediately.

Turned out Alex was actually a good runner. A very fast one at that. Chris relented thinking the boy was trying his best not knowing Alex was just relenting for his sake.

Who would after all want to beat their new found brother and helper?

Suddenly, Alex picked up the race and ran leaving a huge gap between himself and Chris who was tailing after him.

Chris cussed and finally the real race began. They ran past the siblings like a gust of wind who immediately ran after them after exchanging a knowing look to see who was the winner.

Alex stopped at the stairs looking behind until he saw Chris wasn't there.

"Damn! Did I run too much? Or he's the slow one? Where the heck is he?" He asked straining his neck to see behind the curved  road.

"What are you looking for?" He heard suddenly from behind him.

He froze as his eyes widened while he turned around slowly.

"Geez! How did you do that?!" He asked almost yelling at Chris.

"Do what?" Chris asked innocently... Almost too innocently.

"When did you arrive?" Alex asked crossing his arms.

"About hmm... 3 minutes ago." Chris replied and shrugged sitting on the stairs.

He patted the space beside him as Alex grumpily sat down.

"Hey... You'll get it sometime." Chris replied patting his back.

"Where exactly did you pass?" Alex asked suddenly.

Chris looked at him and just smiled annoying Alex further who only snorted and rolled his eyes.

"I told her." Alex said suddenly while they waited for the girls who were still curious of who won the race.

"Yeah? What did she say?"

"Her part of her story. It was sad though." Alex said sadly.

"I know... They've had a tough life... both of them. They deserve all the happiness in the world." Chris replied staring into the distance.

Alex there and then made a vow to stick to Matilda even if she sent him away or they had a quarrel of any sort, he would stand his ground and give her all the happiness he can.

The sound of giggles filled the air and indicated the girls were here.

"Who won?!" Was the first thing they said once they set their eyes on both of them.

Chris blinked at Isabelle's smiling face as it brought a smile to his own face. He knew he had grew on Isabelle and was very very accustomed to her presence. He knew if she wasn't by his side for an hour at most, he'll miss her presence definitely.

He suddenly felt the urge to take her lips there and then but he kept it at bay cause of the two young people that was present.

"Brother Toph did." Alex replied pointing at Chris who was smiling giddily at Isabelle.

"We won!" Isabelle yelled throwing her free arm in the air as she laughed at Matilda.

She moved to Chris and high fived him while still smiling. Chris gladly accepted it and used the opportunity to pull her to his side while entwining their hands.

"How did you lose?! You were the one in the front! You were taking the lead." Matilda said exasperatedly to Alex.

"I have no idea where he passed! I just met him here." Alex replied.

"That's my Chris for you." Isabelle replied proudly before pursing her lips to think about what she just blurted out.

Three pair of eyes turned to her when she finished her sentence with Matilda blinking her eyes and Alex kept a straight face while Chris had an amused expression in his face.

He couldn't lie... He was feeling giddy when she said they had won. She used the pronoun 'they!' Then she said 'my Chris.' His heart did a summersault in his chest if hearts could do that. His heart was beating rapidly that he was fearing the three pair of ears around him would hear but they paid him no attention.

"Well... " Matilda started awkwardly.

"I'm starving!" Isabelle said suddenly.

"Right... Starving... food. We should eat." Alex supported.

"Yes we should. Are you guys coming to you'll take a while?" Matilda asked looking at her sister in particular whose face turned red as soon as she dropped her sentence.

"What... what do you mean? We're going now, right Chris?" Isabelle stuttured suddenly feeling hot.

"I think we should stay for a while." Chris replied.

"You... Oh My God!" She exclaimed bringing her hand up to fan her face.

"I'm going. You can stay here." She replied and proceeded to stand up forgetting Chris had entwined their hands.

Their hands came us as one as Matilda and Alex burst into laughter before they ran up the stairs.

"You... Let go of me." Isabelle said glaring at Chris.

"Stop glaring at me and I'll leave you." Chris replied shrugging.

Isabelle let out a huff, suppressed her anger and smiled at him.

"Let me go?" She said.

Chris lost himself in her smile as she pulled her arm out of his hands and then glared at him making Chris's smile fall.

"Wait what just happened?" He asked once he realized he was the only person sitting.

He looked around to see Isabelle's retreating figure as she climbed up the stairs without looking back once.

"Oh?" He pointed at her back and immediately scrambled up and ran after Isabelle.

Isabelle had entered Matilda room and the door was closed when he got there. He frowned and raised his hands up to knock.

"Brother?" He heard making his hand freeze midway his knock. He brought his hand down and faced his brother.

"Yeah?"

"I... I heard them saying they wanted to change... *cough* their cloth." Alex replied scratching the back of his head.

"Oh... Thanks... You just saved me an embarrassing scene." Chris replied chuckling awkwardly as he dipped his hand into his pocket.

"It's nothing."

They both strode to Alex's room and sat there for a while in silence with Chris on his phone texting someone.

"Brother?"

"Hmm?"

"I've been meaning to ask... Where do you live? So I can come visit when we're on holiday?" Alex asked making Chris pause with his finger hovering over his keyboard.

He didn't know what to say. He knew Isabelle planned on keeping their world from her sister.

He had noticed it... She kept lying to her sister whenever it involved her life with him. He wasn't angry, he understood why she was doing it.

She was already in that world, she didn't want to bring her sister into it thereby dragging Alex as well into it so he planned to help her keep it.

"I live far away from this place." He replied mysteriously.

"Hn... Where exactly?" Alex asked persistently.

"Guys!" They heard Matilda's voice from the opposite room.

"Dinner is ready." Isabelle's voice filled his ear. She said like a statement knowing Chris would hear.

"How would he know that's what you're talking about when you spoke so lowly like he's in the room with us?" Matilda's question followed.

"Wanna make a bet?"

"What's the wager?"

"If I win, we get to sleep together... but if I lose... You and Alex can sleep together." Isabelle replied without batting an eye. She knew Chris was listening to their conversation.

"Oh you're on." Matilda replied grinning. She finally got her opportunity.

Even though Chris would have loved to sleep with Isabelle that night, he knew there were many other opportunities in the future. They after all lived together and something was now between them. That he was sure of.

"Let's go." Chris said suddenly to Alex standing up and pocketed his phone.

"Uh? Where tk?"

"Dinner's ready." He said simply and strode out of the room to see his mate he was suddenly longing for.

"How do you know that?" Alex muttered to himself but he still followed after him.

They walked into the room to see Matilda grinning as she turned around until her smile fell and her jaws dropped at the sight of Chris entering first.

"Why are you here?" She asked once she regained her wits.

"Belle said dinner was ready. I'm here to have dinner." Chris replied simply and sat down at the table.

"But... Hold on... How did you hear that?"  Alex asked exasperatedly.

Chris only shrugged his shoulders. He shared a look with Isabelle who only smiled at him in secret.

"Can we eat?" Isabelle asked carrying tow plates to the table.

She placed one plate in front of Chris and put a fork in it. She placed the other plate in front of an empty chair and put a fork in it walking to the chair and took her seat.

"Wait where's our food?" Matilda asked gesturing between her and Alex.

"It's over there." Isabelle replied simply as she ate her noodles.

"I can't believe this." Matilda muttered and went ahead to carry her own plate and Alex his as well.

They ate in silence until they finally finished their food.

Chris kissed Isabelle's forehead when the other two people weren't watching before he went into Alex's room.

Alex followed after him and Isabelle and Matilda washed the four dishes before they went to bed.

Isabelle couldn't say a word when she heard the woman's voice icily say "Well, you're dumb pretending to be smart. But honey, you have to join your parents."

And then bang! She looked down to see blood pool all around her but she couldn't move. She felt her consciousness slipping away from her slowly.

She woke up with a scream as tears streamed down her face waking Matilda up.

Matilda immediately pulled her sister into her own embrace and patted her back down in an attempt to calm her down all to no avail.

Isabelle looked up and suddenly screamed yelling "Leave me alone! Please!"

Instead of her younger sister's face all she was seeing was her parents murderer face.

She pushed herself away from Matilda and went to the corner of the room hugging her knees as she cried.

Matilda bit her lips and looked at her crying sister who suddenly won't even let her touch her and got up.

She went out of the room and knocked the door a few times waking Alex and Chris.

Alex pushed himself up and walked to the room still rubbing his eyes. He looked back at Chris that was sitting up with the same look on his face. Even he was confused.

He heard a knock on the door again and he pulled the door open and standing there was a fully awake Matilda who was looking around the room until her fell on Chris.

"Isabelle is..." She started looking at him and wish! She felt a gust of wind by her.

She blinked her eyes and Chris was gone.

She immediately ran after him with Alex after her.

They walked into the room and they saw Chris kneeling in front of Isabelle as he gently grabbed her hand making her jerk up in surprise.

Again, that woman's face was the only thing that she could see. She wanted to push him away like she did with Matilda but Chris caught her hand midway.

"Hey... It's just me..It's Chris." He muttered squeezing her hand.

Isabelle stopped sobbing as she whispered "Chris?" once again.

"Yes, Belle... It's just me. Come here." He said pulling her into his embrace.

"Chris she's back..." Isabelle sobbed as she clung onto Chris's clothe.

"Don't worry... I'm here. I won't let her get to you. I'm here... Shh..." Chris replied patting her back just the way Matilda was  patting her back down earlier.

Chris looked to the side and Matilda nodded at him before mouthing him a thank you as she pulled Alex along and they left the two of them.

That night, Isabelle realized something, She had directly and indirectly become dependent on Chris.

And he her.