ALEKSY
Just as I'd instructed, Chad was waiting in the Jag outside Kaveh's house for me.
I slipped into the passenger seat and rubbed my tired eyes. I shut them as I heard Chad connect his phone to the aux cable. He pressed play and music blared through the speakers.
"So she said what's the problem baby?
what's the problem I don't know well maybe I'm in love, love
Think about it every time I think about it
Can't stop thinking 'bout it"
My eyes shot open and I turned to glare at him. He grinned and began singing along.
"How much longer will it take to cure this?
Just to cure it 'cause I can't ignore it if it's love, love makes me wanna turn around and face me but I don't know nothing 'bout love."
I growled and pressed the next button while he was still belting out the lyrics. The next song put me in an even worse mood.
"I thought love was only true in fairy tales.
Meant for someone else but not for me.
Love was out to get me, that's the way it seemed.
Disappointment haunted all my dreams..."
I narrowed my eyes at the lyrics. Generally, I liked this song. Smash Mouth was good. It was upbeat. But now I wanted to break the stereo and maybe Chad's skull while I was at it.
"And then I saw her face
Now I'm a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind.
I'm in love I'm a believer I couldn't leave her if I tried."
I tried to tune out the song and Chad's awful singing but it was proving to be difficult.
I huffed and stared out of the window. He was seriously getting on my nerves.
"Awww don't pout I was only joking." He said with a guffaw.
"You're asking to get your ass ripped off," I warned but he simply laughed again.
"Yeah yeah you love me and you know it." He teased. "You'd be lost without me."
"I feel like you're getting too delusional for your own good," I said turning to raise an eyebrow at him.
His smile got smaller and suddenly he looked nervous.
"Something on your mind?" I asked.
"Why would you ask that?" He asked glancing at me and swallowing loudly.
I rolled my eyes. "You're doing that ugly thing with your face that I warned you about," I said. Perhaps I shouldn't have asked but he rarely got nervous.
"I just..I.." he stammered and I pretended to yawn.
"Alyssa's pregnant! " he blurted and I whipped my head around to stare at him. He was quiet, waiting for my reaction.
"Congratulations man. That's great." I said and he smiled. I thought about it. Chad would make a great father and Alyssa...hell she'd probably be the best mother around. She was used to kids so that probably wouldn't be a problem. Chad was awkward around kids but he loved them.
I looked at him again and noticed he still had the look.
"Don't tell me it's twins," I said.
"Huh?" He asked confused.
"The look hasn't disappeared so obviously there's something more. Is it double trouble?"
"That's not it..." he trailed off.
"Spit it out."
"We, that is Alyssa and me...uh..we..you know...we want you to be the godfather." He said softly staring intently at the road but I just sat there in shocked silence staring at him.
The kid's Godfather? Was he insane? What the hell was he thinking?
"All this baby-making is obviously getting to your head. Don't be stupid Chad. This is your child we're talking about."
"I know Aleksy. This is my kid. I knew you would react like this. I don't care if you don't think you can do it. I know you man, I know that you'll be my kid's best bet." He argued.
"No. I'll probably end up killing your kid. Don't you think I have enough blood on my hands? I don't want your kid's blood on them too."
"I know that. I know you don't want to hurt him...or her...I know you'd do anything to protect my child. No matter what, you always fight to protect what you care about. So you made a couple of mistakes. You've come a long way since then. We've come a long way since then. We're not kids anymore Aleksy. I'm about to start a family. Do you know what that means? I'm going to have a little person running around my house who'd probably have my eyes or my hair and Alyssa's nose or her smile...God, I hope my kid inherits her smile. The point is...we're all moving forward with our lives. You have a mate now. It's time to stop living in the past. I wouldn't ask you to be my child's Godfather if I wasn't one hundred per cent sure that you could do it. If something ever happened to me, you're the only person I can trust to protect my kid."
I looked outside the window as silence descended on us. It's time to stop living in the past huh? I sighed...he was right.
"Like I'd let my Godchild grow up without a father," I muttered and I didn't have to look at him to know he had an accomplished, self-satisfied smile on his stupid face.
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At 7:30 sharp, we were pulling up in front of the Wright house. Would she kick up a fuss? Would I have to drag her home? I was not in the mood. We walked up to the front door and it swung open to reveal a man I hadn't met personally before but I was aware of who he was. Eric Taylor, the Beta of the Ash Lunar pack. I recalled Chad telling me when we were children that he had gotten into a fight with some pup called Eric Taylor. He was pretty beat up when he returned home.
"You should see that Taylor kid." He had said grinning.
"Thought I smelled a rat." He said now, glaring at Chad. He then turned to me and bowed slightly and stiffly.
The house was filled with the smell of meat. Kaveh, dressed in a button-down shirt and black slacks came into the living room, followed by his mate Jenna who wore a simple black dress that was classy but not over the top.
"Welcome. " Kaveh said holding out his hand and I nodded taking it. He repeated the same thing with Chad.
Automatically my eyes scanned the room searching...
"She's just getting ready," Jenna said smiling apologetically. "She loses all sense of time when she's training. She came home late, crashed out and I didn't realise that she hadn't woken up."
I took a seat in the living room and everyone followed.
"I still think this is happening too soon Alpha," Eric said to Kaveh.
"Her mate wants her by his side," Kaveh said looking me right in the eye. " I don't like it...but I suppose I can understand the need to keep her close when she is in such obvious danger."
"Except, I'm simply collateral damage. You're the one he's really after brother dearest." As soon as I heard the voice I was hit with the most incredible scent of honey and chocolate.
I turned slowly to see her descending the stairs. She was dressed simply in a loose but stylish blue shirt and jeans. Her hair was tied into a loose bun with wisps of hair framing her face. Haunting. Her wary blue eyes met mine and stayed there as she approached us.
"Way to dress up squirt."
Her eyes snapped to the voice and instantly lit up.
"Wic!!" She exclaimed and I cocked an eyebrow. 'Wic?'
She crossed the room and Eric opened his arms for an embrace that she seemingly instinctively, stepped into. I averted my eyes and clenched my fists. Why was I getting angry?
"She's ours. Another man's arms are around what is ours." My wolf growled.
"Stop. We will not lose control." I replied and turned my eyes to them.
He let her go but I caught the way his eyes ran over her...with appreciation... and longing. He had that lovesick look in his eyes. Even when she moved away from him to sit by Jenna, his eyes followed her. My jaw clenched in order to restrain the growl that threatened to erupt from me.
"Alpha Aleksy," Kaveh called and I looked at him. "A word." He said getting up and moving to the door.
I looked at Eric again. This time he was looking back at me. There was guilt in his eyes but also defiance. This man would do stupid things for her. Too bad she was mine. I looked at Elaheh. She was swatting Jenna's hands away as they tried to smooth down her hair with a half annoyed half amused look. She was obviously oblivious to Eric's lingering looks. It made me idiotically smug.
I stood up to follow Kaveh outside. "He's been in love with her a long time," Kaveh said with a sympathetic smile. I cocked an eyebrow at him.
"He knows she's not for him though. According to him, she's destined for great things and being with him won't fan the fire she had inside her."
I kept quiet. So the mutt was aware of her disinterest...and that she'd never be his.
"That doesn't mean he won't do whatever it takes to keep her safe. Or kill anyone who tries to hurt her."
"She has a lot of people that are willing to fight for her," I observed.
"That's because they know she would do it for them in a heartbeat. She's always putting everyone else before herself. When we were little I couldn't tell you how many times I'd seen her cry. Then our parents were killed. She watched as they were murdered. I was off fighting somewhere else." His eyes were distant as though he were seeing it all again. Then he turned to look at me as we walked.
"She's never spoken of it. After that day...I've never seen her shed a tear. Even now, with what's happened to her, she's always smiling. The only time I see any kind of frustration is when she is struggling to come to terms with how weak her body is. She never shows anyone her weak side." He looked ahead and shut his eyes and when they opened again, I noticed just how tired they looked.
" I'm her brother. We've been there for each other through the worst and still...not even me." He sighed.
He stopped walking and shoved his hands in his pockets.
"You know what scares me the most?" He asked looking at me. I didn't answer.
"That she could be crying alone...by herself. Having nightmares, trembling with fear and I...I won't even know about it."
My mind moved back to the previous night when I'd seen her cry as she stared at herself in the mirror. No, he didn't know. He didn't know that his sister did break down when she was alone. She hated being weak but that was something I could relate to. She didn't want him to know.
" Please protect her." He said. His eyes pleaded with me. "Bring back the light in her eyes. Show her that she is worth everything. Show her that what happened...hasn't changed anything about her or who she is. Show her that she's still the excitable, lunatic fire breathing little dragon she always was." His face sported a little smile when he'd finished.
We stood there in silence for a while just looking out into the trees when Jenna finally called out to us.
"Sweetheart dinner's ready!! Don't keep the Alpha starving. " Kaveh chuckled and began walking back to the house.
"Eric, when he finds his mate, will he still be as protective about her? He'll just forget about her." I said. The prospect of mates never appealed to me. Having your choice taken away. No choice but to fall in love with someone who was chosen for you. It was a bullshit idea.
Kaveh smiled in understanding. "I don't think you quite understand what having a mate is like. She isn't just chosen for you, she's made for you. She's made to fit perfectly with your pieces. But, if you don't want your mate, you're free to reject her. It will bring pain, because a part of your soul is ripped away from you. You'll feel her loss but you're free to love someone else. But just because you find your mate, it doesn't mean that someone that was important to you before ceases to exist in your universe. If Eric found his mate, sure she would become his first priority, but Elaheh is more than just the girl he fell in love with. He sees more. She's the little girl who looked up to him with her big innocent blue eyes. She's the girl he saved from a tree. She's his best friend's sister and she's his friend. He'd do anything for his friend."
We stood at the doorway of the dining room. Jenna was laying the table and Chad helped. He looked up at me and I noticed the slight discomfort on his face but Jenna just chatted away with him. She reminded me of Alyssa. Elaheh said something to Eric and he just shook his head smiling. He ruffled her hair making her frown. Jenna ushered her into a chair and I watched as Eric's gaze stayed glued to her, softening when she wasn't looking. I didn't care what Kaveh said if he kept staring at her like a lovelorn puppy I'd dig his eyes out and feed it to him. This possessiveness I felt of her took me by surprise every time. I didn't even know her.
"I know you don't want to fall in love with her. The more you fight it the harder you'll fall." Kaveh told me.
"I haven't lost a fight in a good while," I replied. "And I don't plan to begin now."
I watched as Jenna sent him a smile. It was simple but I could hear Kaveh's heartbeat pick up. It made me roll my eyes.
"You'll see. It's not this house...and sometimes not even my pack. Sometimes it's just her smile that is really home to me." With that, he walked to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"I have a feeling." She whispered to him. My hearing was more sensitive than most wolves but at the moment I'm sure everyone could hear what was being said.
"You have too many feelings for me to keep up with babe, but do enlighten me," Kaveh said smiling at her.
"I feel like our family is about to get a whole lot bigger." There was excitement in her voice as she said it.
Family? I wanted to scoff. The word was alien to me. My eyes strayed to Elaheh whose eyes moved to meet mine. Her eyes looked distraught like she was fighting an internal battle. I knew what it was because we were fighting the same battle. Fighting for the same thing....just on different sides.
Jenna called for us all to take our seats and dig in and we did. For now, everyone was talking over each other but I noticed that Elaheh was quiet. Again her eyes met mine and I read uncertainty in them. She smiled at me. It was a small, soft smile, one I didn't return. She didn't seem to expect one though. She just looked at Jenna when she spoke to her and smiled. Her smile was bigger this time just...less real and for the first time, I questioned whether taking her back with me was the correct thing. Her home was here, her family was here. But I had to keep her safe. I could risk her unhappiness till she was safe. Maybe she and Alyssa would get along. Alyssa got along with everyone.
When I finally killed Sloan and I knew she would be safe, I'd bring her back. I didn't plan on keeping her around after all.
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I think this chapter is longer than the others I've written but I hope you enjoyed it. :)