Chapter 261
(Cole’s POV)
It’s a shock to say the least to see Lucas come out to the porch let alone to see what appears to be a forced apology from him. I have a hard time believing what he has to say. I have never heard of Wolfington Academy and the only hint he gave was that he would go away. Not something I would ever want to happen to a newly shifted teen but I certainly wouldn’t want him to continue being a danger to the preshifts either.
It’s been easy enough the last few months for me to avoid interacting with him even though I have sincerely missed the twins. These last two months, while they have been terribly hard and mentally painful for me, have also been the best for showing me the support I will have when I’m not myself.
Alpha and luna both have gone out of their way to help me through my own decision to return. Every night luna and the twins would come to my room after dinner with a plate of food wrapped in cling wrap and several drinks. They would put the food and drinks in the fridge so I could eat something whenever my anxiety died down enough for me to keep it down.
The girls always took turns choosing and bringing a game to play. They got super excited when they found out that I had never played children’s games like Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. I think their goal was to teach me all the games they knew before I left as they never let me get bored and they never let me win.
I hold Jessa close to me as Lucas’s yelps and screams bring me back to the situation. Damian is standing just a few feet in front of me, ready to intercept his brother should the need arise and alpha is standing a good fifteen feet from him, actively encouraging Lucas to run off. I can’t help but whine as I watch him endure a painfully hard shift that his wolf seemed to force upon him.
I watch him closely, wondering if my opinion of the situation is wrong. Could his apology be sincere? Outside of injuries, shifting is supposed to become natural. Only the first and sometimes second shift is supposed to be painful enough that a strong pain medication after they shift back to human is used. After about six months of shifting regularly it may be uncomfortable but should not be overly painful. Yet shifts that occur when both parties don’t agree to the shift are known to be exceptionally painful and he certainly sounds like he’s suffering.
“Into the woods! That’s an order!”
I’m shocked again, struggling to comprehend the situation unfolding in front of me. Alpha has removed his shirt and his thumbs are tucked into his waistband as if he’s preparing to shift in response to his own son’s struggle.
After several minutes of struggling with his wolf, Lucas finally turns and runs for the trees. Alpha finally lets out a hard sigh as he picks his shirt up off the ground and walks back over to us.
“I’m sorry Cole. I know that was the last thing you needed before setting off from here.” I nod my head slowly as things start to calm down.
“Is he going to be okay, alpha?”
“It’s another reason I’m taking an eighteen month break and will start smaller, less time consuming runs after that time. He needs help, we’re just struggling right now to figure out the exact help that he needs.”
“You heard what he said. You need to talk to him about Kristoph.”
He nods sadly as he picks Madisyn up. She snuggles into his neck whimpering quietly as she quickly wraps her arms around him. They are both fearful and confused about their brother’s behavior but luna was only able to pick Madilyn up when she started crying.
“Damian?”
He calls his attention to him, making eye contact when he turns towards him.
“Do you remember anything from six years ago? When Kristoph Redmen was here?”
I’m shocked by his direct question but even more surprised by Alpha Damian’s answer.
“No,” he shakes his head.
“I don’t remember much, I’d have to think about that.”
Alpha nods his head in understanding.
“You don’t think…”
“I don’t know what to think.” Alpha interrupts his son’s question.
“All I know is that what we just witnessed is a very disturbing symptom of something very dangerous. He’s not faking the situation he’s in and his apology was sincere. It’s going to take time to figure out and, just like Cole, time is not a luxury Lucas has.”
He looks sadly towards the woods.
“Are you really talking about sending him away to Wolfington?”
Alpha Damian seems quite concerned with the idea.
“It has been mentioned a few times as the option of last resort. The third time Julie said something is when he attacked her forcing me to stop his therapy sessions.”
Everyone remains silent as the delta giving us a ride walks over.
“I can see how hard this is for everyone but if the two gentlemen are still planning to leave then we need to get on the road. It’s an eight to ten hour drive from here back to White Ridge.” Delta Ashman interjects briefly.
“I’m sorry, things aren’t going as we had planned.” He nods before walking back over to the van.
“It’s your last chance Cole. No one here wants you to leave. It’s important that you understand the sincerity of Lucas’s statement. We didn’t ask him to come out here to see you off. We told him of the time and date so he could choose. It was important to him to apologize and he asked for my help in doing so.”
I nod slowly shocked at the turn of events that I’m seeing.
“I don’t expect any of you to understand as I don’t truly understand myself but there is something on my dad’s computer that I must find. While I obviously have seen it before, only my wolf seems to understand the significance and is insisting that we return to find it and save it to my computer. I’m hoping that I can find it quickly and get the hell out of there by the end of the year. It will be difficult for me to do and I’ll likely return physically and mentally worse than I am now, but I will return.”
“Have you figured out how to link or channel with Jessa?” Alpha asks, the sadness in his voice is difficult to hear.
“We've been trying but it hasn’t happened yet. I will keep trying though.” Jessa explains as she hugs me tighter. I press my lips gently upon her forehead, lingering there as I struggle to let her go.
“Cole,” she speaks softly. “I have something for you. Hopefully you don’t lose it when you get home but I’ve been sleeping with it for the past month. It should keep my scent for a while if you don’t wash it.”
She runs back to the car leaving me alone with the rest of the family.
“Are you sure this is what you need?”
Jamie has finally made it over to the rest of the group still holding Micayla. Her eyes are red from crying as she holds him tightly.
“If you wish to stay and seek sanctuary, I understand.”
“No. I’ve told you every time you have begged me to stop helping you that I won’t abandon you. I have called you ‘my alpha’ too many times to remember. I'm ashamed to admit that I have refused to recognize my own feelings, my unwavering loyalty to you and only you until my nightmares started up after the brawl. There’s only a few people that you have established a link to and there’s no way you can get out alone. My hell will end when you leave. If you stay here, then I will stay but if you’re still leaving. So am I.”
I look to the ground before looking up, into his eyes.
“Thank you. As much as I despise the alpha title, to hear you call me your alpha means more than I could ever tell you.”
“I’m sorry I’ve never told you to your face. It’s always been in passing when talking to my family or to Olivia. I didn’t understand why I feel the way I do until my meeting with Alpha Black. What I don’t understand is how can I be his fated beta when I’m a delta?”
He asks the question we both want to know.
“Alpha Redmen doesn’t honor the moon goddess’s ranking. Instead of testing your genetics and treating you based on the rank you are born with he assigns you a rank. What it’s based off of, I don’t know, but I can tell you that based on your aura and the size of your wolf, you are a beta. When you and your family get here, all of you will undergo a physical and a battery of blood tests. While nothing immediately alarming stood out in the panels taken in February I will be going over them more closely in the weeks to come. In general any person or family brought into my pack seeking sanctuary is tested for everything. Nutritional deficiencies, silver and wolfsbane exposure and genetic rank are my main priorities with all transfers.”
“You’re going to test Jerry and the girls for silver exposure?” He asks in disbelief.
“Children are the most vulnerable to permanent damage when exposed so yes, that is the standard for sanctuary cases.”
Alpha’s explanation seems to have left him speechless.
“Unfortunately it does seem that our time together has come to an end. If you’re going to stick to leaving, now may be the best time.”
I nod my head as Alpha Damian reaches his hand out. I take it gently in mine, frozen as to what to do.
“You will come back.” He states and all I can manage is to look up at his face.
“Alpha Cole Jonathan Redmen. I am giving you a command that you are not to deviate from. No other command matters, do you understand?”
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