"…what's this? You're still the pack's Beta female?" Darius followed her without casting a gaze at the lowly Gammas that he passed by. As long as they wouldn't attack him, he would forget about their existence. He would even forget that they attacked him first.
Unlike normal, Darius walked in with so much arrogance and elegance as if reminding them of his former position. They passed by other werewolves inside the estate. Some were growling at the face of their old leader—that leader that killed half of them in a hunger spell, they said.
As for Darius, he was more attentive to the landscape of the estate. The mansion was indeed bigger than the Gillard Mansion, but it was the yard that had the tendency to win him over. It was very spacious and well-decorated with trees and flowers at the sides. The space was made for running around, and Darius knew that Megan and Adrian would love this for sure.
He also spied a pavilion somewhere in the distance. He could imagine Dylan staying there, spending his time learning how to read and write. It's just that… why was he starting to see another man teaching Dylan while he would chase around Megan and Adrian in the yard?
"Get out of my head, fucker…" Darius mumbled, attracting a side glance from Millicent. However, he didn't care about her when he suddenly stopped to look up at the second floor's glass walls. There, he saw how Nicholai stood victorious over him, swirling a glass of what seemed to be champagne.
"Pick up your pace. The Alpha will not be waiting for you for so long." Millicent called out as she opened the huge double doors that boasted the castle-like main lobby of the estate. She walked in and didn't wait for Darius.
Darius, upon seeing the man present and feeling the urge to punch him again, jogged to the double doors before the Omega servants closed them. Some of them only kept their heads low as if realizing that they were in the presence of another Alpha. There were indeed a few that recognized Darius as their previous Alpha, but they had no say in the pack's politics. They only knew that they must serve the guest.
The two reached the second-floor mezzanine, where Nicholai was lounging with a cold bottle of apple juice. Darius knew how alcohol smelled and affected them due to their heritage, so it was easy to admit that it would never be any kind of alcohol… unless Nicholai was planning to suffer.
With a link command, Millicent only left Darius with Nicholai. As they were left alone on their own, Darius decided to pretend haughty while trying to evade Nicholai if the delusional Alpha decided to invade his personal space. He sat on the opposite couch and spread as much as he wanted, missing the privilege and prestige of being an Alpha.
"I didn't come here for your offer. I came to ask you for my boy. Where is Dylan?" Darius growled as he saw how much Nicholai stared at him as if bathing in the sight of having him on the estate. He really had no idea how damaged this Nicholai's brain was.
"Have you looked around? What do you think of the mansion?" Nicholai didn't answer him at all.
"…it's more beautiful than the last mansion that stood here. What happened to the old owners?" Darius sighed. He was already exhausted from running and fighting. It's just that…
When he relaxed a little from the fatigue, Nicholai suddenly took his glass of apple juice and flew to Darius's side in an instant. Darius jerked, but he was quickly held down with an arm that circled his shoulders. The delusional Alpha then pulled him a little closer.
Nicholai moved his head to press it against Darius. "I would like to say evicted, but they sold the lot. I demolished the mansion and built a new one. It's far more accommodating to the growing population of the pack, especially when two packs had merged after the subjugation."
"…so, if I didn't leave the pack, you'd kill me instead?" Darius turned away, not knowing if he was more attracted to the scent of the other or the idea of drinking fancily, even if it was just apple juice.
"I am capable of subduing you. Why should I kill my mate?" With a chuckle, Nicholai whispered into Darius's ear, making the other shiver and move away.
"Hey, I already entertained your chit-chat! Where's Dylan?!" Darius used an arm to have something that separated them, but he noticed how Nicholai stopped leaning toward him. The other Alpha even brought his drink to his lips.
After a sip, Nicholai almost glared at the space in front of him. "Shortly after you left him at midnight, his body started to show signs of being corroded by the impure blood. I had to take him away and flush the blood out of him. If you want him to survive and have his abilities intact, you should leave him with me. Not only is he your recognized son, but I do have a use for him and his siblings in the future."
At those words, Darius glared at Nicholai instead. "A use for them in the future? Who do you think you are to make use of those children?"
"…I'm an Alpha whose mate cannot bear children. What kind of use do you think we have for them in the future?" Nicholai suddenly laughed, not paying attention to Darius, who grew red from either embarrassment or anger.
"I have enough of you and your delusions!" Darius used his elbow to jab at Nicholai, but he only made Nicholai splash the apple juice on himself. They only looked down at how the apple juice soaked and crawled down Nicholai's white designer shirt.
The delusional Alpha brought his glass down and turned away as if disinterested in talking anymore. However, their vague connection was forcing an idea into Darius's mind. Wearing an 'are you fucking kidding me' face, Darius then looked at the shirt longer. Defeated, Darius reached out to the table and took a handful of tissue to dry Nicholai's chest and abdomen.
Instead of his thoughts of just slamming his palm on Nicholai, Darius decided to just sigh and dry-patted the shirt carefully. He then whispered, "Can I see Dylan? He gets really scared without me. I witnessed a 40-pound baby girl eat two adults' share of food because she needed to eat for her brother, she said. I knew for a fact that Dylan is awake, despite his body's state."
"Hm, I figured as much. Nikita had always been the more miraculous between the two of us." Nicholai added to Darius's frustration by undoing the buttons, making the other touch his skin instead. "If you tell me that Adrian, Dylan, and Megan can be spiritually connected, I won't deny it."
"…? Nikita?" Darius didn't realize that he was already patting the skin. He was too distracted by the delusional Alpha's words. "Who's Nikita?"
"…?" For the first time, Nicholai looked at him with confusion, dropping the mischievous aura around him. "Darius, is there a chance that… you didn't know that the woman you helped that night… really is my only sister? You don't even know her name…?"
Darius dropped his jaw. "You're really their uncle?!"