Chapters 45

Leo's POV

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"Hmm, cooling off?"

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"Shit, Odette, you scared the crap out of me," I say, jumping out of my skin as she creeps up on me out of nowhere.

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"What on earth are you doing out here alone?" she asks. "There are people looking for you.”

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"I just needed a second to myself and to cool off, it's hot as hell here." I say suddenly becoming very aware of my lack of clothing in the water.

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"You know, it really isn't safe for you to be wandering around the woods outside of the pack lands."

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"Hmm, I guess I didn't realize I had left the grounds. But, with my uncle taken care of I don't see what danger there is." I sink back under the water and come back up trying to hide my embarrassment and praying that she just goes away. But she doesn't, she sits down on a log next to my clothes.

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"Leo, do you fully understand who you are and what you're worth? You are a King, although I imagine that is difficult to comprehend. But you are also filthy rich. Men like you are never out of danger. People want what you have. They'll kill for it."

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"None of it's mine, Odette, it belongs to my mother and I don't have any right to it. I didn't earn it. I plan to get a job just like anyone else."

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She looks at me and raises her perfectly penciled eyebrow and then laughs.

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"Sweetie, you more than earned your right to everything here. But don't fool yourself, you won't be allowed to go back to your old life or to get a regular job. You belong to the pack as much as they belong to you."

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"Could you please hand me my pants?" I say, realizing she isn't going anywhere.

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"You're going to put them on in the water?" she asks with a smirk and shyly I nod. "Come on out, I won't peek." She turns her back to me and quickly I hop out of the lake and nearly fall over trying to get my pants on.

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"Don't be embarrassed, Leo, have you any idea how many men I've seen in my life?" She turns around and looks me up and down. "But you definitely are quite...special." She makes me squirm and I reach around her to grab my t-shirt and quickly put it on.

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"So, King Leo, what will you do next?" she asks and I genuinely haven't a clue.

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"There's so much to figure out," I tell her and I just start rambling. "I mean, where am I going to live? Do I go back to the North with Roman and Elise? Do I stay here? Does Elise stay here? Do I finish high school?"

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"Leo..."

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"I don't even drive, did you know that? Never got my license. Do I need to get that now? I'm going to need to if I want to get a job. I don't have a car though, so I'll need a job to get a car and insurance..."

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"Leo, honey..."

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"College maybe? I don't have any idea," I feel overwhelmed and Odette can sense it. She walks over to me and takes my hand, guiding me to come sit beside her.

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"Leo, look at me. First of all, what you do have is all of us. You're a sweet boy, smart, but you're naïve to think that some of these decisions are yours to make alone, or at all for that matter. But decisions do need to be made, and soon."

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She's right, we need to sit down with Lucas and Roman, it's time to move forward. Gideon says, he has been patient with me, but I know he wants to shift again and that scares the shit out of me.

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"Come, lets get you back to pack grounds and safe."

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We start walking back and she tries to fill the silence with conversation. "Are you looking forward to the pack run tonight?" she asks and I’m honestly not very excited about it. The first time I shifted was horrific.

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"I'm nervous, but Gideon is assuring me that it won't be like last time."

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As soon as we get back Elise comes running towards me and grabs my hand. "Hi Odette!" She says before she drags me at mock speed through the street and to the hospital. "Come on! Why are you all wet?" She says laughing and soon we are on Jack's floor and everyone is there. I walk into his room and he is sitting up and has the biggest smile on his face.

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"Leo, m'boy!" he says and I'm so happy to see him.

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"Jack," I walk to the bed and hug him gently, "I'm so sorry. I'm so glad you're okay," I say under my breath and he squeezes me a little tighter and whispers in my ear.

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"Did you see her? I found her because of you." I look at Reece and she looks so happy.

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"Okay kids, let's go. Jack needs to rest and visiting hours are over," the nurse ushers everyone out and then sees me and looks nervous. "Of course, Alpha Leo, if you would like to stay you may."

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I don't like how people treat me, but I understand that this is how it is for now.

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"No, no. You have every right to tell me to go," I say and I smile at her hoping to ease her mind a little.

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We all leave the hospital and I'm greeted by Roman, Lucas and Odette. "Leo, we've been looking for you," Roman says and Odette just smiles.

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"He was just with the kids, give him some space," she playfully tells them, but I know she's keeping my little secret of leaving the pack grounds.

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"Tonight we have a council meeting, Leo," Roman looks serious. It's a look he has clearly mastered. "Lucas and I need to return to our pack, but there are a lot of things to be discussed."

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"Who's going to be there?" I ask.

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"The southern council members, of course your mother, we will be there and all of you will be there too." Roman points to everyone and they all look wide eyed. "You are all very important in Leo's circle and you will all have a part to play as he navigates his way through this new life."

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"After the meeting we will have a pack run and then in the morning we begin to send everyone home." Lucas says and there is clearly excitement from the group. "Ok, go get ready and we will meet in the auditorium at six, grab dinner first!"

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Everyone goes on their way and I grab Lucas and ask him to stay behind. I tell Elise to go get ready with Sammi. Elise grabs onto me first and she pulls me down to her lips.

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"Lilly can't wait to get her hands on Gideon tonight, tell him to be ready," she smiles and kisses me and Gideon is howling in my head in excitement. The things he is saying are not PG that's for sure.

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Lucas laughs, clearly overhearing her and we walk together back to the pack house.

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"Did you enjoy your swim?" Lucas asks and I look up at him in shock. "Don't try and hide it, I know where you were. I told you I'm not letting anything happen to you."

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"So you’re having me followed? I don't get any privacy?" I ask annoyed.

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"No, I'm having you protected. When you leave pack grounds you need an escort. On pack grounds you can have all the privacy you want."

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"Well, I can accept that. I honestly didn't realize I was outside the boundaries."

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He opens the pack house doors and we walk for a bit down a long hallway and then into a small office.

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Lucas' POV

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"Come, sit down. We can talk in here." I say and Leo looks nervous.

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"Lucas...I'm afraid to shift."

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"Oh, well that's understandable. Your first time was not ideal." It was downright terrifying I think to myself.

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"It won't be like that this time, and Gideon will be in control during the run. It's an amazing experience the first time."

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I can see there is still something else on his mind and I pull a package of cookies out of a drawer and slide them over to him.

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"Snack drawer," I smile and point to the large drawer in the desk.

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He happily takes the cookies and after eating one he looks up at me with intense eyes.

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"I...um...Gideon is talking about doing some pretty crazy things with Lily. Like...sexual things. And something about a mating ritual and it's really intense."

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I can't wipe the smile off of my face and it takes everything in me not to chuckle.

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"Leo, you are in for one of the wildest, intense, and passionate nights of your life." I can see he is really worried about this.

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"Leo, you have had sex before right?" He looks like he swallowed a fly when I say it and he shifts uncomfortably.

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"I mean, yeah...like of course."

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"How many times Leo?" I don't care if I'm being too personal, this conversation is too good to pass up.

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"Um, once. The same day I was taken," he says and then panics. "With Elise, it was Elise, not anyone else."

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"Okay, well that's a good start. There are two parts to the mating ritual. One between your wolves and then one between you and Elise. Both will happen tonight, and there is nothing to be afraid of. Once you complete the bond you will be able to mind link one another, your connection will become much deeper. You will be able to sense her emotions and she will be able to sense yours. It's magical." I tell him and he does look somewhat relieved.

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"And when you shift tonight, you will have your pack with you and your mate, and no one will be trying to kill you," I tease him a little and I can see the light shine back in his eyes.

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"You're mom told me you had a good talk too. I'm glad." I tell him and he nods his head.

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"It was good, but really hard," he admits.

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"How are the nightmares?" I ask him, Roman said that Elise was worried that he was still having them, although not as intense.

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"I'm remembering them more. I used to never know they were happening. Now I wake up and I can remember what they're about. There's a lot in my past that I haven't really dealt with, Elise's mom suggested seeing someone who can help process it all, so I'm gonna do that."

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"Good."

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"What else ya got in there?" he points to the snack drawer and I laugh.

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"No way, kid. These are mine, you're gonna need to get your own."

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Stephan's POV

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Having Sadia back and us living in our little cottage has been so wonderful. I feel like my old self again and my heart swells every time little Ben is with me, and when he calls me daddy I nearly burst. But a part of me is consumed with vengeance. As soon as Sadia told me what Eric did, I haven’t stop thinking about it.

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About how I had failed her.

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I want him dead. So while everyone is on the pack run I'm going to make sure that piece of shit doesn't live to see a other day.