The Adrian Chronicles
an excerpt

“I’m sorry,” she was saying again, her voice barely more than a whisper. She was trying to soothe her attacker. Trying to calm him. But Fang didn’t want to be calmed, a fact that was made clear by his almost taunting tone and the faint look of pleasure that flashed across his face as tensed, muscles preparing to unleash yet another attack. This was a wolf that thrived off of violence.

“You’re sorry,” he asked in a dangerous tone.

Red saw Wolfie’s hands flex shut for a moment, her only concession to what she knew was coming. His words must have inspired fear, but she nodded anyway, still carefully avoiding his gaze. It was all she could do. “Yes,” she said softly.

Fang stared at her for a long moment, that look of near anticipation lighting his eyes as he began to get the hint of a cruel smile on his face. Leaning in, he placed his mouth by Wolfie’s ear and whispered something that Red couldn’t hear, but it made the girl swallow hard, her gray eyes closing as she took a slow, tense breath... and then opened them, looking over Fang’s shoulder.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she caught sight of Red, then immediately darted back to Fang as the golden eyed were took a single step back, his fist raising to hit her once more.

Red couldn’t help himself. As Fang’s hand began its rapid descent, a strangled “Stop!” escaped the blue eyed werewolf’s lips.

The effect was immediate. Mid swing, Fang spun around, arm still raised and eyes flashing furiously as Wolfie gave a low groan, her gray eyes snapping back to Red with an incredulous look that clearly screamed “What the hell are you doing?” She didn’t have to say a word for Red to hear her clearly.

If she actually had voiced the question, Red wouldn’t have been able to answer. He’d just broken one of the most fundamental rules of pack behavior, and it hadn’t been on purpose. It had just happened. But something in him would not let him stand aside, bad idea or not. Meeting her gray eyes, he gave her a look that was determined but completely absent of bravado. He neither looked like the uncertain, edgy wolf she was used to or like someone looking for a fight. He wasn’t doing this with any illusions. He already knew what the outcome was going to be. But it was simply something he had to do. Then Fang spoke, and Red’s gaze was pulled back to the other were, his full attention commanded by his intimidating opponent.

“What did you say?” the golden eyed werewolf growled, glaring at Red. He stared Red down with such fierce intensity that the younger wolf nearly took a step back. It was painfully clear now that, compared with the fury he was displaying today, Fang might as well have been playing during their last fight. The wolf that stood before Red now was violently angry... and deadly.

Taking a deep breath, Red took one last glance at Wolfie before slowly meeting Fang’s gaze with an even look of his own. “I said stop,” he answered.

Fang took a step forward towards Red, his back turned to Wolfie. If she’d wanted, she probably could have run right then, but she stayed where she was, back pressed against the brick wall, her face expressionless except for the shocked uncertainty in her eyes.

“And why should I?” Fang asked as he continued with a slow and steady approach, his voice low.

Red watched him warily, but didn’t back away. He was in this now. He couldn’t win, but he wouldn’t run either. “She said she was sorry,” he said. In the back of his mind, he idly wondered if he was going to walk away from this fight. Over Fang’s shoulder, it was obvious that Wolfie was wondering the same thing. At his words, her brow furrowed and she gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head, warning him to be silent. To walk away. But he continued anyway. “Just leave her alone.”

“Leave her alone.” There were only a few feet between the two werewolves now, and Fang was staring at Red with a look of almost incredulous anger. It wouldn’t be long now. Not looking away from the golden eyed werewolf, Red braced himself for the impact he knew would come.

“Yes,” he said as the two wolves continued to stare each other down, one furious and one resigned and resolved.

There was no warning.

One second, Fang was growling, glaring dangerously at this impertinent intruder. The next, he had leaped at the other boy, throwing him to the ground before Red even knew he was moving. The golden eyed werewolf was on him in an instant, kicking the younger boy so that he was rolled onto his stomach before dropping down on top of him, one knee digging painfully into Red’s back, pinning him flat. One hand grabbing a handful of Red’s short, white hair, Fang dragged the other werewolf’s head back, so that Red was forced to arch his back to ease the pressure in his neck.

Red could feel the heat of Fang’s breath on his neck as the dangerous wolf leaned forward, his words a terrifying growl in the younger boy’s ear. “If you want to play hero, wolf cub, you go right ahead,” his hand twisted in Red’s hair, causing the blue eyed werewolf go growl softly in response, “but you never interfere with me and my girl.” He pulled a bit harder on Red’s hair, yanking so hard that Red thought it might simply be pulled straight out of his skull. “Got it, whelp?”

Red only growled, either unable to answer from lack of air, his throat constricting as he bent unnaturally to ease the pain, or else unable to agree with Fang’s demand. However Fang took it, however, probably wouldn’t have mattered.

Fang grimaced down at the were in his grasp with a look bordering on disgust. “Let’s see if we can’t help the baby learn his lesson.” And, with all the force of the anger that had been building up inside him, the golden eyed were took Red’s head and slammed it into the ground.

There was a snapping sound as Red felt his nose break and there was a cracking sensation where his mouth hit the ground. A wave of nausea swept through him, and he gagged into the dirt, spasming against the pain.

He barely noticed the lack of pressure as Fang stood up, removing his knee from Red’s spine, until the golden eyed were was standing over him. As Red weakly shoved one arm beneath himself, making the motion to prop himself up, the older werewolf aimed a painful kick straight into Red’s ribs that sent the blue eyed where sprawling onto his back. Then, as Red turned his head to the side, coughing and spitting blood from his split lip, Fang turned his back on the boy and walked away, not even bothering to give him a second glance.

From where he lay sprawled, not thirty seconds after the brawl began, Red saw Fang motion sharply for Wolfie to come to him. Casting an unreadable look in the bloody boy’s direction, she quickly glanced away and answered the summons, quietly falling into step at Fang’s side as he walked away without a backwards glance.

Turning his head to the side, his whole face throbbing painfully, Red closed his eyes and let his thoughts slide blankly away, lying stunned and motionless until the guards found him much later.