22. Theo

Chapter 22

Theo

A lastor wasted no time searching for every possible kid I could have picked on in my youth, and the Alpha loved every moment.

This almost seems personal for him, and I can tell he is venting his past frustrations on me.

It's not like I picked on him, but truth be told, if we had gone to the same school, I probably would have.

And Kellen, too.

They’re both weird and insufferable.

Yet as strange as they are, we still forged an alliance back at the academy all those millions of years ago, and maybe I’m just as weird, too.

I was too much for a lot of Alphas to handle, and many deemed me a threat.

Well, apart from Alastor and Kellen, the only two Alphas who were prepared to challenge me back in the sparring ring.

It was how our instructors used to weed us out from the weak, and I suppose we only came together through the process of elimination.

The other Alphas didn’t like us, and for the first time in my life, I knew what it was like to be unpopular.

It fucking sucked.

So, now I’m stuck with Alastor and Kellen as they flank my side outside the house of one Sarah Pine.

I remember this girl. I practically tortured her for three years.

A shy girl who never talked to anyone, one I saw fit to make miserable because she was other…

And it had nothing to do with cooties either because I’d developed a lot faster than the other boys and was pretty much chasing girls from age eight.

No, I picked on her because she was a weird girl and didn’t fit what my eight-year-old brain perceived as desirable at the time.

This is ridiculous. I was freaking eight!

“Do I have to do this?” I mutter, rubbing between my eyes. “I haven’t even seen this chick in fifteen years.”

Alastor smirks. “Of course you do. Your Omegas gave you strict orders after all and you are not to break them.”

Kellen is just as smug on my left and I hate them both.

They got off pretty easy, but I understand why Ella has given them.

Alastor found her and got her that stupid cat and Kellen built her the nest.

I’m falling horribly behind, so I need to up my game.

So, I will apologize to Sarah, a woman I haven’t seen since my formative years.

“Well, let’s get this shit over with.”

Alastor chuckles. “I will make a note to Brody and Ella that you called their order shit , Theodore.”

I swallow a growl. “You just go and do that, Alpha. ”

He's my pack lead now, so I must respect his superiority, but he won’t get the better of me.

I march up to Sarah’s house and knock on the door.

In the end, we only found four of my former victims, one former nerd who grew up to be a scientist, and another girl who turned out to be a veterinarian.

They were all Beta.

Betas aren’t the biggest fans of Alphas lately, but just maybe I can restore the faith of some of them.

To my surprise, the scientist and the vet were pretty cool with me and told me it was a long time ago, and they’re over it.

Does anyone ever get over bullying, though? Not that I would know, but a part of me thinks that they were lying through their teeth.

I bet there was a lot they wanted to say, but none of that matters now because the door to Sarah’s house finally opens.

That’s when I meet the shrewd eyes of a little girl with missing front teeth.

She eyes the three of us up and down as if were shit she found on the bottom of her shoe, and she has some guts.

“Who are you, weirdos?”

Weirdos?

Alastor snorts, lowering his body until he is level with her. Well, almost.

She’s like four.

“Hi there, sweetheart, is your mommy home?”

“ Mommy ? I’m six, not three, idiot! And I’m no sweetheart.”

Yeah, I can see.

This must be Sarah’s brood and nice kid.

Just like I was…

Alastor has no response to the small girl, and it seems he has finally met his match. He throws his palms up in peace and steps back.

I sigh. “Look, kid, is your mom home?”

The child narrows her eyes, giving me a second once-over. She shakes her head. “She could do better… Mom! Some weirdo is here to see you!”

Her voice is shrill as she shouts throughout the house and fucking precious. Truly.

“Maddie, what are you talking about?” a woman says, and when she comes to the door, she pushes her daughter aside, folding her arms.

Personally, I think we’re the ones who need protection from her daughter.

That kid is sharp.

“May I help you?” she asks, guarded, and it’s clear she deems us a threat.

We are big Alphas after all, and there are three of us.

Alastor speaks, “Sarah Pine?”

She eyes him. “Yeah?”

He pushes me forward. “This is Theo Titan, formerly known as Theo Ryan. He has come to apologize.”

Her eyes bug in recognition. “Theo Ryan…”

“That’s the one. The guy who made your life hell for three years,” Alastor goes on, and I glare at him pointedly.

Finally, I meet Sarah’s eyes.

She’s hot now and good for her. Preteen me would have definitely given her a chance now, and I shake my head, rolling my shoulders.

“Sarah, I am here to apologize for all those years I picked on you. I hope you can forgive me…”

The woman blinks at me stunned. In the background, I spy her daughter, Maddie, glaring daggers at me, and it seems Sarah has a little Alpha on her hands.

We don’t manifest until later, but there are many signs in early childhood, and Maddie has them all.

Suddenly, Sarah laughs, and it was the last response I expected. I look to Alastor and Kellen for support, but they just shrug.

Just as she wipes the tears from her eyes, I ask, “So, am I forgiven?”

“No.”

I blink in surprise. “Come again?”

She looks me directly in the eyes. “You are not forgiven, Theo Ryan. You’re the reason why I developed body dysmorphia before thirteen. You’re the reason why my parents spent a fortune in therapy, and you’re the reason why I found it hard to fit in in high school and then later, college.”

My shoulders slump.

I suppose I should have seen this one coming.

I suck in a breath. “That’s okay. Even if you don’t forgive me, I still apologize, Sarah.”

She keeps her arms crossed and it’s not hard to see she is trembling. This is stuff that has been eating away at her for years, and at least she can get the closure she needs.

I am not forgiven and that is fine.

“Are we done here?” she asks, and it’s clear she just wants to shut the door and forget about this.

Her eyes are shining and damn, I must have been a horrible kid.

Was that how Ella felt the day I barred her access to Brody’s nest? No wonder she hates me.

I can see why she and Brody sent me on this path.

This poor woman is still scarred by my behavior, and a simple apology from me isn’t going to cut it.

Maybe I am beyond redemption, and if Sarah can’t forgive me, then maybe Ella never will, either.

Maybe Brody won’t ever forgive me, too.

“Yes, we’re done,” Alastor finally replies, and that’s when Sarah shuts the door in our faces.

We stand in stunned silence for a moment, and it seems Alastor is out of smart comebacks.

He and Kellen had been quiet throughout the whole interaction with Sarah, and it seems they come from a place of understanding.

While I, on the other hand, can never truly grasp the weight of the misery I’ve wrought.

“Let’s go,” Alastor whispers, leading the way.

I linger for a few moments and then follow them down the path.

Just before we reach the gate, the door opens, and Maddie appears.

She stalks up the path slowly, never taking her eyes off me for a second.

Alastor and Kellen step aside, sensing the obvious threat, and it seems Maddie is an Alpha in the making.

“Hey—”

I don’t get to finish as she gives me a swift kick in the balls, and when I double over, she grips me by the shirt.

Alastor and Kellen step back further.

There’s no missing the Alpha shine now as Maddie whispers, “You made my mom cry…”

Shit.

That was not my intention.

Sure, I picked on her mom way before she was born, but Maddie is still going to make me pay.

A shame she wasn’t around back when Sarah and I were still kids. A shy kid like Sarah could have done with a friend like Maddie.

Maddie continues, “If you ever come back here, then I will rip your throat out. Got it?”

I wince, nodding my head.

Satisfied at last, she lets go and glares at all three of us for a few moments.

We’re too terrified to speak.

She’s one scary young Alpha.

Finally, she turns her back on us with all the grace and dominance of a powerful Alpha, and she reminds me of ex-Governor Lily.

Now there was a woman who wasn’t afraid to turn her back on any Alpha.

When Maddie shuts the door, I rise to my full height, wincing as I leave the path.

Alastor stifles laughter. Kellen is biting his fist.

“Just have at it,” I snap.

Finally, they burst into laughter, and they’re never going to let me live this one down.

Yeah, I just got an ass-kicking from a toddler.

And it’s exactly what I deserved.