Chapter 15

Alpha Roman's POV

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“What are we going to tell him?” Lucas asks me as we leave the debrief, both of us still shocked at what our scouts have come back with.

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“The truth. Hiding things from Leo isn’t going to make things better. He needs to understand fully what's happening.”

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“You know when he hears about his mother he isn’t going to sit here quietly. We need to tell the council. Word is going to get out that he’s here, it’s only a matter of time. Better if it comes from us than it being leaked, or someone accidentally seeing him. We will lose trust in the council if they don’t hear it from you first.”

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“I know. I’m worried though. Not just for Leo, but for Elise as well. Eric will go after her as leverage if we aren’t careful. Do you fully trust everyone on the council?” I ask, curious about his answer.

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“I only fully trust you, Roman. The rest I watch diligently to ensure their motives are in the best interests of our territory, but we need them, and honesty is our biggest asset with them right now. It also allows me to take Leo to the training grounds without having to sneak around.” I know Lucas has a point and based on our information we need to move fast.

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“Let’s bring the council together. We will bring them all up to speed tomorrow evening. I’ll schedule a remote session, I don’t think everyone can get here in such a short time.”

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“Do you want me to go with you to talk with Leo?” Lucas asks, but I know he would come with either way. It was a polite way of inviting himself. I have a feeling that Lucas has created a bond with the young man, and I know that he has been worried about him.

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“Yes. He seems to be more at ease when you’re there.” We get to his door and I hesitate to knock. “I’m not looking forward to this conversation,” I say quietly. I take a deep breath and knock, and Leo opens the doors within seconds and he looks a bit disappointed. When I see Elise isn’t there, I realize why. He was hoping for my daughter.

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“Leo, how has your day been?” I ask as Lucas pops open the fridge in the room and pulls out a Pelligrino.

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“Hmm... I see you get the good stuff.” He says as he sits down at the table and tosses a bottle to Leo.

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“I’m okay. I, um.” Leo pauses and he looks embarrassed. He looks at the bed and there are bags of clothes sitting on it, along with shoes, jackets, and a bunch of other things like toiletries.

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“I can’t pay for any of this and I don’t want handouts. You can put me to work, I can make mon-”

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I cut him off before he can keep going. This boy has no idea that, as the future king of the south, he has more money than anyone in this room, with the exception of myself. He is royalty, and I know in my heart that he will use his wealth for good just as we have tried to do. But, I know he won’t take the handout.

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“Leo, this is not a gift. I expect that after you take your place as Alpha and leader of the south, you will repay me.” I hear Lucas chuckle and nearly spit out his drink, no doubt amused by the situation and the absurdity of my statement. He knows exactly what Leo is worth.

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“I will pay every penny back. If you have the receipts I’ll make sure to return every cent, no matter how long it takes me.” He says, and Lucas stands up and pats him on the back.

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“Good. We keep very detailed records.” Lucas smiles and then gestures for Leo to sit down at the table. “We need to have a serious conversation about what our scouts found. Leo, this won’t be easy to hear, so I ask that before you react you listen to everything. Together, we will put a plan together. Understand?”

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Leo looks worried and nods in approval.

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“Do you want to get Alpha Jonathan as well?” Lucas asks, but I have already called for him.

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“He will be here any minute,” I say, and after a few minutes, he enters the room and takes a seat beside Leo.

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“We just finished our debrief with the scouts that went to check on things in the South. Unfortunately, it is much worse than we thought.” I start out, carefully watching both of these young men for their reactions.

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“Alpha Eric has decided to slowly take over all neighboring settlements, regardless of territories. He has forced them to turn over their lands and anyone that has tried to get in the way he has either imprisoned or killed. There have been hundreds of deaths so far, including several of his own council.”

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“Any word on my people? My mother and sister?” Jonathan asks but he doesn’t get the answer he wants.

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“Your Mother and sister have been confined to their home, no one has seen them outside of it, and most of the men were forced to work for Eric." I open the envelope that I brought with me and pull out a bunch of pictures.

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“Leo, Eric has imprisoned your mother, but the good news is that she is still alive. Here are some of the photos that were taken.” I hand him the photos and I recognize the look on his face immediately. It is the same look his father had whenever he was angry and ready for war. “Leo, I can already see you are ready to react, you need to calm yourself and continue to listen.”

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He takes a deep breath and nods.

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“Eric has also started to take over human territory. He has an entire town on lockdown. He has essentially closed them off from the rest of the world. No phones, internet, nothing. He has taken some of the women and girls as well.”

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“What on earth for?” Jonathan asks.

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“Money. He has been taking them to auction, selling them to the highest bidder. Human females are valuable to the underworld society.”

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I pass over more pictures of some of the women they have taken and Leo grabs one and stares at it.

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“Angie,” he mutters. “Where are they? This girl, I know her, we need to get to her.” Leo jumps from his chair in a panic. “I can’t let anything happen to her!”

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Lucas looks at me and we are both equally confused.

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“You know her?” I ask. “This girl right here?”

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“Yes, yes her name is Angie. Fuck. FUCK!” Leo is pacing the room now.

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“How do you know her Leo?” I need to understand how they are connected. If Eric were to find out she means something to Leo, he won’t hesitate to use her. She is better off being sold than winding up in Eric’s hands as a pawn for revenge.

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“She is literally my only friend. We go to school together. She said she was going on vacation down south somewhere.” He stops at looks at Lucas. “She is the only one, outside of Frank, that ever gave a shit about me. I need to find her.” He swallows hard and I can see his hands start to shake. “I can’t lose her too. Tell me, tell me where they are!”

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Jonathan stands and puts his hand on Leo’s arm. “Leo, we will find her, but you need to understand that you can’t just waltz in and politely ask for them. This is war, Leo. We will need to do this together.”

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“He’s right. Lucas, assign a scout to watch for her, we need to keep an eye on what is happening with her.” I hand him the picture of Leo’s friend Angie. “Tomorrow we are going to introduce you to the council Leo, and start training. You need to have a discussion with your wolf too. It’s time for him to join you in this life.”