The Abandoned Alpha

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Leo

Elise sits down beside me at takes my hand. She doesn't say anything, she just looks at me and smiles. Her touch is sending sparks through me and I admit that I want to be around this girl all the time, but I'm just so confused. When her parents come back from the bathroom they sit at a large table in the corner of the room that is right in front of the giant arched window and they tell us to join them.

"Time for some answers, Leo," Roman says calmly and Elise and I join them and sit.

"I have so many questions," I admit, my mind reeling.

"I imagine you do. Let me first start by saying that you are about eighty miles from the city in a town called Northern Crest." Roman begins and I try and remember if I have ever heard of it, but nothing comes to mind.

"Leo, the human world is all that you have ever known, it's all that most humans ever know." he gets up and unrolls a huge map onto the table. It looks like a regular map of the world, but all the countries and markings are off.

Roman looks at Anna perplexed. "How do I even explain this?" He shakes his head and paces for a minute, scratching his head.

"Leo, you've heard of vampires, witches, werewolves, fairies, and such?" he asks me seriously.

"Yeah sure, Halloween, Salem witch trials, Frankenstein. What does this have to do with anything?" I ask, and I'm starting to get nervous again.

"They're real, Leo, well...except for Frankenstein. That's just a story. But the others exist. Each species lives and governs its own kind, including humans. The biggest difference is that most humans live their lives never knowing about the rest. It's been proven over and over throughout the centuries that they are not capable of co-existing with the other kind, they can barely co-exist amongst themselves. So, hundreds of years ago a deal was made, and a spell was cast that keeps them unaware of us, our kind, and the others. Of course, folklore, and stories passed down from the generations create things like Dracula and The Wolfman, but the truth is much simpler. We exist, and we try to exist in harmony."

"Wait, just hold a second." I can't believe what they are trying to pull. This is some kind of real bullshit. "You're telling me that vampires exist? Werewolves? Do you think I'm stupid?"

Without any warning Roman stands tall and then his entire body begins to contort and shift, and within seconds there is a seven-foot wolf standing before me on its hind legs and I nearly s**t myself. I jump back and trip over the chair and fall against the window.

"Geesh dad, a little warning might have been nice." I look at Elise and I scoot on my but into the corner of the room as far away from them as I can.

"What? What the hell is that?" The beast comes closer to me, and then stops and just stares at me. I scramble to my feet and just press myself into the corner.

"Leo, it's okay," Elise says calmly and I look at her and then back to this thing in front of me.

"Okay? This is NOT okay!!!" I yell and then the voice is back.

He is big. We are bigger. I want to meet him, Leo let me out.

"This is it. I've lost my mind." I mutter to myself, and then the thing starts to talk to me, its voice booming around the room.

"My name is Jax. It is nice to meet you, Alpha Leo." The wolf bends on one knee and I just stare at him in awe. It's massive with fur as black as the night sky and eyes to match, with the exception of amethyst swirls around its pupils.

"Please, do not fear me." The wolf stands up and then looks me up and down and c***s his head to the side looking at Elise and Anna.

"His aura is very strong and his wolf is powerful." He looks at me and comes closer and closer and I am backed up as far as I can get into the corner. "We have waited a long time for you Alpha Leo, I will see you again soon."

And just like that, he shifts back and a man is once again standing before me, completely naked. I look at him and he looks like he was cut from stone. Jesus, this guy is ripped.

"Oh, apologies," Roman says and then dashes to the bathroom and comes back out with a towel around him. "Time for proper introductions, Leo. I am Alpha King Roman and this is my wife, Luna Queen Anna. You have met Princess Elise. We are the royal family of the Northern Territories." He walks back to the table and I follow him, still unsure of what I just witnessed.

"From here north, my family rules over the different territories. The red indicates vampire territory, the blue is the covens, the green is where the fae live, and the purple indicates the different wolf packs. Of course, the grey represents human territory. We live in harmony, for the most part, there are always issues that arise, but with exception of the humans, we have accepted one another and roam freely from sect to sect."

"You, y-you just turned into a wolf." I manage to stammer out. "This can't be real."

"Oh, Jax is very real, he is my other half and can be a pain in the ass, but he helps guide me through this life. We are one."

"Are you...do you..." I try and get my question out but Elise answers before I can put anything that makes sense together.

"I am, Leo, my wolf is named Lily." She says shyly. "My mother is too, her wolf is named Rae."

She comes over to me and grabs my hand and gently guides me to the couch.

"Sit down, Leo," She says and she reaches up and runs her fingers through my messy hair and then just smiles at me.

"You are one of us, that voice in your head, it's your wolf." My eyes go wide and I feel like every ounce of moisture in my mouth has disappeared. Elise's mother sits down in front of me and her dad sits on the other side of me.

"It's true, Leo. Your eyes are just like your father's. They are remarkable." Roman says and I can't comprehend his words.

"My father? You know him?"

"I knew him. I'm sorry to say he isn't with us anymore." Roman says as Anna gets up and takes a book off of the counter. She flips it to face me and turns several pages of photos. Then she stops at a photo of four people, all dressed like they are at an extravagant party, the men in tuxedos and the women in ball gowns. "This is Roman and I with Aria and Augusta, they are your parents, Leo."

I take the photo and just stare at it. I can feel the heat swell behind my eyes. He looks just like me, but bigger. His eyes are exactly like mine, hair too. Even our dimples are the same. I brush away tears and look at Elise and her parents.

"And my mother?" I ask afraid to know the answer.

"Yes, we know your mother too, she is still alive," Roman says.

I stand up and walk around the room trying to process this.

"Why? Why didn't they want me?" I feel my heart break. "I've been alone for so long and they existed the entire time? Why did they just toss me away? My life has been hell and they didn't give two shits."

"Oh Leo, your parents loved you very much. They ruled the southern territories. Alpha King Augusta and Luna Queen Aria Heroux. But Augusta has a brother, Eric, an evil spiteful man whose jealousy of his brother knew no boundaries. He murdered your father before you were even born. Your mother was so terrified of Eric that she never told anyone about you. She had you in secret and asked one of the covens to hide you somewhere safe. Somewhere you could be free. Eric would surely have killed you because you are the rightful king and alpha of the South." Anna says in a desperate voice, eager for me to understand that I wasn't tossed away.

"Leo, I think Eric has found out about you. Until a few days ago, none of us were aware of your existence, but I'm sure it was Eric at the shop today to question Frank, but he wouldn't give you up. You need to know that Frank was sent by the coven that hid you to watch over you. He cared deeply for you."

"He died because of me." The realization hits hard.

I sit back down on the couch unable to take my eyes off the photograph. "None of this makes sense."

Roman pulls a chair over and sits down across from me. "Look at me Leo," he says, almost like a command that I can't disobey.

"Your real name is Alpha Leo Heroux. You are the rightful Alpha of the Southern Raven pack and the rightful King of the southern territories. I'm going to be direct with you. You are part human and part wolf, when you turn eighteen your wolf will emerge and force you to shift whether you accept him or not. He is powerful, I can sense him. You must accept him before you shift."

Elise comes next to me and sits beside me. "And I am your mate, Leo. The Goddess selects our true destined partner. The one who is our perfect match in mind, body, and soul. I know it sounds silly to you, but the minute I saw you I knew you were destined for me. I know you feel drawn to me too, you just didn't know what it was."

I can't get my mind to fully understand everything, all I want now is to be alone, which is ironic. I need a minute to process all of this. I want to leave.

"Unfortunately Leo, we have to leave. There is a council meeting that we all must attend regarding your uncle and what he is doing to his people. The council knows now that you exist, but what they don't know is that we have found you. We need to keep it that way. I don't want to do this, but I need to keep you safe and out of site."

I tilt my head and wonder what on earth that means. Roman presses something and a panel on the wall shifts open.

"Anna, Elise we have to go." he gestures for them to leave and Elise is hesitant.

"Dad, I can't leave him." she tries to argue with him but he is stern and in the end, she kisses me on the cheek and then rushes out.

"I'm sorry Leo, we'll be back as soon as we can." Roman lets the door close almost all the way before he to slips out, and before I can get to it the wall is sealed up.

I start to panic as I realize I have been locked in.

"Hey! Let me out!!" I search the wall and find nothing that will trigger it to open. "LET ME OUT!" I bang on the door but there is no response and I'm left standing in the middle of the room alone and locked up like a prisoner.