"What do you expect, Comrade? I'm annoyed at a certain alpha," I grumble, my bad mood surfacing again. It quickly sizzles down, however, when I hear Comrade's chuckle. I look at him with a raised eyebrow, silently asking him what's so funny?
"You and Axel seem to have some background, may I ask what?" he asks mischievously with both eyebrows raised. I sigh and take a seat on the mats that cover the whole floor of the gym. Not many people know that the pack house has a gym; it's tucked away in a hidden door. Only a few pack members know that it's here, including me. Apparently Comrade too.
"Well, when we were planning to come and rescue you, Axel had assigned everyone jobs and groups. I was to go with Axel, Celina, and Callum because they needed a fourth person for a look out. Then Axel announced that no one was to help other pack mates in different groups, to stay focused on your job. Obviously, I didn't agree with this, so I told him that if any of my friends died, he would no longer be my alpha. That's it, that's the only background we've had really. I hadn't even formally met him until we made up a group to come and rescue you," I sum up in a neat little package. I look at Comrade to see what his reaction is, but all I receive is a nod and a pucker of the lips.
"I get where you're coming from, but you shouldn't have said that to Axel. Axel is someone who needs to be respected in this pack and on top of that, he's a good guy in general. You'd be surprised by the amount of things he's done to just be able to keep this pack and Celina safe," Comrade tells me, wrapping an arm around my waist so that I can rest my head on his shoulder.
"Plus, if you’re going to hang around with me, you'll have to learn to deal with him,” he jokes, sending a wink on my way. I breathe a laugh as I roll my eyes. Whatever...
Comrade and I just sit there after that, consumed by our own thoughts. I don't really know much about Comrade, but I know enough to know that he respects Axel and that he'll trust him with his life. Me, on the other hand, not so much.
I would love to know Comrade's backstory though, like where did he come from? Why is he in this pack? Most importantly, what happened to him? All I ever heard about Comrade was his fun and cheerful attitude, all the time. I've never heard him as the type to be serious, sad, broken, or angry. From what Celina's told me, he was even joking only minutes before he was captured. Why isn't he like that now? He's like that around me, most of the time that is. I know for a fact though, that he's hardly like that anymore around all his old friends. For goodness sake, he hasn't even spoken to Callum more than three times! I need to know, or he needs to talk to someone about it.
"Comrade?" I ask, gaining his attention. "Why don't you meet me in our room in about ten? I wanna talk about some stuff."
Not waiting for an answer or a remark, I bolt up and hightail it up to our room. I quickly get some leggings and one of Comrade's shirts before having a quick shower. By the time I'm out, Comrade is patiently sitting on the bed waiting for me. His eyes don't look focused though, like he's having a memory. Usually, a bad one.
"Comrade!" I yell loudly to snap him out of it. He jumps in fright and falls off the bed, much to my amusement and liking. I release a laugh, covering my mouth with my hand to hide it, not that it does.
"Alex! What the hell?" Comrade screams at me from the floor. I drop to the floor next to him, gripping my stomach as my shoulders shake from laughter. Oh god, this is funny! Comrade glares at me, getting up from the floor to look down on me disapprovingly. I just laugh harder at his face. After my laughing dies down a bit, I get up with an innocent smile.
"Yes?" I ask innocently. Comrade just shakes his head at me, a grin slipping onto his face. This is what I mean. Why is he like this with me and not with anybody else?
"Oh, Alex, what am I going to do with you?" Comrade asks as he wraps his arms around my waist. I shrug my shoulders with the same smile, until I remember why I asked him to come up here. If he doesn't talk to me though, I will force him to walk down those bloody stairs and go find Celina so that they can have a heart to heart talk.
"What happened?" I ask quietly, placing my hand on his cheek and stroking slightly, my fingers running over his two days’ worth of not shaving. Comrade looks at me confused, gripping my hand in his own, as he brings it away from his face.
"What do you mean? What happened where?" he asks confused, as his eyebrows draw together and a frown overtakes his face. I sigh as I sit on the bed, Comrade still standing.
"What happened there? What did Damon do to you?" I question, my only emotion is one of worry. All I want is to know, know what happened to him in that horrible place. Is that so much to ask?
Comrade's face drops, but it quickly becomes hard and emotionless. He stares at me blankly then says in a dead tone, "Nothing, Alex! Absolutely nothing."
I blink a few times as I wait for more, wait for him to tell me everything, but he says nothing more. He just continues to stare at me. I stand up slowly, tilt my head and narrow my eyes just that little bit.
"Something happened in there, Comrade. I know it did. I saw everything. I saw the basement, I saw that dreadful torture room that I wish I could erase from my mind, I saw the weapons everywhere, I saw everything. Why can't you tell me what happened? Why?" I desperately reason, trying to convince him that whatever he'll say is nothing to me. It doesn't work. He just stares at me, but this time with anger.
"You think because you saw a few rooms and weapons that you think you know what I've gone through? Do you really think that, Alex?" he asks in that tone again. I gulp, not really expecting him to react like that.
"Of course not. I just want to help you-" I try to say, but Comrade cuts me off.
"Help me? You want to help me? Ok then, here's what you can do: don't ask me about it, don't talk about it, don't do anything mildly related to it because you have next to no clue of what I've been through. Not one clue,” he says with a fire in his eyes before he storms off, not looking back.
I sink to the floor, wrapping my arms around myself. Don't do anything? Not one thing? Fat chance there, but that's what Comrade wants... Isn't that what mates do? Follow the other’s every command without complaint? It's times like these where I wish that my mum was still here. My dad won't help me; he won't even look at me. Who do I go to for this?
Having one person in mind, I slowly get up and walk out of the room like nothing's happened, even though everything's happened. I gingerly make my way towards Axel's office, knowing that Celina will probably be in there. I knock on the door, for the first time in my life, and wait for an answer. All I get is a grunt as an approval, but I take it anyway.
I push the door open and sure enough, Celina is sitting on Axel's desk while curiously looking at me. I glance at Axel to see him in mild shock, but with a smirk. Well, I don't normally knock on his door. I just walk in unannounced. This must be a pleasant surprise for him. He better not get used to it.
"Alex, what can I do for you?" Axel asks in a smug voice. I glare slightly at him. Just because I'm in a weird mood doesn't mean he can get my respect. He has a long way to go before he can get that back.
"You? Nothing," I bite back, averting my eyes to Celina. Out the corner of my eye, I see Axel frown and shake his head. Whatever...
"May I talk to you, Celina? It's kinda important," I tell her, waiting for an answer. If she doesn't want to talk, I'll be sulking for the rest of the week. If she does, maybe I can get this Comrade problem off my mind and help him focus on getting Damon.
"Actually, she's busy-" Axel starts to say before Celina cuts in.
"Of course I can. Anything for my amazing babysitter,” she says with a small smile, sending Axel a look that says not to argue. He grumbles for a bit, but nods his head as I smile smugly at him. Ha! The irony...
Celina gives Axel a kiss on the cheek before jumping down from the desk and heading over to me. I throw a quick smile at her before hurriedly walking away. Celina easily follows me, but I don't have the heart to look at her face.
Once we reach the backyard, I stop and take a
seat on the grass, the sun hitting my face. Celina sits down next to me, staying silent as she waits for me to say something. What do I say though? I can't just come out with it. It might bring up some unwanted memories.
"This is about Comrade," Celina suddenly states, breaking the silence. I sigh as I nod, not really knowing what else to do.
"It's about how he's not his old self,” she states again, like this is a big guessing game that she already knows the answers to. I turn my head to lock my eyes with hers.
"What do I do? He won't tell me anything, not one thing. I tried to ask him just before and he went blank on me. How do you deal with that?" I ask as I lay back on the grass with a sigh.
"Comrade just needs to get used to it, that's all. He needs to adjust to normal life again. He's been tucked away for three years," Celina tells me with a sad smile.
"You were tucked away for 16 years and you're fine," I grumble, then realise what I just said. My eyes widen as I look away, not wanting to see the sadness in my beloved Luna's eyes. To my surprise though, a giggle travels through the air. I turn my head back to Celina to see her with a smile on her face.
"Yes, I was. That was all I knew though, I grew up with it. Comrade, on the other hand, has already experienced a normal life and wasn't ready for the onslaught that he got. He just needs to adjust again," Celina says as she joins me to lie down on the grass.
"How long will that take though?" I ask, already knowing that I won't like the answer I'm about to get. Celina sighs and rolls on her side, propping herself up on her elbow. I copy her movement, asking the question silently through my eyes.
"My guess is that Comrade will go back to normal after Damon has been killed and he has to be the one to do it. If he doesn't... Well, then he'll always have this nagging voice at the back of his mind telling him that Damon's coming to get him. You just have to be patient and help him find Damon, then you'll get your happiness," Celina says wisely and in a quiet voice.
Patient? I'll be honest and say I don't have a lot of patience to work with.
16
ALEX
"Ally! You get down here right now, you bloody bitch!" I scream at the top of my lungs as I stay glued on the same spot. Literally.
Ally had this amazing idea to pour a bucket of superglue all over the kitchen floor, and me being me sometimes, didn't notice the thick lake of glue. So, I'm now stuck in a lake of glue with my favourite yellow socks now drenched in the wretched stuff.
"Ally! Get your skinny ass down here!" I scream again. She finally comes sauntering into the kitchen, stopping just before the door.
"Yes?" she asks innocently, but you can see the laughter hiding behind her eyes.
"I'm gonna kill you!" I seethe, twisting my body around and reaching my arms out for her. She shamelessly erupts into a fit of laughter and falls to the floor. Unfortunately though, she doesn't fall onto the glue that I have so conveniently stepped in.
"What's all the racket?" a very powerful voice suddenly booms. I smirk as Ally's laugh dies down completely and is replaced by fear. She knows the kitchen is Celina's safe haven, so what happens when her mate finds out what she's done?
I put on the best sad face, slump my shoulders and make my eyes glassy. This'll be fun...
Axel comes storming into the kitchen with a fire in his eyes. He takes one look at Ally on the floor, one look at my near crying self and then looks at the kitchen floor.
"I'll ask once and once only... What happened to the kitchen floor?" he asks, emphasising each word after 'only'.
"Well, you see, Alpha-" I begin, but he cuts me off. I blink and narrow my eyes, the sad facade disappearing in an instant.
"Is this a prank?" he asks, calm as the ocean. Why is he calm? He should be furious! I mean, come on! Look at this place! It's a lake of glue! Does this man have no sanity?
"Yes, it is," I bite back, crossing my arms and turning around towards the direction my body is forcing me to face. "A stupid prank, too," I grumble quietly to myself. I had hoped no one would hear me, but from Ally's snicker, I know she did.
"I'm guessing this is Ally's prank to you. Ally, you'll be cleaning this up. Alex, you'll try to figure out a way of getting out of that mess you're in. Have fun," is the last thing he says before he walks off down the hall, his footsteps echoing behind him. Bloody alpha...
"Uh... that went better than expected," Ally chirps, stands up, and gets a mop. I scoff. She thinks a mop will clean this up. Ally looks at me with a raised eyebrow while I shake my head.
"You seriously think a mop will clean this up? Girl, you have to get a cleaning crew in here!" I exclaim, throwing my arms in the air dramatically.
Ally rolls her eyes at me then says, "Please, I so got this."
An hour later and I'm still stuck in the bloody glue, along with three mops, two brooms, ten sponges, and a broken vase. Ally has a bit of a moment and lashes out at a poor vase.
"Are you done trying to do this yourself?" I ask tiredly. I've been standing here for over an hour. I'm hungry and all I really want to do is go and hug Comrade. I haven't seen him all day and he wasn't there when I woke up this morning. I'm almost positive he's locked up in Axel's office searching for Damon again.
"Friggin' super glue! I'm never touching that shit again!" she exclaims, running a hand through her hair. I run a hand over my face. She thinks she’s staying away from that stuff? Oh no... I'm going to get her back for this and it's gonna be with super glue.
I stay silent as she reaches into her back pocket and brings out her mobile. She quickly dials a number and the cleaning crew is here in less than 15 minutes.
"Finally," I huff. I see Ally's lips form a smile before she starts walking away. I gape at her for a second then clear my throat. She stops in her tracks and turns around. She sees the look in my eyes and sighs.
"Give me one of those scrubs,” she grumbles as she snatches a scrubber from one of the cleaning crew. I smile smugly at her.
An hour and a half later, I'm finally out of the bloody glue. My favourite yellow socks are in the rubbish, my legs are aching from standing still for too long and my eyelids are heavy. Damn you, Ally. Damn you.
"Thank you! See you when we have another mishap!" Ally yells after the cleaning crew walk out the door. I cock my hip to the side and face her, running my tongue along my teeth. Ally turns around slowly, feeling my eyes on her back. She takes in my stance and gives me a cheeky smile.
"Now, before you go off at me-" she starts, but I hold up a hand. I slowly walk towards her, my legs feeling stiff and sore.
I get right up to her face before saying very lowly, "I would guard your hair brushes if I were you."
I then leave the kitchen calmly, making my way to Axel's office. The scent of Comrade quickly fills my senses and it's like my whole body relaxes. I didn't even know I was tense.
I softly knock on the door, not really wanting to deal with Axel's glare on me walking into his office unannounced. I hear Axel grunt and decide to take that as a 'come in'. I slowly open the door and peep my head in. Sure enough, Comrade is standing in front of Axel's desk and leaning over what seems to be a map.
"Comrade?" I ask with a small voice. I feel so tired right now, all I want to do is collapse into his arms.
Comrade whips around, takes one look at me and wraps me in his arms. I bury my face in his shirt and grip it with my hands.
"You ok?" he asks sweetly. I badly want to shake my head, but I nod and pull away. I offer him a smile to which he returns, a bit concerned.
"You sure?" he asks again, to which I nod once again. He takes that as my answer and shuts the door behind me, leading me into Axel's office. Axel glances at me, but quickly looks back down to his files.
"Found him yet?" I ask as I lean against him. Comrade shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair, his muscles flexing as he does it. The way his hair sits on his head now looks messy, but man does it look hot. I blink and shake my head. Where did that come from?
'You're ne
aring heat, that's where that came from,' I hear my wolf whisper then disappear into the corners of my mind again.
Heat? Seriously! Ugh! The one bad thing about finding your mate is that you go into heat within the first three months of meeting them. It's different for everyone. Some may go into heat in a week, others a month and some lucky few go into heat after the three-month period. I think Celina did, but I'm not too sure about that one... The only way a girl can get out of heat is if her mate has already marked her, which isn't my case.
"Alex?" I hear Comrade ask as his face suddenly appears before my eyes.
"Hmm?" I hum, silently asking him to repeat what he just said. He rolls his eyes at me in a playful manner and kisses me on the cheek. Sparks shoot through me and it's hard not to shudder. Geez, I won't be surprised if I'm in heat by tomorrow.
"I said do you have any ideas of where Damon might be hiding?" he repeats as he wraps an arm around my waist. I purse my lips and look at the map to distract me from the shocks. Damn it!
"Well, when we found you, he seemed to be hiding in plain sight, but also hidden at the same time," I explain, looking at the map once again. "If I had to make a hunch, I would say a few kilometers from the border or in the same place as he was the first time."
Comrade stays silent as Axel looks up at me. I look at both men and sigh at the dumb looks on their faces. They obviously didn't think of that then.
"I'll have a team of my best warriors go tomorrow and search around the pack border and the place where we found you," Axel tells Comrade, looking at him dead in the eye.
"Alex?" Axel asks, to which I look at him with a raised eyebrow. "You're by far one of my best warriors, so be ready tomorrow."
"Will do, Alpha," I say respectfully. I've decided to treat him a little less hostilely. Comrade seems to be good friends with him even if it doesn't show, so I'm gonna put in the effort to do so.
Both Comrade and I exit Axel's office after that. I lean heavily into Comrade's side as we make our way up to our room. He wraps an arm around my shoulders and draws small circles into my arm. It feels nice.