Lyle's POV
Sweating. That was the last thing I remembered before waking up in a hotel bed completely naked. Wasn't a great start to the morning. The room was in pristine condition besides the bed of course. Even my clothes were all nicely folded in the corner.
I glanced around for any clue as to what the fuck happened last night. A note laid beside me on the night side table.
Fallon,
I hope you are feeling better. I talked to your father, and a guard is now posted outside the room. Stay for as long as you need. Your father is claiming you are at a meeting or something. Let me know if you need anything. I'll be back on Wednesday if you are still suffering through heat.
You are my perfect mate. I'd fight and die for you a million times again. I'd reign over Rome again if it meant holding you.
Love,
Your Apollo
Lots to unpack here. First, I must be in heat. Second, how the fuck is it possible for an Alpha to go through heat. Third, who the fuck is Apollo?!
Blaze's wolf, you idiot! Fallon shouted in my mind. Of course now he chooses to be vocal.
Why the fuck are we going through heat? And what did you do last night?! I shouted in my mind at him. He grumbled a bit, refusing to answer.
I decided I better take a shower since I was sweaty and a bit sticky, which did not make me feel better about the situation. Most of the initial symptoms I felt had lessened, thanks to whatever the wolves did. I made sure to search my neck for a mark just in case. Clear neck, except for some hickeys.
The cold shower helped ease the heat that was boiling within me. Now I understood the complainants from the females and omegas about how tortuous heat really was.
I managed to put on some shorts, but decided against a shirt since I figured I'd sweat through it.
The entire room smelled like Blaze, which drove Fallon insane. Obviously Fallon is in love with Blaze's wolf considering that little note. The scent also put together why I was the one going through heat. Even through my foggy mind, I could tell that Blaze's scent was extremely strong. His strength surpassed mine by a landslide, but I wasn't sure why. He was an Alpha, that much was given. But even then, why is he so much stronger than me?
Don't go searching for something you don't want to know. Fallon growled in my mind, but I ignored him. He was obviously depleted of strength considering I'm having no difficulty taking charge.
I was about to pick up my phone to call Blaze, or Apollo, but a new scent hit me. There was a wolf outside my door. The guard that Apollo referenced, I assumed, but he sure as hell wasn't from my pack.
I flew open the door to glare at the unflinching man next to it. He was gigantic with biceps the size of my head. He looked a bit older with his five o'clock shadow, but only by a couple of years. He simply glanced at me, then looked forward again.
"Who the hell are you?" I spit out, standing straighter to give off my alpha aura a bit more.
He glanced again, no emotion on his face. This reminded me a lot of Blaze's attitude. The secretly damaged but acts as if they don't give a fuck attitude.
"Hayden. Blazen sent me to guard your door. Your father knows," he stated, not even turning to face me.
My eyes narrowed at him, trying to understand why he was sent. "Are you mated or something? That's why you were sent to guard?" This comment made Hayden stiffen slightly. Bingo.
"Used to be mated. And I'm the Gamma and a warrior. Blazen felt like I was a good option." I decided not to pry about the mate thing. His mate was probably dead or rogue by his tone. But I could pry about Blaze.
Leaning against the door frame, I continued to study the large man. "Why do you call him 'Blazen'?" I questioned, focusing on catching any emotion that may emit off him.
Confusion. Hayden looked confused with scrunched up eyebrows. "Because that's his name?" Okay... I guess Blaze is just a nickname? I'd heard another wolf call him Blazen before. Felix had at my party. I'd been listening to their conversation and he called him Blazen. And Felix was from the Black Hearts pack... so Hayden wasn't lying.
"How did you meet Blaze?" Hayden now looked a bit irritated, but also a little amused.
"I was there when they were born. I knew Blazen for the first eight years of his life," he explained, only leaving me with more questions.
Raising my eyebrow, I studied him in silence for a minute. "When they were born? Who's they?" Hayden stiffened, even his jaw locked tight. I wasn't aware that Blaze switched his pronouns, so this felt like a valid question.
He finally turned toward me, now irritation and slight fear filled his eyes. "Sir, you better stay inside the room." And without another word, he closed the door in my face. Wow. Rude.
Okay. Focus, Lyle. Let's dig up more about this Apollo dude. Fallon growled at me in my mind, but I ignored him. I was thankful that in the midst of heat, Fallon packed my laptop. I was quick to take it out and situate myself on the bed for a long search. I first started googling just the name. A lot came up about the god Apollo, Artemis's twin brother. Apollo is the god of the sun and healing. Artemis is the goddess of the moon and wild animals, which sounded strangely like the moon goddess we pray to. I'd say they are the same being, but that would mean that the Greek gods were all real. That seemed a little far-fetched.
Next, I tried going into my Alpha files instead of relying on the mortal google search. Since I was becoming Alpha soon, my dad had made me start studying the old files of the werewolves. Mostly about the history of the council and other supernatural creatures.
I typed in the search bar "Apollo" and was surprised to find hundreds of sightings in the ancient texts. Most of the documents talked about Greece and Rome. Some talked about witches worshiping this "Apollo". I searched to find one that gave a brief summary of who he was. I found one document called "The Origin" and I clicked on it.
"The moon goddess herself was lonely because of her lack of children. As the goddess of virginity, she was unable to create life in the typical way. But as the goddess of wild animals, she decided to create her own type of children. Ones not quite human, but not quite animal. After seeking approval from her father, the god who merges souls into beings, she began her own race: lycanthrope. To create her children, she splits a human soul in half, divides it into two beings, and places the soul of a wolf inside each being to fill the whole. Her first child was Apollo, named after her brother. He was made to be the Alpha of all lycanthropes. He was made to lead the Moon Goddess's children. He was the Alpha of all Alphas." I paused to think about what this meant. Was Blaze's wolf the Alpha of Alphas? Is that why he is stronger than me? Is that why Fallon would submit to him in mere seconds? Fallon didn't respond. He stayed in the corner of my head, but his reaction was all the answer I needed.
I skimmed some more, looking through the tales of Apollo's reincarnations. He was often a great warrior, dying in war. Actually, that was pretty much all of his brutal endings. Every single one was him fighting a war for the gods' pleasure, then dying from using too much power. He really tried to save the people he loved, but he somehow failed every time. Thanks to the gods apparently.
A document titled "The Ending of his Reign" caught my eye. It caught Fallon's too because he came forward in my mind to read with me.
"The Moon Goddess was disappointed in the actions of the gods. She tried to shelter her children from her family's cruelty and the fates unloving strings. She finally decided she had enough of them toying with her first born son. In the battlefield of one of the most brutal battles in Rome, Apollo announced that he was not going to let the gods control him any longer. After the death of his mate, Augustine, Apollo slit his own throat during the battle. That was the last time he was ever reincarnated. The gods stopped sending lycanthrope into silly wars.
Some witches believe that the Moon Goddess will reincarnate him again when there is a switch in power on Mount Olympus. Witches watch dutifully for the return of their precious creator."
Lots to unpack there. First, Apollo created witches? Second, has there been a switch in power in the gods? Third, do all these Greek gods really exist?
Yes, Apollo helped create witches. He also helped create incubi with the help of some demons. And yes, the Greek gods exist. I don't remember my time with Artemis well, but our afterlife is spent on Olympus with her from my understanding. Just ask Apollo if you have questions.
Fallon never really talks to me much besides instinct things, like telling me who my mate is or if I'm in trouble. It was rare that he ever spoke to me so deliberately. That's how I knew that there was a lot more to this story than I could understand.
I skimmed along more, reading about some of Apollo's reincarnations. From my understanding, all of them were demigods. Which led to more questions. Is Blaze a demigod? If not, then how did he contain such a powerful wolf? Maybe he's part witch? I heard my dad talk about witches living in his new pack.
He's not a witch or a demigod. Fallon pitched in. He also cursed at me for being dumb again. Not his first time since I've woken up.
If he's not a witch or demigod, then how is he handling the power... that's when it hit me. Hayden said "their" birth. Meaning there was another child. A twin. Swiftly, I got off the bed and opened the door again to reveal a not entertained Hayden.
"You aren't supposed to leave, sir," he ordered sternly, looking more irritated than ever. That seemed like one of the only few emotions he could express.
I leaned against the door frame, getting in position to read his body language for answers his mouth won't say.
"Blaze has a brother. What's his name?"
Hayden eyed me warily before answering. "Xander." This made sense since Blaze used to call out that name in his nightmares. But then I thought more about the name. I'm pretty sure he was supposed to be alpha. My parents went to the coronation.
"And he's your Alpha?" Hayden's eye twitched, clearly more irritated now. It was fun watching him get so worked up.
Hayden nodded in response. "But Blaze is also an Alpha. So does your pack have Alpha twins ruling?" Hayden's eyes widened, jaw tightening as if he wasn't sure what to do. He didn't respond, just stared at me, trying to figure out my reason for asking the questions.
I was about to ask some follow up questions when his phone rang. He didn't miss a beat picking it up. It was Blaze's voice on the other end, blabbering away. That in itself surprised me since Blaze wasn't much of a talker.
"So it worked? The incubus was able to subdue Ace. So what? Now he's passed out?" Hayden asked over the line. Ace. That was the name of the Omega Blaze is friends with. Was he going through heat too?
The voice on the other end blabbered some more, very uncharacteristically of Blaze. Maybe he just really liked Hayden better than me. This thought caused Fallon to growl in my mind.
"Yeah, I'm still out searching for the building. Blazen said south from his old pack, so that's where I'm venturing. Had to get some permission from the surrounding packs," Hayden skillfully lied before hanging up. So no one knows I'm here and going through heat. And that was not Blaze on the phone. So that must've been Xander. By the sound of the voices, they aren't only twins, but identical. No idea what building they are talking about, but whatever. Well this situation is a lot more complicated than I originally thought.
I left Hayden to his own devices and scrambled back into the room looking for my phone. It was time for some answers from the best source. Blaze himself.
I dialed his number and listened to the rings anxiously. I felt my face start warming up, queuing that my next phase of heat would be starting soon.
"Hey, Fallon. It's Blaze, not Apollo," my mate answered, seeming a little too cheerful.
I cleared my throat a bit, feeling a little awkward about everything. "It's not Fallon," I responded, hoping that the knot in my throat would detangle soon.
There was a brief silence over the line before my mate finally responded. "Lyle," he said awkwardly. "How are you feeling?" His first lighthearted tone turned strained. Did he already love Fallon?
Yes. You are just annoying. Fallon chirped, making me roll my eyes.
"I'd love to chit chat, but you have a lot to explain. How's being Alpha of Alphas and you know that twin brother of yours?" I snapped, feeling more heat fog my mind by the second.
More silence. Typical. Blaze was always good at avoiding answering difficult questions. "Yes. I am the Alpha of Alphas, well my wolf is. It's a bit more complicated than I'd like to admit. Trust me, you don't want to know my whole story, Lyle. Let's leave it at that," he admitted in a less than happy tone. That shut me up. I know I can be a little pushy when I'm only thinking about myself. I only knew a little bit of what he's gone through. Obviously, it's worse than I can imagine.
A sudden wave of heat crashed through me before I could respond. I only cursed over the phone as I stumbled to the bathroom.
"Lyle? Are you okay?" The concern in his voice only made me feel worse. Fallon began to whine for his mate, crying desperately in my head.
"Uh, yeah, just another wave of heat. I think your voice makes it worse..." I admitted bashfully.
Now it was Blaze's turn to curse over the line. I heard more noise of him moving around before he spoke again. "Okay, I'll come now. Apollo says physical touch can help relieve the pain. Just wait a minute, okay?"
My body felt like it was on fire. I barely remember hanging up before I collapsed on the ground of the bathroom.