Return of Shane
Adams’ POV
“Shane!” We all exclaimed, except Lilith, who looked on, confused.
Shane, our older brother, is back.
Our father had five sons, with Shane topping the list and me being the youngest.
He was strong, powerful, short-tempered, and he had a destructive personality. After Ronan’s father was killed, my father was so heartbroken, he didn’t have the mind to select another Beta.
He was grieved for a while and the pack matters almost slipped from his hands till Shane took over and turned things around.
His name was heavy in the mouths of the people as he was a no-nonsense leader. People were scared of him, even we, his brothers, never stood before his presence without trembling.
A few times, Ben tried to challenge his authority, being the next after him, but he always met his Waterloo.
Speaking of Ben, his lips quivered as he stared at Shane and, for the first time in a while, he didn’t have that weird smile on his face.
Raoul had raised himself slightly from the table, resting on his elbows with his blood-covered face.
Bartholomew was also shocked by Shane’s presence and shivered on the spot despite the facade of calmness he tried to pull up
Shane looked at every one of us with his blue eyes which glowed brightly whenever his wolf was out.
He was way older than everyone of us, but he looked the youngest with his muscular features and his smooth face.
He was the first choice as a king and everyone anticipated his reign after our father. It came as a shock, however, when he suddenly disappeared from the pack after our father’s announcement, only to return now.
I became worried as different questions swirled around my head. Why was he back after all these years? Did he also want the throne?
If he was indeed here for the throne, then I stood no chance as he was extremely powerful for me.
When we were younger, I had so much admiration for him. He doted on me too, shielding me from Ben and the others whenever they picked on me.
He had once beaten Bartholomew for my sake when he hid a special gift our father bought for me on one of his trips.
I cried for weeks as everyone searched the mansion but couldn’t find it, only for it to be seen under Bartholomew’s bed one night, as a maid went to drop his food for him.
Ever since then, my respect for him has tripled, but our relationship went down the drain when my father announced me as the next Alpha after him.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.
On the day he left, it was raining heavily. I ran to him and held his hands, begging him to stay. He had a terrible aura around him as anger lingered in his eyes.
He had kicked me away and warned me to stay away from him. Before the official announcement, my father called him into his room, and they were there for hours.
He came out angrily and vetted the anger on everyone that came near him.
I was pained after he left, and knelt in the rain, crying terribly for hours till some guards dragged me back inside on the orders of my father.
Seeing him again brought back old memories and I couldn’t help but tear up.
He moved closer to the table, towards Raoul and stretched his hand to touch his face. Raoul didn’t dare to move, as his face could graduate from the beautifully messy situation it was now to another much worse.
Shane touched Raoul’s face and examined his jaw amidst whimpers of pain from him.
“The next time you pick a fight with a man, see to it that it is someone you can defeat. I would kill you myself if what happened here repeats itself.
Everyone remained silent as we watched him walk around the room, staring at every corner and piece of furniture.
He got to where Lilith was and stood before her. I could hear her breathing shakily and her heartbeat racing.
“My queen,” he bowed slightly, extending his hand to her for a shake. She accepted his hand, he placed a kiss on the back of her palm before letting go of his grip on it. “I am sorry that I was unable to attend your wedding, I just didn’t feel like coming home then. It’s a pleasure to meet you, you are even more beautiful than I heard.”
I saw Lilith smile as she bowed her head down, her cheeks turning red. If it were any other person that said those words to her, I would have begun to boil, but knowing the kind of person Shane was, I just couldn’t bring myself to get angry.
He left Lilith’s side and moved towards me, maintaining eye contact. I was scared as he finally stood before me, not knowing what to expect.
Since he had been long gone, I didn’t know the type of person he still was. Standing before me was a totally different man from whom I used to know.
Who knows if he was still the brother I once adored or someone who was here to contend with me for the throne.
My heart hammered against my chest as the seconds passed by, each like a nail, drilled into my body, causing me emotional pains.
It came as a surprise, not just to me, but to everyone, as he pulled me in for a very tight embrace.
Everyone gasped and whimpered as their faces had all manner of displeased expressions on them.
“I missed you little brother, I’m sorry I left in the first place.” I heard him sniffle behind my back, his hands tightening the grip on my neck. “Was he crying?” I asked myself, surprised by his actions.
I tried to be strong and not also cry, but my emotions proved to be stronger, and I let it all out, reeling in our memories, inhaling his strong abstract scent.
He released me and rubbed the back of my head, his eyes still moist from the tears. “You’ve grown up kid, too bad I missed your transition from a boy to the man that you are now.”
“Well, you are here now,” I replied with a shaky voice, we have all the time in the world, right?
He didn’t reply. Rather, sadness descended heavily on his face.
“Shane… right?” I asked again if he hadn’t heard the first time.
“I… I’m sorry, but I can’t stay, Adams. I only came to deliver dad’s last message to you all before he died. The terrible memories of this place will continually haunt me. Staying would only make things worse.”
“But… I…”
“Don’t try to change my mind, Adams, it won’t work. I’ve decided, either you like it or not,” he said, cutting me off.
He left me and went to where Ronan stood and extended his hand for a handshake. Ronan took it and he gripped his hands firmly. “Keep protecting my brother, I believe you are up to the task.”
Ronan nodded and bowed slightly.
“Why have you come, Shane? It couldn’t be just some message you didn’t say all these years,” Ben asked. “We all thought you were… dead.”
Shane looked at him and shook his head. “You will never change, Ben, never. Tell me, is that what you all thought or is that what you thought?”
Ben remained silent and didn’t speak anymore. Knowing who Shane was, he picked offense at the slightest things and could cause a lot of damage, depending on his level of anger.
“In my father’s former room, now! All of you, including Ronan. My queen,” Shane said, turning to Lilith, “I’m afraid, I’ll have to borrow your husband for a while, he’ll join you soon.”
She smiled and turned to me. “I’ll be in our room, my love.” She began to walk up the stairs, towards the room till she was out of sight.
Shane left after her, and it remained just the rest of us in the dining room, staring at each other. What exactly did my father tell him? What were we to expect?