"Alpha, there was an attack from the North border!" Samuel came into the office without knocking. That's how Rolus knew how dire the situation was. He had a strict policy on knocking.
He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. A headache started to form.
"Was there anyone hurt?"
Samuel shook his head. "No, he came with a message for you. He said he awaits the day you die. He will take the Pack and slaughter us all. If there are those who deserve mercy, they shall have mercy by his generosity."
Rolus coughed into his elbow. The cough racked his body that Samuel had to run to the table closer to the window to get him some water.
Rolus received the glass with shaky hands, then drank. He thanked Samuel after.
"Are you alright, Alpha?"
Rolus nodded. "Please get me Charlotte."
Samuel bowed, then left the office. It wasn't long before Charlotte came. She came with a plate filled to the brim with food. She had on a stern smile, trying to dare Rolus to refuse to eat.
"This is not what I called you in for."
"Just grab a bite. The last time you had a full meal was days ago," she argued.
Rolus didn't want to argue, so he grabbed the plate and tried to eat. He didn't have an appetite, the pills Sierra had him on urging his lack of appetite.
He only ate about a quarter of the plate before pushing it to Charlotte. She accepted, flashing him a proud smile. He tried to reciprocate it, but he couldn't.
"Please try to calm the Pack. Assure them that everything is under control," Rolus said, getting up from his chair. He's spent hours on it, going over Sierra's emails and also trying to keep up with his duties.
"Is it under control though?" she asked, eyes narrowed.
Rolus ran a hand through his hair, becoming exasperated. "You know I'm trying my hardest to do damage control. You all know this."
"I know you are. But sometimes that's not enough. That's not enough when Alpha Luke is trying to obliterate us and we do nothing. It's been a full year since he's been attacking us, Alpha. One of these days, he'll succeed."
As much as they haven't merged the Packs then, the last year, Rolus has felt like the Black Moon Pack was his. Being mates with the other Alpha made him the Alpha of that Pack automatically, but until they either merged or performed some kind of welcoming ceremony, he wouldn't be able to mind-link with the Pack. So it was hard counter-attacking his Pack, but it was also because of his mate.
Rolus understood that it was not Luke's choice to attack them, it was because of the circumstances that he's found himself in.
It's been a year since Alpha Luke has been attacking the Creek Pack. The first time he attacked, it was a shock to both Rolus and the Pack.
That day in the morning, Rolus woke up at Black Moon. The night before when he visited, Luke didn't show any signs of forgetting. In fact, that whole week, Luke was back to normal. They managed to get some semblance of normal.
That morning when Rolus went back to his Pack, he went with a happy heart, knowing that when he went back to spend the night with his mate, everything would be alright. Well, he hoped that everything would be alright.
It was noon when everything went downhill. He and Luke had agreed that it was best that Luke not show up to the Pack because of the slight reminder of animosity towards him from his Pack despite the mate thing. Luke has never set foot at the Creek Pack.
It was a shock for one of the Warriors to knock on Rolus' door to announce that he had a visitor. The Pack was buzzing when Luke showed up with about twenty Pack warriors, demanding that Rolus hand over the Pack. If he didn't agree, then a fight would ensure.
To say that Rolus was stupefied was an understatement. In fact, the whole Pack was shocked. When Sierra spoke on behalf of Rolus to refuse handing over the Pack, Luke had smiled wickedly and left with the promise of coming back.
After he left, Rolus was left with an angry Pack. They were angry that their second Alpha had declared war against them.
Rolus hadn't thought of a response to his Pack for when the time came that Luke completely forgot. It was a week later that Rolus came up with an answer. He let his Pack know that this was part of the Clonmel twin's condition. That there was a possibility of the twins forgetting their mates from time to time. It didn't take much to convince the Pack, however, it took much to beg his Council to let go.
Since then, Rolus never had the heart to see his mate. In the past year, he's never had contact with his mate. Sometimes he could feel Luke through the mate bond when the Alpha was at the border causing trouble.
Rolus had the indescribable need to show his face and see his mate, but he knew that he would break when he saw Luke's eyes that didn't hold any recognition of his mate.
In fact, Rolus has never trekked outside his Pack. Sierra was the one going on trips in his stead.
He also avoided Luke's Pack as much as he could. He didn't want them poking and asking questions. He knew that if they could, Luke's Council would question him about their Alpha's behavior.
He avoided them at all cost. On the other hand, he did write Council Magdeline a letter detailing what Robert did. He also did request that if they knew of the cure, to please assist his mate. He wrote the letter two weeks ago. All along, he didn't have the courage to recall what happened. He still awaited the reply and hoped that maybe she would know of the cure.
The letter was delivered by Sierra and Theo. Rolus didn't have a choice but to tell his Beta of how the Netlac was administered on his mate. He didn't go into the specifics, but told her just enough. He told her with the hope that maybe she knew of the cure. She didn't, but said that she would ask around. She's been gone for the two weeks. She did email him her progress, which was nonexistent at the moment.
Rolus was fretting. It was the Annual Pack Meeting season. At this point, everyone knew that the two Alphas were mates. He dreaded questions from the other Alphas. He also dreaded seeing his mate so close, yet so far away.
"I didn't mean to pressure you, but surely you must understand that us not retaliating is foolish," Charlotte tried to convince.
Rolus understood that well. Maybe if he could get Luke's demands, then he would decide if it'll be worth it to retaliate. At least they didn't have any casualties, yet.
A week later, Rolus was forced by his Council to confront the other Alpha. Three members of the Pack died because of the Black Moon. It was a sad week for the Pack, and they were justified to also be angry at his mate. Hell, he was also mad at Luke.
Rolus was not comfortable going to the Black Moon Pack, so he requested the other Alpha to meet at a neutral territory.
Rolus was with Zayn, Charlotte and six Warriors. He was anxious and distracted. It would be the first time in a year since he would
see his mate, and he was worried that he might react badly in front of him. He was also worried to see the people he would bring. Everyone from Black Moon knew him and their affiliation. He didn't want to see pity on their faces. He didn't want to see the familiar faces he's come to adore, or Peter, who would surely corner him to ask questions.
Rolus was inside the diner with Zayn and Charlotte, whilst the Warriors were outside. The place was empty, with Charlotte having booked it days prior and requested that it be empty. It was a relief that Luke agreed to their request to meet, for Rolus anyway. As much as he was anxious to meet Luke, he was also kind of excited. It's been a full year since he's last feasted his eyes on his mate, surely he was bound to miss him like crazy.
The mate bond was affected by the distance between them. Rolus had drastically lost weight, and he was sick from time to time. He felt like the bond was damaged a bit. He felt seering pain on his chest when he thought of his mate. He could manage, but he didn't think he could withstand the pain for the rest of his life.
Rolus sensed when his mate arrived. It's like the bond healed, spreading warmth all over Rolus, and feeding him life. His heart pounded away, and hands became clammy.
He felt Charlotte's hand on his shoulder, squeezing in reassurance. His nervousness was felt by both Zayn and Charlotte. Rolus was nervous. He was terrified of seeing his mate.
When Luke entered with Peter, Rolus combusted. His heart went haywire and he couldn't stop looking at his mate. He held his attention and Rolus wouldn't have looked away if it wasn't for Charlotte who squeezed his shoulder a little too hard to divert his attention.
He stood up, acknowledging the Alpha and Beta duo. Luke looked good. He was far from the man who lost weight a year ago, who was miserable and stressing about the possible memory loss.
He was happy for his mate's health. He nearly let slip a smile, but stopped at the last minute when he saw Luke's sneer. The hostility he felt through the bond was heart-stopping.
Peter on the other hand was impassive, but made sure to look Rolus in the eye. Rolus couldn't handle it, so he looked away.
"Good afternoon, Alpha Luke. Thank you for coming at such short notice," Rolus said, and gestured for them to sit down. They all sat down, Luke's glare permanently etched on his features.
"Didn't have much choice in the matter, now did I?" he said. "But I'm glad you have decided to come out of your hiding place and came to show face."
Luke's words didn't affect Rolus in the way he intended. "I've had three fatalities by your hands, Alpha Luke. I wanted to know what it is you wanted besides the obvious, you know, my Pack. Surely you wouldn't keep hounding me for my Pack for a year."
"You would be surprised how persistent I can be, especially to the likes of vile Alphas like you," Luke spat, eyes hardened.
Rolus felt Zayn and Charlotte's questioning gazes on him. He was just as clueless as them. He wondered if this was still about her sister's passing and the blame Luke thrust upon him.
He knew it would hurt, but Rolus didn't care. If he didn't try, he would beat himself up. He was desperate. Seeing his mate after so long has awakened the need to fight for him. Seeing his mate hating him was slowly killing him.
He mind-linked Charlotte and Zayn to give them privacy. They didn't hesitate to leave. They called Peter, who left without much hassle.
When it was the two of them left, Rolus asked, "Are you attacking my Pack because of Lucia?"
Luke growled, eyes blazing. "Don't you dare utter her name. You don't deserve to say her name after you killed her!"
This wasn't like the last time when Rolus was trying to keep the fact that they were mates. No. "Your sister was not my mate, Luke."
Momentary confusion settled on Luke's face, but passed in a blur. "I saw you reject her. I saw you watch her die without helping!"
"Because I was shocked that you were my mate!"
"You didn't do anything to help! You-" Luke stopped himself, Rolus' words registering. "Excuse me?"
Rolus didn't dare stop. "You are my mate, Luke. Lucia was not my mate. You can ask your Pack. Everyone knows you're my mate. Even Peter knows." His heart was beating too loud and too fast. He waited for Luke's reaction. Anything.
All Luke did was blink, blink and blink. Then he laughed. He was not amused, no. He was mad. His laughter rang throughout the empty diner, filling every room and corner there was.
Rolus sat there, waiting for Luke to say something. He waited for Luke to stop laughing.
"Then enlighten me, Alpha Rolus. If my Pack knows, then why am I the only one who doesn't? If even my Beta knows, then why am I the only one who doesn't?"
Rolus debated telling the truth. It was unlikely that Luke would believe him, but he was done lying. He was going to fight for his mate tooth and nail. "Because something happened that wiped two years of your memory. That's why you can't recall our times together. We are-"
"Stop it! Lucia was your mate and you rejected her! You think spewing such nonsense will convince me to give up your Pack?"
Rolus sighed. He knew just how stubborn his mate was. If Luke set his mind to something, there was no convincing him. "You are not getting my Pack. I've been lenient with you, Alpha Luke. I suggest you stop attacking my Pack. And don't think for a moment that you will blackmail me. I did not kill your sister. If you don't believe me about us being mates, then ask your Beta."
Rolus didn't spare a chance for Luke to say anything. He stood up, and steeled himself to walk away from Luke.
Outside, Charlotte, Zayn and Peter were talking. Amid seeing him, they all came to him. Rolus saw that Peter had something to say. He was not in the mood to get confronted. He wanted to get to his Pack and break down.
"We're leaving," he announced to both Zayn and Charlotte. He didn't give Peter any chance to say anything before they all left.