Chapter 94: Then, have you been abandoned?
"This is outrageous!" One of the elders yelled as he slammed his fist on the table. "How dare that little beat think he can control us?"
"He wants to disband the elders’ circle? A big dream for someone so young. He should learn his place and learn to respect his elders more."
They were all dissatisfied and disappointed. How did their perfect product, the Alpha they were sure was raised perfectly without any flaws or reason to rebel against them, suddenly become so audacious and was going against them?
It just didn’t make sense.
"Alexander!" One of the elders called out to Noah’s father whose face was darkened as he also couldn’t understand the current situation.
Nothing like this happened in his time, so why now?
"Rhaeger," Alexander called and Rhaeger, who was standing before them with beads of sweat rolling down from several pores in his body, stiffened up.
"Y-yes, sir?"
"Why did my son change?" He asked but Rhaeger was as confused as them.
How was he supposed to know, when he was out there looking for him as ordered?
He had no idea why Noah changed, but he suspected that Noah was on to him, that was why he refused to tell him anything about what he was doing or what he had been through.
"Forgive me, sir, but I have no idea." He said, bowing his head as his body shook in fright.
The energy the former head was giving off was too pressurizing and causing him to tremble. He hated standing before the chairman and having to answer to him because of this very reason.
He couldn’t handle it.
At least, Noah did not try to suppress him this way.
"I guess that’s understandable." Alexander said, still releasing the pressure that felt so suffocating to Rhaeger. "Then, where is my son now?"
"He should be at the office." Rhaeger answered and Alexander’s eyebrow tilted up.
"Should?"
This made Rhaeger realize that he had made a mistake. There was no reason why an Alpha would go to work and leave his Beta behind. No reason, except he was given another task. Or...
"Rhaeger, why did your Alpha leave you behind?" He asked, resting his hand on the table. "Are you here to spy on us?"
His eyes glowed golden and fearsome, causing Rhaeger to go down on his knees, panting hard as if his airflow had been blocked.
"No, no sir." He answered, his body trembling and his hands on the floor. "He gave no such orders."
His inner shirt was already soaked with his sweat.
"Then, have you been abandoned?"
"No, not at all." Rhaeger answered once more.
"If it’s neither of those, I don’t see what you’re doing here while you’re Alpha is at work." He said, dropping his index finger on his face and his thumb below his chin, as he rested on his palm.
He glared at Rhaeger.
"He simply wanted me to stay back because he knew I would be called." Rhaeger said, answering with words he came up with.
Noah did not tell him anything. He did not even explain why he didn’t want him to go with him to the office.
It was as if he had suddenly become a stranger to him.
They grew up together. Well, technically, Rhaegar grew up beside Noah, in his shadow of excellence, while always trying to meet up with his steps but always falling behind.
But even so, Noah should at least have a sense of loyalty towards him, right? He couldn’t just abandon him.
’Unless he knows what I’ve done, he has no reason to abandon me. And he’s been away for so long, I even burned down the evidence, so there’s no way he knows.’
His body trembled.
Alexander monitored him properly and then closed his eyes.
"So, he knew we’d call for you?" He asked. "Does that mean he understands the situation or he just no longer trusts you?"
The questions were so direct that Rhaeger felt like he was being judged.
How would he answer to think now?
But he didn’t even need to answer as Alexander had given up. He wouldn’t get any clues from questioning a Beta who didn’t know what their Alpha was up to.
"Alright, I’ve heard enough." He said. "Get out of here."
Rhaeger quickly picked himself up and started leaving.
He got out through the door, and as soon as he could no longer feel that fearsome gaze, he grabbed his chest, breathing hard and long.
It felt like he couldn’t breathe for so long, and his lungs had a problem. That was the kind of pressure he had been putting up with.
He took in a deep breath and then exhaled.
This pack was filled with so many troublesome figures. And it looked like a war was going to break out.
If things went well, he could lay an ambush and get rid of Noah.
But he was sure they weren’t planning to kill Noah in order to subdue him. After all, if the Alpha dies, what becomes of the pack?
They just needed to win and have him submit himself to them.
But Rhaeger planned to use this opportunity to her rid of Noah. He would not let it slip.
He failed once but he wouldn’t fail a second time.
Then, his phone rang. It was one of the guards he had positioned in the company.
"Yes?"
He heard what the guard had to say and his eyes slightly widened.
"How long has it been?" He asked. "Two hours?"
He wasn’t sure but Noah had definitely not gone home. And he was not anywhere he was aware of. So, where did he go? A secret meeting?
’I should probably tell the elders,’ he thought and turned but paused.
No. Everyone just wanted to get results. They were all doing whatever they wanted.
It wouldn’t benefit him to let the elders know.
’He probably went back to the place he had lived all this while.’ he thought. ’It’s been two hours now, so I can’t trace him, but next time, I’ll definitely follow him and find out what he’s hiding.’
Noah arrived at the foot of Michael’s apartment building. He got down and looked up at the building. It was snowing but Sebastian quickly put an umbrella above his head.
It had only been a few hours, but he was already getting nostalgic, like he could never go back to the days when he looked towards this building while walking from afar with groceries in hand and Michael beside him.
Such lovely days.
"Come up with me." Noah said to Sebastian. "I need to introduce you to Michael."
Sebastian simply nodded and went up with him.
Two men dressed so expensively and entering a third-rated apartment building, of course, people would stare and wonder why they were there.
Noah stood in front of the door. He couldn’t hear anything going on inside.
It was around noon and still, he couldn’t get a food smell from inside. Did Michael refuse to eat? He wondered, his eyebrows knitting together in discomfort.
That would be bad.
Then, he opened the door. Michael did not lock the door.
How could he be so careless? What if someone barged in to rob him? What if...?
He walked in, and what met him was a messed up living room with cans of milk littered about and a few sachets of half-eaten snacks that had a few of their contents littered as well.
And in the middle of all this was Michael curled up like a ball on the floor.
"Michael," Noah called, hurrying towards him. Was he okay? Was he in pain? Did they need to visit the doctor?
But Michael’s suddenly loud snore gave Noah cause to believe he was simply sleeping. Knowing this, he sighed in relief.
"You worry me so much, Michael." He said and carried Michael from the floor, taking him to the room that was still well arranged.
He laid him in the bed, wiped his mouth, and then covered him with the sheets.
He had visited Michael once before heading for his own house after leaving the hotel. He found him sleeping on the couch.
He would definitely catch a cold if he left him like that so he covered him with a blanket and knelt in front of him, watching him as he slept, watching the slightly puffy eyes twitching from time to time and his name escaping his lips.
"Noah," he called softly but painfully and it got Noah’s heart in a bind.
Seeing him like that, it felt so hard knowing he would be away from him for a while.
He just... Wished the time had stopped for them and they could live in those blissful days forever.
But it was impossible. If he wanted those blissful days once more, he’d have to create them with his own hands.
He brushed Michael’s hair softly and then noticed his jacket. He wondered what Michael went out to do that night.
So, he checked his inner pocket, and then he saw a ring box. He opened it and found a ring that had a wolf head carved in it.
Noah knew right away who that ring belonged to.
So, he took it. He kissed Michael’s head before leaving, leaving him only a note so he wouldn’t worry that he lost the ring.
Noah dropped Michael on the bed, tucked him in, and returned to the living room.
"Sebastian," Noah called after looking around the messed-up living room. "I’ll need your assistance here." He said and Sebastian wondered what assistance he was referring to.
