"He had been captured by hunters. One man and a woman. Six men outside whom I assumed were the security men". Lucky said, he was giving his father the report of what had happened.
"And?". Plutonic asked with a raised brow , his arms crossed against his massive well built chest.
"All dead!". Lucky answered with a small shrug of the shoulders. "I left no trace nor the bodies". He added.
Plutonic let out a sigh of relief. "Good". If they'd left any traces, hunters were bound to come after them and they didn't want any of that to take place.
"I don't think he'll recover soon Father. The iron affected the Phoenix in a huge impact". Lucky confessed.
"We'll give him some of our energy to quicken his healing". Plutonic replied.
"It won't work. His energy is suppressed and so little. I wonder how he has been surviving all these years". Lucky said.
"What do you mean?". Plutonic asked in a confused tone.
"It has to do with what Aisha and Hamlin have been hiding from us". Lucky answered.
"Shoot!".
"I tried passing my energy to him back there at the warehouse where he held been held captive but it failed. His fireball is unprotected".
"What do you mean?". Plutonic asked.
Lucky let out a breathe, "Rufus has no jade father!".
"Impossible!". Plutonic exclaimed.
"I'm afraid it's nothing but the truth Father."
"No Phoenix can survive without a jade unless you have gifted your mate with it!. Jades are huge aspects in our lives son.. they determine if we'll have mates or not.. they determine how long we'll live". Plutonic argued.
"I know all that father. But they can also survive through magic, right?". Lucky asked. "He smelled like magic.."
"Aisha and Hamlin have been hiding this from us? Why?. Why are they practising magic too without our knowledge?".
"A Phoenix without a jade is huge flaw and shame. Though we've not had such a Phoenix amongst us in our lifetime, I've read a story about one such Phoenix that lived years ago but no more has been said about it. I think they were embarrassed and also disappointed that they couldn't tell us. About the magic, I'm yet to know father. I'll dig deeper". Lucky promised.
"Okay. But let's act cool. Don't show any signs that we already know their secret." Plutonic suggested. Lucky nodded in agreement. "We shall try and help them in secret".
"I knew that you're the only person I could trust. I love you son". Plutonic added after a moment of silence.
"Thank you for trusting me father. I promise I won't let you down". Lucky promised.
Plutonic nodded slightly.
"So what do we do? How do we make him better?". He asked.
"Find him a jade. Preferably, a mate from another Phoenix clan. The SeaWings are in better position. We have a treaty with them". Lucky suggested.
"We both know he has feelings for you. Do you think that will work? Do you think that Rufus will agree to hold someone else's Jade other than yours?". Plutonic questioned.
Lucky sighed, "A man can hope, right?".
Plutonic sighed, "Let's see how it turns out. Let me know if you find out something new".
"Yes Father". Lucky answered then left for his room.
He had brought Rufus home earlier that day. all weak and unconscious. Rufus feverishly muttering things about how he had loved him from when they we're little kids, how he had admired and adored him, how he was afraid to die without seeing him one more time since he had been held captive by the hunters. Nonetheless, Lucky was aware of Rufus' feelings, he knew it and could smell it even if Rufus tried to conceal it with magic, he knew!.
Lucky had always been able to smell the magic oozing from Rufus most of the time that they had been together. Lucky was able to read his mind as well, perks of being a Golden Red Fiery Phoenix.. Oh! he could read anyone's mind but he had never told anyone about it. He had always been aware of Rufus' lack of having a jade but he said nothing to anyone with the hopes that Rufus and his family would come out clean and tell them but they didn't so he didn't talk. Lucky had always thought that his father knew since he was an alpha but when he had stumbled in his room earlier the previous evening and told him of what he suspected (Aisha and Hamlin hiding things from him and Rufus' constant smell of sadness) it then dawned to him that his father didn't know. How he wished he could tell him straight away but what would have Plutonic said? What would have Plutonic thought? Wouldn't he have been heartbroken that his son and best friends who also are his pack mates his something as serious as that from him all those years? So, he kept quiet and promised to dig in.
Lucky had followed up Rufus' scent which led him past the forest line that most people or other packs would cross. He followed it till it became faint and too thin to smell out but what was strong around him was panic.. fear.. sadness... Rufus' sadness. He knew straight away that he had been taken away and Oh! there had been new scents around Rufus' so it wasn't hard at all to follow where the human scent led. He found the warehouse where more scent of the humans was, humans, sweat.. tears.. pain... sadness and oh Rufus was in the mix of the scent as well and he couldn't just stay there and not help him. It was his duty as the next alpha to protect the pack mates and that's what he did. He killed the six men playing security, he killed Klaus and Yonce all for Rufus. He killed them because of him but still all he felt in his heart for the other boy was nothing more than brotherly love. Rufus had fallen unconscious and so he burnt the bodies using magic.. his druid powers that he had inherited from his mother. Lucky cleared off his scent from the premises as well as Rufus' before they left.. or before he carried him home after trying to pass him some of his energy which failed miserably because one, Lucky's Phoenix wasn't that active and two, Rufus had no jade!. (Phoenixes stored most of their energies, strengths in their jades and that's why they only gifted their mates with those jades.) He was tempted to give Rufus his jade to repay him for all that he had done for him all those years... he knew that Rufus would be happy. He tried extracting his jade from his chest but it didn't come out. Lucky had seen his Father's jade years ago, Plutonic had made it look so east but who was he kidding? His Phoenix wasn't active so it would explain it why his jade wouldn't come out. He really wanted to help Rufus out but guess that wasn't the option. He had to look into other ideas to help Rufus out.
But still, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't love Rufus back. He could not return his affection. All that Lucky felt for him was brotherly love. He couldn't love Rufus more than that and he felt guilty because Rufus was so dedicated to him, loyal even and yet he couldn't love him back. Rufus had always been there for him since the death of his mother Ninah and yet he couldn't save his life by giving him his jade because giving Rufus his jade would be mating and binding them for that lifetime. He did want to do it but Lucky didn't love Rufus and he didn't think he'd love him back anytime soon so why be with him for a lifetime when Rufus could easily find someone who'd love him back from the SeaWing clan?.
Lucky took a deep breathe as he sat on a stone at the edge of the river. He took a deep breathe as he thought over his decisions. This was all he could do. There was nothing more he could do, he had tried hard. He didn't want Rufus to die, this was the only way... to find him a mate, a jade. Lucky hoped that Rufus wouldn't be angry at him. He hoped that Rufus would understand why Lucky had to do this and he hoped that Rufus would love his mate back as much as he loved him!.
"I know what you're going to do!". Lucky turned his head to look at Aisha who was standing a few feet away from him. He hadn't even heard her, he was in deep thoughts, thinking deeply of how he could help out his best friend.. his brother!.
"It's good then that you're aware". Lucky responded flatly.
Aisha huffed, "Do you think that Rufus will be happy when he wakes up only to find himself being mated and bonded for life with another person?".
"What do you prefer? Your son being alive and mated or him being dead?". Lucky snorted.
Aisha kept quiet. He'd prefer her son being alive though Rufus wouldn't be happy but then, would she be able to live knowing that he was dead?.
Lucky huffed almost annoyingly, obviously having read her mind. "Think about it. I'm doing what's right. We all want the same thing." He paused. "We all want him alive!".
Aisha sized him up. Lucky was right. She wanted Rufus alive. Hamlin wanted their son alive as well and right now, it didn't matter what they had to do to keep him alive.
"You knew all along he had no jade?". Aisha asked slowly.
"You hid that from us all this long that he had no jade?". Lucky asked sarcastically. She didn't answer him. Aisha now knew... now understood why Lucky had planned this... planned on mating her son with someone else. Aisha didn't mind. She didn't mind as long as in the end, Rufus would be there with her.