LEO
"What’s wrong?" Dad asks, looking suddenly tense.
What the fuck is up with him? Now isn’t the time to ask him though. I need to get this shit over with. Azura places her hand on my thigh, and our eyes meet for a moment before I wrap my arm around her neck, pulling her close and kissing her forehead.
"I’ll start with my side business. As you already fucking know, I created some pretty lethal bullets." Dad nods slowly, drinking his coffee. This isn’t going to be easy, and I’m not going to fucking sugarcoat it or try to justify shit. "Well, as you know, I have several businesses, one of which is the Heimtückische Wölfe…" I say, waiting for him to take that in.
"Heimtückische Wölfe… that’s…" Realisation dawns on his face as he stares at me as if he has just been hit with a reality check. Guess he fucking has. "So... Schurke Wolf… I often thought the name was ironic. How the fuck did I never see that?"
"I'm not going to try to justify anything, but the cartel is the majority of my income. I'm not even going to say I'm sorry for it. I regret certain decisions regarding having involved the bastard, Emmet, but otherwise, if I was told to do it all over… I wouldn’t change the cartel," I say coldly, but I am watching him intently despite my emotionless attitude.
"That’s…"
Dad sits back, running his hand through his messy hair as he exhales sharply. He sets his cup down, joining his hands in front of him, and places them to his lips trying to comprehend what I have just told him. Is he stressed out? I can’t fucking make out what he is thinking, but from the way he is constantly clenching and unclenching his hands to the tapping of his foot on the floor and running his hand through his hair, I can tell he is trying to digest my revelation.
I pour myself another cup of coffee since it looks like this is going to fucking take all day.
"Emmet is the one who took my formula and created his own fucking batch of lethal bullets. Plus, there was a shipment of drugs that I had brought into the country. It was meant to be the final one, one that has fucking made me the richest man in the country, only for us to find out they’ve been tampered with. I’m certain it’s Emmet’s doing, too. I need you to put him under Alpha command, so I can ask him a few questions," I continue. There is no point in filtering this shit, we don’t have time to fucking waste. Dad looks at me as if seeing me for the first time.
"Of course. I’ll ask Emmet… but tell me, Leo… why?" He asks quietly.
"You know why," I reply quietly. "I didn’t trust anyone… in the end, we needed to fight for survival. Ourselves. I'm letting the past go, so I won’t bring that shit up again. I told you the truth, and I intend to let the pack know as well before Emmet’s trial."
"You want to tell the pack that you -"
"That I'm a cartel don? Yeah. I don’t need to tell them that I'm Schurke Wolf, but I'm fine with them knowing of my activities because Emmet will be tried publicly and fairly, and he will mention it whether I do or not." Azura’s heart is racing as she watches Dad. She had been so sure he’ll be okay with it… I hadn't but I still need to do this regardless.
"Yet despite knowing he’s going to be a dick, Leo is still doing it in a fair way when Emmet doesn’t deserve it," she says, looking between Dad and me. I almost smirk. My sexy little psycho is defending me.
"I understand that… I just… I know your values and mindset, Leo, so I know even in these things, you are doing them with a conscience, but one or two traitors can cause so much damage. The drugs that have been on the human news lately, I'm assuming those are the ones you mean," Dad says, frowning deeply.
"Yeah, pretty much. I'm trying to get things under control." He nods slowly and sighs.
"It's dangerous… we don’t ever want the humans to learn of us, Leo. If that ever happens… the world that we know will change forever. Fear is a dangerous weapon, Leo, and even the smallest of beings can become lethal… we can’t let their eyes turn upon us."
"I know… and I plan to stop with the drug trade. I intended to take a step back from it after this, but I need to fix this shit first. I will always remain as Schurke Wolf because in this country… there are many who will always need a protector," I say quietly. I’m not going to change my decision regardless of whether he approves or not. "If it doesn’t sit right with you, I won’t hold it against you if you wish to keep the Alpha title." He lets out a chuckle, shaking his head.
"We’ve all fucked up, none of us are perfect, Leo, and I get that. I appreciate you telling me but withholding the Alpha title from you isn’t going to make me happy. You deserve this title… but there’s something I want you to promise me." I raise an eyebrow, waiting. I fucking feel like a kid again with the way he is speaking.
"And what exactly is that?"
"Follow your conscience. Don’t ever lose sight of what is truly wrong and right."
"Not a fucking issue," I reply, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. Yeah, I know I am in a grey area… but this world isn’t fucking black and white either. "I know that, and I will never do shit that I can never redeem myself from." Azura smirks, nodding slightly.
"You know… I want to say something, too…" We both look at her as she leans forward, resting her elbows on the worktop. She becomes serious, and a look of guilt crosses her face. "I'm the reason behind Judah… and I’ve not told anyone… I'm the one who messed up and got involved with someone like him. I'm the reason Shane and Jackie are gone… I'm the reason, and I want to make sure everyone knows that." Her voice is soft, vulnerable even. I shake my head.
"That ain’t fucking necessary. I’ve got it covered, and I told you, it’s not your fucking fault."
"No, you’re here owning up to your stuff, and when Mama and Dad come… I'm telling them… everything." I am about to speak as she places her hand on my arm.
"You don’t need to -" She shakes her head.
"I know because I have you, who is always keeping an eye out for me… but I need to come clean," she says firmly, leaning over and kissing my jaw. "I'm a big girl, baby. I can handle a lot more than you think." She winks at me, a small smirk on her face as her hand slides up my thigh, massaging my dick, sending pleasure through me. Fuck… oh, we both fucking know she can handle a lot.
I throb, hardening beneath her touch — fuck, I hate how quickly I get turned on. After a moment, she slowly moves back, and I turn my attention back to Dad who is watching us with an amused smirk on his face. Now to tell Dad about my health…
"There’s one more thing." He raises his eyebrow, nodding.
"Since it’s a morning of confessions, go for it."
"Yeah? So do you have something to say?" I smirk, only for him to tense slightly, and I frown. So, he is hiding something…
"Nothing at all. Now, tell me what you need to say, and right after that, we’ll go get the answers from Emmet," he says, smoothly changing the fucking subject. Well, here goes nothing…
Ten minutes later, I have finally finished telling him everything, from when I first started coughing up blood to trying to heal myself, how Jackie had tried to help… and how nothing worked, and I was ready to die. I didn’t delay in telling him what Dante had said since the man looked completely devastated.
"And not once did you think to tell me?" He asks quietly, walking around the counter. I frown slightly.
"I didn’t want anyone’s sympathy…" He places his hands on my shoulder.
"I'm your father, Leo. My son is dying, and I didn’t even know... and it’s obvious that I'm the last one to know." The hurt in his voice is evident, and I feel guilty.
"I'm sorry… I didn’t want you to worry," I say quietly.
"Worry? And if you died? Then what? What would have happened then? Damn, you’re such a fucking stubborn idiot! You are all I have, and if something happened, then there was nothing I could have done." He grips my shoulders tightly, frustration, sadness, and worry clear in his eyes. "Damn Rossi."
"I get it, I know… now… look, I won’t die. There's a solution, Dad, and it’ll work. So, chill the fuck out…"
"It will. I’m going to make sure of it," Azura adds firmly as Dad hugs me tightly. Damn, he is treating me like a fucking kid.
"I'm not fucking dying," I growl.
"Technically you still are…." Azura smiles, clearly enjoying this.
Dad doesn’t reply, simply holding me tight, and for a second, it reminds me of all those years ago when he’d been there for me… the fleeting moments when he wasn’t under Endora’s control… or after her death when he’d comfort me after yet another nightmare… I guess we will always be our parent’s children.
I’m sorry, I say through the link. Forgive me.
You don’t need to ask for forgiveness… you’re going to be alright; I have just gotten my son back, and I'm not losing you again, he says quietly. The determination in his eyes is clear. No matter what.
I move back and reach for Azura, pulling her up and into my arms. I did it… one by one, I faced the hurdles that were in my path and overcame them… with her by my fucking side.
We head out together, and Azura is grinning away as she shoulders her bag. Something tells me she found a staple gun… what exactly a little staple would do to a werewolf is beyond me, but this has got to be interesting.
"So, you can heal when the moon is at its fullest?" Dad asks her. She nods.
"Yeah. Whilst I assumed it could be the moon at its fullest, which gives us three days, Dante said under the full moon, so it has to be at night when the moon is at its peak, the one night that the moon's aura is most prominent. Leo’s theory then gives us just a few hours on the second day, so that moment when it's at its peak," she explains, a pout on her gorgeous lips.
"So that will be the night we set for the Alpha and Luna ceremony," Dad muses.
"Yup," she replies, brushing her silky locks back. My gaze dips to her stomach. I can hear the heartbeat of our pup often when it is silent. Her bump is getting more prominent, too… I still can’t fucking believe I'm going to be a dad all over again. This time it’ll be different because I won't be alone… I’ll have my beautiful queen by my side.
For a moment, I simply appreciate her breasts then smoothly look away before I end up pinning her against the nearest wall and kissing her senseless. I pull her close, making her gasp, one that I cut off with a sizzling kiss. I run my tongue along her lips and slip it into her mouth, slowly playing with hers. The moment I feel myself throb against her thigh, I move back.
Can’t wait to take that cock in my mouth tonight… I think you deserve a reward for everything you have done today, she murmurs through the bond, sucking hard on my neck, and I know she has left a mark when she moves back with a satisfied smirk.
Can’t fucking wait, I respond, shamelessly staring at her breasts before I give her an arrogant smirk.
"Young love," Dad smirks as we enter headquarters and make our way down to the cells. Our men lower their heads as we pass, and I unlock the door. Dad is frowning now, and when we enter the cell, we see Emmet sitting on the bed, his eyes closed, but he is awake. He looks paler. Clearly, the lack of food and the silver in the cell makes it worse. I glance over at Azura. I don’t want her in here for long, not wanting the silver to affect her or the baby.
"Hello, Emmet," Dad says quietly, disappointment clear in his voice. Emmet opens his eyes and gives him a small smile.
"Hello, Alpha… I had a feeling it was going to come to this sooner or later." Dad nods.
"You had your entire life before you, Emmet; it's disappointing to see you choose a path of darkness."
"As did your son."
"There’s a difference," Dad says quietly. Emmet nods.
"Ah, shit… yeah, he’s an Elite. Sorry, I'm not bowing down and kissing the floor beneath your feet, but I'm really not feeling great." I frown. Yeah, I can see that… guess the side effects of losing Jackie is hitting him, too.
"No need to bow down. We are equal, Emmet, only defined by our actions." Dad looks at me, and I know this is hard for him. After all, he has always treated Emmet like a son. My eyes are cold when I look at the man before me. I no longer consider him a friend or brother.
"Command him to answer everything I ask," I say coldly, stepping forward. "Starting with, where did you create those bullets? I want the location of your base." Dad’s aura spreads, seeping into every corner of the room. His eyes blaze as he looks Emmet directly in the eyes.
"Answer him!" He thunders, making even Azura flinch at the menacing power in his voice. I often forget how powerful he is. That is a voice he doesn’t use much anymore. Emmet’s eyes fill with panic before his gaze darts to the door.
"The…" He is trying to resist. His heart is thundering violently. He leaps off the bed, his eyes on the open cell door, but I catch him, slamming him up against the wall.
"Answer!" I growl.
"Th-the -" His desperation and irritation are clear on his face as he stares at the open door, his heart pounding. "Th- the caverns!"
His words ring in the cell, and I drop him to the floor, my own heart thundering. He doesn't need to tell me what caverns. How the hell did he even stomach going back to where it all started? This means I will have to go, too… to the place I was not only born but the place that fucking birthed all my nightmares. Back to the hell where Endora reigned over us all...