24. DARIUS

24

DARIUS

I lean forward on the couch, eyes focused on the entrance to the living room. It's been twelve hours, seven minutes, and two seconds.

Well, three seconds.

Four seconds.

Someone slaps the backside of my head, laughter meeting my ears. "Would you quit it? They'll be back soon." I twist around to growl at Maverick, Asani and Remi perched on the other side of the couch with twin smiles. The little Alpha is sprawled across Asani's lap, the three of them not worried in the slightest that Mateo, Nepheline, and River ran into the woods shortly after addressing the pack. That was just after lunch and now it's nearly midnight.

I'm sure they're fine with the new protections around the pack lands but having Nepheline this far from me so soon after she showed back up in my life is hard to wrap my brain around. Something keeps me checking for them to come back, something else making me worry that they won't be coming back in one piece.

Just a niggling feeling that the worst is yet to come.

Needing to move, I push to my feet, only to find Maverick guiding me back to the couch. Another little growl rips from my throat as I glare at him. "You don't feel it? Something is going to go wrong!"

Maverick breathes out a deep sigh and I get the feeling that whatever is going to come out of his mouth is something we're all going to hate. "I feel it, Darius. Unfortunately, nothing we do will change the outcome. You speak of fate and I'm saying what must happen will happen regardless of our input."

"That's ominous as fuck. Are they going to get hurt?"

"I don't see specifics, Darius. I have no idea how this seer thing works-"

"Oraculum." I cut in. "You are not a seer. Those are things from weirdass magic books that people invented. No, you are a much more powerful being that can point people in the right direction based on Mother Nature guiding you."

The Alpha just shakes his head. "Darius, I know you mean well but all I know is that I need to be right here. That's it. Mateo, Nepheline, and River will make their way back when it's time and then we will continue building this pack the way it is supposed to be. Don't look at me like that, Darius. I hate not knowing just as much as you."

I squint at the man before focusing on Remi who's half asleep. The little Alpha giggles before sharing his joke. "They're probably just having sex without us. I wonder if my little piece of sunshine tried to make a nest out of leaves."

Asani chuckles, running a hand through Remi's hair. "Definitely having sex without us. Maybe we should start our own orgy for when they come back."

Anger bleeds through me and I pop up off the couch, my hands fisted at my side. "How can you three be joking? Everything is wrong. Mateo's father is dying. The pack is tainted. Silas is still out there, trying to find a way to take this pack from under his brother and my Bambi is somewhere out in the forest and I can fucking feel that something is going to happen." I clutch at my chest, a phantom pain searing through me. Bambi remains unharmed. In fact, everything about our bond is peaceful. She must be resting but that doesn't make me feel any better.

I know Silas too well.

It's been too damn silent since I arrived and I've done nothing to give my previous Alpha so much as a report.

Add on the fact that Mateo is supposed to be fighting to protect his position in less than 24 hours and I can't sit still. I open my mouth to continue my line of thought when Bambi's sweet voice filters into my head.

I can feel you worrying all the way from here. We're fine.

I hate that she can feel my emotions. Come home.

We're patrolling. Give us an hour.

Remi props himself up on his elbows, shooting me a wiry grin. My belly does a flip, the only Alpha that has caught my eye since I arrived seemingly aware of my thoughts. "That was Sunshine, wasn't it? She tell you to stop worrying? Good. Now, let's find a different topic before I focus on all the sex I'm not getting."

His joke falls flat, his attempt to lighten the mood failing. Maverick nods to me. "Tell us more about Silas and the pack of the Forbidden. Once we rid this pack of Calista and the council, our next target is Mateo's brother. We'll need all the help we can get."

I don't want to talk about the darkest part of my life, a time when I forgot about Bambi and lived in Silas's shadow. Unfortunately, Nepheline's Alphas deserve every piece of information they can get their hands on. "First off, Silas is a greedy bastard. He wants power but he isn't a leader. He wants to be known as the strongest but doesn't want to work for it. He injects this… serum into himself to get stronger. It's completely unnatural."

"We are aware of the serum. Enzo, I'm sure you know him?" Asani asks. "He was my partner in crime. That drug was never meant to be used like that. It was supposed to be to help repair broken glands or genetic defects. I had no idea what Enzo had planned with that shit or I would have never agreed to make it. Granted, I think I have found something that will neutralize it so if we stumble upon any of them, it'll be easy to rid of them."

I narrow my eyes at the Alpha, hating how much pain he has brought into the world. He's not lying about wanting to help but I can see that there was some scientific curiosity that came with the creation. I can't rage at him, though. His power is comparable to Mateo's if not stronger and that isn't a wolf I want on my bad side. "Well, that serum is being used as a crutch to create this kind of demonic creature stronger than any wolf I've ever seen. Many of the Alphas in that pack also take it but not to the extreme that Silas does."

My attention flits to the entrance to the living room again before I continue.

"Silas and Calista aren't on the same terms, either. They have entirely different agendas just from what I've seen here. Silas is like a bulldozer but Calista is strategic. Or was. She's not much of anything anymore. Kylan and Pierson are just pawns, really. Um-" I run my hands through my unruly strands, growing more anxious by the minute. Flashes of a memory when Silas had me pressed up against a wall flit through my head.

He never truly touched me but he was very clear of his intentions. The number of times I felt every inch of him, including his hardened cock against my belly still disgust me. Had I not remembered Nepheline or grown a conscience at some point, I may have been Silas' Beta mate.

Maybe that's why I swore off Alphas altogether.

My heart will only belong to Nepheline.

And maybe Remi.

Maybe.

"Basically, Silas is unpredictable and strong. He's also stupid which makes him even more of a danger because he will take every risk. We don't have that long to deal with any of this. Even if we make a plan for Silas, Kylan is a problem. He's injected with that serum and Mateo might be strong enough but we all know that Calista will bring Gael to that fight. Mateo-"

Maverick slowly reaches out to place a firm hand on my arm, softening my unease. "First, I need you to take three breaths and calm down. You are bonded with our Omega, which means that she can feel every last emotion flowing between you. There you go. One more. Now, you are right that Calista will bring Gael. She needs a strategy where she no longer has any. However, Mateo's resolve is strengthened by emotion. When he sees what will be lost, he will fight for what is left to be saved. I can see the magic growing in these lands, even the lands the Redstone pack used to own. That will only happen if Mateo wins."

That does little to assure me because we still have an entire day before the confrontation between Mateo and Kylan. "Great. Great. Glad all this has been figured out."

Remi sits up a little to push off of Asani's lap and walks over to my side. I hate the way I lean so easily into his chest when he offers comfort. "Mateo can handle anything that is thrown at him and you know that Nepheline is stronger than all of us combined. River can fend for himself. They'll be back soon and I promise that you can have first cuddle. Or fuck. Are we there yet?" He trembles as he tightens his hold around me, showing off the bit of fear coursing through him.

Deciding not to dwell on it, I pull away from Remi and situate in the perfect spot to see when Bambi shows up. "Just tell me. I don't know who he is but there was another Beta. There's this… certain hatred for him but I can't even remember a name."

Asani snorts as he gathers Remi back into his lap. "Flynn? You'll be happy to know he's dead. Maverick helped drag him into the heart and then our Omega ripped him limb from limb in front of the entire pack. Quite the sight. I would pay to see it again, the fire in her eyes, the wild smile that spread across her lips as she realized he was dead."

"Good."

I snuggle into a stack of pillows, counting as the seconds pass us by. It isn't long until it's just Maverick and I waiting for the rest of our pack to stumble into the house. His gaze darts to Asani and then back to the door, his cheeks a faint shade of pink. My entire job revolved around watching and coming to conclusions with Silas. It's not hard to tell where Maverick's heart lies and while I don't know the entire story, I can guess some of it.

"Let yourself love, Maverick. No, this time it's me telling you to listen and understand what I'm saying. Love is a luxury most of us don't get, let alone getting it twice. No, Bambi didn't say anything but she didn't have to. Living with that pack taught me hatred and submission. Violence and absolute obedience regardless of morals. I've seen so much fucking death, so many innocents lose their lives to Alphas like Silas who believe it's their way or nothing at all. It might hurt to move on, maybe it's just terrifying but if you don't allow yourself to love…"

I trail off, not wanting to finish that thought.

Maverick carves out his own section to rest, none of us wanting to use Bambi's nest without her here. "You aren't the first person to say something and definitely not the last. I hear you, Darius. I hear you. Get some sleep. I'm sure Nepheline will need her protector when she arrives."

If the Alpha was trying to soothe my nerves, he definitely didn't.