69. You get what you give.

"Out!" Eros commanded the crowd as if he owned the place. To his surprise, everyone, including his mother, bared their necks and turned to leave.

"Not you, mother, you stay right here!" His voice was cold, the threat in its undertone making any living creature shiver in fear.

His mother was no longer a Luna. Her mate was dead; he hadn’t even tried to put up any fight, to defend his rank. The woman eyed Eros in disgust, her gaze dropping to the dead man she once loved. Her wolf was howling for her fallen mate, yet the pride in her human side would never show the pain. She stood in front of her son; head held high- the former Luna of the pack.

"I guess you got what you wanted, Alpha," she plat at Eros in rage.

"Killing the fucking bastard who did nothing but torture and humiliate me for as long as I remember? Yes. Some crappy Alpha rank in your beloved pack? Hell no. I warned you, mother- take what's mine, and I will kill what's yours. I've threatened yours and this bastard's life countless times regarding Eve's safety. Not my problem you never listen to anyone but yourself," Eros crossed his arms in front of his chest, making him look unusually dangerous.

He threw a glance at the former Alpha and kicked his dead body, a wave of relief washing over him. Finally, his tormentor was gone.
Luna looked down at her feet and took in a deep breath, waiting for a blow. She looked up at Eros in surprise, wondering why he didn't make sure that her life ended the same way as her mates. Both of them stared at each other intensely, trying to find answers to unspoken questions.

"So? What's going to happen next? When is the day when I die?" Luna decided to challenge her luck. She didn't even think of dropping her act and showing off the fear she felt.

"You will die of old age, mother. No matter how big of a monster I am in your eyes, I am not one. I've never been one. You were the one to paint the fucking world in black and white. Whoever didn't dance by your commands was black, whoever followed your lead blindly was white. Your world is a fucked up paradise you came up with. It's time to face the consequences, mother. We're in this together, and I will stop at nothing to get to the bottom of this shit. If I ever find Eve alive, if I ever find out that you were somehow to blame for her leaving- I will skin you down like a fucking rogue. Got it?" With each word leaving his lips, Eros took a step closer to his mother. As the threats kept washing over her trembling form, he leaned down to face the woman he used to adore.

In his early years, Eros was obsessed with proving himself for his mother’s love; that he deserved it more than anyone else. He kept going to the limits and beyond to prove himself, yet young Luna never seemed to notice her own pup. She never cared.
The day when Eros was injured during the training was exactly what he needed to give up. He woke up, alone in the hospital room, his face and body bandaged, leaving little to no skin revealed. For years he had to hide, act like he wasn't part of the pack- just a visitor, doing any job thrown at him to survive. The mask he was forced to wear, to hide hideous scars, didn't help him gain friends. The mysterious man had more enemies than friends.
His life was built for him to fail; each step he took closer to the goal was destroyed by his mother.
Sometimes Eros wondered why he turned out like this. In time, he didn't bother to wonder anymore; he accepted that life was what it was and moved on. At the age of twenty-one, Eros promised himself that if he ever finds a mate, he will love her beyond limits. And that was exactly what he did with Eve- loved, cared, and tried to protect.
After all, what they had gone through, he felt like a miserable excuse of a beast. He had failed his mate. He couldn't protect her.

"Get Balthazar here," Eros broke the silence, sitting down on the stairs.

His mother nodded frantically, rushing to the phone. It didn't take long until she was back, standing in front of her son, her head hanging low.

"What was your plan, exactly? Luring her in, gaining her unlimited trust and stabbing her in the back as soon as I'm not around? Do you have any idea what you have done? You took my mate away; you robbed me of my child. Now, because of your selfishness, I will never become a father. How does that feel? Being a disappointment in the eyes of your last relative alive? And don't ever try to mention Balthazar, he despises you more than the Devil himself," Eros couldn't look at her.

The beast in him demanded blood. Her blood. Ares kept raging, pushing against the walls Eros had built.
As soon as the beast understood that his mate was carrying his pup, he went insane. If Eros didn’t fight against it, if only he would give Ares a little bit of freedom- a fully grown Lycanthrope could go on a rampage. Killing everyone in his way- even the innocent, slaying the whole pack and packs beyond.

"Let me have her," Ares growled from the back of Eros’s mind. The beast snarled, showing off his razor-sharp teeth.

"Are you insane? I need Eve back as much as you, I'm worried for her and the safety of our pup the same as you are, but I can't allow you to do this. Think for fucking once! There are women and children in this pack; they can't defend themselves. The men are no match for you, and Balthazar is too weak to hold you back. Ares, as soon as you break free- they're all gone. All those innocent souls will die because of your rage. Calm the fuck down; we will start looking for her as soon as Balthazar arrives!" Eros tried to do his best, to calm down his beast. Ares kept pushing, he didn't listen to a word, nor did he care about those who might die if he got out.

"King Azra," Balthazar suddenly appeared in front of Eros, dropping on his knees, Mary following his lead.

"Lord, please don't use my middle name, it's quite annoying," Eros half-smiled, motioning for the elderly couple to get back on their feet.

"I can feel the tension and fear here; I caught on it at the house. What's happening?" Mary questioned Eros, looking around the room.
Her eyes fell on Luna; Mary's facial expression changed from one of worry to one of disgust. Relative or not, Mary couldn't stand the Luna’s awful ways.

"Eve's gone," Eros sighed, fighting the tears filling his eyes.

As he spoke, Ares started howling in pain. He needed his mate, both of them did- and now, more than ever.

"What? This must be a cruel joke. How can the Queen leave?" Balthazar questioned, pulling the sobbing Mary into his chest. The woman loved Eve as if she were her own- she always dreamed of a daughter, and now, when she got one- fate took her away too fast.

"My mother will explain what happened. For the record- I don't believe shit to whatever she has to say. Just listen, you won't believe it either. As soon as she's done with her miserable excuses, we are gathering the search team," Eros looked down at his hands, balling them in tight fists.

"Luna?" Balthazar turned his attention to the trembling woman; she was hiding in the corner of the room.

"Eve visited me today. Everything was going fine; we spent some quality time together and spoke about some bits. We truly enjoyed each other's company, despite the past. Eve and I had grown pretty close, building a beautiful friendship, so I wanted to see her. After a while, when we had tea and cookies, I heard something. The odd sound kept bugging me until I approached Eve and understood what was happening. Evangeline is pregnant.
I asked her a couple of questions, and she suddenly told me that she would kill the baby. When I asked why Eve said that she would never give birth to a beast like its father, she cried for a while, until I managed to calm her down. Everything was going okay, really, but when she asked me for another cup of tea, I had to leave the office. I was in the kitchen for a maximum of five minutes, when I got back to the office Eve was gone. Someone from inside helped her get away; they knew where to go and how our border patrol works. I tried to catch up on her, but I couldn't, she was way too far already. All I got was a bloodied cloth I found next to the forest entrance; after that place, her scent was gone. I ran back and tried to contact my son, but he blocked everyone out, and there was no way I could reach him. When I got here, Eros was already in my office, looking for Eve. I told him everything, explained as much as I could, and Eros decided to kill my mate as a punishment for something I didn't do," Luna sobbed.

She honestly didn't felt bad about Eve's unknown whereabouts and people who stressed over her missing.
All former Luna cared about was her safety and rank, nothing more, nothing less.

"You lying, selfish fucking bitch! How dare you mess with my grandchild!" To everyone's surprise, Mary broke out of Balthazar’s arms and lunged at Luna.

Mary might look like an old, defenceless lady, but the punch she threw sent Luna's body across the room. As Luna landed on the carpeted floor, Mary moved fast to jump onto her, pin her down and throw punch after punch.

"Mary!" Balthazar yelled, a weak attempt to stop his mate.

"Don't you, Mary me, you old sack of rotten eggs. I won't stop until I see this bitch bleed," Mary roared through gritted teeth, hitting her fists against Luna’s face.

She made sure that each blow would be her full force- all hatred, sadness, anger, fear, and sorrow were the emotions that helped Mary to turn Luna’s face into galaxy canvas.
For a while, both men watched Mary throw punch after punch. Balthazar looked rather proud, seeing his mates fighting spirit. Eros had no remorse, even his mother’s pleading, begging to stop the woman didn't move him.
Luna was almost unconscious when Balthazar finally ripped Mary away from her, pulling her into his chest.

"That's it, baby, don't tire yourself. Good job," the Lord whispered in her ear, hugging her tightly.

Eros stood up and walked to his mother, watching how she panted for breath, visibly in great pain made him smile. Luna wanted a monster; she got one.

"How does it feel, mother? Happy? Ecstatic? Just say the word, and I'll make Balthazar let go of Mary. I'll personally encourage her to beat you till death. And you know why? Simple- you took everything from me. I could live with that; really, it's not like I've cared for the last ten years. But taking Eve and my child, aiming straight for my heart, is a crime I won't forgive. Ever. Get back on your feet, clean yourself up for fucks' sake, and meet me in your office."

Luna nodded, her eyes widened in fear. Eros was no longer the Unwanted son of hers. He was a cruel, heartless man who wished nothing but pain upon her.

"Since I'm in a good mood, I'll let you burn your fucking mate," Eros smirked, watching how his mother struggled to stand up. Mary did an excellent job on her.

"But- but, we should bury him, he was an Alpha after all. He deserves respect!" She tried to fight back, shutting her mouth as a low, threatening growl came from Mary.

"He was YOUR Alpha, not mine. In my eyes, he was just a sorry excuse of a man, a mutt worse than a rogue. Now, do as you're told and clean up before I force your face into the bathtub. You had no mercy with me all these years; now it's my turn to show no mercy towards you. You get what you give."