Chapter 27

(DOUBLE UPDATE)

***

LORENZO

It had been years since I last set my eyes on my aunt, Melissa. Seeing her right now brought back a lot of memories.

The last time I saw her was merely a few months after I was crowned as Alpha. I did not think I would be anywhere if it was not for her.

She was the only close relative I had by my side when my parents...passed. She taught me to be strong and resilient as a young Alpha of a Pack like ours. A position easily coveted by others.

She was my backbone when I had no one else to rely on. Besides that, she could be quite thick-headed if she wanted to be.

I could recall I had no desire to run the Pack, especially at that tender age, but she was not having it. All she wanted was to be sure her brother's pack did not go down the drain.

Right at this moment though, she seemed extremely happy, and I was glad she was in good health.

But her words made me frown in confusion. An heir? I could not recall giving her any information of the sort.

"We are here to celebrate with you, my dear. Finally, you are giving us an heir."

Her words made me stop in my tracks. I could not tell if it was the faces in the sitting room or the fact that she had just mentioned an heir.

However, her frequent phone calls over the past years and months were always talks of when I would be giving her a grandchild.

The moment she heard I would be taking a Luna, she didn't hesitate to reach out to Ellie over the phone and ever since then, the two had been quite inseparable.

"Alpha Lorenzo!! It is so nice to finally see you again." The familiar voice of Killian Moore, father of my Beta Kai, and Ellie.

Behind him sat his wife, Nancy, a middle-aged woman radiating with charm and exquisiteness.

My Beta's father walked up to me, shaking hands with me.

"I cannot emphasize enough how delighted we all are. This is indeed a moment we have all been waiting for."

I tilted my head, confused as ever, "Uh... I'm sorry, but...What is going in here? What are you guys doing here?" I asked, surprised evident in my tone.

My Aunt, Melissa, spoke rather quickly, "Oh, don't be like that, Enzo. We came here as fast as we could. You do not think we would miss a celebration as huge as this one."

"Yes, Enzo. It is nice to see you again," Nancy, Ellie's mother chipped in, as she stood.

"We have had a long flight and would like to take a well-deserved rest. And then we can officially begin the preparations for the ceremony tomorrow."

Without further ado, she left the living room, her husband in tow.

My brows furrowed in sheer confusion, as I stared at my Aunt, "I don't understand. I never called..."

"Ellie, my dear. Come over here." My aunt called, gesturing to Ellie whose heels clinked on the marble floors coming toward us.

The sudden demeanor was making my head spin. Ellie and my Aunt never met for once, but then, right at the moment, they acted like they have known each other since forever

"You should not be roaming about, my dear. You need to take proper care of yourself and my grandchild."

My eyes blinked open in surprise, "Grand..grand what?"

My eyes were darting between them both, wondering what on earth she was talking about.

But Aunt Melissa laughed heartily, "Oh goodness, for a second I must have thought...."

A startled gasp from Ellie cut her off and our gazes turned to her.

"I am so sorry, Aunt. This was supposed to be a surprise to Lorenzo," she leaned in toward her, speaking softly, "I have not told him yet."

I blinked, "Wait a second. You haven't... told me what, Ellie?"

The look on her face turned guilty in a second and she approached me, while my Aunt smiled brightly behind her.

Her shoulders slumped and she snaked her hand over my neck, "I am so sorry for letting you know this way, Lorenzo. I was planning it as a surprise. We are finally having a baby," she announced in a teary voice.

I was stunned. A baby on its way? "You...you are pregnant?"

She nodded, smiling widely.

"Since when?"

"I'm sorry for not letting you know sooner. I..."

"You do not have to worry about that, Ellie," Aunt made her way to us, taking hold of Ellie's arm, "I am sure Lorenzo would be delighted either way."

She looked into my eyes, "Right, Enzo?"

I was too shocked to say a word. Ellie? Pregnant?

I stared at Ellie, my eyes going down to her belly like there was some sort of answer to my confused state.

The only question on my mind was how the hell did she get pregnant?

We have always been careful for over two years of intercourse and never for once had I thought a child would come this soon.

Yea, that was the initial reason I had chosen her as my Luna. For an heir. Not like I wanted one, but the pressure on me was already so fucking tight, I needed a Luna beside me and a heir to stabilize my pack. Because that was the right thing to do.

But for some reason, it all felt so wrong right now.

It took me a moment to realize my Aunt was waiting for a reply, her gaze fixed on me in confusion.

"You okay, Enzo," she asked, "You don't look so good."

I nodded sharply, "Yes. Yes, I am." I glanced at Ellie, "I...this is great news. I am delighted!"

"Okay, that settles it. I need to take a rest now. Come with me, Ellie, you need all the rest you can get."

And to me, she said, "The mating ceremony is in two weeks already! I cannot believe you didn't inform me on time. We have a lot to prepare."

My head was still reeling from the shock of all this, even as she spoke. I could only nod absentmindedly.

She took Ellie with her and they disappeared to their rooms, and I was left staring at their retreating backs.

Flopping down on a sofa, the words kept playing in my head. The revelation was indeed shocking. It felt surreal that I was expecting a child already. My child.

A strange feeling enveloped me, making me feel a sense of responsibility.

I shook my head, willing the thoughts out of my head.

However, the invitation was not done by me...I was sure it wasn't Kai's doing as well as I haven't instructed him to do so, yet.

Could Ellie have done that? Was that some kind of a ploy?

The scenario had made me almost forget the reason I was here in the first place. She most definitely has done something to Valerie, and that was not something I was gonna take lightly.

I stood up abruptly, making my way out of the room and the doors, wanting to go check up on her. The treatment should be done by now and I needed to be sure she was in one piece.

However, as soon as I opened the door, I bumped into someone.

"Ouch, Enzo. Miss me that much?" A rich deep voice sounded, making me still.

Looking up in shock, my fists clenched as I registered the face of the person.

I blinked rapidly, thinking my eyes might be playing tricks on me, but it wasn't. He was standing in front of me. A face I never thought I would ever see again.

Before he could make another statement, I had thrown a punch at his guts.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Klaus?"

What exactly is it with impromptu visits today? I wondered.

His face flew to the side, his hand wiping a trail of blood seeping out his nose.

He chuckled, "What a nice way to welcome your 'brother', Enzo. But I'd gladly take it. Hello to you too."

"What are you doing on my territory, you mutt?" I growled at him.

"Oh, shush it, Enzo. You should really stop with the mutty territorial behavior," he rolled his eyes, "I am only here for a purpose. The mating ceremony. You don't think I wouldn't be in attendance, would you?" He smirked, his eyes piercing into mine as he stood with a sports bag in one hand.

I never thought I would set eyes on Klaus, ever again. His presence always made me lose control of my emotions.

I lunged at him again, but he stepped back, his words halting me, mid air.

"I am also here to finally meet our feisty little pet, Valerie." He said, his deep voice, laced with sarcasm.

**************

Lorenzo

"I am also here to finally set my eyes on our feisty little mate," he said, causing my hands to slack mid-air as I stared at him in astonishment.

"How..."

"Oh, enough with the obvious question, brother. I need a shower." He walked past me, stepping into the house.

Setting my eyes on Klaus again was something I never thought would happen anytime soon. I could not believe he had the guts to return to my territory even after what he had done.

Blinded by fury, I made my way back into the house, on his trail, but was rather surprised to see he was standing a little farther in the house, facing me with his arms akimbo.

His piercing blue eyes locked into mine, a smirk spreading across his chiseled features.

"I wondered how long it's gonna take you to burst right through the door," he smirked, "Five seconds."

"Is this a fucking joke to you?"

He shrugged and I took a few steps toward him, "How the fuck did you get past the guards? You are not allowed to be here."

He rolled his eyes, "I wouldn't call these guards, but weaklings. When a single man takes down a dozen able-bodied warriors in less than a minute, they are considered weaklings, brother. And besides, I am way more stronger than you'd ever think."

My hands fisted at his collar, "I am not gonna say this again, Klaus. Your presence is not welcomed in this Pack. You wouldn't want me to do something drastic, now would we?"

"Oh, like you did, years ago?"

Of course, he would fucking bring back the episode from years back. An episode that I had buried at the back of my mind for so long. One which I never wanted to revisit.

Klaus's blue eyes turned feral and his hands slowly went up to mine, roughly pulling it away.

"It wasn't enough you killed our parents. You killed her too, and for what, please remind me, brother,"

My fists clenched at my sides, as well as my jaws,in obvious frustration and irritation.

Thinking about that very day made my temper surge.

Klaus came closer to me, his voice dripping low, "You killed her just to prove a fucking point. You killed her just to get back at me. Because you thought I had ratted you out--exposing your little dark secret to Dominic? Well, guess what, Enzo? You thought wrong. Dominic was only upset with you because you killed his Beta. And not because I ratted you out."

He shook his head, his expression, more serious than ever, "You do not have the fucking right to tell me what or what not to do. But have it in mind that I never forgot. I didn't forget the way you ripped out her heart in cold blood JUST to spite me."

"Amber was never yours to begin with," I countered.

"Oh, and she was yours? To do as you please?" His eyes were wide with fury as he stood mere inches from me, "She was my fucking mate, Lorenzo. My mate."

"What?" His words got me reeling back in shock.

Amber was a sweet soul and even I know it wasn't exactly one of my best moments when I... ripped out her heart.

But I was incredibly mad that very day. I would have blamed my feral acts on Hunter, my wolf, but we knew that was solely me.

My doing.

Amber and I were extremely close at a point until Klaus showed up out of the blue. And then she completely fell for him.

It was at a point when I thought I had a heart.

The sudden talk about them being mates was quite a surprise to me.

"I am trying so hard to forget this. But I just can't. I can't, brother," he made to walk away but halted.

"Come to think of it. The one secret you guard with your whole life...which you are willing to kill anyone for, the sole reason you did that to Amber. If I was as cruel as you think I was, trust me, you wouldn't be able to see the light of the day anymore. I would have made sure that every single member in this Pack and Out, knows the beast that you are. And also know, that their beloved Alpha was the same beast who had murdered the previous Alpha and Luna. How do you see that?"

He spoke all in a breath, this time, our chests heaving in anger.

"You wouldn't dare," I warned. He knew all about it. I knew that, but how he came to found out, i still couldn't tell.

"Oh, I would. Not just right now." He grabbed his bag, took a step backward, eventually turning his back on me and walking off.

My hands ran through my hair in frustration, the effrontery of his words, gnawing at me.

He must have a lot of guts if he thought he could threaten me with the past. My hands punched the closest wall in anger. Again, and again, the echo of his words rang in my ears, fueling my rage until I couldn't feel my hands any longer.

I was standing just close to the door and as I shook my head slightly, my eyes sighted Kai, standing a few distance from me.

The look on his face was a confused one, and I frowned.

"How long have you been standing there?" I asked.

He didn't speak but rather kept on staring at me in a daze. My brows raised in query, "I asked you a question, Kai."

At the mention of his name, he seemed to get out of whatever trance he was in, blinking his eyes repeatedly.

I made my way to him, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Oh, um..nothing. I was just surprised. I saw..." He pointed back at the stairs, "I saw Klaus. Was confused why he was here all of a sudden, and then your reaction just now...."

I huffed, "That was simply Klaus being Klaus. You know how he gets."

Kai was quite acquainted with him as well, for the little time he was here before he left.

"Still the brother's rivalry?" He asked.

"Same old. Did you take care of the stuff?" I asked as I turned, heading to the door.

"Yep. All done. But...Speaking of Klaus. I just don't get it, Alpha," Kai spoke, coming after me, "I mean...what is so bad that could cause this..this unsolved rivalry... for years? He is your brother."

I pushed open the door, stepped out of the house, and walked toward the clinic.

"It is a long story, Kai. One which I shouldn't bore you with the details...."

I stopped suddenly, turning to him, "Your parents are here too. Mind telling me what this is all about?"

"What? My...they are here?"

"Of course they are. Didn't you invite them over for the mating ceremony?"

He frowned, seemingly confused, "No, I...I didn't. I was waiting for a go-ahead from you. You still haven't said anything about it, remember?"

He didn't know. "It wasn't you and definitely not me. Which leaves us with Ellie. She is getting on my last nerves, Kai, and how the fuck is she suddenly pregnant?"

"WHAT!!!" The expression on Kai's face was comical, and I shook my head.

"It's refreshing to know I wasn't the only one in the dark." I kept walking until I got to the clinic doors.

Kai was still in shock to say a word--he remained at the same spot.

"You coming or what?" I asked.

"Uh...I need to talk to Ellie. Just a moment." He said and quickly retreated to the mansion.

I nodded, making my way into the hospital, and heading straight to her room.

Opening the door slightly, I saw her lying sideways on the bed, her back facing the door from which I stood.

I made my way to her, going over to the side as I observed her. There was a drip attached to a stand above the bed and her eyes were closed, making her look peaceful.

I took a seat at the edge of the bed, watching her for a while.

The scenario earlier in the room played in my mind. How upset she was, and the hate in her eyes as she glared at me.

Her hazel-shaped eyes. The same eyes that drew me to her the very first day we met.

Same eyes as that of Amber.