Chapter 8
Old Days and Regrets
~
The laughter of children and their screams of happiness as they play around the front yard. Blaze, even in his car, could hear them. He could hear the training going on for the male adults, that would soon be joined in by the others when the clock hits 5. There's also the women, mingling around doing their usual stuff. Blake smiled, but even still, he drove past the mansion and turned to a corner more than half a mile where he meets a cul-de-sac. He got out of his 2015 Lamborghini Aventador, slamming it shut behind him and began striding towards the house, slightly hidden by trees.
There was nothing but earth's nature. There was always a stillness to it, a quietness that he greatly appreciated. There was a time where he use to come here and just lay back with Nolan, but that was before everything changed. He missed it.
He missed just sitting around, listening to Mother Earth's sound; free from the sound of cars, traffic, yellings or humans or the distinct smell of honeysuckle in the air no matter what season; it's always there.
He would never admit it, ever to anyone how much he missed Nolan. His attentiveness whenever Blaze would come by and just talk, complain endlessly. Or the fooling around. He missed being around him who made him feel normal instead of the Future Alpha, who had shouldered everyone's heavy expectation and pressure to be the best. He missed doing the stupid stuff they used to do. He missed Nolan. His best friend and Blaze yearned for his company again. Do go back to the old good days.
But that can't happen.
How can he face his used-to-be best friend, when Blaze just threw him away like a useless toy? When he just left him when Nolan needed him the most, especially when he was there when Blaze needed him. All because he had to follow what everyone thought, that he lost the one real friend he had.
The worst part?
Nolan didn't get angry. He didn't protest. Or get angry. When he was thrown to the house instead of living in the packed house, he didn't give, not one objection. He just accepted it, as if Nolan truly believed that he actually deserved it when he doesn't. He was a kid. He wasn't resentful. Nolan didn't have revenge for treating him like a piece of shit. Nolan treated Blaze normally, distant but still there was a tinge of kindness.
Blaze could still remember the day Nolan was on stage, Blaze's father, the Alpha, telling him not to live in the pack-house, that he was a disgrace and an omega, the lowest rank in the pack. He just stood there, taking everything in. Like a statue, not saying a thing, nor any emotions betraying his face. All kept in a heavy wall of a facade. There wasn't even a trace of tears in. Blaze didn't see him cry ever since his parents had died. Not even when he was found between his parents, covered in blood. There were tear streaks in his eyes, but that was it. None.
Blaze stood there, not doing a thing. Their eyes met then, Nolan looked at him with nothing. A blank, empty brown eyes. He wanted to do something, but he can't go against his father. He didn't do a thing. What kind of best friend was he? Nolan needed someone, but he had no one. Not one. Not even him.
He visited a few times, secretly, but he was greeted with silence. A one-word answer to his question before the door shuts behind him.
There was nothing to save between the two of them. Nothing.
Blaze took a deep breath, the honeysuckle greeting him like a grandmother baking a batch of freshly cooked cookies, and shook himself out of the memories and continued towards the house. He knocked.
Silence.
Again.
He was once again met by silence. He took a deep breath, having decided of waiting moments later; his hands crept to the door knob. He twisted it slightly, opening just a crack when it slammed back again almost by invisible force.
He kicked the knob of the door open, and it gave into Blaze's will and opened. The only light providing the living room are the two lamps beside the 55" inch flat screen tv and the remaining sunlight filtering from the window.
It has been a long time since he's been inside the house and, by the Moon Goddess, it has changed. The house was supposed to be fit for a family of three, but it's bigger than that. The size changed inside. It was half--probably more than-- the size of the pack house's living room.
"How in the hell did this happen?" He muttered to himself. Blaze walked around the place, looking at the pictures. Wondering with sadness, just how many times Nolan had sat in this room crying. Alone. When all of a sudden, he heard a loud thump and sudden footsteps going down the stairs. Blaze straightened, setting himself into a professional mode.
Coming from down the stairs is a smiling, flustered, covered in paint Nolan that took Blaze by surprise. It's been a while since he'd seen that, but as soon as that thought pass by Blaze shook it away upon seeing the waning smile on Nolan's face.
"Blaze, what may I help you with? What brings you here?" Nolan questioned, licking his lips anxiously. He was too busy messing around with Lucille that he never heard him come in.
"I--Uh--" Blaze stammered before swallowing it and regaining his composure. "I've never seen this place so big," He commented instead.
Nolan looked around as if he's just realizing it. "Oh yeah," he muttered, "I've....redecorated long ago."
Blaze looked at Nolan sceptically, "Who are you with? I've never seen you that way......"
"So I'm not allowed to enjoy things and be happy?" Nolan snapped, raising his eyebrow. He was hoping that Lucille doesn't make any noise upstairs. Blaze is a soon to be Alpha and has more heightened senses, he could hear even a single footstep.
"No. I was wondering."
"It's none of your business, Blaze," Nolan said dryly. "What do you want? "
"I came here to ask if you know anything about the event of last night. The blue comet and the red sky."
Nolan rolled his eyes, sighing in exasperation "Just because I miss one day of school because I was sick doesn't mean I'm in any sort of way included into such thing. Yes, I saw it but I didn't approach it. What I do and don't do is none of the pack's business. That was established long ago." Nolan huffed, keeping his posture and entire being calm not even as a single erratic heart beating. Normal and steady if he has to keep up the lie. "If I wanted to take over the world, I would've done so by now besides why would I do that? The Earth may be pretty but not on the inside. Goodnight, Blaze. Nice chatting." He led the future Alpha out the door.
Just as Blaze was out the door, a loud thump sounded. Both men froze, "What was that?" The future alpha questioned.
Nolan forced himself to remain calm, gritting his teeth, "That's my pet. If you'll excuse me, I have to see if she's alright." And the door slammed shut behind the Hybrid.
Blaze stood there, frowning as he heard the omega rushed footsteps go further and further.
~
"What the hell?" Nolan exclaimed, rushing to his room where the Princess is currently located. Her eyes trained to the tv screen with a remote control in her hand, long slender fingers frantically pushing buttons. She was on the edge of the couch, moving closer to the tv screen the more the intense game got. Determination set on her face.
She barely gave the hybrid a glance. "That was an Alpha's son," She told him.
"What in the world was that noise?"
Lucille's eyes lifted to meet his wide green eyes, and shrugged "That was....the remote." She moved her eyes toward the incinerated black remote.
"You fried the remote?" He questioned in disbelief.
"That was accidental. My fire tends to go out of control when being unused unless I control it myself."
"Well, next time try not to burn anything of my stuff."
She rolled her eyes, pausing the game "What did the Alpha's son want?"
Nolan sat beside her, slumping on the couch. "He wanted to know if I had anything to do with the commotion you caused last night."
"And you did."
"And I did but lying is the best way to go. If they decided you're a threat, they'd kill you."
"And it'll be a tremendous award if they do. Monsters and all sorts have tried to kill me and where am I now? Still here."
Silence fell upon them, both of them lost in their own thought when a thought flashed to Nolan. He turned to her, "How is it that he's never smelt you? I smelled you the first time; it was strong. Overwhelmingly strong. A mixture of things I can't describe but the prominent one was like smelling an angel and something dark. Real dark." stated Nolan. His eyebrows burrowing in concentration. "If your smell is strong, how is it that he never noticed?"
"As soon as I heard the door open, I could smell the power in his blood. It was strong but not enough to be an Alpha, it's easy to figure out that he's a son of the Alpha. When the door slammed shut, that was because of me too, I had enough time to hide my scent to match yours. Which is easy enough, since I'm in your room. I'm surrounded by it." Lucille's eyes clouded, "It won't last long. I need to start putting the barrier around your house, myself and you. Which, I need your help for that."
Nolan nodded, no complains, no objections and just said a simple question "When do we start?"