Farewell.

Xander Larue Nile.

Thing about life, it was unpredictable, it twisted, it turned and when you didn't expect it, without ever planning, you get flipped over and you're to start all over again, but it's in the setbacks that make us who we are, atleast that's what my parents believe, my older brother believes you just need to course correct, keep your optimism and push foward, their words molded me into who I am, with the many mistakes I've made. I wouldn't be myself if it weren't for it. A lot has happened before I even reached twenty, my parents, my family, they've helped me through it, and it's become me, like alpha Cornell said.

"I thought I'd find you in here." Jude mutters as he walks into the office I was in, a smile breaks out on my face as I stand up from the office chair and rush to hug him. "Whoa, what's going on?" He chortles as I hug him even tighter, there was a reason I was hugging him as if I were to lose him tomorrow. "Don't tell me you're getting in as many hugs as you can before I leave." He mumbles and I nod still holding onto him. "Oh my sweet Larue." He whispers as he hugs back even tighter. "I mean, do you even have to go?" I question and he chuckles slightly looking up at me. "Yes, I have to, my time as alpha has come to an end, yours has just begun." He replies as we part, instead of sitting down we walk toward the far wall where he traces his fingers on all the awards he won as a business entrepreneur, as an outstanding citizen of SandBury.

"I need to find more, here it feels like I'm limiting myself." He explains and I frown. "But I—we need you here, you know we're clueless without you." I assert referring to our siblings. "That I know, but I can't keep showing you the way and not let you make your own mistakes, you need to grow without me there to keep you on the straight and narrow, and I've trained you, taught you and given you everything that you'll ever need to be successful, you only need to use it." He exclaimed as he pushed back long, full and straight strands of raven hair back past his shoulder. My brother was unlike anyone in the pack, he was an alpha, as cruel as he was beautiful, no one could rival his beauty, maybe our dad, he was a strong leader, the smartest wolf I knew, before he used brawn, he used brains and that's how the Hollow Creek had come to be a powerful pack, fully able to cater for the many wolves in the pack, in conclusion, he was gorgeously amazing.

I maybe be infatuated with him, but right now. "So leaving will lead to whatever you're looking for?" I skeptically asked and he narrowed his eyes on me, it still strikes fear in me. "Im leaving so that everyone wont compare you to me, I know a few wolves will plus I need to discover, that chair, the alpha title its repressive, Id rather grow." He explains yet again but I was just being stubborn, I just couldn't handle him going but I had to concede. "I know." I blurted out and he smiled. "Don't worry so much love, I'm not going to be alone, the kids will be with me." He informed and that marginally made me feel better, he was the better parent, I loved my son, I did but with the responsibility on my shoulders, I needed to balance that and not fail him as a father.

"That's reassuring." I said and he snickered. "I know it is, you and the family think if I go too far you'll lose me, which isn't true." He asserts flicking my forehead with his fingers, he knew I hated it yet he still did it, I was going to miss it. "So when does your flight leave?" I asked and he sighed. "Tonight." He mumbled and my shocked gasp wasn't dramatic at all. "I thought you said you'd leave in a few days." I argued and he gave me that sad I'm sorry face. "I know, but its necessary." He tries to explain as I flop down on the large couch in the office. "Don't be like that." He whines but I remain silent. This couldn't be goodbye, it just couldn't. "Im not ready." I whisper as tears burn my eyes, he notices the moment the first tear falls and wipes it away quickly.

"Growing up means accepting that no one is going to shield you from all the horrible things in life, it means letting go of what you hold dear, watching it soar then watching it come back to you in the most beautiful and dramatic of ways." He explains placing kisses on my face like he did with Oya his daughter and my son, like I said he's a good parent and he managed to make me feel completely better. "I have to let you go, don't I?" I ask and he nods. "I will be a call away, and soon I will be back, you won't even notice I left." He ressures but I would notice, we all would notice. Jude was that one person you felt absent, his presence alone was powerful, dominant and comforting, he commanded the room and made you feel loved even when you couldn't love yourself, I could only hope to be like him as alpha.

"You'll be great as alpha sweetheart, I know you will, now come on, everyone's waiting." He exclaims and I wondered what they were waiting for. We make our way out of the office, then the pack house itself, everyone greeted us, waved or bowed, I still didn't get the bowing part, no one ever asked for it, they just did it. "Hey you're here!" Marquis yells as Alexis trails behind him equally beaming with a smile. "You're both late." Jude asserts and they wave it off. "You're late too, we've been waiting, everyone they are here!" My fourth sibling Durant yells as he runs up to us giggling, he wasn't the youngest, the twins were, and you could always find them with pops, like now, glued to the hip.

"Family picnic." Jude finally announced and I realized what it was, we hadn't really spent time together since I became alpha, and with Jude leaving, we had to get together, I truly needed this. "What are you kids waiting for?" Dad asks heels clicking on the walkway, he will always be a true beauty, even after having so many kids. "My baby." He fusses over me messing up my hair. "Dad." I whine making everyone else laugh. "You look crappy, and you've been lacking a bit of sun, today you'll get a lot more, all of you!" He announces leading the way back to where they had set up. "Whose a big boy." I hear Jude making my son Kaya laugh whilst tickling him, he was never a mistake in my eyes, he was my everything.

"Uncle Jude staaaaph." He laughs harder trying to get away, when he finally does, he runs to me, I always see parts of his mother and my pops in him, a lot of dad though, he's definitely got his sass. Even if the years had gone by with a really big family, Marquee Nile, has never made us feel any less loved, rather the opposite, he's the best papa there is, I should know, most people say I'm his spitting image, although I have my dad's eyes, the whole family does. "So you ready kiddo?" He comes over to me and asks, whilst Trent one of the twins leaps away from dad to me. "I'm not but I have to let him go, he needs this." I reply pops who nods with a bright smile. "Finally you've gotten it, we'll miss him though." Alexis stated as he nudged my shoulder, I nudged him back as we got to the picnic grounds where the one surprise I didn't expect, was waiting.

"Isnt this a pleasant surprise." He stated as we all stood in shock watching him. "You're here." Dad asserts with a smile but it was tight and his eyes were definitely hard, he could easily attack him. "Hello mister Nile, how are you?" He replies just as Cornell and his family run over to us. "Valentino." He growls as he stood up menacingly, I knew I had to step up, before this escalated.

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Saint_Jay