{54}
Theo's POV
We walked our way back to the main town, watching the rogues scamper away from the scene. They only had to take one look at us to know that we've come out victorious.
"Yeah, that's right!" Elisia growled at the disbelief on their faces. "We beat those demons, they exist no more!"
I held her close to me, wanting to reassure myself that she was fine. Letting her fight someone like Darkness had me feeling uneasy, but I had to remind myself that she can take care of herself.
All that was on my mind was getting immediate medical attention for her, her shoulder was in bad condition. I was glad that she was quick to pull the silver knife out before it had the chance to do some real damage.
I thought back to the last time I saw Kaitlyn, Emily was frantically attending her wounds. She didn't look good, but I was reassured that her condition will stabilize. I was proud of what we had accomplished, but I was even more proud of my mate.
She was fucking amazing.
We headed towards the intact hospital clinic where the wounded were situated. Elisia's strength was decreasing by the second, she had buckled over twice. Aiden was watching her with extreme concern, I didn't know whether it was weird or...nah, it was weird.
I had enough when she buckled again, and stopped her from walking any further.
I crouched down in front of her. "Get on my back."
She hesitated before climbing onto my back, her legs on each side of me. I supported her, as I stood back up, holding her thighs. I was surprised that she didn't object to being carried, she must really be feeling drained. She slowly nodded off to sleep, her small face dug into my shoulder.
Aiden was still with us, looking down to avoid the surprised and angry stares from the other rogues. One of them glanced at us, and began to run away before he recognised Aiden. His angry green eyes narrowed at us, before softening at Aiden.
"Bro, what are you doing?" He called out in confusion. "Let's go!"
I regarded the rogue with an icy glare, to which he returned with a cold scowl. Judging by his accent, he definitely wasn't from here. British, maybe?
Aiden sighed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "No, leave me."
"Fam, we have no leader!" He continued, keeping his distance from us. "You're next in line, you have to lead us!"
Aiden's eyes widened, before he shamefully looked down.
"I can't." He whispered with a shrug. "I can't, man."
Understanding the situation he was in, I stepped in. "Let's go." I said to him, glaring at the other rogue.
The rogue narrowed his eyes between us, before it widened in realisation. "Aiden, fam..."
I heard him take a sharp intake of breath, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here. I took in Aiden's torn expression, before deciding that I'll have his back from then on. He had sacrificed so much to help us, but I will remain cautious until I can fully trust him. We still don't know why he decided to help us in the end...
"Are you fucking kidding me?" The guy roared in rage. "You helped them, didn't you? You're going with them? You're a rogue like me, dumbass! Do you know what they'll do to you if you go with them?"
I glanced at Aiden, he was an open book, very easy to read. He wore a panicked expression once he realised what he'd done, his betrayal to The Rogue Force meant he wasn't welcome there anymore. And since he's a rogue, no pack would even think about adopting him.
His friend's questions reminded him that rogues were locked up when on pack territory.
But not this time.
"We'll welcome him." I calmly answered his rhetorical question.
The rogue gaped at me in disbelief, before scowling in annoyance. Turning back to Aiden, he said, "He's lying, don't listen to him and come with me! The rogues need you!"
Aiden ran his hand through his brown hair, sighing heavily. He looked at my love, who was sleeping on my back, with an unreadable expression, and then turned back to his friend.
"I'm staying." He eventually said, the finality clear in his voice.
He made up his mind.
His friend nodded slowly, getting used to the idea of Aiden's betrayal. "So that's how it is? Aight, say nothing." He spat out, walking backwards. "I knew you weren't ever loyal to the rogues, I fucking knew it!"
Aiden stepped forward, sad to see the disappointment on the rogue's face. "Bro, I-"
"Allow it, don't call me bro." He cut him off coldly. "You're nothing to me now."
And with that, he walked off.
I stared after him, hoping someone would spot him and kill him on the spot. I shrugged and kept on walking, avoiding obstacles so Elisia doesn't wake up.
When we finally reached the hospital, there were staff rushing around to keep up with the demands. Before I could call for help, a team of health care professionals approached us.
"We have a room ready for our Chief Warrior, follow us." A nurse said, not wasting time in leading us into the hospital.
Everyone froze once they registered there was a rogue accompanying us. His presence had substantially increased the level of anger in the place, making him awkwardly shift in his spot.
"No one is to attack this rogue, he is with me and will harm no one." I barked, making everyone jump.
We were quickly ushered into a room, and I carefully placed my mate on the bed. Her bed was immediately surrounded by the medical team in no time.
A doctor asked me some questions, as they woke Elisia up to get her consent for treatment. I gave the doctor a run down of her obvious injuries, and how it had happened. Aiden's nervous behaviour caught my attention again, he kept pacing around; throwing anxious looks towards my mate.
I frowned when I noticed the staff were wearing confused, and scared expressions. Even Elisia noticed, in her weak state, and asked, "Is something wrong?"
"Forgive me Chief, but you smell...different." One of them explained, looking at her in bewilderment. No one could believe that what they were smelling and feeling from Elisia, was the scent of an Alpha. I held back a laugh, even with her in that condition, her aura was unbelievably strong.
"I'm too lazy to explain, but yes, I'm an Alpha." She murmured, closing her eyes as if she hadn't dropped a huge bomb on them. They froze in shock, their eyes wide as they looked at her in a different light.
"Take her word for it." I added with a smirk. "My mate is an Alpha blooded wolf."
One nurse choked on nothing and repeated, "Your mate?"
"The love of my life is on that bed, so take good care of her." I told them seriously. A another doctor nervously cleared her throat and said, "Yes, sir."
They all looked shaken and taken aback by the news. Or maybe they were on edge because they were sharing a room with two strong Alphas and a rogue. Could be both, honestly.
They attended to her wounds while I watched, which probably didn't help with the tension. But I couldn't care less, I couldn't leave her when she was this vulnerable; she was weaker than usual. Once they were done, they happily left the room.
One nurse stayed behind. "So as you can see, we started an IV pump." She said, pointing at a machine connected to her. "It'll just pump painkillers into her system, and should help with the pain. I'll be coming in every half an hour to do observations on her, it's important that we keep an eye on her for now."
I nodded at her, letting her know I understood and appreciated their service. I walked to my mate's side and sat down on the chair by her bed.
I reached for her hair and brushed it back, making her eyes flutter open. "Hey baby, how are you feeling?" I asked softly, admiring her. She smiled sweetly and leaned into my touch, making my heart skip a beat.
The duality of Elisia never failed to surprise me.
It wasn't too long ago that she struck a machete into Darkness' chest, a dangerous, beautiful woman, and now she was so adorable. I just wanted to grab her and tightly hold her within my embrace, but decided against that urge because of her injuries.
She frowned at my lack of clothing, I was still half naked. "Did you get yourself checked?" She asked with concern.
I shook my head, making her glare at me. Without hesitating, she reached for the red button and pressed it with a smug smirk. I groaned realising she had called the nurses desk, to which she giggled.
"It's for your own good!" She reasoned, becoming serious. "I'm totally fine, really I am. I'm going to knock out, I'm so exhausted."
"Literally only silver can kill me." I told her, referring to my lack of wounds. "Any other injury will heal on its own."
Two nurses walked in, and went straight to Elisia. She pointed at me and smiled up at them. "Is it possible for someone to do a quick check up on him? He fought in battle, but hasn't undergone a medical assessment."
They both looked at me, struggling to keep their eyes level with mine. "We'll find you a doctor or an NP, right away."
One of them sneaked a peak at my built chest, her hungry eyes taking in every detail. I didn't enjoy her eyes on me, not like how I enjoyed Elisia's gaze. "While you're at that, could you find me a shirt?" I ordered icily, turning away from the women.
"Please?" Elisia added to be courteous. "Thanks in advance."
They left the room, and not too long after a male in scrubs walked in. "Theo Hunter? I'm Dr Wilson, I'll be doing a quick medical assessment on you. If you could follow me, I'll show you the way to my consultation room."
I followed him, making sure Aiden came with me so Elisia could sleep in peace. He reluctantly came with me, suddenly asking about the security of the place to be leaving her alone. I rolled my eyes in annoyance, reassuring him that she'll be fine.
Where was all this protectiveness coming from all of a sudden? I didn't like it.
The check up didn't last too long. Apparently, I was suspected to have fractured some bones in my hands.
I shrugged when he told me that, explaining that that always happens when I fight - training or not. Although I always let them heal on their own, I let him wrap my hands up to decrease mobility and heal faster. I headed back to Elisia's room where, to my surprise, two extra beds were set up.
I raised an eyebrow when I smelt familiar scents.
A older looking nurse, on her way out, stopped to explain. "Jayden Steel had come by to visit Elisia with his mate, they just left. He ordered for two beds to be set up for you and..."
She trailed off, glancing at Aiden with disgust. "The rogue."
Aiden scowled, hurt flashing across his face before he looked away. The nurse carried on speaking, refusing to acknowledge him again. "You can stay here until Elisia is fully recovered. She's a strong one, how did she manage to come out with no fractures? It's beyond me..." She mumbled, shaking her head.
"If you see Jayden-." I began to say, interrupted by a knock on the door.
I smiled knowingly, realising who it was, and said to the nurse, "Never mind."
"Come in!" Elisia called out.
Jayden and Emily walked in, hand in hand with a smile on their faces. The nurse respectfully bowed at Jayden before leaving us.
"How are you guys?" He asked, nodding at Aiden and I. "You did well, who killed who?"
"I killed Kobi, and Elisia killed Darkness and Nevos."
Elisia groaned as she sat up, making me rush to help her. "I'm fine love. So I did kill Darkness, but I got rid of Nevos."
"The other demon right?" Emily confirmed with a frown.
Elisia went on to explain that she expelled him from worldly existence, and is certain that he wont come back. Jayden asked if he could be summoned again, but she reassured him that she took care of it. She went on to explain her gratitude towards Aiden, who warned us about Nevo's escaping.
I glanced at him, holding back any emotions from appearing on my face. I was proud of this guy, to say the least, but I wasn't going to let him know that yet. I told the group about his encounter with a rogue friend, and how he chose to stay with us.
When I asked about his relation to him, he replied with, "He was someone I ever considered as a best friend, my first ever close friend. I was on a trip to the UK with Killian when I came across him, he was sleeping on the streets of London - a lone rogue. He helped us enormously, Killian liked him so much that he arranged for him to join The Rogue Force. And...the rest is history."
Jayden green eyes glinted dangerously, his Alpha blood aura increasing by a tenfold. "How can we be sure this isn't apart of some elaborate plan? Like The Rogue Force's plan B, if things didn't go to plan for you?"
I wanted to snap at him for being ridiculous, but stopped myself. Elisia felt the same, but also held her tongue. As much as we, including Jayden, all wanted to trust him, we couldn't take any chances.
Gaining our trust meant that we were welcoming a rogue into our world. He could simply be an insider, trying to form friendships with us, and betray us in the end. A bitter taste was left in my mouth, thinking about my late ex-Gamma, Kobi.
Aiden held his hands out, shaking his head at Jayden's accusation. "Hell no! Theo just told you, I literally abandoned my post in The Rogue Force for you guys!"
Jayden's, usually kind, gaze narrowed at him mercilessly. "Why? You didn't have to. Why, all of a sudden, did you help us? You betrayed your best friend to help a bunch of strangers. I'm sorry, but that doesn't make sense at all.
I stayed quiet, and looked at the shaken rogue for his answer. I felt bad for him. It's not that we're ungrateful for your help Aiden, but interrogation has to come first. As much as I liked the guy, his actions were questionable. What possible reason could push a rogue to betray his own like that?
I was glad Jayden was doing the interrogation, I didn't want to do it.
Aiden hung his head. "Do you know why I'm a rogue in the first place?"
Most rogues were exiles, banned and kicked out of their pack for crimes they've committed. He looked pretty young, probably around Elisia's age. I wondered what this guy could've possible have done to be exiled.
"I didn't have a choice but to be one, damn it!" He continued, his face hardening. "Killian happened to find, one year old, me cradled in my dead mother's arms, in some random forest. He couldn't save her, but took me in and raised me to be the future leader of The Rogue Force."
Everyone froze, not expecting that at all.
"I grew up as a rogue, envying normal wolves and packs." He carried on in a hushed tone. "I didn't feel like I belonged there, I hated being a rogue. And above all, I hated what The Rogue Force was and what it stood for."
"But you still became Vice Leader?" Elisia spoke up.
"How do you know that?"
"Nevos mentioned it when I was exiling him from existing." She responded, with a smile. "He genuinely believed you had double crossed him, that you were a betrayer all along."
We all let out a sigh of relief, I guess trusting Aiden will be a lot easier now.
"I figured once Killian is out of the way, I could somewhat try to turn The Force into a pack. That was my dream, so I carried out every order, no matter how horrible." He explained, feeling embarrassed. "I always tried to reason with myself, that I was only doing this so that I could reach my dream. I was admired for my hard work, but they had no idea about the internal turmoil I suffered everyday."
His usual playful smirk was replaced with a sad frown. "And then, those damn demons came along..."
I put my arm around him and patted his shoulder. "You don't need to explain further, kid."
He chuckled quietly. "No, it's fine. And by the way, I'm twenty, so you're only a year older than me."
Ah, right.
"So you betrayed the rogues because you were sick of their ways?" Jayden pressed on.
"Partly."
We all looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate.
"It mostly had to do with her." He said, pointing at my mate.
She wore a puzzled expression. "Me? What?"
"You don't feel it?" He asked curiously. "You're my Alpha."
Silence.
"WHAT?" We yelled in unison.
To say I was shocked was an understatement, I never saw this coming. But that did explain the sudden protectiveness over Elisia, he must've felt it as soon as he realised.
"So hold up, back up." Elisia said, talking over the murmurs. "So you originally belong to The MoonKnight Pack?"
"I've never heard of that pack." Aiden deadpanned, shrugging cluelessly.
Emily eyebrows rose even further. "Welcome to the club."
Elisia rolled her eyes in amusement, and briefly explained about her pack. "So how do you know I'm your Alpha?"
He shrugged again. "I just feel like you're my leader, I want to follow your commands and I really admire you as a wolf in general. I have this urge to protect you at all costs, because to me you're an authority figure worth protecting. Not to mention, every time you speak I feel the need to bow."
We all nodded, it sounded about right.
He frowned at her, then at me and then at Jayden and Emily; realising we were all Alpha bloods. His curious gaze rested on Emily. "You're a weak Alpha blood."
"We're cousins." I explained simply. "Our grandfather was an Alpha, it just so happened that my father was born before hers. So the Alpha linage was passed along to me."
"Elisia probably couldn't sense you because you're a rogue." Jayden explained, looking thoughtful. "I can't explain why it worked the other way around though."
"Oh my God." Elisia said suddenly, her eyes wide. "You were abandoned at the same time I was."
I curiously probed her mind, to which she happily showed me. Understanding her train of thought, I couldn't help but nod.
"She was abandoned in a forest, with no scent." I told him.
"Same."
Definitely from the same pack.
"Your mother had probably tried to run away from the Rogues attack nineteen years ago." Elisia told him. "There's a high chance we were both found in the same forest."
"The one that's a few miles away from here...?" He asked slowly, as though he was piecing things together.
"Yes!"
"You must've been the other baby then." Aiden gasped in realisation. "Killian told me all about it. My mother was seen running with two babies, reported by rogues. They were ordered to stay back because she wore a warrior's uniform. When she was finally approached, it was by Killian, but she only had one - me."
"No way." Elisia blurted in disbelief. "I was abandoned on this territory by a warrior, on the orders of my mother who was the Luna. That warrior...was your mother?"
"Most likely." He breathed, shaking his head.
I stared at Aiden, who knew this guy would end up being somewhat connected to Elisia's past? It had occurred to me that they could've easily been taken in by different people, how different everything would be...
Aiden could've been found by and adopted into The Imperial Pride Pack, and Elisia could've been found by Killian, and likely killed on my father's orders.
We all warmly smiled at him, an unspoken agreement happening. We were going to accept this guy as one of us.
I smiled when I found out what Elisia had planned in store for him.
Our eyes met and we shared a knowing smile, hopefully he likes it.
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Aiden and Elisia are original MoonKnight Pack members who were raised very differently ><
What did you think? xx
I hoped you enjoyed it loves! Please stay tuned for future chapters, I'm almost done with the book o.o
Lots of Love,
Yasmine x