After Beta Michael left Alpha Thane's office, the room fell silent for a moment, Then a soft knock on the door broke the silence. "Come in," Alpha Thane called out.
The door opened, and Aiden stepped inside, his eyes fixed on his father. "Dad, I'm ready to go wherever you and Mom want to send me," he said, his voice laced with a hint of nervousness.
Alpha Thane looked up from the document he was reading, and he nodded for Aiden to continue. "I'm sorry for the way I reacted the other day when you and Mom were talking to me about traveling," he added, his eyes dropping in shame. "I was just scared, Dad. I'm scared of leaving everything behind and going to a foreign land with no one I know."
Alpha Thane stood up from his chair and walked around the desk to his son. "Aiden, I'm not happy about sending you to an unknown place," he said,placing a gentle hand on Aiden's shoulder. "But I have to do what's best for you, and right now, that means keeping you safe. And the only way to do that is to send you away."
Aiden just nodded his head without saying a word.
Alpha Thane pulled Aiden closer, and wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug, " I know that you're scared and it's okay to be scared, But you're not going to be alone, Ryker will be going with you, We'll make sure you're safe and happy wherever you go. And we'll stay in touch, no matter what."
Alpha Thane pulled back and looked at Aiden, his eyes shining with tears. "You need to know that we'll miss you so much, Aiden. You're our son, and it's hard for us to let you go, even if it's just for a little while. But we have to do this to keep you safe, we'll be talking to you all the time, so you'll never feel like you're too far away from us."
Aiden's face crumpled, and he buried his face in his father's chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Alpha Thane held him close, his arms wrapped around his son as he stroked his hair and back.
"It's okay, Aiden," Alpha Thane whispered softly, his voice filled with comfort and reassurance. "It's okay to cry. I'm here for you, and I'll always be here for you, no matter where you are."
"It's okay, son," Alpha Thane repeated, his voice a gentle whisper. "You're strong, and you'll get through this. I promise."
After his talk with Alpha thane, beta Michael walked into his home happily expecting to be greeted by the warm presence of his mate, Elijah. But instead, he was met with an unsettling silence. He couldn't feel Elijah's presence, nor could he smell his scent. A sense of unease crept over him as he rushed to their bedroom, and found it empty. He hurriedly checked the bathroom, but it was also vacant, no sign of Elijah there.
Beta Michael's heart began to race as he hurried to the kitchen, hoping to find Elijah there. But the kitchen was empty too. He started feeling a growing sense of panic and paranoia, his mind racing with worst-case scenarios. Maybe Elijah had been kidnapped? But he quickly dismissed that thought, knowing that their pack's boundaries were well-guarded, and nothing could slip in or out without him knowing.
His hand instinctively went to his pocket to grab his phone and call Elijah, but then he remembered that Elijah didn't have a cell phone. His panic increase tenfold as he realized that he has no means of finding Elijah, he had no where to look for him, he knew nothing about him not even a family member, he didn't know Maybe something bad had happened to Elijah? But the last thought running through his mind made his heart break and he wish it wasn't true..... maybe, Elijah had run away from him?
Beta Michael's thoughts were a jumbled mess of fear and uncertainty. He needed to find Elijah, and he needed to find him now. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down focused .
Beta Michael quickly mind link with all the werewolves nearby, sending out a mental message to all of them and giving them the description of Elijah. He instructed them to tell him immediately any one of them spotted Elijah anywhere"
The responses from the werewolves were immediate, with each of them acknowledging the message and promising to keep an eye out for Elijah.
After tasking the wolves with finding Elijah beta Michael anxiety still didn't dissipate, so he went back to the bedroom and took one of the clothes Elijah wore at the hospital deciding to track him. but before he could turn into his wolf he smelt Elijah scent, though the scent was faint it was enough to let him know that Elijah was heading back to the house,
Dropping the cloth on the bed, beta Michael head back outside and saw Elijah walking towards their home, with a grocery bag in his hands. He was accompanied by a young wolf, who beta Michael recognized as one of the pack's warriors,
As they approached, Beta Michael noticed that the wolf was smiling at something Elijah said. Beta Michael's eyes narrowed, and a spark of jealousy ignited within him setting his whole body ablaze. He didn't like seeing another werewolf smiling at his mate, especially not in a way that seemed so... familiar. He wish he could claw the smile off the young wolf's face.
As they move closer to the house the young wolf who had accompanied Elijah, bid Elijah farewell with a nod and turn around loping off into the woods.
Elijah watched the young wolf go and turned towards the house, unaware of the storm brewing inside. He pushed open the door and stepped inside, calling out with a cheerful greeting. "Hey, Michael! I'm back!"
But his words were met with silence. Elijah's eyes adjusted to the dim light inside, and he saw Beta Michael sitting on the couch, his face dark and foreboding. His eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched, His arms were crossed over his chest. He looked like a thundercloud about to unleash its fury.
Elijah's smile faltered as he took in Beta Michael's angry expression. He felt a shiver run down his spine as he wondered what had triggered Beta Michael's ire. "Michael, what's wrong?" Elijah asked, his voice cautious, as he set the grocery bag down on the table.
Beta Michael's face twisted with anger as he stood up from the couch, his eyes blazing with fury. He stalked closer to Elijah, his movements fluid and menacing. "Where have you been?" he shouted, his voice echoing through the room.
Elijah took a step back, his eyes wide with surprise and fear. "I-I went to the store," he stuttered.
Beta Michael's anger only intensified. "For the past three hours?" he bellowed. "I've been searching for you everywhere since I got home, did you know how worried I am when I can't find you? I thought maybe something had happened to you. And then I see you walking in with...with..." He spat out the words, his face contorted in disgust. "With another male! And you're smiling at him like that!"
Beta Michael's eyes flashed with jealousy, and he took another step closer to Elijah, his fists clenched at his sides. "How dare you?" he growled, "How dare you bring another male into our home and flirt with him right in front of me?"
Beta Michael's anger boiled over, and he grabbed Elijah's arm roughly, his fingers digging deep into Elijah's skin. Elijah winced in pain, his eyes widening in shock. "Michael, you're hurting me," he said, his voice trembling.
But Beta Michael didn't let go. He held Elijah's arm in a tight grip, his face twisted in anger. Elijah tried to pull his arm free, but Beta Michael's grip was too strong. Finally, with a surge of adrenaline, Elijah managed to yank his arm free from Beta Michael's grasp.
Elijah rubbed his sore arm, his eyes flashing with anger and hurt. "What's wrong with you, Michael?" he demanded. "I was just trying to cook something for us to eat together. I wanted to surprise you when you got back from your meeting with Alpha Thane. and to correct you I wasn't flirting with that boy, when I left to buy grocery I lost my way and that boy was kind enough to walk me to the supermarket and once he learn that am coming to your house he offered to escort me back to his beta's house."
Elijah's words were laced with hurt and confusion, and Beta Michael's anger began to falter. He looked at Elijah eyes and saw pain and confusion in his eyes. Beta Michael's grip on his emotions began to slip, and he felt a wave of regret washing over him.
Elijah took a step back, creating some distance between himself and Beta Michael. Beta Michael, feeling guilty of actions reached out to touch Elijah's arm, but Elijah quickly moved to the side, avoiding his touch.
"Don't touch me," Elijah said, his voice firm but shaking slightly.
Beta Michael's eyes widened in surprise, and he took a step forward, his hands held out in a placating gesture. "Elijah, let me explain..." he began.
But Elijah held up his hands with his palms facing Beta Michael, and shook his head. "No, don't talk to me right now," he said, his voice firm. "I don't want to hear it."
Beta Michael's face fell, and he looked at Elijah with sadness and regret. He took a step back, his hands still held out in a calming gesture, but Elijah turned his back on him and walked away, leaving Beta Michael standing alone in the living room.