Chapter 48 48
Third Person POV
Draven sat on a dead lump of tree that had been felled a long time ago. He sat with just his thoughts to himself; he still hadn't let go of the feeling that had him completely defenseless; that was the only way he could explain it; he felt entirely vulnerable.
The sickening feeling of him trying his best to not kill his nephew, trying to control his own wolf, but losing over and over again, he had nearly killed Adrian with his own damned hands.
The thing he had feared the most, the reason why he had left the pack in the first place. It all came back to him; now he was doomed to repeat the same fate, endangering everyone around him, especially those whom he deeply loved and cared about.
He wanted to have a moment with his nephew, to talk to him and apologize. Although it hadn't been his fault at first, Draven knew the kind of person his nephew was, and he had intentionally pushed him to the wall.
What else could be expected from Adrian but to attack him? It was something that they both shared between them; if either Draven or Adrian was confronted with violence, they would return it in kind without a moment's hesitation.
"Talk," he said to himself, no one could hear him for meters ahead, just the cool wind blowing against him. He realized that he needed to have a talk with his nephew, a mature one at that.
He realized that Hazel would have left Sara's house and Noah would have taken Alice somewhere to discuss the future plans they had but couldn't implement; her arrival at the pack was a timely thing indeed.
He stood up slowly and stretched himself until some joints popped and cracked in ease. He looked about once more, appreciating the peacefulness of the pack.
"I need to talk to him," he said to himself once more, as if trying his best to accept and believe it, he knew he couldn't move past this until they had at least spoken to themselves, till they had a man-to-man conversation.
He sauntered off into the distance, walking with haste but not fast enough to make it seem like an emergency. After a few minutes of him walking while talking to himself, he finally arrived at the door of Sara's house once more.
Before he could reach out to knock, she opened the door with a smile. "Come on, Alpha Draven," she said. He had gotten used to her gimmicks by now; he wasn't sure how she did it, but Sara was always one step ahead of anyone.
She always seemed to know things that she shouldn't. But who was he to complain? As long as she remained by his side and helped him to achieve the things he wanted, then he wasn't bothered in the slightest.
"I'm sure you already know what I'm here," he said to her as he came in. He took a seat. When he usually did whenever he came to her house. “Now, don't spoil the fun," she cackled gently.
"What sort of uncle wouldn't be bothered if their nephew was in a state like that?" she paused, then eyed him. "Especially when the uncle had done it himself," she finished.
"Watch yourself, Sara," Draven replied in a cold voice. He didn't like being made fun of; Sara knew this, but she chided him with it from time to time, something he wasn't comfortable with.
But she was too much of a bother to try and control, so he left her be, so long as she doesn't show disrespect in front of the others, which thankfully, she was smart enough to not do.
"Temper Temper, old wolf," she chided him some more. "So I leave the place for you both to talk, or you'd like me to be there," she asked seriously.
"How's his body?" Draven asked, "I don't think he'd like to stay here for the night," he said with certainty. Sara simply smiled and nodded at him.
"That boy of yours has a body similar to yours, you know," she said, smiling at him. Draven scoffed gently as she looked at Sara.
"So?" He asked again; he wanted to know just how good his health was before he began discussing it with him; surely it shouldn't have been that bad he hoped.
Although he couldn't remember what state he had left his nephew in, he trusted that he was strong enough to handle it. "I've made him a little something to help him heal his wounds a bit faster, although it still depends on him," she said gently.
Draven nodded at her. "Thank you," he said once again, reminding him just how much of an asset she was to him and his pack.
"Shall we?" She asked as she gestured downstairs to her basement; it made him wonder why she never used a double Decker building, but it wasn't his preference, so he let it slide.
They both walked down into the basement; the place he had seen where he and Hazel had once performed the ritual seemed completely different, unlike just a normal room now, with normal things inside, making him wonder just where all the other things must have gone.
She took her left and got into a room; he followed after her, carefully not to make a noise. He expected Adrian to be sleeping, but he had been looking up at the ceiling restlessly as though waiting for someone to come over.
Adrian turned and met eyes with Draven; he almost disregarded the presence of Sara till she handed him the drugs; it was a clear green liquid.
He felt he had seen something similar to that in his mansion before, but he wasn't sure where. "Drink up, child, it'll help you get better quickly," she said in a sweet motherly voice as she caressed his head.
Adrian laid no heed to her and cautiously looked at his uncle. "Drink, child," Sara said again, more forcefully as her hand crept behind Adrian's neck. He immediately paid attention to her and took the glass vial.
He hesitated a bit looking at Alpha Draven before he drank everything down. In a single go, he smacked his tongue after drinking it. "Sour," he said, then handed the glass vial back to her.
"So do I give uncle and nephew some time to talk and heal?" She asked rhetorically as she giggled, took her vails of glass, and left the room with just Adrian and Draven inside.
Draven didn't move, nor did he flinch; he simply looked at the state he had left his nephew in, bandages covering all the sides of his body, including his face.
Adrian tried sitting up gently; he looked to be in obvious pain and discomfort, yet he tried. "Sit down, nephew." Draven spoke with a calm voice. He found a chair close to the door and dragged it closer to the bed.
He sat on it and rested both his elbows on his things. "You're not here to finish me off, are you?" Adrian asked suspiciously; Draven could do nothing but shake his head.
He couldn't believe this was the state of their relationship, second guessing if your own uncle was your life. "Nothing of the sort; I simply came to talk with you," he paused.
"I'm a man, and so are you; we can handle this situation without the need to resort to violence, which doesn't always end well," he said, looking pointedly at him. Adrian nodded in understanding.
He hadn't meant to threaten his nephew, but knowing his nature, a bit of coercion was needed. "So what do you want to talk about?" Adrian asked calmly.
"It's about Hazel, your ex-bride," Draven began.
"Although it may seem rather insensitive, I do need her; she is very important to me and for the well-being of the clan," he said.
"Important enough to shatter the feelings and trust of your own nephew ?" Adrian retired from him. "I wasn't the one who abandoned her," Draven said, cocking an eyebrow.
"I wasn't even around." He finished with a gentle smile. He saw the look on Adrians face, the hurt and regret. "Look, nephew, take it from a man, your own uncle; stay away from a vengeful woman," Draven said calmly.
"Even if she accepted you back, she would stop at nothing to see you beg and suffer, for all the times you had abandoned her, made her weep," he paused. "Just like Dante said, you should move on; try someone else."
"Like Thalia?" Adrian said with a smile on his face. Draven eyed his nephew; he knew he couldn't tell his nephew anything of now or it would ruin everything they had been planning.
"Why Thalia?" Draven asked his nephew.
"Because she has been there when I needed a shoulder to cry on; she supports me and respects me; she cares," Adrian said.
"And if the day comes when she turns out to be a poison?" Draven asked, and Adrian looked thoughtful for a minute.
"When that time comes, I want you to save me, uncle," Adrian replied with a smile on his face.