10

ALEIC

130 years ago, the night Theodin escaped.

3rd person POV

Theodin had crawled, blended, and evaded capture for 23 straight hours, all so he could make it to the portal, he had to get out of the human realm now if he was going to live, and he could feel his magic almost gone, drained completely, along with his lifeforce.

He was determined to not die like this, from a weak hit such as Kane's was, he was counting on surviving, so he could avenge the love and respect he deserved from a soulmate he was given, yet taken away.

He could not believe his memory of seeing his mate jumping in front of the knife that was rightfully meant for Kane.

She had given her life to save his.

It was the most disrespect he had ever faced in his life. He did not know what to feel angrier about, the fact the stupid girl had rejected him or given her life for a werewolf such as Kane, he knew Kane did not deserve to live, not after what he did to him.

Kane Locus Black had broken his heart the day he rejected his brotherhood, his dream, his future, and for what?

Theodin knew what Kane wanted the most, what he was waiting for, and how he thought and felt, he had grown up with him after his own family had sent him to the human realm to stay in Deepwater pack as a child, to learn from them.

He did not think he would meet someone so extraordinary in the cold, boring human realm, but he did, and Kane was magnificent, the first time he had seen him was almost like Theodin was under a spell.

Admiration perhaps, jealously definitely but love? Theodin loved Kane like the family he had never had, the bond you get from a twin, he felt so strongly that Kane felt the same, they were both outcasts in their world, both feared upon for what they could be capable of.

But, Theodin knew he needed a push to reach his potential, after all, Theodin was already there, seeing the big picture whilst Kane wanted to play the role of Alpha to some small no-name pack, Theodin saw what Kane could become, something greater than any Black or any in this realm of the next had achieved.

If only he had accepted the love he had offered, this wouldn't have happened.

Finding Orion in the deepest darkest of woods three years ago had changed his life, he poured every ounce of his lifeforce into growing the ranks, so he could achieve what Kane was too cowardly to do.

Since Theodin left the pack, abandoned his family, and made his own, he had lived and breathed making a name for himself, the need to overthrow Kane, who at the age of seventeen was Alpha, he wanted to be better, stronger than any before him and he knew overtaking Kane would surely come.

He just had to wait, this wasn't the right time, it couldn't end like this, Kane couldn't win.

*****

Making it through the portal had been challenging, he could barely open his mouth to speak the words, and once getting through, he had to evade the tracking of the pack who were one step behind him at all times.

They were persistent in catching him, yet he used all his strength to hide his scent and tracks, it had not been easy, but he made it through.

The sky was a deep red, it was early in the morning in The Vale, and he knew exactly where to go next.

He kept his head down and went straight for the castle he had never once called home, he knew his so-called little brother would be awake and that he would have no choice but to help him.

Upon reaching the gates and getting through without worry, the large eight-foot door was the only thing stopping him from getting inside.

Reaching his hand out, he knocks.

One, two.. three.. four..

Then there stood his little brother. He had not changed in the slightest, he still resembled his father more than anything which made Theodin's blood run cold just staring at him.

Swallowing his pride, for the time being, he holds the side of his stomach and smiles up to his brother. "Well, are you going to invite me in little brother?" He says amusingly, as his face twists in pain, staring at his shocked expression as he gapes at Theodin, covered in blood, mud, and soaked from head to toe.

Aleic Grinmorte, his half-brother, his father's pride and joy.

"T-Theo, what-" He stutters. "Come inside, you're soaked." He breathes out worriedly opening the doors for Theodin to enter.

Theodin upon entering, let his body relax, he no longer had the energy to keep himself up straight, he knew he was safe for the meantime, he had to be, there was still so much he had left to do, so he relaxed, he fell to the floor and entered a deep sleep.

A sleep he much needed.

Aleic stares dumbfounded at the sight in front of him. His half-brother laid lifeless on his floor covered in dirt and blood, it was obvious he had been in some sort of trouble.

He had not laid eyes on him since his father had sent him away to the wolf lands, under Alpha Black's guidance to learn about pack life, it was part of his father's teachings to keep the enemy close, whilst wearing a smile, the Black family are not enemies you don't keep outside, the closer they are the better.

Aleics wife had come down the stairs to see the mess in front of her, her husband in shock bending down to a lifeless body, wet and bloodied. "What is going on? Aleic?" She carefully asks, coming closer with caution as she stares at the body, squinting her eyes at the mans face.

She gaps. "Oh, my- Theodin? Is that Theodin?" She calls out, pointing at the man.

"Shhh!" Aleic snaps. "What is he awakes?"

His wife stares at him hard. "He can't stay here Aleic!" She takes a deep breath. "I just got a phone call, your brother attacked the Black boy, he's a wanted man, we will be imprisoned for helping him, he must be turned in!"

Aleics eyes widen, then snaps his head to his brothers. 'What have you done' he thinks to himself as he stares at his once all and powerful, confident, and charming brother, who he was very much afraid of, but looked up to.

"H-He's my brother, they will kill him Crista.. I can't hand him over to them." He says painfully quiet, his chest tightening.

His wife stares shocked and unmoving at her husband. "I want nothing to do with this, you hear me? Nothing!" She shouts, then turns to walk away, not taking a second glance at the mess on the floor with the dangerous man unconscious.

She had heard what he had done, what had happened, at the point the whole Vale had known what Theodin Grinmorte had done, he had put a strain on their name that night that would never wash out.

The once and great house of Grinmorte was going to go up in flames, all because Aleic turned a blind eye to his brother's true character, but Crista knew what Theodin was her gift? She could see the aura of those around her, they shift and change but never far from the truth.

Theodin was and never changed from Red.

She knew having him in this house will bring nothing but death, death was coming but for who she wonders?

That night, Aleic tended to his brother's wounds and set him in the spare room, in the tower of the castle, away from prying eyes of his staff, who knew nothing of his brother's presence in the house.

People had come the next morning, looking for Theodin, asking Aleic if any of his family had seen him. Aleic had made sure to cleanse the house of his scent and presence, not even the world's greatest tracker would know Theodin was inside, in a deep sleep coma, no, Aleic had made sure he hid him well with his magic.

Word Theodins body had been found the next week would shock Aleic, he knew Theodin was not dead, how could he be when he was upstairs, in a coma? The name Braum- Alpha of a neighboring pack claiming to have found and burnt the body.

Distant relatives. Yet uncertain why he would claim Theodin was dead, Aleic knew whatever Theodin was part of, so were the Braum family.

He was really starting to panic now, whispers within the coming years were starting to worry him, whispers of Orion and Theodin's names together had started to get back to Aleic, whose wife had just given birth to their daughter, Arabella.

Years would pass and the unconscious wanted fugitive upstairs in his home would wear heavily on his mind, constantly eating at him, 'did I make the right choice?' 'Is it too late to fix this?' He would constantly second guess his actions, putting strain on his family from the rumors that now surrounded his family.

He needed to get rid of Theodin, but how? To kill a sleeping man would go against everything he was taught, family nonetheless, he had to make this right.

That night- his wife was right, it had taken him a century to fully understand the situation, he had been a fool to dismiss the person his half brother was, he wanted to ignore the rumors and cling to the brother he remembered, who wouldn't hurt the weakest of creatures.

But the stories and rumors only got worse, too worse that Aleic couldn't ignore them anymore.

Almost 100 years later, not that long for his kind, he had finally agreed with his wife to do something about Theodin.

Little did he know, his wife had passed through the barrier upstairs that Aleic had placed to hide Theodin. She wanted to look at the man who had caused so much devastation within her family, so much that the whole Vale now gives them looks of disgust.

Theodin felt her the instant she passed the barrier, gaining consciousness he kept his eyes closed and listened to the quiet footsteps of his hosts. He knew these footsteps to be of his little brother's whore, a commoner of no name, a witch with talents even he could never possess.

She was dangerous to him, as he was to her, she knew exactly what he was and he... hated that.

"You've ruined our lives." Her pained voice whispers in the cold room where Theodin lays on the bed. "You are a disgrace to this family, Aleic may have loved you then but I'm afraid your good luck has run dry." She spits in hatred.

Theodin chuckles, his throat immensely dry, his head heavy with rest. "Little bird, you pain me." He croaks out, gripping his neck as he opens his eyes and stares into hers coldly.

He felt great like he had been reborn anew. How long had he slept he wondered?

"You're.. awake.. how?" Her mumbles came out, fear laced in his voice.

Crista watches as Theodin sits up and kicks his legs off the bed, his cold dead eyes raise to look at hers with a smile on his lips. "It's time."

She knew she had to get away, now, his aura had only darkened, death... death would ring in her head, the word the action, the impulse of Theodin to kill... her.. was there.

Her prophecy all those years ago is coming true, it was her who would die.

She reaches for the door to escape but Theodin catches her by the neck and throws her on the bed, with her facing him he wraps his cold hands around her neck and squeezes his hands roughly as he holds onto her delicate airways.

Theodin watches as she would kick, claw and try to scream for help as he presses her harder into the bed with his hands around her neck, squeezing the life from her worthless existence, watching as the life would drain from her eyes.

She stopped breathing and Theodin releases his grip from around her neck.

He felt nothing when he looked down at her, she laid there with eyes of horror as they now stare up at the ceiling, lifeless and unmoving.

Aleic had searched for his wife, he felt a shift in the house and couldn't put his finger on it. After having the staff search all over for her, he decided to check the one-room none of his staff knew of, the hidden room where Theodin was unconsciously kept.

Upon entering, he saw her lifeless body lay where his half-brother once was.

Theodin was gone, his wife was gone.

He had killed her and left without a word.

Regret, pain, hatred, more pain, self-loathing, and then fear for his children and his life.

He knew there was no way out of this, he had hidden Theodin from the world, from authority, he had to protect what was left of his family name and protect them at all costs, for now, he knew that Theodin was awake, he knew what was coming next would not only affect him but those and everyone around him.

Something terrible was about to happen, and he knew it was all his fault.