Chapter 15

"Good work, Beckett. I knew finding your mate would be good for you." Armand's voice was laced with pride, and I sat straighter at the tone.

It felt good to have the Alpha-Elect of the Steelwick pride praise my work. For a long time I hadn't deserved it. Armand had always been fair, erring on the side of kindness. I appreciated it then, but doubly so now. Hearing the sincerity of his words… that was everything.

"Thanks, sir. I feel like I've hit a groove, and I have been able to move past my mistakes." And unlike when I'd told him this in the past, this time it was true.

I'd convinced myself over and over again that I was fine and had been wrong each and every one of them. This time? This time everything was different. Better. And not only did I see it, but also my mate and friends did as well.

"That you have. Keep up the good work and we'll see you soon. Just because you live at Asilo doesn't mean you don't have a room here. You and your mate can visit," he offered, not for the first time.

I loved that they were keeping my room there. I wanted our baby to know their aunts and uncles here and not just those in Asilo. I wanted them to be surrounded by so much love that they never once questioned it.

"Thank you, sir. We'll be in touch."

The virtual call ended, and I closed my laptop. As much as I liked the advantages only a video chat could bring, it was bittersweet. Days like today reminded me that I had another home, one that I was no longer near. Sure, we could take a road trip there, but I couldn't just walk down the steps to take a swim with my friends or eat with an ornery cook. All of that was waiting for me hours away.

At least it was still there.

I'd an unexpected day off because I'd just closed my most recent case. Not the one that meant the most to me, but a mission all the same. It had turned out to be a case of an inverted number that spiraled into a cluster. I wouldn't say I did anything monumental to close the case, but it was closed and that was worth celebrating.

There wasn't much for me to do around the pride. Everyone had their jobs, and they were good at them. They also had their routines, so when I went to try and help them, nine times out of ten, I was only in the way. Which left little for me to help with.

It felt strange to have a day with nothing to do. My mate was busy being the amazing counselor he was. The other alphas had their own projects they were working on. Even fiddling around the house didn't take up much time. In the end, I was left with too much time to think.

Ever since Thomas had mentioned the toys and other things at his old pride, I had wondered what it would be like there now. No one had taken ownership of the territory in years, so it sat vacant, rotting away. Even though it hadn't been that long since people lived there, it was decaying fast.

It shocked me how powerful mother nature was. I'd seen old homes that were fine. And others that were only a couple of decades that were rotting away. I didn't understand enough about it all to know what the difference between the two were, other than they were abandoned.

Not wanting to be a slug, I tried to find any and every small repair that our place might need. I switched outlet covers, added a washer to the shower knob, repaired a small hole in the spring, and things like that. After putzing around the house for a while, I gave up on housework. Anything that popped up later could be dealt with later.

I pulled up my computer and mapped out the distance to the Baxburg territory from Asilo. The drive seemed doable, and I could leave now and be back in time for dinner. I didn't like the idea of leaving my mate without telling him, but I also didn't want to get his hopes up that I'd find anything there. It was just as likely that the houses were razed or that they had been cleaned out long ago.

It would be nice to surprise him with some of his old things. Especially the rocking horse. I was sure that Gideon would make one for our young if I asked, but his childhood one would be a thousand times better. Perhaps I could even find something of Benjamin's. It would be nice to have something special of his lying around.

I called Saunders, from Steelwick, and asked him to stay at Asilo while I was away. I wasn't foolish enough to think that just because it had been quiet, that it was safe. Easton had waited a long time to get to my mate. He was going to keep on waiting. Thomas and the rest of the pride needed to be left protected.

He agreed instantly and was close by running an errand. With his agreement, I grabbed my keys and left, very excited that I was going to be able to give my mate something he longed for. Probably. Mother Nature and thieves might've had other ideas.

In the car, I had a lot of time to think. I mostly daydreamed about what life would be like once our cub was here. They were going to be so loved. Not only did they have Thomas and me, who already loved them so much, but they had all their family from not one, but two packs.

I hoped I'd find some of Thomas's old treasures for them, though I steeled myself for the possibility that there would be nothing. It had been a long time since anyone lived in those homes. The more I thought about it, the less likely my trip was going to be successful. The council could have easily come through and had all of the homes emptied before leaving it to rot. It would make sense. It was a way to profit off the loss, and the council was hardly known for its selfless ways.

The only way I would know is if I went there and searched. I stopped at a gas station to grab a soda and a snack. I wasn't even that hungry, but I needed something to focus on that wasn't the past. What better than sugar and salt.

A few hours later, I reached familiar surroundings. It had been so long since I'd been here. It didn't take long for me to find the hidden path to my old pack. And really, it wasn't hidden per se, but we'd always done our best to make it look like a truck pull-off and not a way to get anywhere that mattered.

I drove down a dirt road and the memories started to slam into me. I was really doing this… heading home. A tinge of regret began to register, one that grew with each passing moment. Was it regret for coming back or for things I might've done in the past to prevent much of this? I wasn't sure, but it was getting thick.

A few minutes later a ghost town, where our thriving pack had once been, came into view. The territory was built to be like a small town, with houses, a gas station, a diner, and a mechanic shop. The design had been clever and very useful, even if it made it extra eerie now.

I pulled into the driveway of the home that Thomas had described, pretty sure I had the right one. It was a large two-story home with an overgrown lawn. Not that any of the lawns were well-manicured, but enough of them were completely dead. There were recent tracks in the dirt. Perhaps curious humans or a council auditor checking in on council-owned properties now that no one was left in the territory had stopped by. There weren't many or I'd have assumed squatters.

The houses were still in decent shape, but you could tell no one had lived here in a while. There were broken windows, and the lawn and landscaping were overgrown, but with a little TLC, it could actually be a nice place.

Taking care, I walked up the rotted porch steps and opened the front door. It fell off its hinges and landed with a loud thud. Maybe more than TLC was needed after all.

Inside, the house was empty, except for some twigs, leaves, and a lot of dust. The floors and walls, while dirty, were solid. The more I looked at it the more I thought it wouldn't take much to make the house livable again. There was no inside water damage and that was a great sign.

I sneezed when I opened the door leading upstairs. I didn't have much time to linger, though I was more than curious about the place and would've liked to have stayed a while. Maybe later I could bring my mate here—possibly some of Steelwick. Who knew, we might be able to get this place ready for a growing pack who needed it.

The stairs were solid, unlike the ones leading into the home. I went up to the attic. It was full, just as my mate had remembered it. They probably didn't bother coming up here when they cleared the rest of it out. I immediately started rummaging through the containers, a semi list in mind. There were totes, boxes, bags. All filled with various items. I didn't have a ton of time, so I went through them as quickly as I could.

Someday I'd have more time with my mate to go through all of the treasures. And were there treasures. I reached in a tote and pulled out a carved wooden wolf that fit perfectly in my hand. I just knew it was created by Thomas's father. This was a treasure and worth the drive. My mate would love it.

"What do we have here?"

I whirled around, dropping the wolf to the floor. How had I missed his scent?

"Easton."

The alpha stood before me, comfortable as ever. Like he hadn't a care in the world. There was something off about him.

"You know I was just thinking the other day that I ought to pay you and Thomas a little visit. I had no idea that you'd land right in my lap."

"Here? This is where you've been hiding." It made sense. Who would look in an abandoned pack for their former Alpha?

Easton spread out his arms and a sick smile came over his face. "Perfect, isn't it? It's the last place you'd think to look. I mean, what kind of criminal returns to the scene of the crime and then just stays there?"

I growled. I could take Easton in a fight. I knew that I could.

"Don't even think about it." Easton pulled out a gun. I recognized it as a tranquilizer gun, and my stomach sank.

No wonder he didn't have a single ounce of concern. He was using human weapons. Disgusting.

"Let me go. You don't want a whole enforcer pack coming down on you if you attack me." Not that they knew where I was, but he didn't know that.

"Maybe not. But I do want to find the little omega that got away all those years ago. And I think holding you here means that he'll come right to me."

My blood ran cold. I wanted my mate nowhere near this sadistic fucker. At this close range, he couldn't miss. I was screwed.

He didn't wait for me to attack, he simply fired. The dart lodged in my arm. The last thought I had was that I should have told my mate where I went, only so I could keep him as far from here as possible.