Noah 2. Love for Family

I silently watched on as my nephew's facial expression turned cold, the happiness and warmth he earlier carried through his phone conversation disappeared completely. I can hear Caiden on the other line explaining the reasons why his bounty was kept from him and when he himself found out.

Angelo said nothing. His jaw was clenched tight, his hold tightens on the desk as the cracking of the wooden structure began, his breathing became long and drawn out. I knew what he was trying to do and was failing immensely.

'Get Amelia here NOW!' I ordered my brother.

"Angie. Come on kid look at me" I called out to him. His head snapped to my direction anger was the only thing I saw in his eyes.

'YOU KEPT IT FROM ME. MY OWN BLOOD ' he yelled at me through our link. The pain and betrayal overpowered our link I couldn't do anything but kept my distance.

'What is it? What's wrong?' Jonah asked with full concern in his voice.

'He knows.' was all I said.

The shattering of glass and clanking of metal brought my focus back to reality, Angelo threw his phone against the wall and was about to stalk out the office.

'WE ARE LEAVING IN TEN MINUTES!' he ordered.

I froze at his order, I knew his reasons why and I wanted to be beside him to keep him in line but on the other hand, I didn't want to leave.

Natalia was here.

The love of my life was here, without thinking I was rushing out of the office in search of her. The mate bond led me to her room upstairs where the master of the house slept. I forgot about pleasantries and rushed in the room, "Tali" I called out.

"Noah. What's wrong?" I heard her reply before she appeared from her bedroom holding a book.

"I need your answer," I said out loud without asking if she was alone or any questions that may be needed. I was desperate. I needed to know now. My wolf was begging her wolf to make the right choice, we both knew the mating ceremony between her and the alpha's son would be done in a week's time and we plan to have her before then. Marked and Mated as ours.

"N-Noah. This isn't fair I have until tomorrow before you leave." she stuttered. She was nervous and unsure of herself as I noticed how she was twirling the ends of her hair behind her back.

"What isn't fair is that I have to ask my mate to choose between her chosen mate and a wolf that isn't her mate. That's just fucked up on many levels" I snapped.

"I can't just drop everything that I have and come to you Noah. I have a duty to my pack to uphold than run away with some delta," She spat in anger.

Her last two words pierced my heart sharply, I literally stepped back looking at her with wide eyes.

"Some delta?" I asked in disbelief. My position as delta much less a fucking Royal Delta was never a problem to me but with her tone and the way she threw it towards me it made me feel unworthy. Did she want to mate an alpha? Even if he's her junior.

"SHIT!!! Noah, I didn't mean it like that... it's just.... you got me so angry there...." she said trying to take back her words desperately but it already cut me deep. I already knew the answer to my question.

"Does your happiness always come second fiddle to your father's demands?"

"Don't you dare" she defended. This was the part I hate, she always defended her father no matter how wrong and egotistical he was, Tali always answered to his beck and call even when she was old enough to fend for herself.

"Tali you are giving up what you longed for just to be part of a stupid breeding program." I couldn't help myself I was hurt and angry at the same time trying my hardest not to go down on my knees to beg her to come home with me.

"It's survival and you know this. Our race is dwindling generation by generation it won't be long till all the original wolves die out. This is a cause, Noah"

"Listen to yourself Tali," I said tiredly. It seems that her father has stuck the right words in her head.

"I am. I'm doing this for my father. My pack. Our future" she said confidently lifting her chin in defiance.

She made her choice.

I began to make my way to her as I did that she scrambled away from me, that was it. That simple action diminished my heart and crushed my wolf. I felt the wind knocked out of my body my breathing became harsh. My wolf was crying out in pain.

"T-Tali...." I breathed out.

"I Natalia Mendez ..... r-reject you... N-Noah Stephenson as my mate," she boldly said keeping our gaze locked. I swallowed the lump in my throat not wanting to give her the satisfaction of letting her know how badly she just hurt me.

I didn't move nor say anything as I took in my fill of my beautiful Natalia, that's who she will always be. MY Natalia. I memorized everything, her raven locks that ended just below her shoulder, those exotic eyes that once had me on bended knee answering to her beck and call. Her curvy body that molded perfectly to mine my security blanket I once called her. With her, I wasn't the most feared Royal Delta. I wasn't one half of the executioner duo. I was Noah from the small secluded pack all those years ago. A nobody to everyone while I was her champion.

Hers. I will always be hers.

Even now that she has rejected me to make her father happy.

"I love you too much to let you go Tali. That's why I won't accept your rejection." With those words, I made my way again to her till I was nothing but a breath away from her pouty bow lips, "I will wait for you, " I said to her before brushing my lips against hers, taking in her scent one last time. Pulling her into my arms and reveling in her warmth I heard her gasp before my intrusion on her lips.

I kept my kiss soft and gentle showing her how I feel in that one lip-locking action, showing her what she meant to me, showing her that I will always be hers. Just as she will always be my Tali even when she's mated to another wolf with her pups beside her. My love would always be hers.

Pulling away slowly, I looked down at her, she kept her eyes closed as tears forced their way through her closed lashes, I was tempted to kiss them away to comfort her but I knew my time has ended.

"Goodbye, my love" I whispered in her ear before reluctantly walking away from my soulmate.







I have to give my self and my wolf props for staying strong while packing my bag, rounding up my men ensuring the confidentiality of our stay with the alpha, and keeping my nephew calm. For a guy with a broken heart, I did good but the heaviness in my heart as the chopper took to the sky didn't leave me. Jonah tried to talk to me but I blocked him out he understood what was happening and simply leaned against me slightly in other words, his action meant he was there for me. As he always does. It was great to be a twin but it is greater to have your brother as your best friend.

I looked around the cabin and realized how tense everyone was even Amelia, her bond to Angelo may be new but somehow she was feeling his current emotions. I tuned into his feelings and felt more pain on top of my own heartbreak.

'You need to find this person. She won't be safe you know. You could have told me before I decided to take that leap. Now she's in real danger I WON'T LOSE ANOTHER MATE UNCLE. I won't.' Angelo's anger-filled statement tore at me I felt Jonah flinch beside me which gave confirmation that he was admonishing both us. We didn't mean to keep it as a secret but decided to when he began to seclude himself and kept silent. How do you tell a kid you're being hunted down because you're the key to hold your family together? A threat to the rebels? Someone knew how truly powerful he was, the same way they knew Caiden's mate will be a hunter's daughter. Another step for peace among all supernaturals.

How do you tell a kid that it was truly because of him his first mate died after he found the courage to open up to his family?

How? Just how do you tell your nephew that with all the power you have at your disposal that you can't source the person who made that bounty?

How can you protect him 24/7?

'Angelo. We did it for your own good' Jonah told him softly.

'Really uncle? Tell me this. If I didn't go to her on her birthday would she still be alive? Alive and by my side where she belonged' Outwardly he was cold and stoic but inside he was crumbling I saw it through his eyes. We both didn't know how to answer his question, we didn't even know that he found his mate and she was one of many that were killed at the pack he visited. No one knew but was happy he escaped the attack and brought on more security and upped his training. Jonah was tempted to tell him but was ordered by Michael not to.

"Fuck" he spat out looking upward to the cabin roof I saw the glistening of his eyes before he moved and willed my self not to break down also.

'We sure got the shitty end of the stick to get to our destiny' Jonah said to me nudging my shoulder.

We watched discreetly as Amelia intertwined her fingers with Angelo's in which he quickly grasped and planted a lingering kiss on her knuckles.

"You do know I will always be by your side right?" he said to her with a shaky voice. He was crumbling right before our eyes.

"Angelo, what is it?" Amelia asked glancing around the cabin we all averted our gazes from her in fear of revealing what is going on around her.

"I won't let them take you away from me" he all but whispered. I guess we all heard the pain in Angelo's words when everyone's mind was deathly calm. We all hated to see and hear him like this, they have succeeded they are breaking him down slowly.

'The shittiest part of the stick' I said to my brother.



No one said nothing when we landed nor did anyone say anything on our short walk to the penthouse. The men went their separate ways after they searched the floor leaving Jonah and me with the young mates. Angelo was standing before the floor to ceiling window looking out at the view with his hands clasped behind his back, Amelia excused herself sensing the tension while Jonah paced the floor behind us.

"She chose the alpha's son." It wasn't a question from my nephew as always it was a statement of pre-gathered knowledge.

"She rejected me," I said coldly not wanting to delve on the word.

"Noah" was all Jonah said before standing on the other side of our nephew.

To any outsider looking on at us three dark-haired men in fighting gear, they would think of us as terrorists planning on an attack not talking of one's heart affairs.

"Two years ago in Cali. My first real love." I said softly remembering the first day I met her.

"I can stop the ceremony uncle. You have waited so long for this," Angelo said turning to me. The determination was set in his green eyes so much like his mother's. He always wants to help his family no matter what.

"We both have but our mate's happiness will always be before ours. She made a choice. I won't force her to be with me nor ask her to fake being happy with me. A mate must be willing."

They both got silent lost in their own thoughts as I ran away from mine, if I do decide to get lost in them I won't make it out alive. Every active thought is about her and only her. My Tali.

After a moment of silence, Angelo turned away from us and slowly walked to his office, Jonah and I looked at each other and followed him. We found him seated behind his office typing away on his MacBook then the familiar sound of a skype call.

"Are you ready little brother?" The comforting but yet demanding voice of the eldest royal sibling filtered through the speakers.

"Yes," Angelo croaked out while slanting the MacBook for us to see Caiden and vice-versa.

"Uncles" he greeted us while placing his laptop somewhere that we were now able to see Michael sitting on a sofa with his hands hanging loosely from his thighs with his head low.

"Hi Dad" Angelo called out, Michael's head snapped up to the screen immediately.

"Son...... Now I would like to apologize on behalf of everyone because I was the one who decided to keep it from you" Michael started to say.

"I understand your motive" Angelo said cutting across his father.

We all looked at him in amazement like we always do whenever he shifts from anger to understanding in the space of an hour or less. Ever since he was a pup he was always levelheaded one and the one to bring the peace between any sibling fights.

"Thank you son. This bounty on your head was unknowing to us until your first birthday during the celebrations. The sentinels alerted me with the news of some gatecrashers, I brushed it off as some young rogues wanting to crash the party but it wasn't. A few were able to push past the sentinels and made their way to the main hall. Your uncles took charge of ensuring the guests were safe but again we were blindsided. They weren't after the alphas and lunas of the packs, they were after you. Emma was able to ward off some of the wolves until you and Caiden took over. Everyone was stunned at what we saw, you and Caiden created a shield over yourselves along with your mother and uncle Caleb......" Michael said recapping one of our most active memories.

"Wait. We what? We got our powers at thirteen. I remember how and when I discovered mine" Angelo said in disbelief.

"Mom and dad had a white witch bind our powers until we were thirteen. Our powers were destructive and unpredictable for our young ages. Someone knew of our matured gifts beforehand, hence the bold attack," Caiden explained.

Angelo stared into the screen at his father and brother then at us, he slumped in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think I know how Chris and Wyatt felt in Charmed. Too powerful for our own good" he muttered.

"I think I got the turning evil part down good" Caiden joked.

"Your uncles have too much influence on you two. This is serious guys" Michael said sternly.

"What did we do this time? They are your kids, "I said rolling my eyes.

Michael looked up heavenly and muttered, "I don't know how Em does this."

Angelo and Caiden smirked at each other, my sister was known to be tough as nails when it comes to the men in her family. She can be scary when the time is right and always seem to have us focus on whatever task at hand.

"No one dares go up against mama," Angelo said grinning.

"Tell me about it" Michael muttered.

"Anyway, little bro upon your request I held back a few sentinels and strategically placed a few within your company building and project sites as employees. Josiah has already been informed. Sorry for taking the lead in your safety. It's the least I can do. I owe you, Angie"

Angelo gave his big brother a toothy grin and shrugged off the compliment. "It's what brothers do," he said.

We talked over the issues we had at hand, the bounty on Angelo's head, and Amelia's safety from the hybrid. The following day would be the arrival of the extra sentinels and also Amelia's protector. After two hours of a heavy debate we decided to call it a day and wrap things up, I dreaded being alone now. The interaction of my family made me forget but now back in my room I was on the verge of breaking down.

I wanted to let out all the pain. I wanted to give in to the cries of my broken heart but I won't give her the satisfaction. What I needed to do was get distracted, keep myself busy. As if on cue a knock was sounded on my door, giving the person permission my brother's scent reached my senses.

"Hey" was all he said as he took a seat beside me on the couch. We both stayed in the silence, listening to the sounds of life outside my bedroom walls. The laughter of our men, the music pounding loudly and the faint laughter of Amelia across the hall.

"You know he won't hate you for leaving" Jonah finally said.

"But he needs both of us." I countered.

My brother scoffed at my remark then I remembered my earlier statement concerning our nephew. "Whether we agree or not, Angelo needs family beside him. To support him. He may be known as a powerful dangerous prince in our world but he now has a weakness." I said turning to him.

"Amelia," he said out loud.

"He can't lose her. Nor can we lose him again. We just got him back." I said thinking of additional ways to keep her out of the public eye.

"And if you don't leave we would lose you too. You need to get it out of your system. Here." all this was said in a shaky voice as he gave me a key with directions scribbled on a paper.

"It helped me when I lost Helen. I know it will help you too"

I stared at the key I held in my hand, weighing the pros and the cons in my mind, and not surprisingly I chose the pros.

Pros win.

I just hope my decision to leave at this time of need does not cause a ripple effect.