Chapter 57 The Legends Meet Once Again

*Lucas*

I had Athena and Ethan's men take care of the people. I had sent Ethan down to the laboratory and waited for them to come back up in the laundry room. A white truck was spotted entering the vicinity through a small road that went through the trees surrounding the property. Apparently there was a building about a kilometer away from the mansion hidden within the trees.

When the elevator doors opened, I noticed Jonathan was missing. I was about to ask where he was when Michael moved his head to the side. It meant Jonathan was no more. I pulled Michael aside so I could talk to him.

"Diana, Ethan, go get something to eat at the view deck. I just need to talk to Uncle Mike here." Diana raised her eyes at Michael.

"Uncle Mike?" Michael smiled at her reassuringly.

"I'm good, kiddo. I'll see you at the view deck. Save some grub for me." I waited until they left the room so I could close the door behind them.

"Was it you or Diana?" I asked. After all the astonishing revelations, neither Diana nor her wolf took a life. It was something I was expecting yet never happened.

"Me." Michael answered curtly. "He called Diana a half breed, an abomination." Ah. Michael did say he would kill anyone from the pack who called her that. Although Jonathan was banished, he did originate from the Lotus Pack.

"I was hoping for more men to aid us in our return, Michael, not less." When I was still Alpha, I was the hot head while he was the logical one. Yet, as my Beta, he never hesitated. If it was necessary, he would kill.

"He couldn't be trusted, Lucas. He blames you and me for his misfortunes and uses that logic to justify his actions. He could have earned money through respectable means. He didn't need to kidnap children," Michael explained. So he aided Andrew to earn money. Probably for his family who were still with the pack.

"I see." I patted him on his arm. "It's possible then he might betray us in the end. But Diana and Onyx would have seen that coming," I argue.

"Sorry Lucas. My wolf got the better of me," he said sheepishly. "But Jonathan was given a second chance when the Elder took him in. I don't think his family would have accepted the money if they knew how he was earning it."

"I understand. Not all of us get second chances." I sighed. "I will inform the Elder of Jonathan's sudden absence. Right now we need to check out that warehouse. It's about a kilometer away. I already have Athena and Ethan's men tending to the humans. Colt has his eyes on the mage and the Elder. We'll take the Tesla because it's quiet. We'll park before we get to the warehouse as a precaution. I got the car key from Athena." I dangle the key in front of him. "We can grab a snack before we go. You must be hungry." I open the door and we walk to the view deck. The humans were scarfing down as much food as they could. Athena and Daisy were assisting those who were to weak to feed themselves. Diana and Ethan both had sandwiches in their hands and were standing at the railing watching the view. Michael and I grabbed a sandwich and joined them. After eating, we told everyone we had to leave and would be back to help them go home.

Diana, Ethan, Michael and I all headed outside to the Tesla and drove to the warehouse. We entered the narrow path that forked from the main road. Driving to the mansion, the path was unnoticeable. Driving away from the mansion, if you did not know there was something behind the trees, you wouldn't notice it either.

It was a small pre-fabricated warehouse. The roof was a colored green while the walls were brown to resemble the forest. I maneuvered the car into a clearing off the path and parked. The truck was already parked and the garage type door on the side of the warehouse was open. The driver must know the security code.

Diana walked out of the car and started walking to the warehouse. I tried to get her to slow down and hide, but she just kept on walking, out in the open.

"Dad, don't worry. You know these people. I told you. You are old friends. Come on. He's waiting for you."

"I don't care. We need to be cautious," I said through gritted teeth, but it was too late. Someone came out of the warehouse and was walking towards Diana. A tall man. His face hidden in a thick blue scarf.

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*Alpha Connor *

A young woman was walking towards the warehouse. She was tall with long blonde hair. I gestured to my Beta to see who she was. He walked out of the warehouse, hiding his face beneath his scarf.

"Miss, you are a long way from home. What are you doing here?" I heard my Beta say. I sniffed the air, she had a sweet, fruity scent. I sniffed again and caught a scent of wolf in the air. I wasn't sure if it was from her or if she had wolves with her.

"Hi! I would like to speak to your Alpha." So she was wolf and wanted to speak to me? I headed out towards her and my Beta.

"I'm their Alpha. And you are?" I asked, hoping I'd get an answer.

"My name is Diana." Diana extends her hand and I reach out to clasp her hand in mine. Suddenly, the image of the black wolf licking her nose flashes in my mind. My eyes widened in shock. I was shaking hands with her, the one with the black wolf.

"Y-you're the o-one. I me-mean, the-the bl-black wolf. It's you." I sounded like a loser, stuttering my words, but I was caught off guard. I have waited for this very moment for eighteen years... To finally meet the black wolf and I stutter. Perfect.

She gazed into my eyes with those green eyes of hers, and I suddenly felt small. I smiled shyly at her. I couldn't think of anything else to say. For the first time, I was tongue tied. So I asked, "W-where's your f-father?" I scanned the area and I saw movement behind the bushes.

Lucas suddenly stands up and walks out from the bushes, followed by Michael and a young tall handsome man. I grinned. Lucas also had white in his hair although he was still handsome for our age. I had wrinkles.

"Alpha Connor, sonofagun. Even with that thick beard with patches of white, you looked familiar. I knew it was you when you smiled. That smile hasn't changed even if it has been almost eighteen years." We shake hands vigorously, happy to have met again. "What the hell are you doing driving that truck?" Lucas points his head to the direction of the white truck.

"Lucas, long time, no see." I chuckled. "Well, about that, I apprehended the little lady who was driving that truck. I remembered you saying you were headed this way so I decided to drive all the way here with a group of my men." I extend my hand to Michael who was standing beside Lucas. "Michael, you still with this buffoon?" He laughs, grabs my hand and shakes it heartily.

"Unfortunately, yes." We all laugh together. It was nice to share a laugh.

"You know anything about this?" I point to the warehouse. Maybe they knew where we could find the mage.

"The mage we have in custody and have freed the human prisoners from the mansion. Why? What's inside?" Lucas asked.

"People. Lots and lots of people. I want to meet this mage. I owe him the pleasure of killing him." Okay, that came out wrong and in front of the black wolf no less. "Oops, I shouldn't have said that," I try to apologize. Diana giggled. I give off a sigh of relief. I thought I was going to be punished. I noticed the young man beside her was gawking at me, admiration in his eyes. He looked familiar. I glanced at Lucas then at the young man and nodded my head towards him so Lucas could introduce us.

"Sorry, where are my manners?" Lucas finally said. "This is Alpha Ethan Crowne, Connor. Diana's mate. Ethan, this is Alpha Connor, an old friend." Ethan extends his hand for a handshake. I grab his hand and pat him on the shoulder. He was a celebrity in my book.

"Oh wow, the legends are back together. It's an honor, Alpha Connor," Ethan said.

"The honor is all mine," I tell him. "It's my first time to meet a celebrity. Your face is splashed all over the society pages of the newspapers I read. If you don't mind me asking, what's this business about legends? The last time I checked, I'm still alive." I chuckle.

"Sorry, Sir, it's just the stories about you and Alpha Lucas going against an army..." Ethan was blushing. He was fangirling. I smiled.

"Don't call me sir. It makes me feel old." I pat him on the back. "I see why you are the mate of the black wolf. You have humility. That's a good quality in a leader and a wolf of your stature. Usually wolves like you are just downright cocky. Right Lucas?" I glance at Lucas, reminding him of his youth.

"I'll answer that." Michael raises his hand to stop Lucas from opening his mouth. "Alpha Connor, you're right," Michael said, amused. I smiled again. Us old timers were together. It felt good.

"Dad, do you still have Andrew's keys? We need to get the people out and give them some food. If possible, give them some blankets or warm up the warehouse. It's freezing cold." Diana interrupted us, reminding us of the people locked up, although she was smiling as we were all poking fun at each other.

"You have keys? My men have been trying to get those cages unlocked," I said.

"Yep." Lucas fished out the keys from his pocket and handed them to me. I threw the keys to my Beta who was waiting quietly as we all greeted each other. I then gestured to him to go inside and free the captives. "How many people do you think are inside there?" Lucas asked.

"I estimate about two hundred. Give or take." I lowered my head, hiding my anger. I didn't want Diana to see me in a bad light.

"Two hundred?! Andrew needed that many people to skin? No wonder he kidnapped Diana and Harley the moment we set foot in that mansion. It would save him so much time and effort from kidnapping people." Ethan scowled.

"Whoa! The mage kidnapped Diana?! Why did he do that?" My expression changed from angry to stunned. The mage was bold enough to kidnap the black wolf?! What an idiot!

"Diana is half human and half wolf. From what I deduced from Elder Allen's explanation, the skin of a half breed is the main ingredient of the elixir that can mask a wolf's scent. All the mage has to do is take a fraction of the half breed's skin to extract its human properties. The skin and the wound of the half breed will heal quickly owing to the accelerated healing process of a wolf. He would never have to kidnap people and he can continue to make the elixir just as long as the half breed remains alive." Lucas's explanation sounded farfetched, but it was the most logical explanation to the whole thing. A half breed's smell wasn't quite like a pure wolf. Yes, there was an element of wolf, but for the most part their scent was sweet.

"You don't say..." My voice trailed off in astonishment. "And since he didn't have a half breed, he needed children to make it. What an asshole! Well, let's tend to these people and try to get them home. I know we should alert the authorities, but this..." I circled my finger at the warehouse, "...will make us all look guilty. I have some friends in the military who can help us transport these people where they need to go. Anyway, that truck has boxes of food in it. I think aside from the people, the truck was suppose to deliver food here to keep the prisoners fed." My Beta comes out of the warehouse and walks towards us. This time he wasn't hiding his face anymore.

"Alpha, the humans have all been released and are asking to be fed. We have started a fire inside a couple of metal bins to keep the people warm." It was my turn to introduce the group to my Beta.

"Lucas, Michael, you remember my Beta, Matt." They nod their heads and shake hands with him. "Matt, this is Lucas's daughter, Diana and this is Alpha Ethan Crowne. Remember the cute baby we saved at the hospital? She's all grown up now." I nod at her direction. She grinned at me, her green eyes sparkling. If I had a daughter, I imagine she would look like her. After saving her, I felt like my Beta and I with Lucas and Michael were all fathers to her.

"Of course." My Beta nods his head and smiles. "It was my first time to camp out at the maternity ward. Alpha Lucas, you must be proud," Matt said, bowing at Lucas. He nodded his head at my Beta and smiled. Diana coughed and raised her hand so she could say something. She was asking permission. Cute.

"About that, I'd like to thank you both, Matt, Alpha Connor, for saving me," Diana said. She first gave my Beta a hug. Matt's eyes widened like saucers at her simple gesture then he finally gave in and hugged her back. Then she let him go and turned to me. I waved my arms telling her it wasn't necessary, but she put her arms around me and gave me a huge hug. I felt myself melt in her arms. Like my Beta, I gave in and hugged her back. All of a sudden, I saw an image of my younger brother flash through my mind. He was smiling and waving at me, like he was telling me to stop blaming myself for his death. I rubbed my cheek on top of Diana's head. She was giving me closure. I felt all the pain and regret from my brother's death disappear. My eyes stung as I tried to hold back tears. I sniffled then I let Diana go. She glanced up at me and rubbed my arm. I nodded my head at her, assuring her I was okay.

"I'm sorry. It feels good to be with friends again." I rubbed my eyes. I was truly touched by Diana's gesture. However, now, I needed to be an Alpha. "Boys, start unloading the truck. Let's get these people fed and on their way home. I know they all want to be back home in time for Christmas."