Chapter 18

POV Eric

“I cannot believe I told off Omega Gavin.” I told Braxton as we rode in the car with Darien back to the house.

“Sounds like someone should have a lot sooner, he’s a pompous little jerk. Why does your father put up with him?” Braxton asked.

“We don’t really have a choice. He holds an elder seat on the board. When I take my place as Alpha, Dad can choose to take his place but otherwise we are stuck with him. Unless he’s removed for some reason. Besides being a jerk, he’s never done anything to jeopardize his spot.” I answered.

“I feel like being a jerk should be enough.” Braxton laughed. “Besides you are the next Alpha it’s time you start acting like one.”

“Yes, yes, I know. You pressured me into volunteering to speak with Alpha Donte. You better not chicken out when it comes time to talk to him.” I said jokingly.

I had to hand it to him, Braxton is fearless and completely void of thinking of the consequences. I’ve always known that a wolf brought strength, but I always imagined physical strength and of course their healing properties. Braxton was so much more. I had lived my life up till now trying to be the good son, my father’s perfect shadow. Not anymore. I took Miss Evens words to heart. It’s time to find out what kind of man I am going to be.

Pulling up to the house I can feel my mother pushing the connection opening my mind I can feel her. “Yes?” I ask.

“Brent just sent word the girl is awake. I’m going to see her before we head home. Do you want to come by before you leave?”

Braxton and I pondered it for a minute. “We can see her tomorrow when we get back. If we want to get there before dark, we need to leave soon. Plus, I’m sure you will make her feel right at home.” I told her before cutting the connection.

The drive there long and boring. Darien doesn’t talk much anyway, and Braxton decided to take a nap right after we left.

As we got closer to their territory something felt off, I woke Braxton to see if he noticed it too. Pulling up to the gate we all went in high alert.

The two twenty-foot gates lay on either side of the road twisted. Pulling forward to the guard station, the building empty. Cobwebs and dust suggesting it had been vacant for some time.

I push for a connection to my father straining to feel him at all.

“We are too far out, I already tired.” Darien says.

I grab my cell phone from my pocket but of course there’s no service here. It wasn’t uncommon to build our communities where there are limited utilities.

Darien backed the car down the road a ways and pulled it to the side. “What should we do?” He asked.

“How the hell am I supposed to know?”

“You’re the Alpha.” He looked dead serious.

“Don’t pull rank crap on me right now. This looks bad.”

“We have a few options, we could drive in, which I do not recommend. It gets rid of the element of surprise but unfortunately that leaves us having to hoof it back to the car if we need to escape quickly. We could shift and go in but if their patrols are intact, we would be seen as a threat. Considering no one knows we were coming. Or we walk in flat foot and just see what happens.” He grinned at the last option.

Locking the car and placing the key under a rock behind the front tire. What little it would do if we were separated. I barely know how to drive, and his vehicle is a stick shift.

Walking up the road Darien took the lead, I had never been here before, but he helped Alpha Donte when rogues attacked a few years back.

The first thing that came into view was the Alpha manor. It spread over two acres and stood four stories tall. “This place is huge!” I gasped.

“Actually, it’s fairly small compared to most.” He told me.

“Does the pack all live in one house?” I asked.

“No this is just for the Alpha and his family.”

I always knew we lived simpler than most but seeing the excess in person was shocking.

The manor looked empty as well, the lawn grown over and not a light on. Oddly serval clean well-kept cars lined the circular drive. Darien and I gave each other a knowing look before proceeding to the door. Darien leading the way, he went to knock but as soon as his hand came in contact with the door it swung open several inches.

“Hello.” Darien’s voice echoed through the house.

“Well, Hello.” A man appeared from one of the rooms to the left. Stirring something in a coffee cup, seemingly unbothered by the lack of lighting and noticeably overturned furniture. He looked like a ghost in a movie floating through the filthy, destroyed house. His white button up shirt and black slacks perfectly pressed.

Braxton rolled his shoulders uncomfortably, his heckles raise and pushing painfully close to the surface. I let him stay there and released all control, I felt it to. This place felt like a tomb, cold and musty and void of life. Yet here this man was walking around like the broken glass crunching beneath his bare feet belonged there.

I went to speak but Darien motioned for me to stop.

“Hey.” Darien kept his tone relaxed. “We were looking for Alpha Donte. You haven’t seen him by chance, have you?”

“You’ve come to the right place.” The man responded. “I’m Alpha Donte. What can I do for you gentlemen?” Turning to look at us, the light from the doorway hit his eyes shining a greenish yellow.

Darien reacted in an instant. He turned pushing me out the door and latching the bolt before screaming in my head. “RUN!”