Ch. 281..285: The Alpha Contract Chapter 281-285

Chapter 0281

Dane

'Everwood.' Aero murmurs. 'Why does that sound so familiar?'

'There was a pack called Everwood years ago. Down in the south. But that was a long time ago, before I was even born. They were wiped out.' Part of my training as an Alpha had been to learn what had killed off certain packs.

Everwood was not wiped out by a pack war or anything like that. It was a disaster. There was massive flooding, followed by a landslide. My father had said they had either been killed in the process or had been buried alive. We may be able to heal from a lot of stuff, but things like that take out everything in its path. Destruction at its finest.

"Everwood were a pack of Wolves." I mutter to Abraxas with a frown.

He smirks at me and shakes his head.

"Lycans?"

He takes another swig of beer and nods. "A lot of packs masqueraded as Wolves. Easier to keep their identity hidden. Wolves can't tell the difference, as you are aware."

Moonshine had done just that. But they had also led Neah to believe she was a Wolf her entire life.

"You've killed packs?" I press.

"I kill Rogues. Though my parents and grandparents did wipe out packs. I decided to focus on the real problems."

"Are you trying to tell me that Blair is from this Everwood pack? Because that can't be possible."

He grins, "My grandparents blew up a dam not too far from their location. Made it look as though the thing cracked and then whoosh everything was gone."

It was impressive. A single act that wiped out so many. But it also made me question how many Lycan packs I had actually dealt with unknowingly.

"You think Blair's mother got away?"

"Maybe or maybe she wasn't there at the time."

"That's why Blair came for your family when she was old enough. Payback."

"In my line of work, every action has a consequence. My grandparents should have made sure everyone was dead. That was their mistake and a mistake that I am now having to clean up." "But why take Dorothy from you, what was the point in that?"

"You can mourn a death. You never get over knowing your child is out there, alive somewhere. You wonder if they are thinking about you or if they evern remember you."

I could only imagine what that must have been like. If someone tried taking one of my boys, I don't think anyone would be safe. Actually, I know they wouldn't be safe. "Mallory ended up in a situation with Blair."

"I heard."

"Blair let slip something about a pack. About being skilled from training before she went Rogue. She caught herself and reacted badly. If Everwood were wiped out, what pack is she talking about?"

"That is something I haven't figured out. There are several packs that still reside in this country. Others moved overseas when the Wolf numbers started growing again. I've watched and never seen them at any of them. I wondered if maybe she led Wolves to believe she was one of them."

It didn't sound ridiculous.

"Did you know about Moonshine?" I challenge

He looks me dead in the eye. "No, well, not at the time you are thinking of. They were recorded as wiped out." He looks at my annoyed face, "Being a Hunter does not make you suddenly aware of all packs. Yes I can tell the difference. Yes I can smell their strange odour. Yes, training skills are passed down through generations. We do record information on packs, and I can assure you, there is only the one recording of a Moonshine. The one that says deceased."

He taps his empty bottle on the table, "Why did you accept her? Even after you knew what she was, you still let her stay and thrive."

"I was looking for my mate for a long time. When I found her, I knew there was no way I was letting her go."

"She's a Lycan." He stares at me with his hazel eyes.

"Sometimes we can't help who we fall for."

"Did you feel sorry for her? I mean you did save her from a terrible situation."

"She told you about that?" I ask, surprised. It wasn't something she voluntarily discussed. Things would slip out now and again, but mostly, she tried to keep it buried in the past. "She didn't need to, I see it in her soul."

 

Chapter 0282

'There's that soul shit again.' Aero mutters. 'I don't understand how someone can see a soul.'

"Are you saying her soul is tainted?" I ask Abraxas. I wasn't sure what to think of him saying he could see souls. At one time, I also didn't think someone could be bound four times. I've learned a lot in the last couple of years. "More like it has cracks in it."

"Cracks?" Aero and I mutter in unison

"Everyone's soul starts off as a small ball of light. It grows as the person grows, gradually taking shape of the person. Sometimes, it gets to a certain size and never grows anymore because a person is trapped in a cycle that they can't get out of. Others, like those who have experienced levels of trauma, develop cracks. When the cracks meet, the soul breaks along with that person."

""How bad are hers?"

"She should have broken long ago."

"Is that how the darkness got in?" "No."

"How can you be sure?"

"It was already there, just waiting to be freed." He laughs to himself. "Do you know, I've never really spoken to Lycans before, or Rogues. I've spent years watching, hunting, killing. Listening to them plead for their petty lives. I have to admit, Neah was not at all what I was expecting."

"So if her soul is cracked. What's keeping her together?"

"Still figuring that out. Got anymore beer?"

"No, limited amount."

"Because of Blondie's issues, gotcha!" He smirks at me with a cocked eyebrow. "You don't believe me, do you Dane?"

He gets to his feet and takes the empty bottle to the bin. "You believe in Witch magic though, don't you?"

"Let's say you are telling the truth. You said her darkness was waiting to be freed. You are talking about her Lycan, right?"

"Bingo. But you've been wondering that for a while, haven't you?" He sits back down opposite me. "Neah has a surprisingly good level of control over her Lycan. I watched her force the darkness back out. Something I have never seen before." "Never?"

""Not once."

He seemed to be fascinated with her. I couldn't tell if it was a good or a bad thing. But if you linked it to how much he hated Lycans and Rogues, it wasn't a good sign. I had to find a way to make sure he was on her side. "How do I help her deal with her Lycan if Nyx is causing the problems?"

"Who knows." He shrugs his shoulders at me. "Her cracks show that she shouldn't be here. She is constantly fighting with her Lycan. Bound four times and survived" He keeps talking to himself. Listing all the things that I already know. He looks at me. "Maybe binding her is what saved her."

"You are deranged if you think I'm binding her." How fucking dare he think that's even an option.

"You are not listening to me Dane. You asked me what was holding her together." He drums his hand on the table, working through things in his mind. "Humans are full of cracks. Little tiny ones that snake through their soul. None of them ever quite meeting each other." He grabs Dorothy's colouring book from the corner of the table and flips to a blank page, quickly drawing me a body.

"Humans crack all the time. Pressure, stress, money worries. But each of their cracks become a part of them. They learn from it. Basically like putting a plaster on the edges. Some humans end up in psych wards when their cracks start to tumble apart." "Neah isn't human."

"I'm not saying she is. But she almost was. Her body learned to defend itself. To survive. A cracked soul isn't something we can heal from Dane, yet somehow, she has managed to stop the cracks spreading further."

His lips curve up into a smile. "Fascinating."

"Fascinating?"

"Just when I thought I knew everything there is to know with Rogues and Lycans, something new comes along." His hazel eyes are wide with delight, they give him a sinister look. One that I didn't like. ""You won't touch her." I warn him

"I won't touch her, can't say the same about the other two." He winks at me. I assume he means Damien and Mallory, not the twins. Though I have no intention of letting him kill any of them.

 

 

Chapter 0283

Damien

Raven isn't in bed when I return. The hours of sleep she needed once again evaded her and I already knew she would be back at Jenson's bedside. Praying for a miracle.

I don't stop when I hear Dane and Abraxas in the kitchen. He was spewing some bullshit about seeing souls like he was some fucking God or maybe that was it, he just had a God complex. Bringing him here was a mistake and I would prove it.

In the hospital, I find Raven exactly where I expected her to be. Hunched over Jenson, fighting sleep, gripping his hand.

"You are supposed to be in bed."

"Can't sleep." She whispers

"Klaus was watching him." I remind her

"I know."

She's clinging to his hand again. Her thumb circled the back of his hand as though that would wake him up.

"Did something happen? Did Klaus link you?"

She shakes her head, a large tear rolls down her cheek.

I stand there, watching her, trying to think of something to say when I hear his voice. Why the fuck was he here?

I pull the door open to face Dane and Abraxas.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!"

"Nice to see you too, Rogue!" He grins at me and Dane rolls his eyes.

"Why are you here, asshole?" I snap back. If he was going to continue to call me Rogue, then I had a few choice names for him too.

"I asked him to come here." Dane interrupts us

"So he can look at Jenson's soul?" I mutter sarcastically.

"Exactly."

I stare at Dane, surely he didn't believe the crap this asshole is sprouting.

"His soul?" Raven whispers behind me.

"Raven, this is Abraxas. Abraxas, this is my sister Raven and the guy in the bed is my brother, Jenson."

The asshole stares at me, waiting for me to move. I position myself next to Raven and the idiot smirks at me. As soon as we are alone, I'm going to stitch his lips shut so he can never smirk again. He settles into a chair on the other side of Jenson, propping an ankle on his knee as he stares at my mate's brother.

"He's a Wolf?"

"Thought you could tell the difference?" I sneer

"That's not why I was questioning it, Rogue. I'm questioning how he can be a Wolf."

"I don't understand." Dane frowns

"You told me what he did to himself. That he practically killed himself to get rid of his Wolf so that he didn't have a connection to Blair." "Yes."

"Hmm" He's staring at my mate in that strange way he looked at Neah.

"What?" Raven mutters. "What is it?"

The asshole frowns as his eyes move down to my mate holding Jenson's hand. "Humour me, let go." "Why?" She mutters.

"Curiosity."

He said that quite a lot. It was annoying that he never explained himself. Not unless he wanted to.

"I can't." Raven whispers. "I'm not ready."

"He's not going anywhere," The asshole tells her

She nods her head and her hand slowly retreats. Why did they listen to everything he said like it was law? How could I be the only one not to trust him?

A smile appears on his face after several minutes of silence. "Okay, you can hold him again." He mutters and leaves.

"I will be right back." I tell my mate and follow Daneand Abraxas from the room. "What the fuck was that about?"

"He's not dead." The asshole mutters.

"The machines......" Dane starts

"The machines are letting him heal, very very slowly." He runs his hand through the stubble on his cheeks. "Twin Wolves both in essence and spirit. Much like mates, they can connect on more levels. Surely you know this." "I know their bond is different." Dane replies.

"You should prepare yourself, your sons have the same bond."

"Really? Do you really get off on spewing this crap? Those machines are what are keeping him alive."

"Nah."

I square up to him and he laughs. "You should never have come here, asshole."

"Neither should you, Rogue."

His movement is quick and I feel a gun pressed to the side of my head.

"Abraxas!" Dane growls.

"I promised not to hurt your mate." He smiles at me as he stares me dead in the eye. "I didn't promise I wouldn't kill the Rogue." His eyes narrow. "Your brain will make a lovely piece of art, smeared against the wall to our left. I might even put a frame around it." "Son of a bitch."

"You shouldn't talk about someone else's mother like that. Not when you have your own family problems." He pushes the end of the gun firmly against my temple.

"You two are worse than squabbling children!" Dane snaps. "Abraxas put the gun down. Damien go to Raven."

"Looks like it's your lucky day." The asshole grins at me. "I was quite looking forward to hanging a frame. I was going to add a little information. 'Here lies the remnants of a Rogue. He thought he knew what he was doing, but the darkness took him instead.' Has a nice sound to it, doesn't it?"

A low growl rumbles from my chest and he laughs. He taps the gun against my temple twice. "Remember, I'm always prepared, Rogue." He winks at me and turns away, acting like it was his decision not to shoot me.

 

Chapter 0284

"Are you going to tell me what that was about?" Raven asks quietly as I slam the door. She doesn't look at me, her eyes are only on her brother.

"That asshole claims to be a Hunter."

"Isn't he a Wolf?"

"A Hunter of Rogues and Lycans."

She puffs out her cheeks and drags her dark orbs away from her brother to look at me. "Why would my brother bring him here? With you and Neah, Mallory and the boys"

"The guy has issues with Blair too." I groan "And Mallory roped him into helping Neah."

****

"He's Dorothy's father?" She is staring at me as I break the news. It's the most she had looked at me since Jenson had landed himself in here. It was a good thing, to get her tired mind focussed on something else even if it's just for a few minutes. "Apparently."

"Are you sure?"

"I saw the way he looked at her. It's the same look Neah and Dane have when they look at their boys."

"How is Dorothy taking it?"

"Surprisingly well. She seemed to know who she was." I frown, thinking about the way she hugged me. I thought she had been scared but now I wonder if she had been overwhelmed with her feelings. "She ran into his arms." "She won't stop loving you." Raven gives me a small smile.

"I'm not her father though, am I?!" It felt like my heart was being torn apart when I thought about it.

"Don't give up on it just yet. Dorothy adores you. You are the only one allowed to call her Dottie. She won't just fade from your life."

"She will if he takes her. This is her home Raven. She loves everyone here. She's a pack Wolf."

f he is helping Neah, he will be here for a while yet. Blair hasn't shown herself since you last saw her. Dorothy isn't leaving your life that easily." She scowls at me "And you can't kill him. That will destroy her."

Her gaze lowers to her brother and I knew I had lost her again. As she falls into silence, I mull over what the asshole said. 'Twins in essence and spirit.' And the machines weren't what was keeping him alive.

I knew Raven said that their Wolves were twins too. Surely he couldn't mean it was Midnight keeping Jenson alive?

As much as I couldn't stand the bastard, I needed to know if that was what he meant.

Dane and the asshole hadn't gone far. They were still outside the hospital.

"What did you mean the machines are not keeping him alive?" I demand

He smirks at me. I really wanted to wrap my hands around his throat and crush his windpipe.

"He was just saying that it's Raven." Dane tells me

"Come on then, let's hear your amazing theory behind this."

"Do you actually want to hear it, or are you just being an idiot?"

Dane's crimson eyes lock on mine. He doesn't say anything and I don't need to ask to know he wants me to choose my words carefully.

"I want to hear!" I mutter through a clenched jaw

"He lives because of her. Twins who share twin Wolves are as rare as Neah is. But you know that, right?"

"I'm aware."

"Their souls are intertwined." He slots his fingers together.

"And how is that supposed to work? He left the pack."

"They leave a part of themselves with the other one. When I say she is keeping him alive it's because...."

"Part of her soul lives in him" Dane finishes for him. "She's not dead, so he can't move on."

"Nailed it!" The asshole claps his hands together and winks at Dane. "And that is why you, Dane, were able to feel his death and carry on. She can't, she's stuck."

"Does he have a soul?" Dane asks with a creased brow

"I think you already know the answer to that."

"Okay then, wise one." I mutter in my most sarcastic tone. "What do we do with him if my mate is the one keeping him alive?"

"There is nothing you can do. You have to leave it to the higher powers. The machines are allowing him to heal. But no one can survive without a soul. Maybe if they think he deserves it, they will give him a new one. But you better pray for it." "Fucking nutjob." I mutter, turning away. Never have I heard so much crap.

"You love my baby girl." He shouts after me. "She will grow up to be just like me and if somehow, I decide to let you live, are you going to make her believe she is losing the plot?"

"You can't guarantee that she will be just like you."

"It's genetics and I have already seen it."

I was about to answer when Neah's voice echoed in my head. 'This is your Alpha. Your presence is required in Black Shadow.'

I look up, confused, I was already in Black Shadow. I was about to ask Dane what was going on when I see Mallory running towards us with a massive grin.

"She did it! She sent out a link to everyone."

Chapter 0285

Abraxas

"She actually did it?" Dane asks in surprise. He turns to face the direction of the pack house. "How?"

Mallory shrugs her shoulders. "I wasn't with her."

Dane scowls and not because he didn't want it to happen but because Neah had managed to do it without guidance.

"I saw Damien over here with you two and just...." She stops and her brown eyes shift up to the hospital doors with a frown. She doesn't question why we are here even though she wants too.

"We need to prepare." Damien stares at me. "But I'm guessing you are already prepared for this."

"This was why I was asked to come here. To put down the Rogues." I wink at him

He rolls his eyes at me and turns to Mallory. "You are coming with me where I can keep an eye on you."

"What about Raven?" She questions. "That's why you are here isn't it? Is Jenson still alive?"

"Raven will be fine." I tell them and again I'm met with irritated glares from Damien. He was so easy to wind up. I just needed him to explode, then I will have an actual reason for putting him down and no one will question it. He gives me one final glare before walking off and tugging Mallory with him, leaving Dane and I behind.

"You have got to stop doing that." Dane warns me. "He is my Beta, he has done nothing but help this pack and Neah for that matter. He has spent the last year raising your daughter. You need to at least respect him for that."

"There's a reason Wolves and Lycans don't live together, Dane. The Lycans run the risk of tipping over into the Rogue life every single day. Wolves don't, it's as simple as that."

"Is it? Because if you haven't noticed there are several of us that are mated to Lycans now. A bond created just for us. If we are not supposed to live together then why were we mated in the first place?"

I open my mouth to answer but he continues

"You're telling me that you have had centuries worth of information passed down to you, yet somehow, you are still stuck living in the past. Living by your insane made up rules that were created however long ago. Have you ever actually taken the time to get to know a Lycan?"

I don't answer because I could see that he one hundred percent believed himself.

He shakes his head at me. "I think for someone that can read souls. You are blind to a lot of things."

"I'm a Hunter by birthright."

"You are also a Wolf by birthright. You shouldn't forget that. Now come with me. We need to see my mate."

I trail a little behind him as we head towards the packhouse. Mulling over his words. I was born to be a Hunter. It was in my blood. I couldn't change that, nor did I want to change that.

Neah is pacing in the office. Her eyes are cast down as she moves back and forth. She only stops when Dane clears his throat.

"I did it. I sent out a link." She murmurs unsure of herself.

"So I hear." Dane smiles at her and I watch their souls explode with love for one another. Their kind together was wrong, but at the same time, their souls were made for each other. What the hell were the higher powers up to?

"It was the right thing to do though, wasn't it? It's what we said I needed to do?" Neah checks with him

"Yes." He reassures her as he pulls her against him. "How did you manage it?"

She smiles, "Dorothy."

Dane cocks an eyebrow as he looks back at me. "Dorothy helped you?"

She nods and a part of me feels sick yet proud that she called already tap in to her Hunter abilities. Though my Hunter daughter had helped a Lycan. A shiver goes down my spine.