Ortiz

I slumped down in my seat, grinding my teeth together and glaring daggers out of the window as I seethed with anger and confusion. 

My arms were crossed tightly across my chest, the only thing keeping me from snapping completely being the sharp pain of my bitten fingernails as they dug into my bicep, leaving deep, crescent shaped marks in my skin. 

I could quite literally feel Corey's piercing gaze from the chair beside me, but I refused to lift my head and meet his eyes. Quite frankly, I was terrified of what I might see.

"Well, this is new." 

My eyes remained trained on my worn shoes as Benji, our pack medic, spoke. We'd congregated in Osias' office after the realization that this was not - to my fucking horror and dismay - some kind of sick joke, and that Corey and I really couldn't seem to move more than 5 feet away from each other.

It was as if we were connected by an invisible tether, and if either of us attempted to leave, it would cause a deep, sharp pain - like a red hot fire poker - right in the center of both of our chests. 

"I've never heard of or seen anything like this before, not even during my fae medical training. It has to be some kind of old lore, I don't know how else to describe it." Benji continued, shaking his head. His tone of voice suggested he was utterly confused, just like everyone else. 

Glancing past the fringe of dark hair that hung in front of my eyes, I cracked the slightest smirk at the sight of Benji's brother, Daffodil, who stood silently in the corner. He was physically here, but mentally somewhere else entirely as his huge, alien-like eyes were unfocused and staring into the distance. 

Ever since his encounter with Tyrus that I witnessed in the living room, he'd taken to braiding the wild forest flowers in his long, yellow hair every morning. It was obvious that the miniature Fae already had Tyrus wrapped around all of his fingers, as the man could be seen out of the window every morning at the break of dawn, picking the flowers from the edge of the forest to bashfully present to the tiny creature the moment he woke. 

I would be lying if I said I wasn't slightly jealous of their budding relationship. It just seemed so easy, a complete contrast to my complete mess of a pairing.

"I do not want him to be forced to be around me when he loathes my presence." Corey's calm, deep baritone caused me to noticeably jump in my chair beside him, my skin tingling at the sound. 

I hated how my body reacted to him, how even a slight twitch of his pinkie finger threatened to send me to the floor, baring my neck and rolling over like some submissive bitch. Just the thought sent me on the defensive, words flying out of my mouth before I could stop them.

"I don't want to be in his presence. So do whatever the fuck you need to do to sever this thing." I scowled at the wall, my jaw ticking as I still refused to meet Corey's gaze. If I did, I knew my facade would shatter in an instant, and I'd be at his feet in no time due to this stupid fucking mating bond. 

I knew I was hurting him with my words, and in the back of my mind I knew he hadn't done anything to deserve it, but words fell from my mouth like vomit, and it seemed like I was possessed as I simply spewed whatever hurtful thing came to my mind first. 

I pressed a hand against the center of my chest, the burning sensation still all too present, but significantly dulled due to Corey's close proximity. If I was forced to look on the bright side of this situation, I could admit it was nice to have at least some kind of excuse to be near him now, for the mere fact that it would help dull this painful torture in my chest.

But as soon as they figured out the cure for whatever this thing was between us, I was planning on hard core keeping my distance from the man. 

"Ortiz, you can't feel it now but you will soon be experiencing withdrawal symptoms from the drug you have been abusing for the past few weeks." Benji explained. I didn't meet his eyes, instead picking at a hangnail on my thumb to avoid looking at him as he continued. 

"I can't lie to you, it's going to be hard on you both mentally and physically, but I or Daffodil will be sure to check on you intermittently." I groaned internally at that, as I was certainly not in any rush to experience any more pain. But I knew that it was a stupid decision to start using the pills in the first place, so I'd accept responsibility for the consequences of my actions. 

Reluctantly, but I'd do it.

"Corey, you are relieved from your warrior duties for the time being until we can figure this mess out. Tank will be taking your place in the interim. Same goes for you, Ortiz. Sam will be serving as interim Beta in your absence." Osias said, removing his reading glasses and placing them on top of his desk with a sigh. 

"I know that this is not an optimal situation, but I strongly advise that the both of you establish more open conversation. Because at the rate you two are going, one of you-" he gestured between us with his finger, looking down the long digit with a critical look "is sure to do something else you regret."

I scoffed at the scold, which was obviously meant for me. Corey was the epitome of control, he wouldn't ever let his emotions best him like mine seemed to always do. Mine were unpredictable, throwing me around like a rider on a bull seeing red, and he was a silent spectator in the crowd, observing but never speaking. As if to prove my point, more word vomit immediately tumbled from my lips as I turned to look around the room. 

"I don't regret anything." I grumbled out, pressing my palms into the leather arms of the chair to push myself up to a standing position. "I'm leaving now."

I ignored Osias's call of my name as I stalked towards the door, somehow forgetting about the whole reason we were in this situation in the first place until I gasped, stumbling a few steps back when the pain in my chest flared again. 

I wanted to scream at how utterly annoyed I was. I had literally become the siamese twin of the one person I've been trying my hardest to avoid.

I turned in my spot, slightly surprised when I saw the grimace of pain on Corey's face at the tug on our bond. It was unusual on his face, one that usually read nothing other than a stony emotionlessness. 

I couldn't lie, I felt kinda bad knowing that I had caused it. 

To be very clear, I felt bad only on a human level, not in a gay ass, 'I love you and care about you and want you to stick it up my ass' type of way.

I didn't let on about how I felt, my ears ringing as I remembered the ever-present words bringing themselves to the forefront of my mind.

If you are vulnerable, you are nothing.

"Let's go, you oaf." I said, my voice sharp as I yanked the door open. It felt good to have a bit of control over the seemingly indestructible man now, as he had no choice but to stand, nodding silently at everyone in the room before following me out of the room.

He walked behind me, and I could damn near taste the silence in the air as it weighed heavily between us. I shivered involuntarily at how uncomfortable it was. I could tell we both had so much to say, but for some reason we both couldn't bring ourselves to start the conversation first. 

I didn't look behind me as I walked into my room, not bothering to close the door behind me as I knew that the freaking giant behind me would soon follow. 

I plopped into my bed in an instant, already done with this terrible ass day even though it was only about 7pm and I was usually known for staying up super late into the night. I kicked off my shoes hastily, not acknowledging the large man in my room who closed the door gently behind him before leaning against the wall beside it. 

I could feel his eyes on me, his gaze red hot, like an infrared laser against my skin. It only made me move faster, shuffling into the middle of my large bed before yanking the duvet all of the way up to my eyes, my black hair sticking out of the top of the cocoon that I'd wrapped myself in.

I could only savor my safe haven for a moment, as it was interrupted by a voice so deep it practically made the room vibrate with its bass. 

"Where should I sleep?" Corey asked, his deep voice as monotone as ever, giving away not even the hint of an emotion. I cracked my eyes open the tiniest bit to look at his large figure, still in the same spot as before. It was so weird, because although his face was expressionless, I could tell he was unsure of himself by the way he swayed a little in his spot, unsure of if he should join me in my bed. 

As if.

A tiny part of me longed to tell him to sleep with me in my bed as I remembered that brief sense of warmth and safety I'd experienced during the times I'd woken up in his arms. But a much larger, more logical and stubborn part of me said absolutely fucking not.

"On my desk, in the shower, sleep in the fuckin' sky if you want. I don't care, just leave me alone and don't touch my bed." I murmured, turning under the covers so that my back was facing him. I opened my eyes once I'd done so, knowing he couldn't see my face as I waited, the room silent for a moment while he mulled over my words. 

I listened, ears perking up like a dog as he started to move around a moment later, his steady, graceful, but heavy steps getting closer to me. 

Embarrassingly, I felt a little hint of excitement flare in my chest until I heard a gentle 'thud' as he settled down onto the floor right beside my bed. 

My lip stung as I bit it, cursing the minuscule part of me that wished he'd call my bluff and just slide in next to me in my bed.

I stared at a small crack in my wall in front of my eyes, trying to fixate on it as I was unable the help the worried thoughts that forced their way into the forefront of my mind.

He doesn't have a blanket. 

He could get cold.

He doesn't have a pillow. 

What if he gets a crick in his neck?

What if-

I bit down hard on my lip, a small trickle of blood dripping from the puncture I'd made. The putrid, metallic taste of my own blood woke me from whatever little fucked up trance I'd somehow put myself into, terminating it mid-thought.

This mating bond was like a fucking parasite, and I could feel it slowly trying to consume me.

But I wouldn't let that happen. 

I licked the small puncture wound on the delicate skin of my lip, feeling it pull back together as I closed my eyes, succumbing to the sweet release of sleep.

+

"Jax, honey, finish your peas." My mother gently chided as I rolled them mindlessly around the plate with my fork. I stiffened in my chair, one prong of my fork sinking into a pea as I watched it slowly squish beneath the dull metal spear. 

"Don't call me that. My name is Ortiz." My voice cracked as I replied, giving away my prepubescent age as I continued to roll the small green vegetables around on my plate. 

My mom sighed apologetically. She was still getting used to the new rule in the house that my dad had recently instituted. He'd recently added another to the long list that we already lived by, stating that I was to only go by our last name. 

He stated that being on a first-name basis with others would only cause me to become more vulnerable, leaving room for potential mistakes as he trained me to become the perfect Beta.

"I'm so sorry, honey." My mom whispered, and I felt the double meaning in her words. I froze as she reached out to take my free hand between both of her soft ones. I went to pull back from the comforting gesture, remembering what my dad said about not seeking comfort outside of myself, but my mom held my hand tightly as hers began to tremble.

I looked up from my plate as I felt a small splash of wetness on the top of my hand, my eyes widening with panic as I took in the sight of the tears that ran down my mother's face. 

I had no clue how to react in this situation, dad didn't have a rule for this. I knew that if I was caught crying that I would receive a few lashes, but I didn't know what would happen if mommy was caught.

My chair made a scraping sound as I stood up, dropping my fork and leaning across the table, frantically wiping the salty tears off of my mom's face.

Part 2 in next Episode