Chapter 10

Alpha Eric's POV

“That bitch talking yet?” I ask my council, and they nod sheepishly. Every one of them fears me, and that’s exactly how I like it, but some of them are just plain useless. I got rid of the Beta, I don’t need a second in command, and I assume he has turned rogue or is dead by now. Beta Evan was Augusta’s beta, I tossed him and his family out years ago, I should have just killed them.

“She isn’t going to give up her son. I’m not convinced she even knows where he is.” One of my members explains and it infuriates me.

“Well, then how do you propose we find him?” I say through gritted teeth trying to control my rage. I have had my council looking for any clues of where he could be all through the night, and so far nothing.

“He must be found!” I storm towards one of the elders and they cower back against the wall. Weaklings, all of them. Before I take my anger out on this fool another of my council bursts through the doors.

“Got him.” He says and slams papers down on the table. “He is in the North. In the human territory.”

“How do you know?” I ask skeptically.

“The kid was given up. My guess is he has no idea who he is or even what he is. I had Stefan search hospital records going back eighteen years. There was nothing until an odd blood test result popped up in the Northern region. A kid was taken to the hospital for tests. Everything came back abnormal, and get this...” He points to a highlighted section of the report.

Abnormalities in the optic nerves. Complete heterochromia is present. Potential future issues include blurred vision and possibly complete loss of sight.

“So his eyes are like his fathers, and if he went to a human hospital, he would be deemed very sick indeed if they took his blood. Our blood is nothing like theirs.” I say, pleased to finally have a lead.

“And guess what the kid’s name is?” he asks.

“You have a name?” I’m impressed by Stefan's ability to hack into things.

“Leo.”

I pause for a moment and then realize that the boy was named after his father, Augusta. A hatred within me burns bright just thinking about my nephew’s existence. With him alive, I will never truly rule as King; I will never have the full Alpha power that I have deserved all these years.

“Let’s go. Grab two of our warriors and meet me out front. We are taking a trip north, I want to be there by early afternoon." I toss the papers down on the table and head to the dungeon where my bitch wife is going to rot forever.

“Leo,” I say to her and she confirms everything with a single look.

“Please, Eric he’s your nephew. You’re own blood.” She rushes towards the bars.

“Don’t worry Aria, I’ll bring him back here alive, he can meet the woman who tossed him aside like a piece of garbage before I tear him to pieces right in front of you.”

I stride out with some satisfaction as she screams my name to show mercy, but there will be none for her or her pathetic mutt of a child.

We fly into the Northern territory and pick up a car. Stefan, my intelligence officer, has organized things and done additional research in flight. He indicated that my nephew goes to high school in Fairview, and that’s where I head first. I get buzzed in by the front desk and a security guard meets me to take me to the office. It’s cute how they think this tiny elderly human is going to protect anyone, especially from me. I sit down with my men and next to us is some brickhouse of a kid who is staring at us like we’re Gods. We wait only a few minutes before another man walks in.

“Hello gentlemen, what is it I can help you with? I’m principal Peterson.” He reaches out his hand and I decide to be civil and take it. I’ll turn on the charm and behave with the humans. I want to keep a low profile, the last thing I need is to have Roman find out I'm here.

“Thank you for seeing us unannounced. I am looking for a young man named Leo. He’s a senior here?” The principal tilts his head and looks surprised at my request.

“Are you his parent or guardian?” He asks and I shake my head.

“No, I’m his uncle,” I reply, but the man just raises his eyebrow and shakes his head.

“I’m sorry, but giving out information on a student is not permitted unless they are an approved contact. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“I just told you I’m the kid’s uncle, all I’m asking is to talk with him.” I stand hoping that I can intimidate this weasel of man.

“Sir, I am not allowed to provide information without the consent of his guardian. In Leo's case, you will have to request that through child services in the city. They can handle it from there.”

The man points a finger at the smarmy kid sitting next to us and shakes it at him. “Donavan, stay put. I’ll be back and we can discuss what you did in Mrs. Alma’s class.” The man turns to us once more and slides past us. “Excuse me, gentlemen, I need to go calm down a very upset home-ec teacher.”

With that, he leaves us with nothing. I’m furious and as we start to leave the annoying kid stands up and plasters a shit-eating grin on his face.

“You lookin’ for Leo Ellis?” He says with some venom in his voice.

“You know him?” I ask with a slight growl, hoping to scare the kid.

“Maybe, what’s it worth to ya?” He smirks and leans up against the wall.

Does this little shit think he can extort something from me? I move up to him and grab him by the throat and lift him off the ground, pressing him against the wall. “You wanna play games with me you little piss ant? Tell me where I can find Leo and maybe I won’t break every bone in your neck.” I hiss at him and the kid starts to shake, clearly understanding the seriousness of the situation.

“Okay, okay!” He squeaks out and I drop him to the floor.

“Tell me, or I’ll make sure no one ever finds a single piece of you.”

The kid stands up and starts to spill it. “He’s not here, he got suspended. He-he lives downtown, some group home. I know he works at the pawn shop down there too. He’s a worthless piece of shit.”

I walk up to him and punch my fist into the cinder block brick wall beside his head, missing him on purpose by a hair.

“You better be telling me the truth or I’m coming back for you, do you understand?” I ask, and the kid shakes his head up and down and I notice that he is so scared he pisses himself.

“Pathetic.”

My men and I leave the kid in the office and exit the building, with the security guard yelling after us that we need to check out. I shake my head, rip up my name tag and toss it on the ground. Our next destination is to pay this little pawn shop a visit.

Elise's POV

“Did you call school?” My dad asks my mom as I get ready to leave with him for the city.

“Yes, she has been excused for today. What are you going to do? How will you handle this?” she asks my dad and he helps me get my coat on as I struggle to find the sleeve that’s tucked behind me.

“Very gently. This kid is about to have his world flipped upside down.”

My mom gives us both a kiss on the cheek as we leave. “I’ll be moving Alpha Jonathan into the guest quarters today. When you get back that’s where you’ll find me.”

We head out and our drive into human territory is quiet. It’s snowing out and as we pull farther away, I am somewhat comforted that I can still see the mountains that are visible from our pack grounds.

“Where do we go first?” I ask my dad, curious about where we are driving.

“His school. I want to see this kid before we make any moves and confirm he’s still here.”

We don’t have to look hard, when we pull up there is a kid on the steps of the school talking with one of the teachers.

'Mate. There he is Elise. Please let me out so I can touch him. He is very upset. I can feel it.'

“That’s him.” My dad slows the car down so we don’t draw attention to ourselves, and we watch for a few moments.

“He’s tall.” My dad comments. ”Jax can feel his Alpha aura from here. He has a powerful wolf within him too.” My dad’s wolf, Jax, is as level-headed as my father. Always fair and just in his decisions. My parents first met when they were in wolf form, their wolves were in battle on opposite sides, and just as she was about to strike him down their eyes locked and they knew they were destined for one another.

Just like I know I am destined for Leo.

We watch the two until Leo storms off and runs around the corner.

“Something’s wrong. What do we do?” I ask, and my dad slowly moves the car down the street.

“We will keep an eye on him, let’s see where he goes.” We are careful to not let him see us as he cuts through yards and makes his way back into the city. He pauses in front of a broken-down old church and then disappears behind it.

“Follow him. I’m going to go to the pawn shop and see if I can’t find this Frank guy. Be careful.”

I hop out of the car and my dad parks and heads in the opposite direction.

I peek around the corner of the church and I see him slumped down over one of the graves. Snow is gently falling down around him in giant flakes and the scene makes my heart ache. I wait several minutes before I walk up to him but he doesn’t notice me, he has his head buried in his arms and I can see his body quietly shuttering.

“Leo?” I say softly and I kneel down beside him. He flinches and looks up at me, startled. His sadness is replaced with embarrassment as he quickly wipes the dampness from his cheeks.

“Leo, are you okay?” I reach up and wipe a tear that he missed. He doesn’t say anything at first, he just turns and stares at the ground as he gets his thoughts together.

“Hey, whatever it is, It’s all gonna be okay.” I gently turn his face up to look at me and those eyes stare into mine and melt my heart.

“What are you doing here?” He asks in a low quiet voice.

“Looking for you.” I reach to take his hand in mine, but he pulls it away. “Leo, what’s wrong?” He shakes his head but doesn’t immediately say anything, instead, he grabs his backpack and starts to get up. “Leo, wait...”

He stands with his back to me, and I get up off the ground and jump in front of him, placing my hand on his chest. “Please, don’t go.” We both feel the sparks when I touch him, and he looks down at me with a hint of confusion.

“Elise, you don’t know anything about me. Trust me when I say you don’t want me. Look at me, there isn’t anything here that I can offer you. You’ll figure it out sooner or later, and I’d prefer to not go through the pain of it.”

'Don’t do this Leo. Let her in, she won’t leave. She was chosen for us.'

“Leo, I don't think you understand, there is nothing I have ever wanted more in my life than to be with you. I know that you’re feeling it. I know you feel the bond and I know that the voice in your head wants me too. You need to listen to him.”

His eyes fly up and he tilts his head to the side.

“H - How do you know about the voice? I never told you anything about that. The only one I ever told was Frank. Are you spying on me?” He takes several steps back and then turns and walks away from me.

“Leo, stop! STOP!” I run after him, but he ignores me and I chase him until we are in the back room of the pawn shop. He skids to a stop when he sees my dad crouched down over a lifeless Frank, blood pooling on the floor and splattered on the walls.

"Frank!" He cries out. My father stands up and comes towards us, and Leo rushes to get to Frank, screaming his name. He pushes my dad to the side and drops down beside a lifeless and bloodied body and is panicked, "Wake up! Please, just wake up! Frank, please...please don't leave me..." You can hear the desperation in Leo's voice. My dad quickly wraps his arm around Leo’s waist and drags him back.

“We have to go! Now! They know he’s here.” My father says and continues to drag Leo through the shop and out the back.

“Frank!” Leo is beside himself. “You - you killed him? Let go of me!” He says but my dad pays no attention to his words.

“Elise, we need to get him somewhere safe.” My dad is holding Leo tight, but he is starting to fight back. “Calm down , please.” He takes Leo by the shoulders trying to get him to focus. “Listen, I’ll explain everything to you soon, but right now you need to go with my daughter and do what she says. I didn’t kill Frank, but the people who did are coming back, and they are looking for you.”

“This is crazy, no, no way!” Leo twists from his grip and starts to run, but he is no match for my father. My dad easily catches him and then grimaces before he puts Leo in a chokehold, and after a small struggle he forces him to pass out.

“Sorry, kid.” My dad tosses Leo over his shoulder and looks at me apologetically. “We need to get him out of here, it was the only way. He’ll be fine, but we need to go.” We quickly duck down the alley and my dad places Leo in the back seat of our car. We speed out of town and head for the pack lands. Leo has no idea that at this very moment his life has changed forever.

Frank's POV

I've been the keeper over Leo since he was 15. The coven I belong to vowed to hide him, from what or who I don't know. I’m not high enough on the ladder for that kind of information. But now that he is getting to be of age, he is going to go through changes that the human world is not aware of and I need to keep an eye out so that when the time comes we can help him understand that he's not exactly human.

Truth is, I fucked up and this was my punishment. I got sent to this shitty city where I found this run-down shitty pawnshop and bought the place from the original owner for twice what it was worth. I was angry that I had to leave my home to watch over some dumb kid. At least that’s what I thought at the time. But it wasn’t long before I started to really care about him. He’s special and genuine, and I’ve grown to love the boy as if he were my own. It kills me to see him struggle, but I still have my orders to keep my distance.

This morning after Leo took off for school I settled down at the front desk and started looking at the new box of shit that someone dropped off. I gave them fifty bucks for it, but honestly, I have no idea if what’s in here is worth even five. I pick up a very tarnished candlestick when the front door opens and I smell them before I see them.

Wolves. Shit.

“Hey. You know a kid named Leo?” They come up to the counter and don’t bother with small talk.

“Can’t say I do.” I recognize one of them from photos and know that I’m gonna be in some deep shit here. It’s Alpha King Eric from the southern territory. I’m also not so stupid as to think he hasn’t figured out that I’m not human. He would know that just by my scent. We all have signature aromas, and wolves can detect them, especially Alphas.

“It’s in your best interest to tell me the truth.” He leans over the counter and grabs me by my shirt. My mind races and I know if this guy is looking for Leo it isn’t good.

“Whoa, I told ya, I don’t know any fuckin’ kid named Leo. I was cast out by my Coven and now I own this shit hole. Does this look like the kind of place a kid would hang out?” I scramble out of his hands and head into the back room, but they follow me.

“We know he comes here! Now, if you value any part of your life, you’ll tell me where he is!” His voice booms and when I look into his eyes and see them glaze over, I know his wolf is about to come forward. He’s going to kill me either way.

“I told ya, I don’t know any kid by the name of Leo.” I seal my fate, but it’s worth it to protect Leo, even if it only gives him a little more time.

“Get him to talk.” He screams at one of his warriors and they take me and push me into a chair and begin to execute brutal tactics to get me to speak. One of them grabs my lit cigar off the counter and presses it into my flesh and I scream out in pain, but I’ll never give the boy up. When that doesn’t work things start to intensify and before I know it I’ve been beaten so badly I can barely comprehend what’s happening. Then, in one swift movement, Alpha Eric comes back, his wolf taking over, and plunges his claws into my stomach. Several slashes are made before he tosses me to the ground.

“Useless piece of shit.” He screams and just as quickly as they come in they leave.

I lay on the ground and know that these are not wounds I can recover from. Christ, I’m going to die in this shitty pawn shop and I’ll never get to tell Leo how I really feel about him. As the fog drifts in to take me I see a large figure come towards me. It’s our King and Alpha, Roman. He crouches down and takes my hand in his.

“Oh no. Are you Frank?” He asks and I manage to look at him and nod. “Do you know who I am?” he asks and I nod again. Everyone in all of the different northern territories knows our King and Queen. They are beloved to us and helped bring peace to all of us. He lifts me into his arms and I can’t believe it, but I actually start to cry with pride knowing he is the last person I will see.

“You have been protecting Leo, I can’t ever thank you enough for that.” He says to me. “Leo is Princess Elise’s mate.” My eyes fly open and I can’t believe it. I knew Leo was special, but I had no idea how special. “Frank, you have been taking care of the future King and Alpha of the south. Leo is Alpha Augusta and Luna Aria’s son. Didn’t you know that?” I signal that I didn’t, and it brings me some peace to know that the boy I cared for is indeed destined for greatness.

With that peace of mind, I drift off and let go of this life.