HUNTED-Chapter 336: Lycan’s Road Trip (1)

[Aldric]

From the moment he first opened his eyes as this thing, this beast, Aldric’s life had spiralled into a pit of despair and darkness. There was blood on his hands that he could not erase. He had been used as a weapon of destruction, first for the hunters who made him this way and then taken for another’s evil intentions.

He’d taken lives under the hunters’ orders, and he remembered every single one of them. It was a heavy weight to bear, but one he would seek forgiveness for the rest of his life. Aila, his queen, was the first to show him the surface of the dark depths he’d left himself in.

Aldric should have been thinking of his mate, should have been thinking of his children, but when he was chained up, waiting for his next mission, thoughts of his loved ones chewed him up inside. How could he face them after all he had done? How could he face them and accept their love, embracing a life of happiness when he had ruined not only the lives of those he’d killed but their loved ones.

Aila had been the first to shed light on him, to help him gain some resemblance of redemption. By grasping at that small amount, he started to find himself again, past the beast inside of him. He would forever be grateful, and if the King and Queen ever needed his help, he would be there in an instant.

Now, Aldric sat in the passenger seat of the car, looking outside the window as the countryside cast in darkness whizzed by. Harry was adamant about driving him home. Somehow, in their imprisonment, they’d become friends.

Aldric became a rogue ex-Alpha by choosing a separate life with his wife. His pack did not accept a human as their next Luna, so it was an easy choice to make. Harry, on the other hand, had grown up rough, fighting to stay alive from the moment he’d started crawling. Or, that was how Harry had told his tale to him; he had no choice in the matter.

If they had never been imprisoned together, Aldric and Harry would never have been friends. Harry was vicious, much like he’d noted Esme to be, and he knew it had to do with their upbringing. But Aldric had a family to protect, and they had not been in any danger as a rogue ex-Alpha, his human mate, and mixed species children.

"You know, you didn’t have to take me back," Aldric said after they’d been on the road for thirty minutes in comfortable silence. He didn’t know what Harry was thinking about, but he had been in deep thought as well. "I know how to drive, but I would have run back."

Being a lycan was like being a werewolf on steroids. Everything was heightened even more; his strength and speed were like that of a superhero. Although he initially hated his new form, there were a lot of benefits. Benefits that he would now use without completely being disgusted by himself.

"You’ve seen the news, right?" Harry looked at him like he was being an idiot before his attention returned to the windy countryside road. "I don’t think the streets are safe at the moment for us. That Chase guy might have made a statement to the humans, but it’s not going to stop them from acting out. The hunters did it for years. These are normal civilians, and they’re probably scared shitless."

Aldric’s brows raised at Harry’s comment before he observed the red-haired lycan for a moment. He was doing something nice and seemed concerned about his travel. Maybe working alongside Aila brought back some of his humanity?

Aldric nodded once to acknowledge Harry’s reasoning, then changed the subject. "So, are you staying with the Silver Crescent pack?" He asked nonchalantly, but he was curious.

Harry had been a rogue and used to hate the royals and any packs. Now, he was staying at the Silver Crescent pack ruled over by the Alpha King and Queen of the Northern territories.

"If she needs me, I’ll stay." Harry then grinned. "The she-wolves seem to love me there."

Aldric sighed and leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. He, unfortunately, did know. The night of the bonfire celebration, he stalked past them in their little three-way in the woods. It was normal and nothing to be ashamed of unless their mates were nearby. It made Aldric all the more want to return to his wife and children, where he belonged.

It had been far too long. Aldric wondered if Rex was being nice to his younger sister. Elissa followed him around, wanting to play dolls with him, and when he refused, she would kick off. The corner of his lips tugged up at that before he sighed. They would have grown so much in the eight months he had been gone.

He wondered if they would remember him or if they would hate him for leaving them. His heart twisted and pained as he thought about his wife and how he’d left her. Unintentionally. But he wondered if Emma believed he’d left the family or knew something was wrong. The bond was different with a human.

Emma felt a strong pull towards him from the moment she met him. He remembered her explaining how she couldn’t understand the gravitational pull towards him and wanting to be near him. Sure, he was handsome, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

Once his mate was over the idea that there was this whole other world of supernatural creatures, him being one, they discussed how the bond was for the other. Aldric didn’t want to mention he could tell when she was feeling frustrated or upset. Emma had been overwhelmed by everything.

Aldric did find out that whenever Emma was nearby, it wasn’t a certainty, but she had a slither of a feeling about his feelings, but she couldn’t tell when he was in pain.

"It must be nice having something so precious to return to," Harry said, pulling his mind back to the car he sat in. Aldric glanced at the rogue. There was no sarcasm, mockery or jest in his voice but, surprisingly, longing.

Harry was a tough fucker, but it shouldn’t have surprised him that he longed for a home. The rogue didn’t seem quite ready to settle down if his threesome was anything to go by, but he did long for a place to stay. His friend had been too long without unconditional love. Maybe the Silver Crescent pack was exactly where he needed to be.

"I hope there is something to return to," Aldric replied, feeling his heart squeezing tightly. "I hope she doesn’t think I left them."

"Your mate?" Harry glanced at him. "Why would she think that? Al, she’s probs been worrying over you."

Aldric shook his head. "The bond doesn’t work like that for her. And.." he sighed, wiping his hand down his face. "I was taken after a big argument."

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"One that might explain your sudden disappearance?!" Harry sounded incredulous.

"I don’t know, it was bad," Aldric murmured as guilt stirred in his chest. He just needed to see his mate’s face. It didn’t matter if she thought the worst of him, hated him, but he needed to see her sea-deep blue eyes, see his children and make up for all the lost time.

His mate and his children were his whole world.