ARES

"What do you mean he's gone?" I snarled at the council, my sister sitting on her elevated chair like it was a real life throne "Where the hell is he?" 

There were murmurs all around me but I didn't care what they had to say. 

"Prince Orion..." Alpha Christian of the Nevada Pack, began, clearing his throat "Has informed us, rather late, that he has some business to attend to regarding some leads that could potentially affect our Pack." 

"And I don't suppose the Council knows what this said business is?" I asked dryly. 

"Ares..." Kassi said softly "That information is strictly confidential."  

I growled in frustration and a few wolves in the front row bristled. 

"If I may..." Alpha Douche interrupted from his seat in the second row "If you wish to know more about your brother's whereabouts Little Prince, than I would have suggest that you..." 

"Finish that sentence and I will rip your tongue from your abnormally small head and shove it up your remarkably large ass." 

I heard Kaden's muffled laughter and Rhys discreet cough to cover up his laugh. 

Kassi hid her smile behind a piece of paperwork, no doubt the schedule for the day. 

Alpha Douche flushed red and stood in outrage "How dare-!" 

I waved him away and focused my attention on my sister  "You're dismissed." 

Kassi stood and clapped, drawing back the attention from the loud whispers in the room. 

"How about we call it a day?" she suggested politely "Shall we?" 

A majority of the Alphas nodded and filed out of the Council room, murmuring amongst themselves. 

Kaden stood from his seat and stretched his arms high above his head. 

"Thank god" he cracked his neck "If I had to listen to another one of those geezers talk about their financial problems, or lack of funds, I would have jumped out the window." 

I glanced at him "There isn't any windows in here." 

"There would be" he grinned at me "Once my body made an outline of where it should be when I jumped." 

Kassi snickered. 

"Talking about geezers" Rhys said dryly "Are you up there in age old man? How old are your kids now? Twenty-one? Thirty?" 

Kaden scoffed "My kids are nine and twelve." 

"Practically twenty-six in my book" Rhys snickered "Which makes you sixty." 

Kaden rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair "I'm fitter and more handsome than you'll ever be in your life lover boy." 

"You wish" Rhys snorted and then stopped suddenly, squinting at Kaden "Oh my god...is that a grey hair?" 

Kaden's head snapped to Rhys "I do not." 

Rhys shrugged "If you don't believe me, see for yourself." 

Kaden leaned over and grabbed his phone from his back pocket. 

I peaked over and saw him opening his camera app. 

I smirked and snickered quietly to myself. 

Vain bastard. 

"Can we get back to the topic at hand?" I asked, my tone raised to cover Kaden's shout of outrage. 

"Ares this is the first time that I can't tell you what I know" Kassi sighed and sat back in her throne like chair "I'm sorry." 

I narrowed my eyes at her "You don't know where he's at, do you?" 

"What makes you say that?" she narrowed her eyes right back at me. 

"Because you're my sister and I know when you're lying" I said "You get that wobbly tone in your voice when you're not quite sure about what you're saying." 

"I know where our brother is at" she raised her chin "I am the Queen after all and it would be quite irresponsible if I didn't know where my own brother, the Prince of Wolves, was at all times." 

"He took off without a word, didn't he?" 

"Oh big time" Rhys blurted out when Kassi said nothing "You sister freaked when she found out he left." 

"RHYS!" Kassi yelled. 

"Then how did he inform the other Alphas of his "Mission?" 

"It wasn't really like "He" inform them" Rhys winced "It was more like...we informed them." 

I looked at him "You pretended to be Orion?" 

"He sounded like Orion smoked fifty packs of cigarettes, chugged the taste down with Whiskey, yelled at a Rave, and then made the phone call." 

I cracked a smile at Kaden's vivid description of how Rhys call went. 

Kassi stood from her throne chair "I'm sorry Ares." 

My smile dimmed "I need to talk to him." 

"I know you do" she grabbed my shoulder in a sisterly gesture "And that's why I sent some scouts to find him." 

I gave her a droll look "You really think they'll find him?" 

"I sent two of my best trackers after him" she said indignantly "They should be able to find him." 

"Should being the optimal word big sister" I grabbed her hand "You know he's more Hunter than Wolf these days." 

"Grandpa did train him well" she sighed "I guess it's hard for him to shake those instincts." 

"He's only shifted four times since we've found him" I mentioned "Once to show you what he was, once to help me shift, once to help in the War, and the last one was to show he truly was a Dimitriou Heir." 

"He was locked in a house with a Hunter anti-shifting chain constantly around his neck to hid his identity" Kassi defended "Can't really blame him for relying more on his Hunter Instincts than his Wolf ones." 

I sighed, knowing that riling my sister up wouldn't be healthy for my niece/nephew. 

"I know, I'm sorry" I hugged her "Just call me when the Scouts find him." 

I let her go and turned toward the door, beginning my long trek. 

"Where are you going?" Kassi called out after me. 

"Dinner plans" I said, wincing "With Mom." 

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕

"That was a lovely dinner Mrs. Dimitriou" Madi said sweetly as she helped my mother cut the dessert "I can't believe I ate that much." 

Mom beamed at my Mate "I'm glad you liked." 

They began chattering away in the kitchen and I smiled, happy that my Mom wasn't being her usual overexcited self. 

My dad was bouncing Mars in his lap, looking down at him in wonder. 

"I forgot what it was like to hold one of these" Dad said softly "The last time I did, you sister puked on me." 

 "Be glad he hasn't puked on you yet than" I grinned "The kid spews stuff at rapid speed. From both ends." 

Mars let out a delightful squeal at that exact moment which made my grin widen. 

Dad looked at me with tears in his eyes "I'm sorry Ares." 

I gave him a quizzical look "For what?" 

"For not being there when you were born" he said sorrowfully "For not holding you the way I should have. For not showing you our traditions sooner." 

I softened "It's not your fault Dad." 

"But it is" he choked out "I should have been stronger. I should have been smarter. I should have known they would have come after me eventually." 

Mars whimpered, picking up on my Dad's somber mood. 

"You couldn't have known Dad" I said, plucking Ares from my Dad and bouncing him in my lap, "You couldn't have known what those delusional bastards were planning." 

Mars giggled as I tickled his smushy tummy. 

Dad cleared his throat and discreetly wiped his eyes "You're good with him, you know." 

"Am I?" I smiled as Mars grabbed my face "Sometimes I feel like I don't know what I'm doing." 

Dad laughed "Welcome to Parenting 101 Son." 

I laughed. 

"Sometimes I'm worried I'm going to break him" I admitted "Or not be the father he deserves." 

"You're already a better father than I was." 

 "Why do you say that?" 

He opened his mouth to explain further when a knock sounded on the door. 

I looked at him "Were you expecting company?" 

He gave me a look. 

"No, no we weren't."