Alpha Loren novel Chapter 52

November 4th

I fell asleep almost instantly in the comfy, king-sized bed. I don't know how long it was before Leo came in, but I hardly awoke to begin with.

"Your brother is not happy," Leo said quietly as he took his shirt and pants off.

"You should have seen him when he first found out," I replied. "He thinks I'm too young and he's angry that you are the father. I wanted him to be happy."

"Get some sleep, he just needs to get used to the idea," Leo whispered climbing under the duvet and pulling me into his arms. 

"I know he disrespects and you don't normally allow that but can you try your best to tolerate it?" I asked. "I want us all to be a family."

Leo nodded reluctantly with a sigh.

"I've gotten used to the Jones attitude," he said. "But no promises. Civility only works when it's mutual and he fucking loathes me."

"I'll talk to him tomorrow. Is he allowed to come on territory to see me now?" I asked.

Another sigh.

"Can I trust him?" Leo asked. 

"Of course," I replied. 

"Then Maybe. We'll see," he said.

"He'll hate me for asking this and I feel guilty, but he needs money. For groceries, bills, health insurance, college. He won't admit it but he can't manage it on his own, especially in his senior year of high school. Please, please, please, can you help him?" 

I looked up into his eyes and he smiled before putting a hand on my cheek.

"Of course," he said. "Anything he needs."

I kissed him and snuggled into his chest, "Thank you, Leo. You can be a good man...sometimes."

I then allowed my extreme tiredness to get the better of me.

A few hours later, we driving to the hospital. The entire base was still really busy, with warriors and citizens of both Stella and Ayas origin being wheeled and lead in and out of the hospital.

"Good morning Alpha, congratulations on your victory," Doctor Amanda said the second we walked through the door.

"Thank you, Doctor. We are here to visit Elena," Leo replied.

"Ahh yes, she's feeling much better and been looking forward to your arrival all morning," she said leading us into a corridor.

"Have you slept at all Doctor?" Maria said probably because of how extremely exhausted she looked.

"Oh no, we've been far too busy here. It's been all hands on deck since midnight when the first causality was brought in," Doctor Amanda replied.

"I am ordering you to take a rest Doctor, that way you will be able to work much faster when you return," Leo said.

"Yes Alpha," Amanda said with a nod after a short pause. "I will do so as soon as I have shown you to Elena."

A few minutes later, we arrived at a door labelled Elena Loren. It was a very large hospital, but not many people had their own room, maybe because they knew how many visitors Elena would have, maybe because she's the Alpha's sister.

We entered the room to find Rosa, Antonio, Marco, Carlos, Mateo and Lenny already there. I presumed Rosa and Antonio had never left. 

In the bed was Elena- sat up and looking healthy. She was plugged up to a few machines, but apart from that perfectly well. She was no longer ghostly pale like when Mateo first brought her unconscious body to the base.

"Elena!" her sister's squealed pretty much in unison before rushing over to the bed.

"Careful with her girls, she was almost dead 4 hours ago," Antonio said.

"Thanks, Dad for that unnecessary morbidity," Mateo said slapping his hand on Antonio's shoulder.

"How are you feeling Elena?" Bella asked.

"Much better," she replied.

"What actually...happened?" Maria asked.

"I...I'm not sure. All I can remember is a man charging towards me but I'm sure I shot him. I'm sure he was dead," Elena explained.

"It sounds like you had a pretty severe head injury," Leo said.

"Doctor Amanda said had I been human I would have died," Elena said.

"Or if they couldn't bring you around and trigger the healing process," Rosa said.

"Well good job you're not and they could then," Lia said. "And I'm sorry for all of this everyone."

"It's not your fault Lia," Elena said.

"Nobody is blaming anyone except Haden for what Haden has done," Marco said wrapping his arm around his 3rd youngest sister.

"When he is banished, I have decided that I will go with him. If I don't he will keep coming back. There is no other way," Lia said quietly.

"We don't have to release him until you are ready," Leo said. "Because you know what he will do and you are well aware that your chances of coming back here again are slim?"

Lia nodded her head.

"You can have as long as you like honey, years if you want," Rosa said.

"I can try and change him though?" Lia said hopefully.

"His hatred for me will never really go away. We can't risk having him here no matter how convincing his act is. He's smart and devious and his loathing has only been increased with his loss of the war and his pack," Leo explained.

"What are you doing with his pack?" Lenny asked.

"The furthest north 1000km2 will be handed back to the next in line to the Alphaship, his brother. The rest of the land will be added to Stella. The people on our new land will have a choice- remain where they and join the pack or migrate to what is left of Ayas," Leo explained.

"You won't be sorting them into factions?" Carlos asked.

"The faction towns aren't equipped for that amount of extra people. The Ayas system and where they are now will be perfectly fine once the war damage is restored." Leo said.

An hour later, we were still in the hospital. Bella had french plaited Elena's hair and all the sisters had hardly stopped talking. Rosa and Antonio went home for some sleep as it had been more than 24 hours since they last did so, but everybody else was still here.

I sat on Leo's lap who was sat on one of the three armchairs in the room. The girls all sat on Elena's bed whilst Lenny and Mateo sat on the other two chairs and the twins kind of perched.

"Lia move your hair to the side for a second," Mateo said breaking the quiet peace.

Lia looked across at her brother hesitantly and for a moment there was silence. That was until Mateo got out of his seat and brushed Lia's very long , light blonde hair off her shoulder himself anyway.

"He fucking marked you?!" Mateo growled his fists clenching. I felt Leo tense up as he cast his eyes to the clear mark on Lia's neck that had previously covered by her hair. Both Marco and Carlos sat up straighter when they saw the small wound on Lia's neck too.

"Mateo, calm down," Elena said.

"When?" Leo growled. 

"Leo!" Maria exclaimed.

"Not even an hour after you left," Lia replied quietly.

"Fucking bastard," Leo said his fists tightening. "He went against your will I presume?"

Lia nodded gingerly.

"Permission to punch him in the nose Alpha?" Mateo asked.

"Permission granted," Leo said immediately.

"Mateo," Lia said quietly as he turned towards the door.

"He deserves it, Lia," Mateo responded.

"Mateo. No," Maria said much more authoritatively. Mateo stopped and turned around. Honestly, that girl is a born leader. "Sit back down."

"Why?" Mateo asked.

"Because you have already won the war and it is unnecessary. He is already paying for what he has done by having wolfsbane pumped through his veins every hour," Maria said. "Sit back down."

Mateo sloped back to his chair crossing his arms in a childish manner at his elder sister's command.

"Did he try to.... go any further?" Marco asked.

"He had all intentions of doing so," Lia replied. "But I always had an excuse or a reason to put it off."

"Why didn't you tell us, Lia?" Lenny asked.

"Probably because of the exact reaction I just got," Lia replied. 

"I don't blame you," Lisa said.

"We were going to find out eventually," Carlos said.

"Yeah, I was hoping that time would preferably be when everything else has settled down a bit. The war's only been finished 5 hours," Lia said.

"And you still have blood up your arm Marco," Bella pointed out. 

"And I presume it isn't your own," Lisa added.

"Nope," Marco said walking over to the sink in the room.

"Boys are kinda gross," Elena said.

"Agreed," Bella said.