Chapters 49

Leo's POV

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"You always pull stunts like that? Your gonna get yourself killed," I say as we both plop down on a couch in the living room of the pack house.

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"I'm a thrill seeker, what can I say," he chuckles.

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"Where did you get the tequila?" I ask and he grins and waves his finger at me.

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"Tsk. Tsk. I'll never give up my sources," he stands up and tosses the bottle in the trash, now empty. "Don't be so judgy, it was nearly empty when I found it in a cupboard in the kitchen. There was more dust on it than anything."

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"What are you boys up to?" Stefan asks, walking in with my mother and Evan.

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"Nothing, just going to watch some tv," Josh replies and looks at me, his eyes pleading for me not to rat him out.

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"Yeah, I was thinking of ordering a pizza," I say quickly.

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"Are you all packed? You have a pretty early flight tomorrow," my mom says and as much as I want to stay with her, I'm really excited to get back to Elise. I miss her, and the rest of the them.

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"You better get packed too Josh, we're going to fly back with him. Luna Aria was kind enough to allow us to take their private jet and tag along. When we get there Alpha Roman will pick us up and help us get situated."

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"Not a lot to pack," Josh says and turns on the tv.

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"Josh, if you aren't ready to go mom is going to be really mad," Evan says and Josh sighs heavily.

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"I never unpacked dad, not since I was a kid," he turns to my mom and Stefan and talks to them, brushing his dad aside. "We move around so much I learned to just keep it all in boxes."

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It's clear he has a big chip on his shoulder and by the look on Evan's face he seems to be both frustrated and sad about the situation. He just runs his hand through his hair and sighs.

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"Six am? Meet you down by the gate?"

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"Yes, we will head to the airport then." Stefan and Evan head to one side of the pack house and my mom walks over to me, kisses me on the forehead and rustles my hair.

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"I wish I could keep you here with me, but I know you have things you need to do and a mate to get back to. I'll see you in the morning."

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She heads back to our quarters and again it's just Josh and I. He flips around the channels as he fidgets with something in his hand until it drops on the floor and rolls over by me. I notice he tries to quickly grab it before I do, but he can't reach and I pick it up.

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I hold it in my hand and look at it, "What's this?" I ask. It's smooth and flawlessly round with an obsidian-like surface that seems to absorb all the light around it. I roll it in my hand and it shimmers with a ghostly silver aura and there are intricate crimson symbols all over it. I squeeze it in my hand and I swear I can feel it pulse or vibrate; it charges me with an odd energy, an energy that makes me uncomfortable, nauseous even.

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"Nothin'. I found it somewhere. Give it back," he says anxiously.

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"All yours," I toss it back to him and that nasty sick feeling is gone the instant it leaves my hand.

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"What are the symbols on it?" I ask and he shrugs his shoulders.

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"Don't know, like I said I found it."

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"Where?"

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"Why all the questions? You want to know where I got my shirt and shoes too? Maybe you want to go through my stuff and I can tell you where everything came from." He is defensive has hell and I just shake my head.

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"No, sorry. It's just weird. I don't care where you got it."

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It's quiet between the two of us for a few minutes as he watches one violent movie preview after another. I decide to change my mind on the pizza. This kid is trouble and the thought of watching any of these movies tonight turns me off.

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"I think I'll hit it," I stand and he waves me off. "See you in the morning," I say and he just mumbles something.

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Once I'm upstairs and in my room I pack up a duffle bag with some of the things I was given here, mostly clothes, and some books and magazines, and I crawl into bed and text Elise, and soon I'm out cold.

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The alarm rings early, and before I feel like I'm fully awake we are already boarding the plane and headed out.

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I didn’t tell anyone that this was my first time on an airplane and the hum of the engines is a dull counterpoint to the thumping in my chest. I stare out the window, pretending to be engrossed in the clouds drifting below, but the truth is, I see nothing. My mind is a whirlwind of images - jagged teeth, blood stains on the training grounds, bodies piled up and the desperate faces of the pack...my pack...my family.

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Family.

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The word feels foreign to me as I repeat it over in my head. For eighteen years it has been nothing but orphanage walls, a hungry stomach, abusive foster parents, and learning to survive on what I could carry in my backpack. That and the endless loneliness of being completely, utterly alone. Then came Elise and her parents and Lucas. Lucas who took me in and was the first person to call me son, to make me a part of his family. Through the terror of all that has happened, they along with Tai, Leia, Sammi, Echo and Jack have been a lifeline in the drowning sea of fear that I really felt would consume me.

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I grip the armrest tighter, sitting up straight and swallowing hard while turbulence shakes the plane. I pretend it's nothing and keep my face emotionless. It's not hard to do, I've had to fake my feelings for a long time and I've kinda perfected it over the years having to rely only on myself. I was taught that showing emotions was a sign of weakness.

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When things would get to be too much I would find a cemetery and hide in it, I would crouch over the grave of a stranger because I knew that it was the one place where no one would ask me what was wrong. If I cried, it was assumed it was for the person whose stone was in front of me, not because I was weak. It was a safe place to let myself go without having to ever talk to anyone or have them find out how awful things were.

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I didn't crack in front of people until Gideon started talking to me. When Mr. Johnson confronting me after Donavan and his asshole friends beat the crap out of me I started to crack. The wall I had put up was so battered that it started to crumble.

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As the clouds drift by, the constant fear of what is to come is fading away. I hadn’t let myself really feel anything, not really, when we were burying the dead and talking to grieving families. I just did what was necessary over the last two weeks, and as we near home I can feel the pressure building. The relief of knowing that my pack is ok and that my uncle can no longer terrorize anyone is overwhelming. But for the first time I can say I feel safe.

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Evan and his family are in the back of the plane and I glance quickly at the man sitting next to me, Ru they call him. He is lost in a book and was sent with me as a guard to protect me so that I wasn’t alone, and I’m thankful that he seems oblivious to the internal turmoil raging within me.

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Good.

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I need to maintain the illusion of composure. The last thing I want is to become the weeping, emotional orphan. My pack needs Leo, the strong one, who will be stoic and dependable like my father. A leader for them to look up to. Augusta's son.

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The pilot’s voice crackles over the intercom, announcing our decent and my stomach lurches. I squeeze my eyes shut, fighting the tremor that is threating to take over my body.

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The wheels touch down with a jarring thud and as the plane taxies to the gate I can see them, all standing behind the barrier. Jack, broad shoulders squared, and faint scars on his face. Thai and Echo beside him. Leia is holding Angie’s hand and Elise is clutching onto Sammy. Lucas and Roman are behind them and they are all alive... and waiting for me.

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The doors open and I grab my duffle bag and force myself to walk, not run, towards them. With each step I take the mask I ware grows heavier. The effort to maintain my composure is almost unbearable.

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When I am there in front of them, Jack claps me on the shoulder and his grip is firm. “Welcome home, Leo.”

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Angie punches me lightly in the arm. “Took you long enough. Did you miss us?” She says as Elise tucks herself under my arm.

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I swallow hard, the words catching in my throat. “Yeah,” I manage to croak.

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And then, without warning, the dam breaks.

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The world blurs and the stoicism that I had carefully constructed crumbles to dust. The weigh of everything, the trauma, the fear, the relief, and the overwhelming love, washes over me in a tidal wave. I didn’t even realize I was crying until I felt Elise’s hand on my cheek, gently wiping away the tears. I didn’t realize I was shaking until Jack put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close.

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“It’s okay, Leo,” Jack murmurs, his voice low and comforting. “It’s all over now. You’re home.”

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I let go.

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I let the tears fall and let myself be held, and let myself feel everything.

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Standing there, surrounded by my family, I finally realize what it meant to truly belong. I was still Leo, the abandoned orphan, but I was also Leo the pack member. An Alpha with a mother that loves him and a family surrounding me and I am finally, truly home. For the first time in my life I don't have to be strong alone.

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"Welcome back," Roman says and he approaches us as Evan and the rest of the family join us.

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"Evan we will take you and the family to our pack lands if you like. We have a great school for the girls and it's not a long commute to your new job." Evan smiles but my eyes settle on Sammi.

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She is staring at Josh and he seems to be ignoring her. She watches his every move and when he finally looks at her he pauses slightly and then tosses his backpack further on his shoulder and ignores her. Sammi's eyes start to well up with tears and I see her whisper something in Elise's ear and Elise looks shocked.

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They are mates, I'm sure of it. Gideon tells me and I had figured as much.

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Why is he ignoring her? I ask, but there's no answer.

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I just notice that Josh is rolling that odd ball in his hand and acting as if Sammi doesn't even exist.