CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 37: WOLF VERSION OF FUCK OFF."

The morning light cut through the curtains, spilling over the polished floor, but Azrael’s room felt heavy, suffocating, as if the remnants of last night still clung to the air.

The door banged open.

"Rise and fucking shine, sleeping beauty!" Theodore’s voice boomed, far too loud, far too cheerful for this hour.

Eryx strolled in behind him, uniform sharp, red hair catching the light, that usual devil-may-care smirk tugging at his lips. "You’d think someone who nearly painted the floor with a stranger last night wouldn’t have the luxury to sleep in."

Rhydric followed last, silent as always, his uniform neat, posture straight, expression carved out of stone. His cold eyes swept the room once, then landed on the mound of blankets at the far end of the bed.

Theodore crossed his arms dramatically. "Oi, Az. Don’t pretend you’re dead. I know you’re under there sulking like a teenage girl after prom night."

From beneath the duvet came a muffled growl.

Eryx chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "You hear that? That’s the wolf version of fuck off."

Theodore grinned. "Then let’s piss him off more." He marched forward, ripped the duvet halfway off, only for Azrael’s hand to shoot out like lightning and yank it back over his head.

"Touch it again, and I’ll drown you in your own piss," Azrael’s voice came low, rough, but lazy.

Theodore clutched his chest in mock horror. "He speaks! And with poetry!" He turned to Eryx and Rhydric, eyes wide. "We’re making progress, lads."

Eryx leaned casually against the wall, arms folded, eyes gleaming with mischief. "Progress would be if he actually got his ass out of bed."

Rhydric finally spoke, his voice flat, edged with quiet authority. "We’re late."

Azrael didn’t move. Didn’t even breathe louder. The silence dragged, heavy and stubborn.

Theodore crouched by the bed, peering at the lump of blankets. "Oi, Az. You gonna sulk all day because you lost control? Or you gonna get up like the big bad bastard you keep pretending to be?"

Another muffled sound. Then..."Fuck off."

That was enough for Eryx to laugh, sharp and mocking. "If you don’t move, Theo’s gonna strip you naked and drag you through the halls. And frankly, I wouldn’t mind the entertainment."

Azrael’s hand shot out again, this time clutching the edge of the pillow like he might throw it. He didn’t. He just lay there, teeth grinding, eyes burning under the cover.

Rhydric moved closer, steps calm, deliberate. "Enough." His voice was like ice cracking. "We’re not here for your tantrum. Get up."

No response.

Theodore, of course, ruined the tension with a grin. "Fine. If he won’t get up, Eryx, grab his legs. I’ll take the arms. Rhydric, you... I don’t know, supervise with your terrifying resting-bitch face."

Eryx raised a brow. "You want to die, don’t you?"

Theodore smirked. "If it’s by Azrael’s hand, at least it’ll be memorable."

That earned a twitch, Azrael’s shoulders shook under the blanket, not with laughter but with the effort of not snapping. His wolf was still there, barely, simmering just beneath the surface, ready to lash out but not strong enough to make him snap.

He barely had a good night sleep all thanks to that beast and the fucker he has as a Dad.

And yet, his friends didn’t leave. They didn’t fear him. They walked into his room, trying to drag a beast out of bed like he was just another brat refusing school.

Rhydric had been patient. Too patient. He finally stepped forward, fingers curling around the edge of the duvet. For a moment, he just stood there, towering silently over the bundle that was Azrael. Then, without warning, he yanked it clean off with one brutal pull.

Azrael groaned like the dead were dragging him back to the grave. His arm shot up to shield his eyes from the invading light, muscles flexing under his shirt.

His glare cut through the room the moment his face was revealed. Sharp. Cold. Lethal.

If looks could kill, Theodore would’ve been ashes on the spot.

Why him though?

"Good morning, sunshine," Theodore said sweetly, crouching down to grin in Azrael’s face. "Sleep well after scaring the living shit out of me last night?"

"Touch me," Azrael rasped, voice rough with sleep and venom, "and you’ll lose your hand."

Eryx tilted his head, unimpressed. "Bold words for someone looking like a corpse who overslept."

Azrael sat up slowly, raking his fingers through his hair, that lethal glare not softening for a second. His wolf was close to the surface, eyes still holding that unnatural sharpness.

Theodore leaned closer, undeterred. "Ooooh, scary. Look at those eyes. You know, if you keep glaring at me like that, I might just fall in love."

Azrael’s lips twitched, barely but he leaned back against the headboard, clearly weighing the cost of murder.

Eryx pushed off the wall, strolling closer. "Honestly, I thought wolves were supposed to wake up early. You, my friend, are a disgrace to your kind."

Azrael snapped his gaze toward him, voice low. "Keep talking, and I’ll make sure you can’t walk straight for a week."

Eryx smirked. "Promises, promises."

Theodore slapped Eryx’s arm. "Don’t tease him when he’s angry. We don’t need him chewing off anyone’s leg."

Like he isn’t doing the same.

"Chewing," Azrael muttered darkly, dragging a hand down his face. "That’s what you’ll be when I’m done."

Rhydric, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke. "Get dressed. We’re late."

Theodore threw his arms out dramatically. "See? That’s why we keep him around. Direct. To the point. No foreplay."

Eryx chuckled. "Not everyone has the stamina to chatter like you."

"I call it charisma," Theo corrected proudly.

Azrael finally swung his legs off the bed, sitting up fully. His glare swept over the three of them, slow and heavy. "You’re all insufferable."

Theodore’s grin widened. "And yet, here we are,your favorite people in the world. Admit it, you’d be lost without us."

Azrael stood, towering, the kind of presence that filled the whole room. For a moment, silence fell, the kind of silence that carried the weight of last night, of his father’s echo, of the wolf clawing at him from the inside.

But then Theodore ruined it, of course. "Well, at least he’s not naked. That would’ve been awkward."

Eryx snorted. "You sound disappointed."

"Not disappointed," Theo corrected, smirking, "just... relieved. My poor heart can only take so much trauma in a week."

Azrael pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering something under his breath that definitely wasn’t holy.

The silence held for a moment until Rhydric’s voice cut through, flat and deliberate.

"You lost control once," Rhydric said, arms folding across his chest. "Once in months. And you’re standing here acting like you slaughtered an entire pack."

Azrael’s head lifted slowly, eyes narrowing, though the murderous edge in his glare had dulled just a fraction. "You weren’t there," he rasped.

Theo whistled low. "Oh boy, here we go—Daddy Rhydric versus the Brooding Prince."

Eryx smacked the back of Theo’s head, but his lips twitched in amusement.

Rhydric didn’t even flinch at Azrael’s words. He just took a step forward, gaze unwavering. "I don’t need to be there to know you’re exaggerating. You’re not your father, Azrael. Stop acting like his shadow’s chained around your neck."

The words hit harder than Azrael wanted to admit. His hands curled into fists at his sides, chest rising and falling heavier now. His voice dropped low, dangerous. "You don’t know what it feels like when it claws at you, when every part of you is begging to rip something apart."

"Really? Me of all people? Everyone knows I’ve zero percent knowledge about power control" Rhydric shot back, calm as ever. "What matters is you pulled it back. You didn’t lose completely. That’s control even if it’s messy."

Theo threw his hands out dramatically. "Wow. Inspirational. Almost makes me wanna cry."

Eryx’s dry voice followed. "Please don’t. You’re too ugly when you cry, I can’t handle that much."

Azrael ignored them, his gaze locked on Rhydric. His glare softened not much, but enough that it wasn’t trying to burn holes through the man anymore. "Messy isn’t enough," he muttered, jaw tight.

"It’s better than nothing," Rhydric countered. "You think your father ever held back? Even once? No. You did. That alone makes you nothing like him."

For a second, the room went still. Azrael’s chest heaved as if Rhydric’s words pried something open inside him, something he hated to confront.

Theo, of course, ruined the silence. He leaned on Eryx’s shoulder, sighing dramatically. "Awww. Look at this moment. Rhydric playing therapist. Azrael pretending he has feelings. I live for this."

"Shut up, Theo," Azrael muttered but the venom was gone, his voice quieter now.

Eryx chuckled under his breath. "He didn’t even glare that time. Progress."

Azrael rolled his eyes, finally dropping his gaze to the floor. It wasn’t surrender, but it wasn’t defiance either. For the first time since last night, his shoulders loosened just slightly.

Rhydric, satisfied, turned toward the door. "Get dressed. We’ve wasted enough time already."

Azrael exhaled through his nose, sharp but less violent than before. "You’re insufferable."

Theo grinned wide, looping around to block the door like some kind of self-declared guard. "Correction we’re insufferable. All three of us. And you love it."

Eryx smirked. "He tolerates us. Barely."

Azrael shot him a look, but the death glare was gone replaced with something almost human.