Chapter 19

Cyrus's POV

The empty basement seemed to laugh at me, the darkness infuriating. Where is he? What did she do with him? Adalynn and my father ran out to join me, seeming just as surprised to see the basement empty. "... Where. Is. He." I glared at Adalynn, my voice as calm as I could keep it.

She looked confused, glancing at the basement nervously. "I... I don't know. My mother went out earlier, she might have taken him. But, I don't know where they would go."

My father was silent for a moment. "The forest." Adalynn gasped, and I felt my breath hitch.

"She... Wouldn't banish him, would she?" Adalynn voiced the question that hung between us.

My father shrugged. "It's anyone's guess, but if she comes back without him... The forest is the closest to this house, it would be easier to remove him from the equation by banishing him, rather than taking him to another pack house." Anger flooded my mind. Why would she banish my mate. The punishment for doing something like this won't just end in a warning. I'll make sure of that.

"I have to go get him." I looked at my father and Adalynn, waiting for their support.

"But, you don't even know if she took him into the forest. And besides, he-"

"Where else would he be?! If I understand it, he's not even allowed to leave the house without permission. Where would he go?!" My father fell silent and I turned away, worry flooding my mind. As I began to make my way towards the forest, I stopped. A sharp pain stabbed through my chest, causing me to stumble and fall to the ground.

"Cyrus!" My father ran towards me, kneeling down to face me.

"... No... He's..." I sat paralyzed as realization and panic spread through me.

"He?" My father seemed confused, worry evident on his face.

I looked up, my body trembling. "Elijah... Left the pack." A dark, sad look spread across the faces of my father and Adalynn.

"Then, she really did take him to the forest." I nodded, too afraid to say anything.

My father helped me stand after the pain had gone down, becoming a hollow ache in my chest. I looked back at the forest, and began to.make my way over there when my father stopped me.

"Cyrus... Why? Why are you risking so much for Eli? He's the Omega of the pack, he's a male, and he left the pack entirely. So, why?" I stood for a moment, thinking of an answer.

"Because... I love him." I thought of the small boy I had met the night of the ball. His bright smile as he laughed, his deep blue eyes, the way he leaned against me when he was nervous, the warmth I felt with him, all of it. "I love Elijah."

My father seemed surprised for a moment, then he smiled, a wide laughing smile. "I'm glad, that you are prepared to be with him. You are a true alpha." With that, he let me go, stepping back towards the house. "Go. I'll deal with his step-mother." I nodded, and headed into the forest.

The darkness of the forest engulfed me as I entered, but I surged forward.  The only thing on my mind was saving Elijah. The forest and woods that separated the packs weren't used often, and lacked the sounds of wildlife, giving off an eerie feel. A feeling of dread washed over me as I continued through the forest. What if he doesn't want me? Maybe that's why he left. What if he found someone else? I growled at the thought, hating the idea of Elijah with anyone else but me.

Soon enough, I had broken through the forest into the small area between the two packs. I could smell a faint trace of Elijah's sweet scent, and I felt my hopes rise. Taking a breath, I forged ahead into the woods. Like the forest, the woods were silent. Only this time, I kept my guard up, not wanting to be ambushed by watchmen from the other pack.

I kept to the trail that moved through the woods, in order to pay more attention to the surrounding area. As I continued, I could sense the movement of something behind me. I turned around, coming face to face with a man. He didn't move as he watched me, his expression passive. "Who are you? Why are you here?" He said it simply, not questioningly, and not angrily either.

"I... I have come for my mate."

He nodded, as if understanding everything with only a simple sentence. "Follow me."

The boy led me through the woods until a village came into view. "The guards take trespassers to the alpha for judgement." He gestured towards a building nearby.

"Thank you, er..."

"Owen. My name is Owen. I'll do what I can to lead your mate away from the alpha." With that, Owen disappeared. I waited a moment, watching him enter the building, then made my way inside as well.

Getting inside was easy, the hard part was waiting for Owen to bring Elijah back. He entered through the back entrance of the building, and went down the hall to the Alpha's meeting room. I began to wander through the hall, when I heard the sound of footsteps. Luckily, I had made it to the corner of the hall and became hidden to the newcomers.

A conversation began, the soft chatters of the people too low to be heard. Then the receding of footsteps, followed by a moment of silence. Another set of footsteps followed as I waited. Frustration ran through my mind. Who's there? What's going on? I leaned over the corner to peek down the hall when I heard a small thud. I looked down the hall, and froze. Pinned against the wall, was Elijah. My mate.

He looked absolutely terrified, and I immediately became angry. The man holding him to the wall leaned closer as I stepped out. "DON'T TOUCH HIM!!" I roared at the man, causing everyone to turn towards me. Elijah seemed more surprised than anything else.

"C-Cyrus?!" Though I continued to glare, I felt happy that he remembered my name.

Marching to the man, I ripped Elijah out of his grip. "Mine!"

The man grinned. "Oh? And how is he yours? If I recall, he left his old pack. Doesn't that mean he's no longer yours?" I pulled Elijah close to my chest, refusing to let go. He made no move to get away, however, and instead moved closer, burying himself in my shirt. The man did not seem too pleased with this. "He may be your mate, but this is our territory, and the alpha's word is law. The boy is mine."

Annoyed, I decided to end the argument once and for all. So, I punched the man, grabbed Elijah, and ran.

Eli's POV

I watched nervously as the two continued their debate. The argument seemed to be going nowhere; neither side wanted to give up. I pulled Cyrus closer, gripping his shirt tightly. Despite the whole situation, I wanted nothing more than to bury myself in his scent, and disappear.

Finally, I gasped in alarm as Cyrus swung his arm at the man, hitting him square in the face before pulling me up, and taking off. Surprised, I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, closing my eyes. I could hear the shouts of the man, as well as other pack guards. Cyrus kept running, and I could tell that we had made it out of the building, and into the woods.

The run seemed to be short and long at the same time as we finally stopped at the separation point, in the middle of the forest and the woods. Cyrus set me down, helping me stay steady. "Are you okay?" His voice was filled with joy, and he smiled happily.

"Y- yes..."

He pulled me close, leaning down to whisper, "I'm glad." I felt my face heat up as he stood up, gauging my reaction. "What's wrong?"

I looked up at Cyrus, my expression grim. "... Why did you do that? Why'd you come back to get me?"

He looked confused. "Because you're my mate."

"But I'm a male! And the Omega, and I'm bad at everything and-"

"Yes," Said Cyrus, stepping towards me. "But you're also mine." With that, he kissed me, placing his lips against mine in a heated embrace. For a moment, everything seemed to stop. My eyes drooped closed as he pulled me closer, the heat burning my body. I could tell I had turned a million shades of red, but at that moment, I didn't care. Cyrus's arms snaked around my waist, pulling me closer. I wrapped my arms around him, tightly grasping his shoulders.

When he pulled away, Cyrus continued to hold me in his arms, calling my name in between panting breaths. "Elijah... Elijah... Eli."

Not wanting to move away, I closed my eyes, a sweet, intoxicating scent invading my nose. "I love you."

Cyrus looked down, startled by the words. Then, he smiled. Placing a small kiss on my lips, he picked me up and began to walk towards the forest. "I love you too, Elijah."