Chapter 97: 97. Cold, hungry and alone
"Calm down, Alpha," Matwo said to Darren, placing a hand on Darren’s shoulder. He looked at Lazarus whose face was calm but he could the storm in his eyes, the look was similar to Darrrn’s and he could not understand what had happened between the two of them to have made this angry at each other, when it was just moments ago that they were having each other’s backs in a battlefield.
Across the table that separated them, Ezra placed his hand on his alpha and best friend’s shoulder. He didn’t need to speak to be understood and Ezra could guess that whatever could rile up Lazarus right now would be connected to Dana or Kora who were both unconscious at the moment. He doubted the second as Darrrn would use his make to rile up Lazarus, the before sounded much more like it.
Lazarus glanced at Ezra and took a deep breath. Ezra’a wordless words that passed through the hand on his shoulder were enough to calm him. Ezra and Raven knew him better than anyone else before he even knew himself as much as they understood him. He knew them and trusted them to have his back and they have never failed him and he had never failed them.
Sometimes they did not even need to talk to know what the other wants to say. As much as they were of different characters whew one is cold, detached and has sharp tongues but rarely speaks and hates people’s company and the is domineering, commanding, bad-tempered and also always keeps a stoic face with no emotions, and the other is cheerful, playful, talkative and very enthusiastic and full of energy and spirit, they understood each other for who they were and accepted themselves that way.
That was why when Lazarus became the Alpha, he did not need to look around for suitable people to be his and left arms, he straight up chose his friends because they balanced him.
"Are you okay, now, Lazarus?" Ezra asked looking at his friend. Lazarus gave him and nod and spoke, "Yes, I am." It was Ezra’s turn to nod.
The other three alphas watched the exchange between Lazatrus and Ezra and did not know what to say. There were no words spoken, and not even a mind link was established between them because they would have known if they talking through a mind link but there was none yet it was so easy for Ezra to calm Lazarus down. They could only imagine how deep and close their relationship was.
Most alphas choose their friends to be their betas and gammas but there was rarely such trust and mutual understanding between them.
Even Darren who was mad at Lazarus had to give it to them too. He had great friends too, but it was different watching the exchange take place. The Bond of the Brotherhood between Darren and his beta and gamma goes back to almost two decades ago when it all started after he ran away and left the Shadowmoon pack to find his place out there. Somewhere where he belonged or to find out if he belongs nowhere at all.
He wandered around aimlessly not knowing where he was or where to go. He didn’t even have a place to stay for a night with the hope to see the next day.
He walked around a little more and he became too tired to move any further and found himself a tree to lean against. He was exhausted in every way imaginable. He was physically exhausted from all the walking and running trying to find a place to stay but most importantly do make sure that his pack does not find him or catch up to him. Emotionally and psychologically exhausted from all the torment of his father and the death of his mother at his hands.
He looked at his hands that still had blood stains on them and the image of his lifeless mother flashed across his eyes. He closed his eyes to remove that image but only ended up seeing the fear-stricken face of her brother he clawed out his heart and she dropped dead.
His eyes flew open immediately. Hesisnt know what to do, keeping his open was not helping and keeping them close was not an option either
Ten-year-old Darren screamed in pain feeling both a headache and a heart ached at an immsusrabe rate. He held his hair and pulled on it hoping that would make him go numb to all the pain but none of that happened as the pain only seem to increase.
The night was dark and the night was gloomy just like Darren’s heart at that moment. The moon had integrated behind the clouds as if it did not want to be seen by him or see him.
After some time learning against the tree, Darren got up ready to walk again, his stomach grumbled asking to be fed but Darren had nothing to offer it, he held his stomach and continued. After walking some distance, the sky began pouring down rain as if it was angry at someone and Darren thought the goddess must be mad at him to have retreated and hid behind the clouds allowing the rains to fall on him when he needed help the most.
The temperature of the forest dropped to near zero making him shiver and shape with every step that he took. Forcing himself, he pushes through and continued to take one step at a time. His stomach crumbled again and he held it tighter.
Walking a little further, he started to hear sounds and voices. Thinking they were close, he picked his pace to reach them sooner. If he was with someone I’m his company he wouldn’t feel as cold, lonely and hungry as he felt. Little Darren thought to himself and continued to move as fast as he could. After walking for five minutes and still could reach them, he realised that it was his hearingbthaynhad picked up a distant sound and it sound close.
Buy he was not dispirited as it meant that there was someone somewhere around and he was going to find him or her.
Running for another five minutes, Darren came face to face with two pups who were being tortured by rogue werewolves and vampires. They tried to rum and escape but they could not as they were just pups and lacked the strength and stamina to go against their attackers.
Darren looked closely and one of them was almost dead, he was in his last breath but still holding on. Darren snapped at the sight, he had been bullied and looked down upon for so many years that he could not stand still and watch other pups get bullied by the strong anymore.
