Chapter 10: Chapter 10

“What the hell, Amir?”

“That was really harsh, brother.”

“I know, I know. I’ll apologize to him, but I had to test him.”

With his older brothers full on frowning and glaring at him, Amir feels a pang of guilt in his guts.

“I had to! He looked off when he entered the kitchen at first. I thought he might have been dishonest and I had to test his sincerity.”

“What do you mean ‘he looked off’?”

Now both alpha and beta looked puzzled and worried.

“I mean like, he knows Jace is following him but he acts like he doesn’t know.”

“What? No way. He doesn’t know, I’ve been so careful. I even use scent neutralizers. There’s just no way.”

Amir looks at him regrettably.

“Well, Jace, I know you’re really good at your job, the best even. But I guess Millan's pretty good too. He wasn’t unfazed at all when you entered the kitchen. He even looked like he expected it. Then, when you introduced yourself to him, it’s like he already knew your name. And when we told him what you do for a living, he tried to act surprised which is an odd reaction to that simple information. It looked forced. Besides, he only looked interested, not surprised, when Andy and I shared our line of work.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah. So I thought Millan is putting effort into deceiving us and he has to have a reason for it. But he answered my questions honestly even if he was clearly hurt by them. He seemed genuine and like he’s been through a lot. So now, I’m not so sure what to think. I felt for him and now I feel bad. I can’t imagine going through that many territories, for that long, being rejected like that.” Amir shivers at the thought.

His brothers sense his growing distress. Andy ruffled his hair while Jace squeezed his shoulder.

“I honestly think he’s a good person.”

Amir and Jace stared at Andy with a glint in their eyes. Andy raised an eyebrow.

“What?” he asked suspiciously.

Amir and Jace looked at each other before looking back at their oldest brother.

“What do you think of Millan?” Amir scrutinized.

The oldest of the three blushed to their delight.

“Nothing!” Andy pitched, his voice unexpectedly high which made the beta and the omega grin.

“You like him, don’t you?” Jace teased.

Andy cleared his throat, opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again, cheeks still tinted red. Amir and Jace laughed at this.

Andy groaned. “It’s not like that,” he tried to be on the defensive, but failed to actually look like he meant what he said.

“You’ve never been good at lying, brother.” Amir stated, then he looked at him seriously. “I’ve never seen you so attentive to someone before. You can’t keep your eyes off of him.”

Jace interjected, “You have this glint in your eyes when looking at him.”

With his two brothers staring at him expectantly, Andy had no choice but to cave in. He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“I admit, I find Millan interesting.”

Amir raised an eyebrow and Jace snorted. Andy shook his head and took a deep breath.

“Only interesting?” Jace inquired.

Andy stared at them both before sighing.

“He’s really beautiful. That’s the first thing you will notice upon laying eyes on him. But then, as you get to know him, you will also see that he is very kind, and very strong, despite being alone. I think, what pulled me in more was the defiance in his violet eyes when we first met.”

Amir and Jace glanced towards each other before looking back to their eldest brother. They had never seen Andy this smitten and interested with someone before. They’re very happy for him. But something is bothering Amir, especially after that talk with their pack alpha last night.

But Andy has this daydreaming look in his eyes and a fond expression on his face that they don’t want to disappear just yet.

Andy widen his eyes and looked at his two siblings. “ I haven’t told you guys how I met Millan, right?” His voice has a tint of excitement in them and his eyes was sparkling.

“Nope.” Amir replied.

“How’d you two met by the way?” Jace asked, curious.

Andy smiled as he narrated where he saw Millan. “Then he stepped out of that dilapidated cabin, defiant and looked ready to fight. He had this glint in his eyes which looked like he is ready to fight me and take me down at all cost, no matter how impossible it may seem. And when he raised this sorry excuse of a weapon, he looked so cute.”

Amir and Jace smiled at that, then Jace cleared his throat as he remembered something.

“Andy, I’m happy for you, but… Millan is… not pack.” He went for subtle but with the way Andy glared at him, it was obviously unsuccessful.

No matter how much Andy likes Millan, it doesn’t change the fact that he is a rogue and is only allowed to stay in the pack for two weeks to heal his wounded leg.

Amir knocked lightly on the counter top to gain their attention. “ You know, even if he Millan gets to stay here longer, I think, Weston is…”

“I know.” Andy said looking down and dejected before showing them a small smile.”I know where my place is. I realized that he was the reason why he looked for you last night. I actually thought that Weston will like Millan once he met him, you know?” Andy looked at them with a sad smile, resigned.

Amir and Jace stepped towards Andy and hugged him. He hugged them back.

“Well, you’re too nice to everybody, Andy.” Jace said empathically.

“And that’s why you’re the best brother ever.” Amir stated proudly.

*****

Millan hides in his room, sitting on the windowsill, unable to do much else, absently observing pups playing in the woods behind the main house.

This strong desire to finally stay in one place, to be accepted, to be part of something is new and extremely frightening.

The realization that if he doesn’t fit in the kindest pack he’s ever come across, then he’ll never fit in anywhere, crushes his soul into tiny pieces.

It’s as if, this is it. This is possibly the last rejection his wolf will be able to take and Millan knows it and he has no control over it.

He closes his eyes and lays his head on the cold glass, remembering his last moments with his pack.

(Flashback)

“Millan Caelan! Come here right this second!”

The Alpha command makes Millan sigh in annoyance. His dad is being absolutely unreasonable, as usual.

“What?” he knows his defiance annoys the shit out of him, but he doesn’t care, never has.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Well, if you must know, Alpha Caelan, sir , I’m preparing to go hunt with my friends right this moment, if that’s alright with you.” Millan is being cheeky and he knows it.

He sees his dad’s blood boiling but couldn’t care less. It actually adds to the thrill in his spine.

“It is certainly not. Omegas don’t hunt and you, even if you are a constant disappointment, are no exception to the rule.”

Millan glares. He will go hunting. No question about that. But now he will have to do it sneakily, again.

“But I- ”

“No! It is not open for debate. You will not go hunting. I forbid you.”

Millan rolls his eyes. It’s as if his father still thinks Alpha commands have any impact on his behavior.

If anything, it’s an incentive to do the exact opposite just to prove a point.

(End of Flashback)

That night wasn’t his first hunting trip with his closest friends, Caleb and Aaron, but it was his last.

It wasn’t the first time he’d disobeyed a direct order either.

When he came back, his father, to his astonishment and everybody else’s, announced his banishment to the entire pack, effective immediately, never getting to say goodbye to his mother properly or to his friends.

When he remembers this moment, he tries to focus on the hunting trip which was an absolute bliss.

He felt free in his wolf form beside friends that totally accepted him, his faults included.

It was definitely worth it and he wouldn’t have done anything differently.

Learning about Amir’s role in the Council despite being an omega, he knows that if he had grown up in the Blayne Pack instead of the Caelan’s, he probably wouldn’t feel this hole in his chest constantly.

He probably would still bear the mark of a pack in his heart.

Sitting there, eyes closed, stomach full for the first time in who knows how long, the distant sound of pups playing in the background, he suddenly feels exhausted.

He hadn’t realized he’d started silently shedding tears.

He hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in a very long time and that’s how he falls asleep, leaning on a cold window, face tear-stained.

And that is how Amir finds him when he goes up to his room intent on apologizing.