20

I watched as Milo stalked back and forth across the living room. His brown eyes darted around in search of any potential danger.

"Milo," I called out once again, trying to calm him down, but it's as if my words don't register. They go in one ear and right out the other. If anything, his pacing sped up.

He'd been like this since he saw his parents. In an attempt to play damage control, I took him home, but it seemed to have little effect. He refused to shift back, he growled whenever any of the other pack members got too close to him, and his guard was on high alert. Watching him reminded me of when I first found him and it hurt. It hurt to think that all the progress we'd made could be erased in the blink of an eye.

I lowered myself to the ground, sat in front of the grey-furred wolf and I carefully reached out toward him. I kept my movements slow in case he wanted to pull back, but he didn't. He allowed me to place my hand on his head and I carefully moved forward and wrapped my arms around him.

"It's okay," I quietly assured him. "You're okay."

The two of us stayed like that for a long time. I ran my hands through his fur soothingly and could feel the tension leave his body. I knew that I still had to deal with the rest of the pack, but right now Milo needed me. I trusted Stellan and Indiana to calm the members down until I could go speak with them.

"Can you shift back for me, sweetheart?" I asked softly.

There was a brief pause and for a minute, I didn't think he would, but then I felt his bones begin to reshape and fur disappear. Arms tightly wrapped around my neck and his head was buried in the crook of my neck. I kept my arms secured around him while he trembled. At first, neither of us said anything, but then I heard Milo murmur something barely above a whisper.

"What was that, sweetheart?"

"...go back," he repeated and he pulled his head out of my beck. When he saw my confused expression he repeated, "I won't go back."

He repeated the four words multiple times and I stared at him with wide eyes. That was the first full sentence I'd heard him say.

"I won't go back, I won't go back, I won't go back!" Milo stated with a scowl on his face.

"Milo, calm down," I said. "You don't have to go anywhere you don't want to."

His brown eyes met mine. "Promise?"

"I promise," I said with a nod.

He seemed relieved by that. Taking note of his now naked form, I stood up and helped him toward the room so that he could get dressed. He didn't fight me this time, but it was likely because his mind was elsewhere.

"Milo?" I called out once he had clothes on and he glanced at me. "Can you tell me why you ran away?"

I was honestly a little nervous about asking that question. I didn't want to cause a reaction similar to the one from earlier. Milo frowned and fidgeted with his hands. His eyes darted around. His mouth opened and shut, only low, incomprehensible murmurs escaping. I tried to make out what he was saying, but most of it I couldn't. However, there was one word that was clear to my ears: hurt.

"Hurt?" I repeated. "Milo, did they hurt you?"

His brown eyes stopped moving and I saw the smallest nod, confirming my fears. I inhaled deeply, that familiar pit in my stomach forming once again. I thought back to my conversation with his parents before he showed up with Stellan and I could feel my blood begin to run cold.

"Milo...are they the reason you were taken?" I asked carefully. "Are they how you ended up with Alfie?"

I wanted him to shake his head. I wanted him to tell me that I was wrong and that they weren't the cause of all his suffering. I wanted him to say that his own parents weren't the reason he had to go through five years of pain.

However, the expression on his face told me everything I needed to know. Milo nodded and my jaw clenched. A growl threatened to break free but I held it back so I wouldn't scare him.

These people had hurt him and now they were in my pack.

"Slater, I can feel your anger. Are you okay?" Stellan linked me worriedly.

"No, I'm not okay," I linked back, not bothering to hide my feelings. "Where are Milo's parents?"

"They were taken to the hospital, why?"

I didn't respond. Instead, I linked Indiana and asked her to get Simon to come sit with Milo. I'd prefer to stay with him, but I needed to handle this. I couldn't sit around after what he'd just told me. If I did so then I was afraid my wolf would go blind from the fury bubbling inside. I was hoping that having another omega around would keep him calm.

Simon showed up relatively fast. Thankfully, Milo took to him easily. Simon assured me that Milo would be safe with him. I told Milo that I'd be right back and left the house. I closed the door and let out the low growl I'd been holding back and stalked down toward the hospital.

I had enough. I was tired of the attempted sabotages, and the insults, and the attack on my mate was the nail in the coffin. I was the alpha of this pack and it was time that both the elders and Solomon knew it. I wasn't willing to tolerate the disrespect and I'd first prove it by starting with the uninvited abusers in my pack. It was time to get his poor excuse for parents far, far away from my pack and more importantly, away from Milo so they couldn't hurt him and he'd never have to see them again.

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