Mine, ch 25
A/N: Hey, peeps. Enjoy the chapter. Thanks for reading and commenting and reviewing. I love you guys for it, for really.
Evan sat in the yard, watching Dan and Josh in amusement while they ate the breakfast that Justin and Cody had brought out. There was a ton of food on both plates; and in only a matter of minutes they had polished all of it off.
“Damn, is there any food left inside?” Evan asked, laughing.
“That's nothing; you should have seen this one pigging out,” Justin informed him, elbowing Cody in the ribs.
“Fuck off,” Cody told the newborn, shoving him playfully. “This awesome physique doesn't maintain itself.”
“Of course it doesn't,” Chris said dryly from behind them, smirking when the three of them jumped. “After all, you can't live on blow jobs alone.”
Justin, Dan and Josh burst into laughter and after a couple seconds, Cody joined in. “That was a good one, Sabin,” he admitted, chuckling.
Evan just bit his lip and looked down at the ground.
“Dan, Josh, you're on guard duty,” Chris said, ignoring the newborn just as well as he was ignoring him. “Unless they're in the house, and you know for a fact that me or Alex is in there, don't let them out of your sight.
“We'll be here, but this is your chance, alright? Call if you need us or there's anything that seems off. Anything, understand?”
Dan nodded. “Should we still run a perimeter?”
“Yeah, every hour or so, switch off on it,” Chris said approvingly. “I expect nothing but the best from you two.”
He walked away from them and headed for the front porch where Alex was sitting.
“He still won't talk to you, either?” Alex asked quietly when Chris sprawled on the steps next to him.
“No, but he doesn't have to talk to me for me to do my job,” Chris answered, shrugging. He looked around the yard, his eyes lingering on the line of trees that surrounded their yard.
“Don't you think you're being a little hard on him?” Alex asked, smiling fondly at his mate. “I mean, he is really young.”
“So what? Being a newborn doesn't give him an excuse to be a jackass. If he was leery of trusting you, I would understand,” Chris said, his lip pulled back from his teeth in derision.
“But he's accusing you of something he has no concept of. More, he's judging you without knowing all the facts. He's acting like he's never done anything wrong in his entire life, which is bullshit.
“Besides all of that, which is enough to piss me off anyway, he's got you doubting yourself over shit that happened decades before he was fucken born. You're so much more then that what you used to be, 'Lex. Hell, you're more then what you think you are now. And I'll be fucked if I'll let some whiny, idiotic fucken baby treat you like you're a monster.”
It scares me, Chris, Alex told him, his voice worried. I don't want to be that person again. And, what if whatever happened to me when I met you suddenly switches off on me? I couldn't handle it if I turned into -
Don't, Chris growled, getting to his feet and standing over him before Alex could blink. You're nothing like that son of a bitch.
Even at your darkest, you were never as bad as him. Never. You never killed someone's kids because they pissed you off. You never would have done that if he asked you to. Would you?
No, Alex answered, his voice low. He had never been able to lie to Chris; from the first time he had laid eyes on him, Alex had never been able to do anything but tell him the truth. No, I've never sunk that low. But that doesn't make what I did do any less wrong.
Did I say it did? But you've spent the last fifty years making up for it, Chris told him, crouching down so he was eye level with his mate. You can't keep condemning yourself for the same things over and over again.
Alex knew Chris was right, but he still didn't find it quite that easy to forgive himself. But he did try to clear his head and cheer up a little bit.
There was enough shit going on without adding his drama to the mix. After giving Chris a quick kiss and grinning at him, he gazed over his mate's shoulder into the yard. Alex only hoped Evan felt the same.
“Can I ask you something?” Evan said hesitatingly, glancing to the porch where he could see Chris and Alex as if they were standing right in front of him.
“Sure,” Dan asked, his blue eyes scanning the trees before turning to the newborn. “You are pack now, after all; you can be as nosy as you want.”
“Well, I,” Evan hesitated again and he knew if he could still do it, his cheeks would be bright red. “I just wanted to ask you about...Alex.”
“Jesus Christus,” Justin muttered, rolling his eyes.
Cody exchanged a look with Josh, both of them exasperated.
“What about him?” Dan asked, his voice carefully bland. Josh eyed him worriedly; he knew how well Dan got along with Sabin and Shelley. More to the point, Dan was well aware of who had talked to Randy about his extra training and insulting Sabin's mate was tantamount to insulting Sabin himself, and Dan was not going to take that lightly.
And while Dan wouldn't break their laws and go after him, or even let it interfere with his job, the last thing Evan needed was someone else mad at him.
“Doesn't it bother you? I mean, he's basicly admitted to getting his rocks off by killing people.” Evan said, his voice disgusted.
“Did I know the details of what he used to be like? No, but I can't say that I'm surprised by it,” Dan answered, his voice still bland but there was a thin thread of anger that even Justin picked up on.
“Alex is a predator; just as much as I am or Josh is or, hell, even as much as Cody is, for all that he's submissive. No offense, Codes,” Dan added, smiling at the other wolf.
Cody waved it off; a lot of people assumed just because he was submissive it meant that he didn't understand the need to hunt or the thrill of it. No, he understood it just as well as any dominant; being submissive just meant he didn't get the ultra aggressive gene and he didn't like fights, power displays, etc. Hunting was something else entirely.
“Predators don't hate other predators for using their teeth and claws; the wolf in me respects that he can kill people because the wolf in me is just as capable of it as he is, more the wolf in me understands the need to completely dominate someone who is all around weaker then me physically.
“The human side of me would hate Shelley if that was truly how he got his rocks off -but he doesn't.
“Maybe you're being stubborn or maybe you just weren't paying attention, I don't know,” Dan's voice shifted and there was a note of disdain in it and Evan blanched because he knew it was for him.
“But that was what he was like when he was first Turned, he hasn't killed anyone since they became part of the pack. That I know for a fact; Cody would have had a vision about it. And, yeah, he could've went outside our territory to do it, like Griffin did, but if he was truly a sadistic killer, eventually he would have attacked someone in our territory; he wouldn't have been able to help himself.
“I can't pretend to know what it feels like to be Turned or how tightly you're bound to your Maker, but from everything I've heard, it's almost like having an Alpha. And your Alpha can make you do anything he wants you to. Not all Alpha's are good dominants; to be an Alpha you just need to be stronger then everyone else around you.
“There are monsters every where, Evan, and not all of them have fur or fangs -and not all of them need to drink blood to survive. I can't tell you who to trust or who to be friends with, but I can give you some advice: judging someone for something that happened decades before you were born is both ridiculous and unhealthy -especially when you don't have the full story.”
“Dan,” Josh said suddenly, his eyes trained on the trees. “There's someone coming and I don't recognize them.”
“Sabin, Shelley,” Dan called out, rising to his feet and immediately putting himself in front of everyone else.
Chris and Alex were there fast enough that it was almost instantaneous. They went in front of Dan, Chris motioning Dan and Josh to fan out behind them and to the sides of Cody and the newborns.
Chris waited tensely, his eyes pitch black and his fangs gleaming as he pulled his lip back in a warning snarl. Alex was poised to attack, every muscle in his body tensed to defend his pack-mates against whatever threat would present itself.
Evan was wrapped around Justin, his own body tense as he tried to keep himself from running away. Justin leaned his head on Evan's, trying to keep his own reaction under control as Cody rubbed his hand up and down Justin's back.
Dan was on Evan's side and Josh on Cody's, both of their eyes glowing and their claws out.
A wolf trotted out of the trees, his black fur streaked with white and silver. He sat down and stared at them, his head tilted to the side as he studied the group in front of him.
“Holy fuck,” Alex breathed out as he relaxed his fighting stance, slowly straightening up.
“He came,” Chris added, both of them staring at the wolf in front of them like they were seeing a ghost.
Evan, are you hurt? John demanded, his voice tense.
No, Evan answered. No, I'm fine. But I have no idea what's going on.
Cody stared at him, his mouth hanging open in disbelief while Justin and Evan looked at each other in confusion.
Cody, what's wrong? Ted said sharply, a growl in his voice.
Nothing, Teddy, Cody told him quickly, not wanting Teddy to get worked up. I'm fine. But...Punk's here.
Dan and Josh inhaled deeply, shock on their faces when they recognized the wolf's scent even if they didn't know him by sight.
Justin? Randy asked, picking up on his mate's fear through their bond. Did something happen? Are you OK?
I'm fine, Justin assured him, feeling out of the loop. There's just someone here I don't know.
There was a shimmer and then they saw a man sitting there with black hair that just brushed the top of his ears and dark green eyes. He had full sleeves done and to Justin's eyes, it looked like they needed touching up.
He stared at them for a minute before smirking suddenly. “What, you assholes just gonna stand there and stare?”
“I might, if you were worth looking at,” Chris said, recovering first and smiling at him. “Punk, that's Justin and Evan.”
Randy, Chris said, still shocked. Punk's here.
There was nothing but silence but Chris knew he had gotten the message.
Punk raised an eyebrow at Chris's tone when he said Evan's name, but otherwise ignored it. “You're the one mated to my cousin,” he said, getting to his feet and stretching before he walked closer.
The words were friendly enough, but there was a deep sadness to them that suddenly reminded Justin that Punk had lost his mate.
“Ja,” Justin answered, slightly confused for a minute. “But how did you know? I thought most weervolven can't smell us.”
“We can't, but his scent's all over you,” Punk turned to look at Evan. “And Cena, huh? You guys've been busy while I was gone.”
“Well, when you drop off the face of the fucken earth, it's hard to keep up with you,” Alex told him, chuckling. “Next time, leave a damn forwarding address or something.”
Punk eyed the other three werewolves, barely glancing at Dan and Josh before focusing on Cody.
“Cody.”
Cody licked his lips and nodded at him. “Punk.” He couldn't help the guilt that crept into his voice; if only his visions were stronger, better, then he could have saved two lives that day and Colt would still be with them.
“Don't, Codes,” Punk told him, his voice strangely gentle. He looked over his shoulder into the woods and a low whine left his throat before he turned back to the other wolf. “It wasn't your fault, it was mine.
“I should have protected him, given my life for his, not the other way around. There's no one to blame but me.”
“Punk,” Chris said, but Punk cut him off with a look.
“Don't, Chris,” Punk snarled, his voice shaking and his eyes shot with yellow. He took a deep breath and shook his head. When he spoke again, his voice was back to normal but there was still that undertone of pain and loneliness to it that made Evan feel sorry him.
“So, where is our esteemed Alpha, anyway? And where the hell is everyone else while we're at it.”
“He went to go check on Kelly's new pups,” Chris told him, sharing a smile with Punk.
“Christ, is she still at it?” Punk snickered, genuinely amused for a second. “Who's the father this time?”
“I don't know,” Cody answered, shrugging and trying to sound normal; if anyone would have heard who it was, it would be him. Cody heard almost as much gossip as a hair salon; he just had the kind of face people wanted to confide in. “Kelly's not telling, but I heard it might be Chris.”
“Irvine?” Punk asked, rolling his eyes when Cody nodded and smirked. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”
“Well, we'll find out at the next meeting,” Cody went on. “The pups'll get introduced then.”
“How will you find out?” Evan asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. He blinked when everyone focused on him, embarrassed.
“The pups'll smell like him,” Josh explained, smiling a little. “It'll be a mix of both their scents; and a wolf never forgets someone once he's caught their scent.”
“Oh, OK,” Evan said, nodding. “That makes sense.”
“It's why anyone who joins the pack gets introduced first,” Alex said, his eyes still watching the trees. He missed the look Evan gave him, but he felt Chris's temper spike and he sighed inwardly.
“Dan, I'm going over to the porch,” Chris told him. His voice was even, but the look in his eyes made it clear that he was starting to reach the end of his patience.
“Start running perimeter every half hour. And remember what I said about letting them out of your sight.”
He walked over to the porch, rolling his shoulders, his temper seething.
Punk looked after him, his eyebrow raised in disbelief; Chris never lost his temper.
Well, hardly ever, Punk corrected himself, remembering that time when Kevin had tried to pick up Alex even after he told him no. Alex was quite capable of taking care of himself, but he hadn't even gotten the chance to do anything before Chris had been there.
He thought about the tone of Chris's voice when he had said Evan's name before. Maybe things were going to get interesting.
Punk inhaled deeply, the scent of pack around him bringing a lump to his throat. If things were different, he would have been happy to stay here. But without Colt, all he wanted was to die. Maybe then he could see the other half of his soul again.