by Maggie Walsh
“I’m sorry, Alpha Prime. Alpha Angel let us boys call him Papa,” Trevor answered shyly.
“So your father and my father were working together to uncover Malachi?” Dante asked in amazement.
“It appears so,” Micah answered. “So what happened next, Trevor?”
“Papa, Alpha Angel, went to go see Alessandro to talk to him about what he had found and he left Fallon in charge. That was on Thanksgiving. Maybe Fallon should tell you the rest,” he said and looked to Fallon.
“He called him Alessandro?” Dante asked.
“Yes. Papa always referred to him as that,” Trevor answered.
“What is it, Dante?” Micah asked.
“Only close family and friends were allowed to call him Alessandro. My mother and I were the only ones I ever heard refer to him using that name. If your father called him that, then they must have been very close,” Dante explained.
A soft moan came from Fallon, and they all looked to him. Haven was supporting the man’s weak body. He was very pale and beaten. Cuts and abrasions marred his body. All he wore was a ratty pair of shorts. But Micah could see that if well, he was a big man. Probably about six foot six, and Micah could sense alpha in him. The pieces of this puzzle were starting to come together in his mind.
“Thank you for coming, Alpha Prime,” Fallon said weakly. “We tried to get word to you after the Thanksgiving attacks, but we were unsuccessful.”
Micah could see that just speaking was taking too much out of the man. He looked to his mate. “Jesse, could you?”
“Of course, my love. Trevor, come with me to your mate,” Jesse said, and then he and Trevor went to Fallon. Trevor touched him gingerly and lightly kissed his lips, then stepped back. Jesse placed his hands on Fallon’s chest and closed his eyes. A light appeared under his hands and Fallon’s back arched as he threw his head back. Haven held onto him tight, not letting him fall. Fallon’s skin began to pink up and his body healed. The light faded and Jesse stepped back. Fallon stared at Jesse in awe as he straightened up on his own two feet. Then Fallon’s eyes shifted to Trevor, and they filled with love. He opened his arms, Trevor stepped into them, and the two embraced, holding onto each other.
After a few minutes, they pulled apart and Fallon gave Trevor a soft kiss, and then looked to Jesse. “Thank you, little one. How did you do that?”
“He is The Heart, Fallon. He is Alpha Prime Micah’s mate,” Trevor explained.
“Then it is true. Papa told us you would come for us someday. He said that his sons, Micah and Raith, would be our saviors.”
“He told you that?” Raith asked in a whisper.
“Yes. He always regaled us boys with stories about how brave his sons were. He said that they were destined for greatness and that someday Micah would be the leader of all the paranormals and when that day came, we would all know peace.”
Micah rubbed a hand across his mouth as he stared at Fallon and tried to control the tears that threatened to come. “Tell us everything.”
* * * *
They all walked to the back of the house where tables and chairs were set up looking out to the overgrown gardens. Once everyone was comfortable, with the exception of their prisoners, Fallon began his tale.
“Papa raised me from the time I was a pup. My parents were killed in a plane crash when I one. I was staying here with my mother’s sister when it happened. But she couldn’t raise me. She was young herself, only seventeen, and it would have been too hard for her to raise me. Papa took us both into his home. When my aunt Eileen went off to college and found her mate, I stayed here with Papa. As the years went by, he took in more boys and some girls who needed a home. Over the years, they came and went, but he considered all of us his children. I have been with Papa for about a hundred and fifty years now. He always told me that when the time came he would pass the pack down to me. He knew I was an alpha and he trained me as an enforcer. He showed me how to run a pack and how to take care of them. Over the years, a lot of the pack would come to me with small problems.
“About thirty years ago, we found Ash, Quincy, and Tatum. They were three brothers who had been abandoned by their parents because they said they weren’t normal wolves. They were all from the same litter and they were all gay. The boys were sixteen at the time and Papa took them in, gave them a home, and love. But Brighton and Lucian started yelling that we shouldn’t let gay wolves into the pack. They started turning everyone against them, saying that the gods would bring punishment down on the pack for allowing these abominations in.
“Then one day Trevor disappeared. I hadn’t met Trevor before that, but Papa had of course. We had no idea where Trevor went. Lucian said it was the first punishment of the gods. He told the pack that Trevor was gay and that this was the price we would pay. The gods would start taking us one by one until we learned our lesson. So Papa and I kept it hidden that I too was gay, and we tried everything to convince the pack that Ash, Quincy, and Tatum were straight. Every time we got one step ahead, Lucian and his evil tongue would work its magic and we would be two steps back. Papa started keeping the boys in the house, away from the rest of the pack.
“Then he found Trevor one day on the front lawn and brought him inside. We already knew that his parents were dead. They went out looking for him, and their bodies were found in a ditch along the side of the road in California, about a year after Trevor disappeared. So Papa took Trevor in. The minute I saw him I knew he was my mate.” Fallon stopped talking to look at Trevor lovingly. He squeezed Trevor’s hand and looked back to Micah.
“So anyway, as Trevor said, Papa officially made me his beta and informed the pack that I was in charge while he went to take care of some business. He left to go meet with Alessandro the day before Thanksgiving. That morning, James and some of his asshole buddies came to the house to talk to Papa. Ash informed them that Papa was away on business and they should know that. He was very suspicious of why they had come. They pushed their way into the house past Ash and found Trevor and I on the couch kissing.
“They tried to threaten me by saying that they would tell the pack about me if I didn’t let them have the other three queers. I kicked all their asses and threw them out the door. That night when we sat down for Thanksgiving dinner, one of the pack members sent a message to me through the pack link. They told me that over five hundred rogues of all different breeds had just passed their home and they were on their way to the Alpha house. We took off out the back door and headed to Papa’s secret cabin.
“When Papa came back home the next morning, he found us there. He was with Alessandro when his son Dante showed up and informed him of the attacks on a number of packs and prides. He said that he was hiding in Alessandro’s bedroom as he spoke with his son, but he had heard everything. He was worried about you, Raith, Gabriel, and Castiel, as well as Dante. He heard Dante say that your pack was supposed to be attacked too, but you all somehow managed to escape it.
“When I told him what had happened the day before, he insisted that we all needed to stay inside the Alpha house. Papa said that dark times were coming and that the war of the paranormals had started. Then the attacks on the council and all the paranormal factions came. A large number of rogues attacked the pack, and a lot of people were killed. Papa had us all run for the cabin and he stayed behind. I told him I wanted to stay with him to help him fight, but he wouldn’t let me. He wanted me to take the others to safety and to protect them. He said that he knew his time was up, and he wanted me to take over the pack and bring it back to its former glory.
“He said he knew that Brighton and Lucian were behind the attacks and he was going to take them with him to hell. He made us promise to stay together, to protect each other, and to love each other. That we were family and family needed to stick together. I promised him that I would take care of the pack and make it wonderful again. We could hear all the cries and screams of our pack through the pack link. Then we heard Papa. He let us know that he had killed Lucian, but that B
righton wasn’t there. His voice was filled with pain and sorrow. He told us that he loved us and that we would meet again someday in the afterlife.” Fallon stopped to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat and to wipe away the tears.
“Quincy, Ash, and Tatum were heartbroken. They wanted to go find Papa and bring him back. They wanted to try to save him, but I wouldn’t let them go out as long as the fight was happening. The next day, when the sun came up, we made our way back to the Alpha house. James and his assholes were right here in this yard and James was fighting some of the males. When I asked him what he was doing, he told me that the alpha was gone so he was challenging anyone who wanted to be alpha.
“The men he was challenging were all beat up and wounded from the battle the night before, and James didn’t have a scratch on him. I explained to him that I was the beta so I would rule the pack in Papa’s place. It was what Alpha Angel wanted. He agreed with me and said that because they couldn’t find us, they thought we were all dead. He sat down right here at this table and offered us some ice tea. His buddies were all standing around watching us, and none of us would drink it.
“They all left after a few minutes and we went into the house. We started to clean up and look for Papa, so that we could bury him, but we couldn’t find him. I went into the kitchen and grabbed a juice from the fridge, and then suddenly the room began to spin. Before I passed out, I saw James and his cronies walk in the back door with the cat that ate the canary look on their faces.
“I woke up to find myself locked in a cell and that’s where I have been since. They only fed me bread and water once a day. James informed me that they were keeping me alive so that they could control the omega. I told him that Trevor was my true mate and that if they did anything to him, they would pay dearly for it. But I was trapped in the cells and couldn’t get out.”
Micah’s face was a mask of sadness as he stared at Fallon and absorbed everything he had told them. After about five minutes, he broke the silence. “What happened to the others? Ash, Quincy, and Tatum?”
“They killed them,” Trevor cried.
“So you are my only two brothers left?” Micah asked. His question took both Fallon and Trevor by surprise, but it also made the other members of the pack gasp in surprise.
“What…I…” Fallon tried to speak, but couldn’t.
“You, Fallon, are most certainly my brother. My father raised you as his own since you were a baby. Is that not so?” Micah turned and looked out over the pack members. They all looked at Micah in fear and then nodded. “If my father, the alpha of this pack, and the owner of these lands, took this man in as a baby and raised him as his son, then he is my brother. And if my father groomed him to take over this pack and be its next alpha, then I stand by that decision. By the laws of our people and by the gods, this pack is mine. These lands belong to me, and I say who can stay and who will go. It is my birthright to say what happens to this pack, and I give it to my brother Fallon Angel,” Micah spoke in his commanding alpha voice. He then turned and met Fallon’s misty gaze. He could see that the man was choked up and trying to control himself.
“I don’t have any powers yet, Alpha Prime,” Fallon whispered.
Micah went to him and Fallon stood to face him. Micah placed his hand on Fallon’s shoulder and smiled. “First of all, I am your brother, so you need to call me Micah. Second, was your mate born into this pack?”
Fallon looked at him in confusion at the change in topic. “Yes, Alph—Micah. Trevor was born in this pack.”
Micah’s smile widened. “Good. Very good,” he said and stepped away from Fallon. He faced the pack again and spoke in his alpha voice. “From what I understand this pack has a limited supply of powers, maybe none. Is this true?”
“Yes, Micah. There are only a few with powers here and they aren’t very strong. Almost non-existent,” Fallon answered.
“That is because they treated our cousin Raphael so poorly. What you all do not know is that when a pack has an omega in it, the omega can make the pack strong. But when a pack has a pack-birthed omega, such as Raffy was, that omega can make the pack extremely powerful, but only if the pack treats the omega with love and respect,” Micah announced and watched the faces of the pack members fall in distress from his words. “A pack does not gain power by having sex with an omega. The happier the omega is, the more powerful the pack becomes. If you had all treated Raffy kindly, you would all have great powers by now. Not just those who reached three hundred, but all pack members over the age of twenty-one. A pack-birthed omega is very rare and very special. They are a gift to that pack from the gods. Only this type of omega can bring power to a pack member before they turn three hundred.
“A regular omega, if happy, will also help the pack grow and gain their powers, but once they reach three hundred. So you see, you all are to blame for this pack being weak and able to be taken over by these criminals. It was your alpha, my father that was keeping you safe, but once you all started going against him, you weakened this pack.”
Micah turned and faced his enforcers. “I want everyone here taken down to the cells. As of right now, this pack consists of two wolves, Fallon and Trevor. I want everyone questioned and then I want Jesse, Raffy, and Taylor to do their thing. If they okay them to be here, then they may be released. If they choose to stay here, then that is entirely up to Alpha Fallon.”
They all answered with a “yes, Alpha” and began rounding up all the pack members. Once everyone was gone except for Micah, Jesse, Dante, Dare, Ryland, Phenex, Fallon, and Trevor, Micah turned to Fallon. “Trevor is not a pack-birthed omega, but he is a special omega. He will not have the infinite amount of powers that Raffy has, but he will be very powerful. Remember what I said, the happier he is, the more powerful you and your pack will be. Once you two are able to reconnect and reclaim each other, I believe your powers will start to surface, Fallon, and so will Trevor’s. Once we weed out who stays and who goes, this pack will be all yours to start from the beginning. Make it a good one and don’t let me down. But most of all, don’t let our father’s memory down. He believed in you and so do I.”
Fallon raised his head high and proud as he stared Micah in the eye. “I won’t let either of you down, brother. I will bring this pack back to its original glory that our father made it. I promise you,” Fallon pledged.
“I know you will,” Micah agreed and gave him a bright smile. “We have come here to find Matthew, but we will help you sort out who the trash is before we go. But we don’t have a lot of time so we need to get to it right away.”
“Matthew? As in Maddy?” Fallon asked in surprise.
“Yes. He came to live with my pack a few months ago, but he has run away. He has found his mate, but they thought they were both underage, so they couldn’t claim each other. Maddy ran away before he knew the truth. He is older than he thinks he is and now that his mate Josh has turned eighteen, his mating heat has started. We need to find Maddy before Josh’s heat kills him,” Micah explained.
“His mate is a feline shifter then?” Fallon asked.
“Yes, how did you know?”
“Papa told me the felines go into heat and they get two mates because of it.”
“It’s a long story. How about we go inside and I’ll fill you in while my mate and the Guardian start questioning your pack members?” Fallon nodded, and they all went into the house.
Chapter 6
“Hello?” Silence met the woman who answered the phone. “Hello, is there anyone there?”
Josh cleared his throat. “Hi, Mom,” he whispered.
He heard a gasp of air through the phone line. “Joshua, is that you?”
“Yeah, Mom, it’s me.”
“Oh my gods, Joshua, we haven’t heard from you in so long. Where are you? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, Mom. I’m fine. Look, I’m calling because I need to know something.”
“Oh?”
“How old am I, Mom?” When all Josh received was silence, he
knew instantly that what Aaron had told him was true. “I’m really twenty-one, aren’t I?” Again, all he got was silence. “Why would you do that to me? Why would you lie about my age?”
“We needed to protect you, Joshua.”
“Then I take that as a yes about my age. So what did you need to protect me from that would have you lying about my age?” Josh’s voice began to raise in anger.
“I can’t―” she started but Josh cut her off.
“Don’t even think about lying to me again, or not telling me. I am a grown-ass man, Mom, and I have the right to know,” Josh sneered into the phone.
He heard her heavy sigh. “Our pride leader at the time had put a law out a few years before you were born. It stated that every firstborn son of a pride member was to be taken from their parents and brought to him so that the child’s training for his elite guard would start immediately. It was horrible what they did to those babies. Their needs were taken care of, like feedings and changes, that sort of thing, but they weren’t shown any love. They were only held when necessary. When the child began to walk, they would start trying to toughen them up, by knocking them down and waiting for them to get back up. As the child grew, they started training them to be guards and schooling them on the leader’s laws and to think the way he did. His views were very barbaric, Joshua. He wanted to train all those boys like the Spartans. He even placed the babies out in the wild overnight the first night he got them. If they survived the night out in the elements, then they were deemed strong enough for his army. But if they didn’t survive…” she trailed off.
“So that still doesn’t explain why you would lie about my age.”
“Your father and I were so scared when we found out I was pregnant with you. We prayed every day that you would be a girl. We didn’t want to have to give you to the leader when you were a week old and then never see you again except in passing. We saw the pain and heartache in the parents whose sons were taken from them. So we hid my pregnancy from everyone in the pride. Then when it was time for you to be born, your father delivered you and we kept you hidden.