Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Aramis POV:

Vibrations in her small, delicate, almost skinny body slowly came to an end and he stood up, breathing evenly.

She had been crying for over an hour.

A damn hour .

And that's because of me .

I clenched my teeth so hard I felt like my teeth were about to break. But I didn't give a fuck.

Again and again I saw her trembling lips, her eyes wide with shock and her clenched hands in front of me. Heard her voice trembling with tension as she tried to convince me to take her as my mate.

Damned.

I balled my hands into fists in anger.

The pain in her eyes. That excruciating, blunt pain in it was the worst.

At that moment I felt as if my heart would shatter into a thousand pieces.

Those horrible things I threw at her...

I had caused her this pain. i .

Disgusted with myself, I buried my head in my hands.

Get the fuck together Aramis! She is not your mate but his ally!

I couldn't forget that. He wouldn't rest until he killed me.

So it would only be logical if he could get me a mate and defeat me through him. Because he knew very well that I would do anything for my mate.

**

I raised my hand and aimed it at the tall, slender man. With a quick movement, I slammed it into the woman opposite, turning my attention to my closest opponents as they sank to the ground together.

In a flash, I ducked under the swinging fist and at the same time snapped his neck with the power of my mind. He also fell lifeless to the ground.

Sweat ran down my back, all my muscles were tense and my razor-sharp mind was working with extreme concentration.

Four more enemies came into view, but before they could even attempt an attack, I felt the power rush out of me. Imagining a dark, infinitely deep hole, I began to focus my power into a masterful illusion before me. I could even believe that this hole was really here if it weren't for the heaps of fine strands of energy. However, since only I saw that detail, my opponents thought they were falling deep into the hole, and while they cried out in fear, I dispatched them one by one.

I smiled lightly. Oh how I loved mental manipulation.

The last one went down and I stood there, out of breath, legs apart. The ground lit up and letters began to form.

twenty seconds.

" Teeruk!" (Damn!)- I groaned in exasperation. "Twenty really now?!". Not exactly my best time. Oh, and I thought I was really faster. Feverishly I tried to explain to myself why I wasn't faster and how I could improve my technique. I recalled all those endless hours with Ares and slowly realized where I could improve. It wasn't my reaction time, but my footwork could be a bit better, faster. Before I could think any more, a hand patted my shoulder comfortingly.

"It's okay Faruuh (brother) , you're not learning to be afraid either." I noticed how he had to hold back a laugh.

I turned around and saw how much amusement he had for me. I pressed my lips together angrily.

"Oh yes? And how long did it take you?"

His lips curled into a smug smile and he nodded towards the electronic board at the end of the training room, which was so large it almost took up the entire wall. His name shone on the plaque and next to it was his fight time today.

14 seconds.

Great. Whole six seconds. My mood plummeted from the basement and I was about to piss myself off when my eyes read the words next to the number.

Now it was my turn to enjoy myself. A grin instantly graced my face. I leaned casually against a post.

"What?" my cousin frowned suspiciously, wrinkles appearing on his forehead.

"Ability Used: Mental Influencing and Avatar Powers" I tried not to burst out laughing, to no avail. I spluttered.

He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You also used mental influence."

"I ONLY used mental influence, you mean to say. I didn't let my wolf out." I arched an eyebrow prettily, but laughed again. And I thought I had gotten drastically worse! Ha, as if I was such a genius! My wolf stretched proudly in agreement.

"I have no wolf Aramis." he said through gritted teeth.

"But you're an avatar, you should know that since you're always using his powers." Filled with hilarity, I headed for the exit, but I couldn't resist a scolding remark. "Maybe you'll hit me next time, one can always hope."

"Duel, now." I froze briefly before turning to face him, his brown eyes staring straight into mine, sparkling belligerently. I would never turn down such an obvious challenge, my wolf was far too dominant for that, especially if he could take this announcement as a threat. There was usually a clear hierarchy in a pack, every werewolf needed this hierarchy, without it there would be no harmony and the wolves in you would always push to demonstrate their strength, even if it meant having to kill. But my cousin and I were exactly the same strength, both physically and mentally.

So when he looked at me like that, I took that direct, challenging stare as a threat to change my place in the hierarchy and tower over me. My wolf happily bared his teeth.

"What are you waiting for?"

In perfectly executed fighting position, we circled each other. I didn't have to ask him to know that we could use all our skills in this fight, because his body had already taken on the characteristics of an avatar. Hair blowing in the wind, hands covered in fire, feet steadfast as the earth and eyes that changed from their original earthy brown color to flowing blue like the ocean, and if you looked closely you thought you could see waves crashing in them.

My wolf could also be seen on me. My fangs came out with every growl and my extended claws hung at my fingertips.

His fiery fist shot out immediately, but I dodged it skillfully. He attacked again, but this time I was quicker, putting in two precise punches and hitting his exposed spot before he could defend himself. He gasped for a moment, but that didn't stop him from throwing a gust of wind at me that threw me against the wall. A sharp pain ran through my back, but I didn't let myself fall to the ground. If I were to lie on the floor for even three seconds, that would be tantamount to surrender.

But before even my feet had solid ground under them, he formed the element fire into a ball and at the same moment he flew towards me. Thanks to my preternaturally quick reaction, I ducked under the fireball as the stench of burnt hair hit my nostrils.

All right, he wanted to fight dirty? He could have that.