Chapter 311 - Birthday Beatdown

Giorgos chuckled as his gaze moved to the girl stomping toward them. He couldn't figure out what to make of the soon-to-be queen. Most of the time she maintained a very stoic expression. When she didn't think anyone was watching, especially when she was working with the orphaned children, she was the sweetest, caring person he'd ever chanced to meet. But looking at her now as she approached them, he was reminded of the night she'd led a pack of feral wolf girls to kill the previous Usurper. Giorgos gave Russ a pat on the shoulder. "I don't envy you the conversation to come." He nodded to Jaden before turning on his heels and making his way back to the group of men still training.

Russ turned questioning eyes around to Jaden, trying his best to read her turbulent expression as she approached. "Hey, what's up? I was just about to head back over."

"We need to talk." She bit out as she grabbed his arm and all but dragged him toward the back doors.

"Ok... calm down and tell me what's going on." But she didn't answer. Worry etched his brow as he let her drag him into the first-floor study facing the training area. "Jaden? Come on, what is this about?" He asked as she all but threw his arm away and slammed the door behind them.

Her angry eyes studied him. Her arms were crossed with the phone she gripped painfully tight tucked under one arm. "What am I to you?"

Russ arched a questioning brow, completely lost and confused with the sudden question. "My soon-to-be wife... I hope..."

She lifted the hand with the ring resting against the third finger. "Is that all that this means to you?"

Russ ran both hands over the sides of his head, gripping it under his bun. He let out a long sigh as he dropped his hands. "Where is this coming from, Jaden? You've gone along with everything without the first question for over a month now. If you have questions just ask them. I've told you this entire time, anything you want to know or have questions about... I'm an open book."

She narrowed her eyes. "I've asked you two already, and you've yet to answer either adequately."

His eyes widened. "Because they're not the real question here. I may not be a smart man, but I've been raised around enough moody ȧss females to know these types of games. So just fuċkɨnġ ask already."

Her mouth dropped and before she'd even realized her feet had moved, the palm of her hand was landing a loud smack across Russ's cheek.

He caught her wrist but quickly loosened his grip on it. "Jaden, I'm going to tell you this once. I'm not a patient or well-tempered man. I realize these faults in myself and have been working hard as hell to mend them. But I'll not be slapped without explanation. If I fuċkɨnġ deserve it then so be it, but you've given me nothing here. You can't be pissed if you're unwilling to even say what the fuċk you're mad about."

"Stop swearing at me!" She glared at him in growing anger as she stomped down on his foot causing him to release his hold on her arm. "You want my real question? The one I've been trying to figure out the answer to this entire time?" Her grip tightened on the phone. "Are you gay?"

Russ sputtered in shock as her question hit him harder than the slap or stomp. "What the hell kind of question is that?! Why would you even ask?!"

"If I'm really your bride-to-be then shouldn't I know one way or the other?!" She growled.

His brows furrowed. "Sure, but shouldn't that answer be obvious?" He ran his hand over the back of his neck as he looked around the room for a place to sit down. "Again, why are you asking this now?"

She gritted her teeth as she slammed the phone against his ċhėst. "Why am I asking? Why?" She suddenly froze as another thought accused. "Do... do you like both? Is that it?" She tilted her head thoughtfully. "That would explain..."

He caught her hand, all thoughts of showing her just how not gay he was fled his brain with her latest words. "I'm not bi, Jaden." He searched her eyes as he considered whether now would be a good time to kiss her for the first time. {Old Russ would definitely do it... but old Russ was a fuċkɨnġ idiot... not that I'm much better now...}

She swallowed hard. "Then... you're..." The word gay was just about to leave her lips when his mouth landed on hers. She gasped against his hard lips, but as she relaxed his lips softened becoming more tender with each brush.

"I'm straight, Jaden... very straight..." He whispered as he rested his head against hers. "I've only been holding back with you this entire time because I realize you've been through so much and... and I don't have the best track record for being a tender lover..." He let out a heavy sigh as he finally straightened. "Now are you going to tell me what brought this on?"

Her eyes moved to the phone before darting to the window in confusion. "The person that is helping to train us today... Jos... you were intimate with them?"

He furrowed his brows as he nodded yes. He followed her eyes to the phone and finally decided to look at it as well. A wave of emotions overtook him as the memories of the day the picture currently displayed on his phone were taken. He cleared his throat. "Yes... And it was probably one of the biggest mistakes of my life... I confused familiar love and the pull of a curse as something it wasn't... something more..." He could feel unshed tears build in his eyes. He scrolled past that picture until he found a picture a friend had taken of him, Jos, Raven, and Shelly a few days before his last birthday. He handed the phone back to her, pointing to Jos and Raven. "They were friends of my mother's. They saved Shelly and I's life the day the island was attacked and did their best to raise us after. You met her in that form the night we found you guys." He nodded to the phone. "Keep scrolling, you'll find hundreds of pictures of her... I was obsessed for the longest time."

After the tenth picture of the silver-haired woman, she couldn't help the building confusion as she glanced toward the window. "But... then... how is she a man now... There's no faking that."

Russ took her free hand and led her over to the window. His eyes automatically found Jos, who seemed uncomfortable as she talked with the other girls. "She is capable of taking on several different forms. By birth, a daughter of Calypso, she is a siren capable of shifting human forms in both age and gender... whatever her prey would find most alluring. Before I started school and for more years than either of us could count before that, she spent her time in the form of a young girl. Once Shelly and I started school she did as well and began slowly aging her body." He shrugged. "To most of those who knew us from school or the nieghorhoods we'd be living in, she never seemed more than six years older than me..." He nodded to the silver-haired man. "What you're seeing out there is Jos trying to keep men from constantly reacting to the curse and trying to force themselves on her... like I did..."

Jaden's stormy eyes met his. "F... forced... yourself..."

He nodded, his humiliation and irritation at his previous actions reflecting in his expression. "Whether it's the siren's curse or a much worse curse, people are drawn to her... and the more you're around her, the more you get of her, the more you crave... until you're driven mad by dėsɨrė... It's a strange love for sure... but it's still love you feel..." He ran his free hand over the back of his neck as he stared out the window at her.

"And that form makes it easier for you to resist the... the curse?" Jaden asked, trying her best to understand.

A frown curved his lips. There was so much he and Jaden needed to talk about... So much he had yet said to her. He turned to face her, taking the phone and sitting it on the ledge of the window. He took both her hands in his and pulled her a step closer. His frown melted away to warm affection. "It's a nice safeguard for her, especially with all the male guards at the palace... but as for me... This..." He lifted her left hand and placed a kiss on the top of the ring. "This is enough to keep my feelings for her at bay, whether they were real or from a curse..." He searched her eyes. "Do you not feel it at all? I... I've imprinted on you..."

It was her turn to frown and look away. "Imprinting is an old myth. It's not real..."

He released her hands and cupped both sides of her face, bringing her eyes back up to meet his. "Are you saying you don't feel this odd pull between us then?" He searched her eyes. "This sense of familiarity... of finding a missing piece... of belonging..." He shook his head. "It's not love exactly, not yet... but it's definitely something..."

She frowned as she stared up into his beautiful cyan eyes. "It is only your wolf recognizing the alpha female wolf in me..."

He shook his head. "No, you're not the first 'alpha female' I've met. Remember, I was supposed to marry another. Believe me, there was no attraction between the two of us. My wolf nor I either one wanted any part of her. I've only ever felt this way toward you..."

Tears burned her eyes as she recalled the attraction she'd been feeling for him. "I... I... think... I feel the... same..."

A smile curved the corners of his lips. "I'm glad to hear it..." He bent and pressed his forehead against her, a relieved sigh slipping past his lips. "So glad..." He placed a light kiss on her lips, but when she suddenly gasped and pulled away from him, he froze. Her eyes reflected terror and some other raw emotion he wasn't able to decipher. "What is it?" Her hands were cupped over her lips. "I'm sorry... I'd already kissed you once, and you seemed ok with it... so..."

Her wide eyes searched his. "Then... then that night in the hotel room... you... you were..."

He furrowed his brows. "Still straight..." He gave an awkward laugh. "It was probably one of the hardest nights of my life, to lay there with you all night in my arms without really touching you..."

Her wide eyes held his as tears began freely falling. Her mind going back to the echo of his cries for help, and his angry tear-streaked face as he stormed into his room and slammed the door. Whatever had happened between him and the giant man was unwanted in every way... She'd originally just thought it was because of her, that it was some kind of breakup spat... but no... She flung herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. "I'm sorry... I should have done more..." She whispered past the low, muffled sobs.

He stroked her back and head as he stared down at her in confusion. "Shh, it's alright... everything's good now... I'm just glad we had this talk and are finally on the same page about things..." He tugged her away. "Just for the record we are on the same page, right? I really like you, and you... at least kinda like me too, right?"

Jaden let out a surprised, awkward laugh as she nodded yes. She decided it was best to leave the memories of that night for another time, but the clinching in her ċhėst would remain a constant reminder of the kinship they shared... even if it wasn't exactly the same, and she hated the fact he'd gone through such a thing... It was still something else they had in common.

He held her for several long, quiet minutes until finally he gently tugged her away. "Um... are you ready to head back out now? Even if you're done training for the day, we still need to let the others know."

Russ and Jaden were both taken aback as they stepped out into the training area. The loud buzz of the watch monitor Jos was forced to wear at all times echoed in the courtyard. "What in the..." Russ muttered as he watched the sight before them.

"I will not! Please stop this!" Jos cried out as she carefully slapped away one of the girl's hands as another took its place. "I beg, can we please go back to training! Focus your attention on it, not me!" She jumped as a curious hand curled around her glut. "Enough!" Jos cried out as tentacles shot out and circled each girl, holding them far away from her.

Russ covered his mouth to hide his amusement as he took in her disheveled appearance. Her shoulder was exposed by the stretched neckline of the already baggy shirt. The hairband of the low sloppy bun was nearly all the way out. "Um... I'd ask if you needed a hand... but um... looks like you've got it handled." He teased as he neared her.

"No, not at all. Please just get them to stop touching me!" Her whɨnė sounded funny coming from the masculine vocals of the male form.

Jaden clapped her hands as Jos released the girls. "Alright, that's enough. Leave her alone and go to your rooms. We're done for the day!"

Jos nearly collapsed onto the ground in relief as the girls did as they were ordered, the buzzing finally fading.

Russ caught her and balanced her against his side. "You alright?"

Jos nodded sheepishly beside him. "I'm not sure which is worse at attracting unwanted attention... this form or the other..."

Jaden took one of Jos's hands and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sorry for their actions. I'll have words with them. I promise it will not happen again. So please, feel free to return in whatever form you feel most comfortable in."

Jos's troubled eyes moved from Jaden up to Russ.

He nodded. "Yes, whatever form you feel most comfortable in. I'm positive I'll be in control, and I'll make sure the others are as well."

Jos let out a heavy relieved sigh as she let her body shift right there beside them. "Thank you so much!" She whispered in relief as she flung her arms around Jaden.

Russ pulled them both into his arms and placed kisses on both their heads as relief washed over him. The pull was gone. He could now touch Jos without feeling all the insane emotions as before and without the wolf clawing at him for her... Though it was now clawing for another reason... He released Jos and tugged Jaden beside him, placing another kiss to her head. "I wasn't sure this day would ever come after what happened during your trials... but I... don't have words to express how happy it makes me that we can be a family again."

Jos smiled warmly back at both of them.. "Me too."