Alex’s POV
“Why did you call me your uncle in front of father?” He strangles Jack suddenly as he furiously asks.
“I know you have gone through hell by being in the underground prison. Torture, hunger, pain and betrayal from the kid, calling you an uncle but I’ll recommend you calming down as you reflect on the past, to also focus on a better future.” I strongly advise as he punches the wall hard and it bores holes. I evade the attack immediately. I wonder if I didn’t evade it. I might be a corpse now.
“Just hear me out,” he finally decides to speak with me, “father was going to release the kids and I. They brought me up from the underground cell and asked if I was the father of the kids. I don’t blame them totally. I blame the lowlife that gave birth to them and the idiot that accommodated her and trained them for a decade. I’m a damned man!” He wails as he drops Jack to the bed unevenly and drops himself to the ground.
He seems dejected as Jake rises to his feet immediately and rushes to meet me. He slowly asks, his voice shaking terribly, “are you sure that’s dad?”
“Keep quiet.” I silence him as Dominic eventually rises to his feet. He shrugs his shoulders and says, “there’s no problem. I can chest it. It’s gone. And I will never find myself there again. For Jack and Jake, if you want bygones to be bygones, kindly inform me how you got to that dangerous place. Did you explore around and land there or you intentionally found me to that area or you both are just being presumptuous?”
“Dad, it’s like my memory has been wiped. I can’t remember a thing. I swear to the moon goddess.” Jack swears as he pleads for mercy so he won’t be beaten up again.
“What about you, Jake?” He points to Jake but he doesn’t say a word. He keeps shuddering. I lock gazes with Dominic and he shrugs his shoulders.
“Take them out of my room and hey, never to your pack. If I discover that, that’s the end of your rule as an Alpha for your pack.” He threatens. I chuckle softly before walking both of them out of the room.
“I will see you guys later.” I wave at the kids as they run off towards the field. They are just overly excited about the tennis courts or Jake, with the new girl. Prady, I think.
“Come on in, Orion.” Dominic calls as I walk back inside the room.
“I need you to take Amanda down to the closes hospital to confirm if she truly has HIV. She informed me now.” He says and I sigh deeply.
“Aren’t you going to even say ‘thank you’ for helping you?” I ask as he muzzles his nose, responding, “thanks, Orion. It’s such a great battle and how wonderful it is, now that I am a free. You worked handinhand with Amanda and I will reward you both.”
“Can I specify the reward?” I inquire slowly as I can guess what his response will be like.
“Not yet. Take Amanda to the nearest hospital anyways.” He says as Amanda comes out of the room, dressed properly and ready to go. I check my dressing and it’s also simple, alright.
I wave at him as I initially lead Amanda to a secretive place to ask her a few questions.
“Are you sure you’re HIV positive? I can hide it from the Alpha, don’t worry.” I whisper into her ears but she shows disinterest in listening to me.
“The wolves won’t let us get out of the pack. I can hear their discussion in their mind link.” I inform but she holds me by the hands as she leads me to the gate. She rolls her eyes at them as we walk past them and out of the pack. We high-five before walking towards our destination.
“Amanda, that place is not quite far. Why did Dominic entrust me to you?” I ask as she suddenly nudges me to keep quiet. Once we are a few metres away from the pack, she walks me to a corner and reveals her intention.
“I want to run away from the pack. Please do this for me. There’s no other way Dominic will permit me to leave the pack if I don’t deceive him. No other deception has worked on him ever since I have been planning them.” She narrates. I refrain my lips from responding immediately as I am even short of words. I have been noticing it from her reaction that she doesn’t feel comfortable where she is.
“Okay. Only on one condition.” I say and she shrugs her shoulders, stating that she would do anything to get that favor from me.
“What happened to Dominic? Just explain. He’s super strong now. Did father empower him? Is he going to be this strong each time we meet?” I ask.
She chuckles softly before responding, “it’s temporary. It’s the effect of the drugs used on him and the tight chains on his hands.”
“I think tight chains should enervate, not energize.” I note.
“Everything about the underground prison is reverse, Alex. It energizes rather than enervates but be happy that he’s not going to be like that for a long time.” She says and spaces out.
I remain silent for the next few minutes.
“Can I get my favor done now?” She asks.
“Where are you even headed at?” I ask.
“Anywhere. Can be at a friend’s. Tiana’s. Another country or a very distant state. I will mask my scent permanently and contact you on social media. I want to be away from him. You can visit me as much as you want but I won’t be able to come here.” She says as I feel my heart being shattered. I am so going to miss her.
“Warriors don’t have emotions, they say,” she suddenly qualifies, “but why does your face look like you’re missing me already?”
I chuckle softly as I ask, “did you study psychology in college?”
She shakes her head for a negative response and I chuckle softly again.
“What do I tell Dominic?” I ask.
“Don’t return to the pack as well. Head to your pack.” She advises.
“That would have been a perfect plan. I am even trying to be out of the coven he calls a pack but without my kids? It seems useless.” I confess.
“With or without kids, your life has to be safe first. I hope he doesn’t hurt you before the power is shed off from him.” She says and bursts into laughter for a few seconds.
“So I’ll come back again for my kids?” I ask.
She nods her head in the affirmative as she pulls me into a tight hug.
“I’ll miss you very much. Amanda!” I scream her name. She pecks me on the chin as I fondle her breasts and smile widely while she flags down a taxi and zooms away. I feel like I’ve betrayed Dominic and for some more minutes, I do not look back as I feel he’s right behind me, ready to stab me.
As I turn back, I sight a shadow as I freeze on the spot till I notice it’s my shadow. I heave a deep sigh of relief as I ran away from Dominic’s pack and down to my pack. It’s not a stone’s throw to another but at the same time, not very far from each other.
I don’t know what to expect from my pack. No Nora. No kids. Nothing with me. Just me running into the pack like though I am being chased. It doesn’t speak well of me as an Alpha.
I reconsider it as I try to enter Dominic’s pack instead but I hit my head hard, calling myself stupid as I retreat to the express road. I need to restrategize. There surely must be some other options than return to my pack empty handed or revisit Dominic pack and suffer the consequences for betraying him. As I get to the streets, I flag down a taxi and head straight to the bar shop.