by Maggie Walsh
“I feel great. Better than I have in many years actually. Now that I have all my boys again,” he said and grabbed Ash’s hand. “Well, almost all my boys. Quinton and Tatum will forever be in my heart.”
“Thank you, Papa,” Ash said shyly and squeezed Papa Angel’s hand.
Aaron and Rory moved from the other chair and joined Raith on the floor, leaving their occupied seat for Micah and Jesse. Micah sat and Jesse sat on his lap as they looked at Papa Angel. “So, Dad, I don’t even know where to start,” Micah said, baffled.
“When you and the boys left, Micah, did you even know what power I had been blessed with?” Papa asked.
“I know you had great strength,” Micah answered.
“Yes, but that was more genetics than anything else. But do you know what power I was given?”
Micah thought about it for a moment, and then looked to Raith, Gabriel, and Cass. They each shook their heads and shrugged. Micah turned back to his father. “I guess the answer is no.”
“Foresight, son. I was given the power of foresight. I received visions of the future, but I never knew when the events were going to happen and I was never given the whole picture. As the years went on, I had different visions of all of you boys and how you would leave us and go on to start an amazing pack.”
“So you saw us leaving you?” Raith asked in astonishment.
“Yes, son. I saw the four of you leaving and running into the three vampires. I saw you agree to work together and an unbreakable bond form between you. The idea you all came up with for ParaSafe was ingenious.”
“So what about Nigel Brighton and the whole mating Hillary promise you made?” Micah asked.
“By the time Nigel came to me with that whole blackmail thing, I had already seen that you were meant for greatness one day. I allowed him to think he had me over the coals, to a point, and spew his entitlement crap, because it kept him away from what I was really up to.”
“Which was?”
“Grooming you. Getting you ready for the role you now play in our future. I needed to make sure that you knew how to run a pack properly. Not by force, which a lot thought you should, but by respect. I needed to teach you how important a pack was as a family, not peons you ruled over. I knew you were going to grow to be the biggest, strongest wolf ever born, and I needed to make sure you knew how to yield that power properly. I brought in the best fighters in all the different techniques at the time and had them teach you until you became the best.
“When Raith and his family came to join our pack, I didn’t want to allow them in. All I saw was pain and trouble when I looked at your mother and brothers. But then when I looked at you, Raith, I saw a boy who would grow to be a very big part of Micah’s life. A man that would follow, respect, and be completely loyal to Micah as his alpha. But a man who would not be afraid to question you when needed. I knew Raith would be your outer conscience, keeping you in check and accountable.
“So I allowed your family to join my pack and watched you, Raith. I saw how quickly you and Micah became the best of friends and I knew I had made the right choice. So I included you in his training, but I never expected you to be so good at it. You far exceeded my expectations and I knew what I had to do. To make you a kill soldier would keep you grounded and humble. You had a great head on your shoulders and I knew being a kill soldier would not make you a cold-hearted killer like it does with most who hold the position. With you, Raith, I knew it would be a job that you held dear and would take great pride in, but it would only be that to you. A job. Something you did to protect our kind and your alpha.
“And as for the two of you,” he said and looked to Gabe and Cass, “I am sorry I didn’t see what my brother was doing sooner. But once I knew what was happening I made sure Micah and Raith included the two of you in their training. I don’t like to speak unkind of the dead, but your father was a fucking asshole. He always had been, even when we were kids. He spent his whole life trying to convince our father that he was a better fit for alpha than I was. It was his great willingness to take over, along with his mean disposition that only convinced our father more that Lucian should never be in charge of anything.
“The fact that I agreed most of the time that Father should just give it to Lucian seeing as he wanted it so much, was what convinced my father that I was the one. Lucian thought you ruled with an iron fist. Not only your pack, but also your family. He believed that as the head of anything, that everyone should always do as the leader said without question. What an asshole. But the fact that he treated you boys so horribly should have been stopped sooner. My only defense is that I was so focused on making sure Micah and Raith grew into the visions that I had seen, that I didn’t see a lot of what was happening within my pack.”
“It wasn’t your fault Lucian was the way he was, Uncle Raphael,” Gabriel said.
“No, it wasn’t my fault, but I did know how he was and I should have paid better attention. When Michael was born and I saw how much your father doted on him, I just assumed he did the same with the rest of his boys. And I never knew what he was doing with your mother. If I had even a small knowledge of what he was doing with that poor woman, I would have stopped him immediately.
“When Micah came to me and told me about you in the infirmary, Gabe, I was livid. I wanted to find Lucian and beat him to within an inch of his life. Your father was very good at keeping all of you away from me and the rest of the pack. I just thought it was his nature to keep to himself as he did a lot when we were kids. But if I had known it was because of the things he was doing in his home, I would have exiled him.”
Everyone sat silently for a few moments, lost in their own thoughts with the words Papa spoke. Finally, Papa broke the silence. “When I had the vision of the four of you leaving and meeting up with Dante and his men, I also saw that the four of you were gay. I knew there was no way I could keep you all safe in the pack. So when Micah came to me to tell me he was gay and he wouldn’t change for anyone, and he would never mate with Hillary, I knew it was time to let you all go. It was the only way to keep you all safe and for the visions to come to fruition.”
“What about Brighton, Dad? He told us that…” Micah trailed off.
“He told you that he and I were lovers when we were younger. Yes. I won’t deny it. You’re old enough now to know the truth. Nigel and I were childhood friends. We spent every a lot of time together. When we both went through the first shift and puberty, we naturally turned toward each other. We had never heard of anyone else in the pack or anywhere who was attracted to the same sex. We just knew that if others knew, they would frown down on us and consider us freaks, so we hid it from everyone.
“Then one day Lucian found us while we were…well, you know. We were both in our thirties by then and my dad was grooming me to take over the pack. Lucian blew a gasket and started screaming how he would tell the pack and Father, and there was no way I would get the pack now. But what Lucian didn’t know was that I had already told my father about Nigel and me years ago. He wasn’t upset or disappointed in me. It actually made him happy I think. He told me that, of course, we needed to keep it hidden and never let anyone find out, but that it changed nothing in his eyes.
“Lucian took off happy as could be and ran right to our father. He told him what he had seen and our father didn’t react the way Lucian expected him to. He told Lucian that it was family business and if he ever spoke one word about it, that Father would cast him out of the pack. Things shifted that day. Lucian became even more hateful and vindictive. He moved from the family home and found Martha within a month of the incident. Then a month later, he announced that Martha was pregnant. He was doing everything he thought would take the pack from me, but our father refused to step down.
“We had a long talk and he told me that I needed an heir. He understood that I liked men, but I needed an heir so that he could pass the pack to me and then I could pass it to my son and keep it from Lucian. So I went to your mother. Maxine and I had b
een friends our whole lives. She was one of the only people who knew about Nigel and I and she never judged me for it. She did always tell me to watch my back with Nigel though. She said there was something about him she just never trusted.
“When I told her about the conversation I had with my father, Maxine said that she would do it. The pack was already used to seeing us together and most of them thought we were a couple already, so she said she would mate me and give me my heir. I couldn’t let her do it. We had so many arguments over it, but I loved her so much, that I wanted to give her whatever she asked for. She promised to be the perfect wife and mate. The perfect alpha female and stand by my side, and she would even look the other way if I needed to go get my desires taken care of. Her only want was that I not get it from Nigel. She wanted him out of my life as much as possible.
“So after sitting with her and my father, we decided it was the perfect decision. And Father promised that he would help keep my desires hidden and if Maxine wanted to keep a secret lover too, that he would do everything to protect her secret as well. So we married and mated before the pack the next week.
“Nigel tried to keep our relationship going, but I told him I couldn’t. I was mated now and the pack would soon be mine and I had to do what was expected of me. He became enraged. He started screaming how he loved me and wanted us to run away together and spend the rest of our lives together. I tried to explain to him that I couldn’t do that. I needed to protect our pack from Lucian, so I needed to do as my father asked. He tried for so long to get me back, but I wouldn’t go. Not only did I make a promise to Maxine, but also, I wasn’t in love with Nigel. I didn’t want him.
“The day after Maxine and I mated, Lucian announced that they had lost the pup. He said that Martha’s body just couldn’t handle the stresses of childbirth and he needed to take care of her. That’s when he pulled away from the family even more and we hardly ever saw him. A few times a year he would show up to the pack runs, but never with Martha. He always said that she was still under the weather. That the loss of their child affected her and she only wanted to stay in their home.
“Six months after Maxine and I mated, she announced that she was pregnant with you. I was so happy. That night my father called an emergency pack meeting and announced to the pack that we were having a baby and that he was stepping down and I was the new alpha. Lucian and Nigel both stormed off. After that, I hardly ever saw either of them again. I should have been suspicious, but I was too caught up in my new life and my new role. Then once you were born, you and your mother became my sole focus.”
“That’s perfectly understandable, Raphael. Once a child is born, it’s hard not to want to spend every waking moment with them,” Ryland said and looked at Noah and Jesse with great love.
“Yes, but at what cost to my pack? I tried to do what was best for my family and my pack, but I had no idea of the evil that was transpiring. After I lost my Maxine, I only had one purpose in life and that was to make my son’s life a good one. The visions started, and I knew I had to do everything to get him ready for his future. Then Nigel came to me and showed me some evidence that proved I was conspiring with a witch to overthrow the council and take control of the paranormal world. I had no idea where this had come from or how he had fabricated it, but if given to the council, there was no way I could fight the claims. So I asked Nigel what he wanted to keep the false information from the light of day. He laughed at me and told me that it didn’t matter if it was all fabricated as long as the idiots on the council believed it. So that’s when we made the bargain for you to marry and mate Hillary. But I tricked Nigel and he didn’t even realize it until you were gone and he came to me.
“I agreed to his terms and even put it in writing and had us both sign it, but I wrote that I promised to have you mate Hillary when you were ready to do it and I was ready to step down. Not when you were a certain age. You were all gone for over a month before the pack found out. I told everyone that I had sent you all to the council for enforcer training. Back then, it took weeks to get word when someone didn’t show up where they were supposed to.” Raphael gave a mischievous smirk.
“After you were gone for six months, Lucian and Nigel started to question when you would return. I informed them that the training was a six-month program and I expected you all home in a few months. When the day came when you should have returned, I played it off as I was worried for your safety and I sent a messenger to the council about your whereabouts. I knew that would take a few more weeks. When the messenger returned with a note, I read it to Lucian and Nigel, pretending it was the first time I had ever laid eyes on it. Of course it was a note I had had delivered to the council months ago awaiting my messenger to retrieve it. It stated that now that you all had seen there was more to the world than our little corner of it, that you wanted to explore and learn more, in hopes that when the time came for me to step down, that you would be a more rounded, well-informed man, and better able to lead our pack.
“They actually fell for it for about twenty years. As the years rolled on, life just got in the way and we moved on. I had no idea what the two of them were doing with Malachi behind closed doors. Then one day I had the vision of all of you, along with Dante and his men, going to the council to ask for permission to start your own pack and coven made up of all gay wolves and vampires. I was so proud of you, but I was afraid that Lucian and Nigel would get word and try to stop you. So I informed the pack that I needed to go to the council. I left my beta Merrill in charge and I headed off.
“When I got to the council, I was told I had to meet with a King Marco and explain to him why I was there.”
“Dante’s father,” Micah added.
“Yes, but at the time I didn’t know he was the father of the vampire I had seen in my vision.”
“Should we have Dante here for this part? I know he’s dying to know how you two became friends,” Jesse asked.
“Yes, I believe having Dante and his mates here would be a good thing,” Papa Angel agreed.
“I’ll get them,” Aaron said and stood up, leaving the room.
A few minutes later, Aaron came back with Dante, Dare, and Dale behind him. Dante was carrying Dale. Ash got up from his spot on the couch and Dante took it, placing Dale in his lap. Dare leaned on the arm next to them and wrapped his arm around Dante’s shoulders.
“Aaron gave us a little background to what you have been saying, Alpha Angel,” Dante said.
Papa Angel gave him a bright smile. “You look so much like your father.”
“Thank you.” Dante nodded.
“And from what I understand you are as good and as wise as he was, gods give him peace,” Papa Angel said solemnly.
“What can you tell us about him and your friendship? How it came to be that the two of you were working together?” Dare asked.
“As I was saying, when I got to the council, I was informed that I would have to speak with King Marco. The man kept me waiting for nearly two hours and when he arrived, I thought he was a pompous ass. We didn’t get along and butted heads instantly. As I tried to explain to him my concerns over this new pack and coven, he kept leaving to go take care of other business. By the third time, I almost knocked his block off when he returned. We actually fought, but were stopped by one of the guards. When we each calmed down enough to not take another swing at each other, I told him that I understood his and the council’s animosity toward an all gay coven and pack, but that I thought it was a good idea. Whether we all agreed with it or not, gay paranormals were a part of our world and we needed to have a place they could go to.
“Alessandro was shocked. He just stared at me for a few moments and then burst out laughing. When I asked him if he was crazy, he informed me that he didn’t know how I knew about the request for an all gay pack and coven, but he thought I was there to cause trouble and to stop it. He said the petition was put before the council only the day before and they were still discussing it. He was the only voice in the positive
and he was afraid the council would not only deny the request, but also hold the men who had put the request in and kill them.
“We had been fighting against each other, but for the same thing. After that, we sat and had a long conversation. I told him how I knew and what I had seen, and he informed me that the vampire I had seen in my vision was his son. We sat through the night coming up with a plan on how to convince the council that it was a good idea. Alessandro told me that he didn’t think it was a good idea for me to tell the council about my gift, but if it helped our boys, then we would risk it. So the next morning, I had a secret meeting with Alessandro and the rest of the council, and I told them that I had seen that this pack and coven would be very important to our world some day and we needed to allow it. It took a lot of fighting on mine and Alessandro’s part, but finally we were able to convince them.
“I stayed at the council and watched the proceedings from an alcove, and I couldn’t have been more proud of you boys. I knew that even if I had never gone to the council, that you all would have convinced them.”
“So how did you and my father become such close friends?” Dante asked hesitantly.
“You can ask, Dante. He was your father and you have a right to know. Alessandro and I bonded that day and stayed friends after. We were both thrilled that our boys had found each other, and with my visions, I was able to see the strong bond you all had with each other. The loyalty you share. Both of us were very happy that you all had each other.
“So as the years passed, Alessandro and I got closer. I would visit him once a year at the council, until travel became better, then I would visit him more often. He would disseminate in to see me whenever he has struggling with something or just to see me. One thing led to another, and we began a relationship. One that lasted over a hundred and fifty years, until the night he was taken from me. That is the one thing I regret. I had all these visions, but not a one of them showed me losing my Alessandro,” Papa Angel said sadly and looked down at his lap.