Chapter 47 My Own Way
My Own Way
Marcel
Iawoke to a phone ringing and frowned. Sitting up, I picked it up. Alejandro?
“Hello?” I answered it, wondering what had happened. A thousand thoughts rushed through my mind.
“Hey, sorry to bother you at this fucking hour,” Alejandro’s quiet voice answered. Sure, it was past three in the morning, but just from his voice, I could tell he was conflicted.
“It doesn’t matter, you called for a reason. Tell me what’s wrong?” I asked, standing up and began pacing my bedroom. He sighed heavily, and I heard him take a drag on a cigarette.
“Maria talked to me today… it’s about the price of killing a djinn…” I narrowed my eyes. When I had been there earlier, when we had filled each other in on our trips, he never mentioned a price.
“What price?” I asked sharply.
“Don’t fucking growl, I need my ears,” he growled back.
“I’m just asking because you never mentioned a damn price,” I countered.
“Yeah well… there is a price…”
He filled me in pretty fast. The wielder of the dagger would die, and Maria wanted to be the one to do it. Fucking hell.
“I don’t know what the right thing to do is, Marcel. Do I let her do it, knowing she’ll die? How does that fucking make sense?” I sighed heavily, running my hand through my hair.
“Look, Al, some of us manage to cope… somehow after our mates die. In my case, Endora severed the bond between my mate and me before she was killed. It’s hard to survive without a mate.
Even now, when I remember her, that pain…
that pain fucking rips me apart inside. Maria has lived for years without Rafael.
She needs him, and there is no way for her to carry on without him…
I see her far less than you, and every time she’s lost a lot of weight and looks even more tired with each passing year.
She’s already dying, Alejandro. Let her go,” I said, sighing.
Maria was a beautiful woman, one I knew many of the alphas who had lost their mates or simply hadn’t found theirs had been interested in, but Maria belonged to Rafael, and it was obvious there was no man on earth who could take his place or ease her pain.
“So, I should allow her to do it? You know she doesn’t want me to tell Rayhan.”
“Yes, and you have promised her already. Giving her hope and then taking it away is wrong,” I said quietly.
“Yeah? You’re right… I just, I don’t think I’m ready to lose her. It’s fucking me up. How do you think her kids are going to take this? That shit is going to be rough.”
“Life is never easy, but we do what is ultimately for the better. In this case, between you and Maria, it makes sense for her to do it.”
Silence ensued, and I heard him sigh heavily. I didn’t envy him. Being King came with so many burdens.
“Yeah. I guess you’re right,” he said after a moment.
“You are doing great, Alejandro. Sometimes these things are hard. The decisions we make will impact others. If Maria wasn’t deteriorating, I would have offered to do it myself, but… Leo isn’t ready to become Alpha yet.”
I frowned, hearing a twig snap outside, walked over to the open window, and peered out. Silence. Hmm… it was late. Everyone was asleep. I was sure Leo stayed in tonight.
“Yeah, no, Leo needs you. If anyone was to do it, I would… but Maria’s as stubborn as her daughter.”
“Or her daughter is as stubborn as her,” I joked.
“Yeah, either of that shit,” Alejandro sighed. I chuckled dryly.
“Get some rest, brother, you need it. Maria knows what she’s doing, but if you want a third opinion, talk to Elijah.”
“Yeah, I might, I’ll see.”
He hung up, and I put my phone down, scanning the grounds below. Shaking my head, I closed the window and returned to bed, unable to get rid of the shock of what Alejandro had told me. The price was not small…
I sighed heavily, all traces of sleep gone. I couldn’t wait for these dark times to pass…
Leo
I stared up at the night sky. There wasn’t long before my eighteenth birthday, and I’d shift.
I couldn’t wait, wanting to come into power.
I knew I had it in me. I trained hard and fucking pushed myself every single fucking day to surpass my limits.
I could feel the power rippling through me at the brink of release. Power I needed, power I craved…
The world was fucked up, and even until this day, those with power and money got away with shit.
Yeah, Alejandro had ‘tried’ to create an ideal world where packs were allies, but that was all fucking bullshit.
He established peace on the surface; there was so much crap going on, on the low…
and, of course, the so-called elite could do whatever shit they wanted and get away with it.
Rayhan.
Like always, the mere thought of that bastard sent blistering hatred rushing through me like a fucking white-hot fire.
I clenched my fists, trying to calm myself.
I would never be able to forget that fucking night…
the night he walked into our pack and acted like he was in charge.
Without even consulting with Dad, who was the Alpha, he had come in and did whatever shit he wanted.
Dad lost face after that, but, of course, he wouldn’t let his brother or anyone know that.
The pack insulted him, and he just took it.
Yeah, he made a fucking mistake by bowing down to Rayhan. Pathetic.
We were and always will be the outcasts, but when I became Alpha, I would break away from the Council. I didn’t follow any rules, and there was no way I’d ever sit around a table of entitled bastards pretending to give a shit about the fucking country.
I pulled out a cigarette and was about to light it when I heard a phone ring and paused, thinking, who was calling Dad at this hour?
After their small exchange, I realised it was Alejandro.
I stayed silent, listening to Dad’s side of the conversation.
I got the gist of the conversation. So there was a price to pay for killing it…
and the bastard’s mother wanted to do the deed.
I felt a tad bad for her and Raihana, if anything, but the fact that Rayhan didn’t know…
I smirked. Now I hope he’d understand how it felt to have people do shit without asking you.
“… Leo isn’t ready to be Alpha.”
I froze as anger flared up inside of me.
I wasn’t ready to be Alpha? I have not lacked in any fucking way.
The urge to go up there and ask Dad right then about what the fuck he meant was on my fucking mind but, instead, I stormed off.
Lashing out would only make Dad say I was proving his fucking point. I’d talk to him tomorrow.
The following day, Dad and I were in the kitchen. Dad had thrown breakfast together, and I was sitting at the counter, digging into the pile of toast, eggs, bacon, and sausages he had fried up. I was still fucking pissed off with what he had said to Alejandro, and I planned to ask him about it.
“So, Maria’s going to sacrifice herself,” I declared emotionlessly. Dad fucking reacted, and he almost dropped the pan on his fucking feet.
“You were in the yard last night.”
“Yeah, pretty glad I was, considering I learned I’m not fit to become Alpha any fucking time soon,” I replied, unable to keep the anger out of my voice.
“Leo, don’t get me wrong, you have achieved a lot and are able to defeat all the warriors despite not having shifted, but your anger gets the better of you, and I can’t make you Alpha until you work on that.
” I bent the fork in my anger, tossing it on the counter as I looked at Dad, clenching my jaw.
“Yeah, yet you haven’t noticed my anger is only displayed when I’m around that bastard? When do I lose my shit around here?” I growled.
“How about now?” Dad glared at me, his eyes flashing and his aura swirling around him. I scoffed bitterly, sitting back on my stool.
“So, in simpler fucking terms, you’re just concerned about my retaliation towards your so-called family.” Our eyes met, and I shook my head in disgust. “Well, enjoy it. I hate the fact that I’m even tied to that name. I’m out.”
“Leo, sit down. You don’t get what this family has done for us-”
“This family hasn’t done shit! The crap they act entitled to was your fucking birthright!
You are not fucking less than them, and I am fucking done with you acting like it’s okay or we are beneath them, but that’s the fucking thing here, isn’t it?
We are treated like that!” I shouted, anger rushing through me, and all I could see was fucking red.
“Leo! That is not how we are treated! They welcomed us home! They helped us despite the things I have done in siding with Endora!” Dad snapped.
“Nah, you’re just blinded, and you know what?
I once thought you were a brave alpha, but you’re nothing more than a fucking loser, Dad.
I’m just glad Mom isn’t around to see the fucking dud her mate has become,” I said coldly.
The flash of hurt that crossed his face was satisfying.
“The moment I turn eighteen, the first thing I will do is change my name to Leo Herrmann. It’s a fucking insult to be called Rossi. ”
“Leo! Your mother would not approve of you taking her name! She would not want her son to throw aside his lineage-”
“Nah, you just can’t take it. You know what? To hell with the fucking Rossis. I’d rather only be tied to her and be known as her son alone. As for the title of Alpha, keep it for now. Sooner or later, it will be mine.” I simply smiled coldly. “But, pack or not, I will raise hell single-handed.”
With those final words, I turned, giving him the finger, and left the kitchen, slamming the door so hard I heard it splinter. Fuck ‘em all.