Asher's loud, restless grunt echoed vibrantly across the desolate street, while Xavier stayed numb, staring blankly at the bloodshot eyes of his lover, trembling in wrath.
The scene was completely unfamiliar to him. Until now, Xavier had never seen his sweet Asher, who never raised his voice at him, now acting so frantic, to the point of grabbing him by his hair with his fierce yank.
But before countless confusions had started to stir in his mind, Xavier gently tried to cup his side face with a concerned tone, "What do you mean? Of course…you're my baby! And…I mean you…Who else would I call my baby—
"You better quit fuckin' with me before I rip that mouth of yours! If this is one of your sick jokes…stop it now, you punk!"
But before he could finish those words, Asher yanked him away with a fervent push, growling his rumble, which indeed sounded like a warning sign!
The more Asher stared at his face, which he had recalled during those difficult moments right after the accident, the more his palpitations arose. As this was also the same face that he had deliberately prayed to the destiny never to see again.
This giant man in front of him now has always been the black stain of his life, whom he could never defeat…his biggest rival Alpha, but also the only man…he could never bring himself to forget, no matter how hard Asher had tried in their 15 years of tangled past.
However, a gush of mixed emotions ached deep down inside his chest, as his throat felt a bit suffocated.
Now that he had come across Xavier once again, Asher realized, that gut-wrenching angst he had felt during those exact few seconds when he saw the "X&M" logo on the white truck that ran his car over, it was triggered by betrayal…receiving from the very same man who had always claimed to be sincere towards him.
His emotions were in a mess, and with the suffocation deep down his throat, Asher couldn't contain his fury to lash aloud at Xavier, who held a completely clueless expression, staring at him blankly as if he was looking at a ghost.
"You damn two-faced hypocrite bastard! Why? Just why did you always lie on my face? Why did you claim to be sincerely concerned for me? Was it fun for you…to watch me getting fooled by your generosity? Because…In the end…you proved your hatred for me, too, didn't you!?"
"What?" Blinking his long lashes with utmost confusion, Xavier's husky voice sounded a bit at a daze at he asked, "I…hated you?"
"Of course yes, you son of a bitch! I am amazed…you still have that damn audacity to ask me this…"
Asher clenched his fist while a furious sneer curved his lips when he shrieked, "That white truck bore the logo of your fuckin' name, you damn punk! X&M that denotes…Xavier Marcus! Hah, did you think I would die right after the hit before noticing your company logo on that truck!? Admit it now, you bastard, you hated me enough to run me over with your truck, didn't you?"
His loud, furious grunt now sounded stifled with pain, as his voice quivered a little when Asher screamed at Xavier on the top of his lungs. His rolled ocean eyes were now filled with grim despair, as if it was difficult for him to process that gut-wrenching feeling of betrayal he had felt during those exact seconds.
However, his loud, frantic grunt paused Xavier for a second, before he narrowed his hazel orbs at him. Making a contemplated expression, he quickly took out a small device from his armed vest pocket, which looked similar to a 'digital thermometer', and grabbed Asher by his left wrist before touching that device to his skin.
"Stay still for a second, baby. Let me check—"
"Fuck…what the fuck you're doing!? I told you stop calling me that shit, didn't I!? And stop fuckin' touching me!!" Despite Asher's furious protests, he was quite baffled by Xavier's strong grip on his arm, from which he couldn't unleash himself no matter how hard he struggled.
Xavier placed that device right in the middle of his wrist, and immediately, a clear blue light blinked from that device, making a small 'beep' sound.
Right after that light was emitted, Xavier frowned his brows while reluctantly releasing Asher's arm as he mumbled, "Thankfully, you…aren't infected, baby. I was worried for a second, thinking you might be bluffing after coming in contact with the virus…but…it doesn't seem like that case…"
"W-What did you say?" But every word he spoke seemed to pour gasoline on Asher's emotional distress, as he gritted his jaws and clenched his fist tight, aiming to punch his face right at that moment. "How dare you say I am bluffing, you cruel bastard!? Do you even realize the pain I felt when that fuckin' truck hit my car directly!?
"My ribs were crushed and…my face was scarred by all those broken glass scraps! I felt an unimaginable pain when my body collapsed from that deadly hit during those few seconds…and you dare to say…I am bluffing!? I guess you're just asking for a beating, don't you—"
"But…you were always afraid of driving. That's why you don't have a car…and neither can you drive, baby."
Before Asher was about to land his fierce punch right on his face, Xavier instinctively moved an inch away before he uttered his puzzled words, "I just checked you with the iffometer to reconfirm, b-because I was worried you might be infected now that you're even mistaking my name, baby. Are you sure you…aren't feeling sick?"
"What? Now what the fuck are you bluffing here, idiot!? Who said I can't drive? I even learnt how to fly a fuckin' helicopter, how dare you look down on me!?"
Paused by his unexpected mumble, Asher howled his ardent answer, while glaring at those big hazel eyes, which still seemed truly concerned for him. "And…how could I ever mistake your name? I have always remembered your fuckin' entity…Xavier Marcus…which was the black stain of my life! Asher Tarlor will never ever forget your name, you bastard!"
But…now you're mistaking both our names, baby…" With a gulp, Xavier slowly moved a few inches closer towards Asher, as he tried to hold his arm, staring ardently into his wary eyes.
"You're Asher Mitchell…and I am your destined Alpha Xavier Reizek… I don't know who you're talking about, that Xavier Marcus or whatever…but…you do remember that we have imprinted on each other, right?"
Utmost disbelief shook his voice as Asher rolled his eyes big, murmuring after him, "We are…imprinted? And...You…You are Xavier...Reizek?"