Night
Delinquent
Third person's POV
Songbirds were chirping dawn's lullabies from the heights of pine branches. Beads of morning dew resides on the greenest of leaves, gradually sliding down to kiss freshly mowed grass. The spooky fog that veiled several of the mansion's floral gardens seemed to notice the giant fireball's peek, elegantly retreating its whispy mists back into the surrounding woodlands of Bloodwood Creek.
One by one, residents of Lascelles were preparing to start their morning chores. Either unaware or deliberately ignoring the commotion coming from the lowest and most secluded part of the ancient building.
The dungeons.
Last night, during their late-night patrols, Carson and his team of Gammas had found an uninvited stranger wandering around the pack's territory. Resulting in a quick man-hunt to capture the intruder, thus explaining their absence from the feast, much to Alex's dismay for not being able to stuff his face with greasy goods.
Several hours went by and these five men kept their attention fixated at the red-head who was bounded onto a wooden chair. His wrists and ankles were forcefully chained with jagged rusty metals, piercing his flesh, soaking its orange-brown rusts red.
It was only an hour ago when their Alpha decided to show up. Cal was beyond furious to be interrupted before the crack of dawn, but once he saw their newest catch, his eyes lit up.
"I SWEAR IF YOU-"
"Shut up, Matty boy," the tall grey-eyed Alpha threw his head back and laughed hysterically. Finding the bloodied man's words amusing. "Your delusions are killing me."
Blinking off sarcastic invincible tears, Cal motioned towards his blonde Beta, who looked more than happy to refill the empty mug with wolfsbane-infused water.
"Hold him up, boys," a sinister grin was plastered on his angelic face. Under their Alpha's orders, both Carson and Theo grabbed the chained man's jaws and forced it open with their inhuman strength. "Enjoy your breakfast."
"YOU DARE-"
Before he got to finish his sentences, Cal forced the purple liquid down the man's throat. It was a messy sight. The liquid splattered everywhere, staining his captors' shirts. Utterly disgusted by this, Carson connected his knuckles right on to the man's jaw, creating an unmistakable cracking sound of bones colliding with one another.
"Savor this complimentary drink, will you? Think of it as some kind of grape juice," he spat, eyes consumed by hatred.
"Now, now, Carson," Cal chuckled. The sight of blood coming from this particular individual satisfied his thirst for vengeance. "Where's the fun in doing it just once? Have another go."
Following his Alpha's instructions, the Beta kept on punching the captive repeatedly until his own knuckles turned red. But still, the man refused to crack.
His once bright mint eyes were now barely noticeable due to the swollen bruises that impaired his visions. Fresh blood gushed heavily from his broken nose, staining his cut-covered bare upper body red. Trickles of the warm liquid made its way past his busted lips, overwhelming his mouth with saltiness.
Matthew Sawyers' current state resembled a creature created by Victor Frankenstein. More than a decade ago, the Sawyers was one of the three families who refused to lend a hand when the Rosiers got attacked by a legion of lycans for five nights straight. Their actions resulted in a brutal bloodbath and within a span of days, many lives were lost. Including the great Alpha, Calix Rosier and his gentle wife, Giselle.
Callahan's parents.
That night, under the protection of Alpha Oliver, they were retreating when Cal saw his own father's demise at the young age of thirteen. Surrounded and eaten alive by lycans. Skin ripped off flesh, limbs torn apart, and intestines spilled everywhere. The gruesome sight disturbed him deeply, but nobody would've suspected that the notorious Alpha Callahan was capable of having nightmares.
Nightmares cannot have nightmares.
"Matthew, Matt, Matty boy, tell me," he circled the victim tauntingly. "To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you in my humble abode hmm? Daddy-O got bored of his golden son? Or perhaps an unexpected fallout with dearest Maximillian?"
Maximillian 'Max' Sawyers was Matt's older fraternal twin. They were known to share a deep brotherly bond, often aiding one another in pack duties.
An uninvited Sawyer within his grounds? That fact alone just bought young Matt an express ticket towards his afterlife.
"You don't know what you're doing, Callahan," Matt was beginning to lose his consciousness at an alarming rate and soon passed out due to the unbearable pain.
Sighing in annoyance, Cal barked out orders to deal with the intruder. "Lock him up! Feed the boy, but deprive him of water! I need him alive! Kyros, you're in charge! Carson, my office NOW!"
The five men obediently complied their Alpha's orders. Carson followed Cal outside whilst Kyros released the chains from Matt's bloodied limbs and dragged his body towards an empty cell, shoving him inside. Alex, Theo, and another werewolf named Rode began to scrub the dried and fresh blood off the dungeon's stone flooring. Relief washed over them, because finally their shift was over.
"Alexander, report to my office," Cal spoke through the mind link.
"Yes, Alpha."
His thick brows were furrowed, emphasising the harsh lines on his forehead while his pink lips tightened into a straight line. Anger was evident on his face, so nobody dared to approach their fuming Alpha as he made his way to the study. Carson, who was hot on Cal's trails, motioned his hand slicing off his neck to show that he may be in some kind of trouble, and at that very moment, everybody knew their 'fun' Beta was fucked.
Yes, fun. Seeing how there were two Betas in charge, Carson was always known as the people's person - a social butterfly, whereas Alexander got the crappier reputation for being too serious. According to Carson, they got along fairly well, despite Alexander's daily complaints about his son's poor choices of role models. Cal topped Horus' list, Carson landed second best, and Alexander, his own father, ranked third.
Upon entering his study, Cal was greeted by the sight of his other Beta who was standing beside the file-stacked desk, dressed in a white button up shirt and black slacks. Formal as usual. Carson's concerned expression told Alexander everything he needed to know about this morning's urgent meeting.
"Carson," Cal sat on the black swivel chair whilst the Betas occupied the seat across his desk. "Enlighten us."
Without hesitation, Carson told them about the events that led him and his team to stumble upon Matt Sawyers in full detail. Matt insisted on having a private audience with Cal, but according to pack's regulations, all captives must be taken to the dungeons for interrogations.
"That boy knows something," holding another Alpha's son hostage will undoubtedly spark the flames of war.
Luckily, Cal's brutal reputation preceded him, making the majority of other packs to rethink their decisions.
"Interrogated him for hours, but tough guy won't budge," Carson added, impatiently tapping his fingers on his lap.
"You tortured him for hours. How was he supposed to react?" Alexander rolled his eyes at Carson's reckless ways. "The Sawyers are close allies with our Eastern neighbours. They might have something to do with those lycans investing our borders."
Cases of lycan attacks have been skyrocketing over the last couple of months. Their appearances became increasingly common, leading to several missing wolves from various packs and even mysterious disappearances within the States' national parks.
"Triple the guards. Deploy them before noon. Besides patrolling Gammas, the forest is off-limits after six," Cal pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to contain his emotions that were a mixture of rage and annoyance. "Carson, you're excused for the whole day. I'll take over today's training session. Those new wolves need some serious waking up to do."
Usually, the new Gamma recruits were trained by Carson and the captains. Cal would show up randomly every once in a while to monitor their progress, but he never joined their training session. The trainees were heavily intimidated by their Alpha and viewed him as this untouchable battle God, incapable of feeling emotions.
So imagine their reactions when news got around that Cal had brought back a mate.
A woman from the purest bloodline to ever exist, and yet they've never heard of her.
"You'd do that for me?" Carson was over the moon. Being able to sleep for more than five hours was considered as a luxury itself and today he could sleep to his heart's content.
"Feel free to leave before I change my mind," and that was all it took for Carson to disappear.
Turning his attention to Alexander, they shared a knowing look. A court meeting will be held at tomorrow's luncheon regarding this issue with their Eastern neighbours, the Whiteback pack.
Lycans invested their Eastern borders, and the Whitebacks were acting unusually calm, triggering Alexander's suspicions further. They were supposed to kill these foul creatures since the two packs shared the same borders. Ever since lycans were sighted there, nobody has seen any Whiteback Gammas patrolling their area. Moreover, the incident with Matt Sawyers added more fuel to the roaring fire pit.
Cal flickered his gaze towards the old brown grandfather clock in the right corner of his study, its golden hour hand struck eight. One more hour before the training starts.
"Go," as if sensing his Alpha's longing to be reunited with his newly found mate, Alexander decided to take over a minor case in order to buy Cal some quality time with Brooke. It reminded him of the good old days when he first saw Eva, his mate.
Failing to understand the meaning behind his simple word, Cal arched a questioning brow.
Alexander couldn't help but grin at his friend's confusion. "I know you want to see her, so go. Before my Alpha, you're my sworn brother."
Instantly, Cal's scowl morphed into a genuine smile that reached his silver eyes. Shooting a grateful look at the Beta, he wasted no time and headed straight towards his sleeping quarters.
———
Brooke's POV
"Your senses have fully returned — not just your sense of smell. Unfortunately, the restoration process took longer than I expected. My deepest apologies," the giant grey wolf, Deirdre, lowered her head.
She visited my dreams and explained everything in a greater detail. At first, I was skeptical even though this wasn't our first encounter. Despite her huge fangs and sharp claws, this wolf was surprisingly soft-spoken and . . . Well-mannered. If a British lady from the seventeen hundreds turned into a wolf, her mannerisms would resemble Deirdre's.
"I'll believe it when I see it."
"Suit yourself," she giggled and out of a sudden, her ears went up. Alerted.
"What's wrong?" I looked around, but saw nothing except for darkness. In this empty space, there were only me, Deirdre, and the ball of flame between us.
"Lord Rosier has arrived. You're awakening, child."
As if understanding her words, the small flame grew bigger and bigger. Engulfing the pitch black room with its blinding light.
Instead of waking up drenched in my own sweat, everything was serene and peaceful. I felt the bed dip and a large hand touched my arm, caressing me softly. Its gentle grasp travelled lower and wrapped itself around my waist, pulling me closer until my back was pressed against a man's bare chest. The heat from his presence alone warmed my cold skin through the thin fabric of my oversized tee, making me sigh in comfort.
"I know you're awake," he whispered in a husky voice.
"Let me sleep in peace, Cal. You've teased me enough," I murmured onto the tiny pillow in my arms. Secretly trying to hide my rosy cheeks as memories from last night resurfaced.
Ever since that incident, I swore to never push his buttons beyond limits. The outcome could be a little bit too steamy for my own liking. Well, not little, but VERY.
Another fun fact about Cal was his preference to explain things in actions rather than words.
"Oh?" Judging from his suggestive tone, something told me this wasn't a good sign.
My breath hitched for about five seconds, mentally preparing myself to experience one of his crazy innuendos, and when nothing happened, I thought the worst had passed.
Boy was I wrong.
A pair of warm lips kissed my shoulder. Slowly trailing up to my neck, peppering light feather kisses like no tomorrow. "Good morning, love."
"Cal . . ."
The arm that was securely wrapped around my waist, released its grasp, trailing down south ever so subtly.
His kisses were dangerous. It'll turn me into this brainless idiot, incapable of thinking anything, despite of having a fully functioning brain.
I could feel his long fingers traced the waistband of my underwear, forcing myself to open my eyes.
"Hands off!" I slapped his hand and climbed off the bed in a speed I didn't know was possible.
Cal just stared at me with an amused expression as if he just invented something revolutionary. "If that's what it takes for you to wake up, I have no complaints."
"Did you- did you just try to finger me? I can't believe I'm saying this, but control your damn self and keep it in your pants!"
My mini outburst led him to burst into a series of laughters. He was laughing so hard, his face turned pink. And I just stood there, crossing my arms over my chest. Even though deep down, I knew his touches were far from enough.
"The majority of the male population are quite lascivious, love. We'll gladly do it everyday if allowed," he winked, smiling like the Cheshire Cat. "I'm surprised you haven't given in to your temptations yet. Do you not feel the pull?"
His question left me to ponder over my current state. Our eyes met while I tried to focus on him. Cal's fragrant scent remained as addicting as ever, so that doesn't change.
As I tried to gather my thoughts in an attempt to narrow them down, my ears were overwhelmed by these multiple sounds, all blaring simultaneously. The more I focus, the louder they became. Whispers turned into shoutings. Giggles escalated into mocking laughters. Footsteps were echoing all around as if hundreds of people got cramped inside this bedroom.
With trembling hands, I covered my ears, but it didn't stop the noises from coming. My throat tightened. Panic began to surge when he grabbed my shoulders. "Look at me."
The noises began to amplify. Engines roared, ravens squawked, wings flapped, heartbeats-
"BROOKLYN!" He shouted, causing me to jump a little. "Look into my eyes."
And I did.
Specks of dark grey that rimmed his irises faded into this lighter shade as it neared his pupils. At times, they caused his eyes to appear silver-like. His method worked. Cal's striking eyes distracted me enough to let the noises fade away except for two thumping beats.
"Did you hear that?" I tilted my head lower, trying to find the source.
"Of course," without warning, his hand pressed the side of my head against his left chest. The thumping sound came from his heart. Loud and clear as daylight.
Mesmerised, I stood there wide-eyed. My stomach felt funny, like I was standing on the edge of a cliff, ready to fall.
"Child, take a peek outside. The sky looks lovely," Deirdre's voice snapped me out of my trance.
"What the fuck?!" I pushed myself off of him. That surreal dream wasn't just some kind of a sick joke. "Did you hear her?!"
I was frantic, panicking as if a favorite character of mine died on his own TV show.
"Who?" He questioned.
"A talking wolf! She called herself Deirdre!"
Her name turned him into a living statue. His brows shot up and eyes glistened with what seemed to be . . . Relief?
"I have warned you multiple times, Brooklyn. Do not be surprised if you hear my voice," Deirdre scolded. She sounded like mom whenever I switched into my professional couch potato mode. "And no, nobody can hear me except for you."
"That's your wolf, love," Cal leaned closer and pecked my cheek before disappearing into the bathroom. "Get ready. Your presence is required elsewhere."
"And you expect me to just be okay with this?!" I complained internally.
"Well, this is your reality, child. We are one until death do us part," she chuckled and I could feel her having the time of her life. "Oh do not give me that sour look. You will thank me later on. Now take a peek outside."
At this point, I wouldn't even be surprised if I suddenly gained the ability to fly. My brain was fried crispy.
Grumbling to myself, I marched towards the transparent double doors and pushed its golden handles down, prying it open. A gust of light breeze carefully blew my raven locks, flying unruly behind my back.
"Damn," facing the opposite direction from Lascelles' main entrance, I still cannot comprehend the sheer width and length of this majestic building. The sweet smelling rose garden appeared never ending. It resembled a sea of various reds and pinks, leaving me speechless as words cannot justify the beauty of this sight.
At the very far end of my left and right, what I thought were towers continued its elegance to other buildings, forming a 'U' shape, securing the safety of those flowers from uninvited individuals.
Beyond the rose garden laid an empty field. Freshly mowed grass expanded for as long as my human eyes could see. I squinted, trying to make out the distant silhouettes of dark tree lines and snowy mountains when Deirdre's voice chimed. "Focus, my child. If you wish, you can view it from any humanly impossible distances that are far more challenging than this."
Finding no harm in trying, I directed my attention towards those shadowy areas whilst steadying my breath. A few seconds passed and everything remained constant.
"You're trolling-"
"I can't hear her, but I think she's right," familiar arms snaked themselves around my waist. Cal rested his chin on my shoulder and cooly gazed at the tree lines. "See that brown hare over there? Right between those logs."
"I'm supposed to see THAT? What now? Having super vision abilities like Superman or something?"
"If that's what you call it, then yes," Cal responded. "Now stare at the first tree you see. Gather your focus until those irrelevant noises disappear."
I inhaled the fresh morning air and followed his direction. Deciding to stare at that one tree I could barely see, noises began to gradually fade and slowly, that tree seemed larger and more detailed. Withered, covered in wood chips and cracks on its trunk, but sturdy and evergreen.
"I-I see it!" Just under that tree, two logs of dead pines toppled over a moss-covered boulder, creating the perfect hiding spot for small woodland critters. Once my eyes fixated their gaze towards the hare, it dashed and disappeared into the shadows, leaving several half-eaten grasses on its place.
"It seems you've regained almost everything. Truly," amazed by this new version of myself, imagine the stupid shits I could've done all this time!
Endless supply of juicy gossips, not having to buy the most expensive tickets to get that front-view in concerts, excelling gym class as if I was better than those stuck-up athlete students, and Deirdre could even help me with math exams!
Who would want to be some boring ass human when they could have all of this?
"HIGH SCHOOL COULD'VE BEEN EASY! WHAT THE FUCK?!" I was yelling on top of my lungs, realising the beneficial perks I could've had sooner.
What the hell was going on in mom and dad's minds?! Why would they deprive me of something so . . . So Mind-blowing?
"Language, child, but yes, I do not understand Gerard and Astrid's barbaric reasons for doing something as despicable as this," she agreed.
Stuck inside my own thoughts, I stood there frozen, reminiscing old memories and what could have happened if the old me was the new me. Cal refused to remove his arms from my slim figure. Engulfing me in a back hug, providing much needed warmth against today's cold morning wind.
"Look down," he whispered ever so silently. His hot breath fanned over my ear, making the hair on the back of my neck bristled.
Averting my gaze downwards, a group of teenagers, around the age of seventeen and eighteen looked up with their eyes wide and mouths hanging open.
"I-is that a chick . . .? HOLY SHIT! THE ALPHA IS WITH A CHICK?!" One of them yelled, dropping the half-eaten blueberry muffin he was holding.
———
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A sneak peek of the teenagers' reactions: