☆ Noah's POV
I pick up the plush dinosaur and turn it around in my hands.
Georgina.
I smile quietly to myself. It belonged to Alexis. She obviously passed it down to the child. I set it aside and pick up the framed picture that had been turned face down. It was a picture of Alexis holding the baby and a young woman.
“Who's she?” I ask, turning the picture over to show Marcus.
“We saw her pictures everywhere around Alexis' home in Singapore when we searched it. Her neighbor identified her as the babysitter”.
“So she's who my son is with now?”.
“Yes and we still have trackers out there searching for them”.
I nod and set the picture aside. I reach into the luggage again and pull out the next item. My breath catches to the back of my throat as I stare at the red lacy thong in my hands. I feel myself go hard as my fingers gently rub the lace. Marcus clears his throat and I drop it back in the luggage.
The door to my living opens and my father walks in.
“Is she awake yet, son?” he asks.
“No” I reply bluntly.
“Well, what are you doing?” he asks again.
“Going through her things”.
He's about to speak up again when my grandfather strolls in. He looks at Marcus and then me.
“What's this I'm hearing, Edon?!” he barks.
“What are you hearing, Chief?” I ask, twirling a hairpin in my hands.
“What a this I'm hearing about you sending the black envelope”.
He sounds annoyed.
“Yes, I did” is all I say.
I see him turn to focus on Marcus who nods.
“Why on earth would you do that?!”.
“She wouldn’t come home when I asked nicely. We were running out of time and I had no choice!” I bark back.
I couldn’t help myself.
“It might seem rash but it got her to come, Chief” Marcus says.
My grandfather shakes his head at me.
“We always have a choice”.
And like that, he's gone. My father sighs and pats my shoulder before leaving. I grab the next picture frame I see in the luggage.
Alexis.
It's a picture of her in a strapless green dress that hug her curves, making her bust look bigger than I remembered. I hold it up in my face and stare at her... her smile reaching her bright hazel eyes.
The smell of lavender and roses reach my nose and I lower the picture. She was standing there... almost eight feet away from me... a frown on her face. I put the frame away and stare at her.
“I'll get the others from the pack house, Alpha Noah” Marcus says and runs out, leaving the both of us alone.
She looked different. Same eyes, same features, but somehow she'd changed.
Was it the hair?
I clear my throat.
“You look nice” I say.
Her wounds had healed and she looked fine.
“I like your hair”.
She crosses her arms and gives me a look.
“I'm not sure you went through all this trouble, risked the lives of your men, just to compliment on my appearance, Noah” she says. “So let's skip to the part where you tell me what I'm here for so I can leave”.
Wow.
I chuckle softly.
“I was just trying to make conversation”.
“What do you want?” she asks coldly.
My family walks in and I clear my throat and put on a brave face.
“You didn't reply to my letters”.
She makes a face and reaches into the back pocket of her jeans to pull out the black letter and the vile... now a Mason jar, containing the yellow wolfsbane. She throws it on the table.
“I wasn't close to a fire source so I couldn't burn this one like I did to the ones I got”.
She burned them?
I slowly nod.
“Look, I just want to talk”.
“That's why this arrived at my apartment in Montreal?!” she cries out.
“You gave me no choice...”.
“And it nearly harmed my son!” she barks, her eyes glowing.
I'd never seen her with a wolf so it takes me by surprise.
“Milton opened this letter. He touched a rare wolfsbane! Do you have any idea what could have happened to him?!”.
“Milton?” I ask.
She backs down a little.
“That's his name?” I ask again.
“That is not the point, Noah” she growls.
“But that's his name, isn't it?”.
She frowns at me.
“What do you want, Noah? You're testing my patience and I'd really hate to hurt another person”.
I sigh.
“I want you and Milton back here... where you belong”.
She takes a seat and leans back with a shrug.
“And what makes you think I'd want to do that?” she asks, laughing.
“Because it's what I want and it's the right thing” I sigh. “It's something I should have done from the very beginning”.
She smiles.
“It's what you want?” she asks.
Did she hear the rest of what I said?
“And no one dares to disobey the Alpha, right?”.
“Alexis...”.
She stands up and shakes her head at me.
“Go to hell, Noah”.
She turns away only for Marcus to block her path. I hear her chuckle.
“This isn't the time to show everyone how brave you are, Marcus. Step aside” she warns.
“Are you just going to stand her and let her kick my ass? Because her eyes are blazing!” Marcus mindlinks me.
“Alexis hang on. I'm not done” I call out, stepping closer to her.
She turns away from Marcus and I see the relief on his face.
“Well I am” she tells me.
“Hey...”.
“Don't you get it, Noah?!” she screams. “I want nothing to do with you!”.
Is this some sort of rejection?
I frown.
“You owe it to me to come back here!” I growl.
“I owe you nothing!” she's quick to reply.
The anger in her voice causes my mother to step back. I ball my fist.
“Yes you do!” I growl. “You're the one who's put my family's future in danger!”.
“No, you did that all on your own” she tells me. “You started this when you started pushing me away. You started this when you brought another woman into our marriage. Hell, you didn't stop me when I said I was leaving because I didn't like it here! You only came back months later, for your selfish reasons!”.
I look away, flexing my jaw.
“Did I mean that little to you, Noah?” she whispers. “You hit me... in front of everyone and asked my son and I to leave and never return”.
The image flashes before my eyes.
“It wasn't enough for you that you publicly broke our bond and stripped me of that stupid title I never even wanted. You signed divorce papers and mailed them to me”.
I flex my jaw again.
“And seven years later... because it's what you want, I should throw away the life I've built for my son and I, just to please you?” she asks. “Over my dead body” she snarls.
“There hasn't been a single birth recorded in the pack for these past seven years” I say, calmly. “The same way there hasn't been an heir”.
She glances at Leilani who lowers her eyes.
“I really don't care, Noah” Alexis tells me.
“Well you have to” I say. “Because if you don't, we're all doomed and we're in this position in the first place because of you”.
Why did I add that?!
She frowns.
“It's my fault?!”.
I don't talk.
“It's my fault your wife's barren?”.
“Don't you dare call me that!” Leilani growls.
“Or else what?!” Alexis growls back, making Leilani stumble steps back in fear.
Damn!
“You people are all sick in the head” Alexis says. “Whatever it is you have planned up your sleeves, count me out”.
I look at her.
“Have fun being doomed”.
She turns away.
“We know the child's a primordial” my father speaks up.
Alexis pauses and whirls around.
“Leave my son out of this” she warns. “If your pack is sinking to the ground, blame your Alpha, and leave my son a I out of this!”.
My chest fumes with rage and I step closer to her.
Is she saying it's my fault?!
I growl.
“Don't you dare pin this on me Alexandra!”.
Her eyes snap from my dad's face to mine. I had never called her by her full name before. She frowns back at me.
“But it's all your fault and everyone here knows that!”.
I grab her arm and pull her back.
“Don't you dare turn your back on me when I'm speaking to you!” I warn, using my Alpha tone.
She keeps glaring back at me.
“You have some nerve to think you can order me around. Some Alpha you are” she scoffs. “You can't take charge of anything and so you're ready to pin the blame on me”.
My eyes burn.
“You're the one to blame!” I bark, tightening my grip around her.
“I am not! Now let go of me!” she screams.
I don't budge.
“If you hadn't done what you did, none of this would be happening now!”.
“And if you'd listened to my concerns, this burden wouldn't have ever been on your neck!”.
I glare down at her.
“You're the one who hid my son's mark and jeopardized the fate and future of my pack!” I growl.
“He's not your son and if you push me Noah, I swear on everything that I hold dear that I'll do it again!”.
The sinister rage in her voice causes me to let her go and step away from her. I feel my wolf whimper. He'd never done that. Her eyes grow soft but she looks away from me.
“Stay away from my son and I, Noah” she whispers. “Or you'll be sorry”.
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☆ Alexis' POV
I step into the still familiar pack house which smelt the same... always with food and gossip. I don't look up as I pass the pack members. They give me judgy yet terrified looks but I don't care. I walk up the stairs and into Noah's office where every important member of his pack was seated.
It'd been days since my outburst and Noah was nowhere to be seen. They were refusing to let me go and I couldn't call to check up on my son because they'd track him down.
They all stare at me and I feel a familiar ache in my chest. I lift my hands and rub the pain till I'm at ease. Marcus crosses to my side and gently pushes into a chair. I smell geranium before the others know Noah is coming.
He steps into the office and he looks scruffy... like he hasn't slept for days.
“Son, where have you been?” his father asks in an angry tone. “Do Alphas just up and disappear?! Remember, have responsibilities!”.
“Look at you” his mother coos and walks up to examine his face.
He pulls away from her, ignoring his father, and tosses a familiar looking duffle bag to me. I catch it with ease.
“Put this on. I'm taking you back” he says, not meeting my eyes.
I furrow my brows.
Really?
“Wait, what?” Leilani chuckles in disbelief.
“What makes you think you can do a thing like that?!” Scott growls. “She's our prisoner, until she brings the heir here!”.
“I'm not finished” Noah says.
He positions himself behind his desk... standing... and takes a deep breath.
“As of today, I'm renouncing my position as Alpha”.
Loud murmurs fill the large office.
“What are you doing, Noah?” Leilani asks.
“What I should have done years ago” he says, looking straight at me.
“You can't just renounce your position. It's your birthright!” his grandfather says.
“Give it to Pablo. He's always been the perfect fit for the position”.
His cousin scoffs.
“Oh so now that we're destined to be doomed, you want someone else to take the reins and clean up after you?” he scoffs.
Noah shrugs.
“I really don't care if you take up the position or not, Pablo. It's not my problem” he says. “As for me, I don't want any part in this anymore”.
His father lets out a laugh.
“You can't just abandon us” Scott cries out. “We're your family, goddammit!”.
“I don't have a family because of you!” Noah growls.
I jump in my seat and clutch the duffle bag.
“Because of you, I wrecked my marriage and missed seven years of my son's life! Why? Because we all thought he wasn't special enough?!” Noah growls.
He was angry... and hurt. I could feel it just pouring out of him.
“I was just doing what any father would do for his son!” Scott defends.
“And like that, you made me abandon an innocent child like you abandoned me”.
Scott calms down.
“Noah...”.
He holds his hands to stop Darla.
“Why didn't you tell me that the real reason you abandoned me was because my mark didn't show or glow either?”.
I sit up.
What?!
I see Darla's face fall.
“You just abandoned me the second my mark didn't show or glow” Noah says.
“Son, please” Darla sobs. “It's not like that”.
“I searched for you, my entire life” Noah whispers. “I found Alexis, my happiness. But because I wanted to feel like I belonged, I abandoned her. For six years, I abandoned her for you. I found her again... thinking that was it. But it just wasn't enough for you! You turned me into something I'm not. Making me love based on what, abilities?” he asks. “I'm not that kind of person. I've never been like that. You pushed me to wreck my home, push the love of my life away... for you, and it still wasn't enough for you two”.
“Son, we had no choice” Scott says.
Noah shakes his head at them.
“We always have a choice” he says.
I see Chief Anton nod quietly to himself.
“Noah, please” Darla sobs. “We're your parents and we love you”.
Noah steps away from her.
“I don't want anything to do with any of you” he says. “God, I wish I never found you”.
“No...”.
“My life was much better without all of you in it”.
“Edon don't...”.
He turns away from them and looks at me.
“When you're ready, I'll be waiting outside for you”.
Then like that, he walks out. The entire room is quiet as everyone remains still. The only sound that echoes is the sound of my chair scrapping the floor as I stand up. I don't bother to say anything, I just turn.
“Aren't you going to talk to him? Convince him that he's making a mistake?!” Leilani cries out.
I turn to her.
“He's your husband now” I tell her. “This is your pack and your responsibility. Please, keep me out of your problems”.
“So you're just going to leave?”.
I chuckle.
“That's all I've been drumming into your ears since I got here. Someone finally listens and grants me freedom and you expect me to stay because your husband is justly acting up?” I ask.
“Alexis, please” I hear Darla say to me.
“No”.
“He has responsibilities! I demand you talk to him!” Scott orders me.
I look at him and shake my head.
“You don't love him” I say to him. “If he were to lose his full blood primordial werewolf gene, I bet you everything, that you two would walk right away from him”.
His expression turns shameful.
“You don't understand. You're just a child!”.
I shake my head.
“Things may be bad between us right now, but I'm so glad he got out before you could completely turn him into the monster he's not”.
He lowers his head.
“You deserve everything that's coming to you” I tell them. “And you better stay as far away as possible from my son and I”.
And like that, I walk out.
Thank you for reading!
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I love y'all.
Chal!
~the_atticwriter