His Redemption (Complete His Series)

Azalea

After what felt like forever, I heard the lock on the door clicking, and the door swung open. I stood from the bed and looked at John in the doorway. He motioned for me to follow him, so I did.

We walked silently through a hallway and down some stairs. There was a soft rug under my feet that shielded me against the cold, hardwood floors. We went down two flights of stairs when John led me to an office. He knocked twice on the door, and we heard ‘Come in’ from the other side. He opened the door and motioned for me to go in.

Entering the office, I saw Kol seated at a desk. To the side of the room, there was a couch with a small coffee table. There were shelves holding files along another wall. It looked like an Alpha’s office.

“Please sit, Azalea. We have things to talk about,” Kol said, staring at me.

I shuffled over to one of the chairs in front of his desk and sat down. I fidgeted nervously in the chair, pulling my sleeves down over my hands. After a moment of silence, I quietly asked, “Why am I here?”

He smiled. “Well, you’re my mate, of course.” I looked up at him, confused.

“No, I’m not,” I said.

“Ah, little flower, but you are. The Moon Goddess did not decide this but our parents. You were promised to me, you see.” My mouth dropped open. My parents promised me?

“That’s impossible….” I whispered.

“You do not even know the circumstances in which you came to be a member of the B***d Eclipse pack, do you? Do you know who your mother is?”

I just stared at him. My parents died 15 years ago after plotting against the Alpha. Their crimes were punishable by death. They left me alone in this world, unloved and unwanted.

“Your mother is the true Alpha of the White Moon pack. She found her mate shortly after she was told that her twin brother, who happened to be born second, was to be given the title of Alpha over her. Her mate, your father, was my father’s best and most trusted friend. Your mother was heartbroken and upset with her family at the time, so she came to the B***d Eclipse pack with her mate.”

“But what does any of that have to do with me?”

“Shhh. You will understand everything in time,” he said. He cleared his throat and continued. “My father is Alpha Robert’s younger brother. Although he is younger, he should have been Alpha. You see, my father was stronger, faster, and smarter than Alpha Robert. He would have been a powerful leader. He even found his mate early; that is how special he was. I was born shortly before your precious mate, Liam, as my father wanted an heir right away to ensure his lineage could retain the Alpha title once he took it. And conveniently, your mother fell pregnant not long after mine. Our fathers thought it would be in our best interest to merge our bloodlines, as you were bound to be an exceptional wolf.”

“What do you mean exceptional?”

“You know nothing of the White Moon pack?” he asked. I shook my head. “The White Moon wolves are known to have special abilities. Alphas and their kin are said to have more than one of these special abilities. I am sure you can understand why our fathers wanted us to be mated, one day taking over as Alpha and Luna of the B***d Eclipse.”

Fear crept up my spine. He had to have the wrong person. There was no way I was special. I did not even have access to my wolf. I was not much more than a weak human. What would he do to me when he realized I have no special abilities?

He continued. “Do not misunderstand me; I know you cannot shift and have not unlocked any of your abilities. But I know they are there. And I will unlock them, that I can promise you, little flower. Back to my story- So your mother came to B***d Eclipse to be with her mate. My father intended to make your father his Beta, of course, if he could take down Alpha Robert. My father became more obsessed with taking the Alpha title as time went on. It became his sole focus in life. So, they planned. For years, they planned a coup, the perfect plan to defeat the Alpha and anyone else who would stand in his way. But your pesky mother got in the way. She went to Robert’s Beta, Declan, and warned him that something was going to happen. She tipped him off just enough that our parents were thwarted. Your mother was hurt, but she could not hang on when your father died, and she too passed away. My father was injured but managed to get away with me. You were left to deal with the aftermath.”

My mind was reeling. My mother is of some special Alpha bloodline; my father sided with a crazy man. My mother tried to stop their attempts and still died. Kol stood up and walked around the desk; he kneeled in front of me.

“We were promised to each other since birth, my little flower. And I am going to save you from everything the pack made you face,” he said, reaching up to stroke my cheek.

“I don’t understand….” I said quietly.

“What don’t you understand?” he asked gently. I looked into his blue eyes that reminded me so much of Liam. I could feel tears threatening to spill over my lashes as I yearned for Liam to rescue me. Whatever all this was, I didn’t want to be a part of it.

“If I was so special and promised to you, why didn’t you take me sooner? Why did I suffer for 12 years in that packhouse?” I asked quietly, not trusting my voice.

He sighed. “I didn’t know you survived at first. I didn’t know until your 16th birthday. I snuck into the pack territory to find you. I watched you for a few days, and I was so angry when I found out how you were treated. I saw you through your window on your birthday. I could see your tears as you watched the moon. I couldn’t hear you, but your lips were moving like you were singing yourself happy birthday. I was angry. I left to devise a way to get you out. I planned to get you before your 17th birthday. But when I came back, there was this group of girls talking about how Liam, future alpha, kicked you out of the pack. I thought they made you a rogue. It took me months to find that you were in that little human town. Once I knew you were safe and away from them, I waited. I sent the hunter to keep an eye on you.”

“So, John….”

“Yes. He is a hunter, and he was sent by me to watch over you. We had a mutual interest, you could say,” he said.

“Liam,” I concluded.

“Yes. I had planned to take over my rightful place as Alpha of the pack. Then we learned that he is your fated mate.”

Tears began to flow. “You don’t understand. You have to be wrong. I am not special. I cannot shift; I can’t speak to my wolf. There is nothing special about me; you have the wrong person!” I cried. Kol pulled me to his chest, hugging me tightly.

“No, little flower. You are exceptional. And I will show you. I could never hurt you like he did.” My body stiffened immediately at his words. How did he know? Kol pulled away from me. “Oh yes, I know how he tried to hurt you. I could never do that to you.” He caressed my cheek as he looked into my eyes. His expression was sincere. Nothing about his behavior was threatening. It seemed like he cared, like he really had waited for me his whole life as if I was his true mate.

“Kol, I’m not your mate. I am Liam’s mate. I am sorry….” I said quietly. I closed my eyes and turned my head away from him. All of this was too much and made me miss Liam even if I had not forgiven him. “Please just let me go….” I said again in a whisper.

Kol stood up. I could tell he was starting to get angry. “I am sorry, but I cannot do that. He rejected you, then hurt you, Azalea. I will not allow him to touch what is mine.” Kol walked around his desk. “That is enough for now. Join me for dinner later, little flower,” he said. His office door swung open. I stood up, knowing that this was my indication to leave. John was standing in the doorway apparently ready to escort me to my room.

I silently walked behind John back through the house. I tried to take note of my surroundings, but everything looked identical to each other. We arrived back at my room, and John opened the door. I entered while he closed the door behind me and locked it. Sadness and helplessness washed over me all at once. Kol was not going to let me go, and he was going to hurt Liam. There was absolutely nothing I could do. I curled up into a ball on the bed. Silent sobs wracked my body until I finally fell into a fitful sleep.

Liam

My uncle arrived at my office. Lily and I sat waiting for him and Damien. I stood as he entered.

“What is so important that you needed me immediately? Is everything okay?” he asked worriedly. I guess Damien did not fill him in.

“I need to know what will happen if another wolf marks my mate,” I said as calmly as I could. He looked around with a confused expression on his face at the three of us.

“Many things can happen. Why would someone mark Azalea? Where is she?”

“She was taken.”

He nodded his head. “I think I understand. Well, since you have not mated with Azalea yet-”

“Tell him,” Lily interrupted. He gave her a questionable look.

My uncle turned to face me. “Tell me what exactly? Liam, you did resist her heat, correct?”

I sighed. “Not exactly. There was a… complication during her heat.”

“What sort of complication?”

“It took me by surprise. We were arguing, and her heat came. Gavin took over and mated with Azalea,” I said, hanging my head.

“Against her will,” Damien said quietly.

My uncle looked at us all in turn. “Well, that makes things more complicated, I presume. I would say it is uncommon for wolves to mate and not be marked quickly after. As for another wolf mating her, it will hurt. She will feel physical pain for another wolf touching her now that you two have mated. You will also feel the pain she feels. If she is marked, it would probably sever the mate bond. I only remember reading of a few similar instances. You would feel pain similar to that of rejection. The pain inflicted upon Azalea will be much worse if she is marked. There was even a case where the marked she-wolf felt residual pain until she could no longer take it.”

“Until she could no longer take it? What does that mean?” asked Lily.

“She took her own life. She was marked by a man who was not her mate and claimed the pain from the mark to be unbearable. Eventually, she took her life,” he explained. Lily gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

“I don’t think your cousin will do anything until he has taken care of you, Liam,” my uncle continued.

“Wait, you know?”

“Although I had no interest in the affairs of running the pack, I was not naive to my brothers’ quarrel. And I suspected Kol had survived,” he replied calmly.

“So, he is after my pack, and he already has my mate. Are you sure he won’t hurt her until he kills me?”

“I cannot be 100% certain, but I would think not. Young Kol was absolutely obsessed with Azalea when they were young. He treated her like a princess. I hazard to say they were each other’s only friends due to their parents’ dealings. Kol has had many opportunities to harm Azalea if I understand this situation correctly. He has yet to. He has also had her for how long now?”

“Three days,” Damien told him.

“He has yet to harm in three days, so we know. He will wait until he eliminates you before he attempts to mark Azalea. I believe he will refrain from hurting her more than he must to achieve his goals.”

We all sat in silence, contemplating what my uncle had said. Lily stood up and walked right in Damien’s arms, burying her face in his chest. I knew she was worried for Azalea. My uncle stood and took his leave. I sat down in my chair. Suddenly I felt a wave of despair come over me. Hopelessness started to settle in. This had to be Azalea. “We have to find her….” I whispered.