Chapter 49: Chapter 49

Travis Caelan marches towards his host’s office, determined to cut someone’s head off by the end of the day, preferably Axel Brook's head, but he’ll take whichever is the most accessible at the moment.

Or it might also be the annoying secretary hounding him.

“Sir, please slow down! Your request for an audience hasn’t gotten through yet.”

Travis stops and turns to face the smaller omega, meeting his big startled brown eyes with a malicious grin.

“Oh! I’m sorry, my request hasn’t gotten through yet, I didn’t know.”

There’s something deeply threatening in the uncharacteristic soft tone Travis Caelan is using, making the poor omega tremble in fear.

“Yes sir. I’m s-sorry. I really am sor-”

In a swift, leveled, effortless movement, Travis grabs the omega by the throat and pushes him against the closest wall, the impact resonating throughout the small corridor.

“What did you say your name was again?”

The omega tries to speak up, but Travis’s hold blocks the werewolf’s airways preventing him from answering.

Smiling wide, Travis loosens his grip just enough for the omega to let out a small wheeze.

“Karl? Is that what you’re so pathetically trying to say?”

The omega nods as much as Travis’s fist will allow.

“Good. Nice to meet you, Karl. Now here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to let you go in a moment and you’re going to run out of my sight as fast as you can until you can’t run anymore. And once you feel like you can’t possibly make another step, you’re going to continue running until every part of your body burns under excruciating pain and until you pass out from exhaustion. Maybe when you wake up and try to walk on your aching legs, maybe then will you realize, Karl, that an omega never interferes with Alpha business.”

The Alpha Order booming in the empty corridor is impossible to ignore.

As soon as Travis releases his grip, the omega bolts under the Alpha’s delighted gaze. He sighs and turns to his trusted bodyguards,

“I feel much more relaxed now. Shall we go?”

*****

Axel Brook frowns at the spy report laying on his desk like it offended him personally.

The annoying omega might really be a problem now.

He hadn’t thought the Blayne Pack would go as far as making him officially their own. In fact, he’d counted on the opposite.

Why would anyone want to keep such an unmanageable omega in the first place?

No matter how beautiful Millan Caelan is, the omega is still a headache.

Axel Brook grunts, thinking he has no other choice but to confront Travis Caelan with the news that not only is his son alive, but they’d had him locked down for a while.

He shudders dreadfully.

Whatever Millan might have thought, there’s no way Travis Caelan wouldn’t take offense to Axel kidnapping his son.

Axel sighs in defeat. The negotiations weren’t going exactly where he wanted them to go anyway.

In the beginning, Axel hadn’t imagined that Head Alpha Caelan would be so forceful and intimidating.

Even though Travis Caelan was only a guest, he’d acted as if he owned the place, parading around, bodyguards in tow and scaring the hell away the werewolves in his pack like he is their Head Alpha.

Needless to say, Axel didn’t appreciate such a disrespectful behaviour. He was starting to regret inviting the other Alpha in the first place.

The door to his office springs open just as he shoves the incriminating report under a pile of other reports.

As he locks eyes with a fuming Alpha, Axel shivers and tries to remind himself that he is the one in charge as long as they’re on the Brook Territory.

“Alpha Caelan, I wasn’t expecting you today.” Axel is proud of the way his voice isn’t trembling at all, not showing any of the panic that’s overtaking his racing mind.

“Yes, so I’ve heard.” Travis takes a seat in the armchair facing his desk, both guards stoically flanking him.

Trembling slightly, Axel’s hand reaches the intercom on his desk, “Karl, bring us some coffee, will you?”

Silence falls as Axel waits for an answer from his secretary which usually comes within seconds. As silence on the other end lingers, Travis smiles slightly making Axel cough uncomfortably.

“Karl?”

Silence again.

Travis’s smile widens, increasing Axel’s uneasiness.

“Karl, can you hear me?”

“I’m afraid your secretary is rather indisposed at the moment.”

Travis’s amusement sends shivers down Axel’s spine.

“Rest assured, there’s no need to fuss about coffee. I won’t be here very long. I just wanted to talk about my son, Millan. I think you’ve encountered him recently, am I wrong?”

Axel gulps as he tries to read Travis’s amused expression and figure out what the Head Alpha knows. As he opens his mouth to answer vaguely, Travis cuts him off.

“Don’t lie to me, Axel. I know you kidnapped my son and I know he escaped. There’s no point in denying it.”

Axel sits up straighter, deciding not to show any more of the fear Travis Caelan instills in him.

“I’d be careful about what you do next, Travis. I have spies on your son. One call from me and Millan is just as good as dead.” Axel hopes his bluff will at least buy him some time to figure something out.

Travis’s laugh chills Axel’s bones to the core and confuses him to no end. Unsure of what to say, he waits until Travis stops laughing maniacally and fusses with the papers on his desk.

Axel forces himself to keep his calm. After all, Travis Caelan is only a guest here.

“Axel, you are an idiot.” Travis’s lingering smile doesn’t reach his cold red gaze. “You think I’m mad because you had my son locked down?”

“Yes?” Axel’s bafflement certainly shows.

“I’m furious because you let him go!”

Axel’s confusion morphs into horror and apprehension. “What?”

“Honestly, when I banished him, I thought he wouldn’t last a week. Unfortunately, the bastard is tougher than I thought.”

Axel’s heart beats harder. Only a cold, sociopath man could treat his son’s life so frivolously.

“I’m not sure I understand. Why would you want your only son dead?”

“I have my reasons and they don’t concern you. But please, feel free to make that call you were talking about earlier. I would much appreciate it.”

Sweat drips down Axel’s back and his mouth goes dry.

“Well… you see…”

“Actually, if you manage to bring him to me alive, Axel, I might even consider signing that partnership we were discussing yesterday.”

Axel’s eyes bulge in surprise and greed, knowing he can’t possibly pass on that opportunity.

Travis signing this deal would mean a great deal of expansion for the Brook Pack’s territory along with an incredibly fruitful partnership with a very powerful pack.

He’ll be damned if he lets a bastard little omega stand between him and prosperity.

“Consider it done then.” Axel hears himself say, distracted by thoughts of the deal Travis is offering to sign.

“Good.” Travis gets up and makes to leave but stops at the door, “Oh and Axel?”

“Yes?” Axel’s head snaps back to Travis’s red eyes.

“I expect results before the end of the week. I have other business to tend to.”

Axel swallows nervously.

“Of course.”

*****

Weston had canceled his obligations of the day in order to celebrate Millan's new status in the pack.

After waking up slowly, enjoying each other lazily, they’d decided to go for a run. They’d shifted and ran for the better part of the day, sometimes side by side, sometimes chasing each other, until their wolves started to feel fatigue.

They were enjoying an impromptu assortment of wild berries that they’d found on the riverbank where they’d both taken a swim.

“Hey, Mill?”

Popping a small strawberry in his mouth, Millan's attention turns to Weston, inquisitive.

“Yesterday, Amir had said that you were with him these past mornings... was that just to protect you or...?”

Heat raises to Millan's cheeks as he prepares himself for a discussion he’d definitely hoped to avoid.

“Uhm… no. I was helping him out with something…”

Weston waits until it’s clear Millan isn’t going to provide more information.

“Okay… what were you helping him with?”

Millan takes a breath and speaks as fast as possible,

“IwasteachingAmirtodisobeyAlphaCommands.”

Weston’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

“What?”

Millan's attention is suddenly brought from Weston’s incredulous expression to a black wall of smoke in the distance behind Weston.

“Uhm… what’s that?”

Weston rolls his eyes, “Millan, seriously. We need to talk about this.”

Millan frowns, “No, seriously, Weston. Look! What the hell is that?”

Weston turns around to where Millan is pointing. Concern fills their bond.

“Looks like there’s a fire at the Northern Border. A really big one,” Weston says mostly to himself.

“We should probably check it out.”

Weston stands up, “We should. But we’ll finish this discussion as soon as we clear this up.”

Weston shifts and starts running towards the smoke.

“Sure… can’t wait.” Millan grunts as he stands up and shifts, catching up to Weston.

*****

As they run towards the ever growing wall of smoke, they notice a large brown furred werewolf running in their direction.

He stops abruptly in front of Weston and Millan, bowing his head in submission and respect, waiting for permission to speak.

“Roman, what is it?”

“Alpha Blayne! Omega Millan! Good evening, Sirs. I was just coming to request an audience with you.”

Although Weston stays calm on the surface, Millan can feel the worry growing in his soul mate as Roman’s panicked state becomes evident.

“What’s going on?”

“Sir… I’m not so sure actually. It’s Axel Brook…”

“I gathered that already. What’s with the fire?”

“I think maybe you should see this for yourself, Sir.”