"Black." An elbow dug into his ribs. "Wake up." Blake ordered, standing over him, folding his arms. "It's time for dinner-. Wait." He peered down at the other Alpha. "Have you been crying?"

"Shove off." Black scowled, wiping away the water from his eyes. "It's just my allergies."

"You don't have allergies."

"I have an allergy to your presence." He grumbled, pushing the cover back from his rumpled clothes, yawning as he climbed out of bed. "Now be quiet and show me where the hell we're eating."

"Someone sure is moody..." Blake muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Blake said, leading the tired and extremely confused Alpha to Stonewall Castle's dining room. "Come on, Black."

"I'm coming."

A green-eyed blonde leant over his shoulder. "That's what she said." He whispered, a wide grin stretching across his face.

"Blaze." Black growled. "I'm in no mood to be dealing with you right now."

Blaze patted him on the back. "Come on, Blackie. I know you're not allowed to drink anymore, but you could at least try to have a bit of fun... Do something to take your mind off the fact you can't drown your sorrows in a bottle of vodka..."

"Leave me alone." Black grumbled, striding into the dining room, quickly taking a seat behind a steaming plate of spaghetti Elder Gray had no doubt cooked. He polished off his plate before any of the other residents of Stonewall Castle had arrived, picking up a set of car keys from the hook on the wall.

"Where are you going?" Blake glanced sideways at him.

"To visit my mother." He said, closing his eyes. "There's no harm in that, is there?"

"Want me to come with you?"

"No." His shoulders sunk. "This is something I have to do for myself."

***

Black smiled as he entered the white room, holding a bunch of flowers in one hand. "Evening, mum." He said, placing the calla lilies in the vase by her bedside, removing the old dried flowers from his last visit. "I hope the nurses are treating you well..." He closed his eyes, pulling the slipping shoulder of his mother's robe back over the old knife scar on her shoulder. "How've you been?"

There was no answer.

There never was.

It never failed to bring tears to Black's eyes as he sat down next to his mother by the window, where she sat, staring out blankly across the small forest at the edges of the small city of Hereis, a short drive from the city of Stonewall. His fingers wove through her own, squeezing her limp hand gently.

Black had lost count of the number of years she'd been in here. It was always the same every time. He had hope the first few times. Maybe she'd change. Maybe she'd get better. Slowly, though, that hope had faded over the years as his mother's condition had stayed the same.

She didn't even recognise her own son anymore.

And there was nothing he could do, except visit and talk at her, all the while knowing she'd never be his mother again. Her mind was too far gone. Scattered in pieces after what his father had done over the years.

He hadn't deserved to die for what he'd done, though.

Black knew that, and he hated himself for it every day. He'd pushed his father off that bridge, literally, even though he hadn't been there in person.

Alpha Eyes.

An ability he'd been born with. A gift that was given to him by Flix, the God of Fate, exactly like it'd been given to the other Alphas the moment they were born. It made them what they were. Leaders of the Pack.

Alpha Eyes were supposed to be the symbol of a Leader, and yet they held a terrifying other power. One which Black had used that night in his rage. One which he'd sworn never to use again.

The power to strip others of their free will.

The overall effect varied from person to person, and it weakened the less the person was connected to the pack. The effects also depended on how strong the individual's Alpha Eyes were. The stronger the Alpha Eyes, the easier it was to control people with a simple command.

The Elders had taught them to only use that particular power in extreme emergencies.

It had been drilled into them repeatedly, and if they broke that rule, then the consequences were always severe.

Black had never experienced those consequences. After he'd found out about those eyes, he'd sworn to never to strip another person of their free will again.

He'd already killed one person with them.

One too many.

Tears leaked down his face, his hands curling into fists as he walked out of the door, slamming his hand into the wall, not caring as he heard a small snap.

***

"You'd better call someone to pick you up." The bartender stared down at the blonde slumped against the counter, a dozen or so empty glasses piled up in front of him. "You can't drive home in that state."

"I can and I will." Black slurred, scowling as his car keys were pulled out from his grasp.

"Call someone."

"Never." He grumbled, cursing internally when he remembered Rylan's threat. "I'll just walk." He said, staggering to his feet, blinking when he collapsed back onto the chair. Black swore. "Fine. Can you call me a taxi?"

"Why are you so adamant about not calling a friend or a relative?" The man questioned, staring down at the buzzing mobile Black had left on the counter. "Some guy named Rylan is calling you at this godforsaken hour." He said, picking up the phone, answering it before Black could tell him not to.

"Hello?" The bartender spoke cautiously.

"Who is this?" Rylan's voice reached Black as he lay sprawled out across his chair.

"Your friend here, Black, I believe, needs a ride home." He said, ignoring the Alpha King's question.

Rylan's shoulders sunk. "Where is he?"

"The Oakland Bar, 21 Hemming Street, Hereis." He replied, glancing down at the blonde as tears leaked down his face. "Are you going to come and pick him up? I can call a taxi for him, if you'd like. Just tell me where to send him."

"I'm on my way." Rylan sighed. "Tell him I'll be there in twenty."

"Sure thing." The bartender nodded, putting Black's phone down as the call ended. "You hear that? Your friend is coming to get you in twenty."

"You idiot." Black muttered. "If I'd got a taxi, at least I might've been able to get away with it... Now that bloody Alpha King is going to throw me in a cell for God knows how many days until I sober up." He flopped forwards on the bar. "I hate letting that idiot down... It makes me feel a bit inferior, y'know?"

"You mean..." The man blinked. "That was Alpha King Rylan on the phone?!"

"Duh." Black mumbled. "And I'm Alpha Black. The notoriously drunk Alpha. Nice ta meet ya."

Silence fell across the empty bar, the bartender simply washing all of Black's glasses without another word.

True to his word, Rylan arrived twenty minutes later, nodding at the bartender once before he took Black's car keys, handing them over to the grey-eyed blonde who'd arrived with him.

"Oh, Black." Blake mumbled, staring at the other Alpha who was currently being helped to his feet by Rylan.

"Drive his car back." The Alpha King ordered, placing Black in the passenger seat of his own car. "I'll follow you shortly."

"Kay." Blake sighed, driving away in Black's car.

Rylan climbed behind the wheel, leaving the key in the ignition as he strapped both himself and Black in before he spoke. "Why?"

"Does it matter?"

Pale blue eyes met his dark brown ones. "To me? Yes." He said. "I'm not driving back without an explanation."

"I wanted to forget." Black shrugged, knowing the stubborn man would keep his word, exactly like he was going to keep his other promise. Rylan would never break a promise. It was one of the many things Black had learnt over the years about the black-haired Alpha King.

"Forget what?"

"You know damn well what." Black scowled. "How could you not?!"

"The fact that you forced your father to jump off a bridge?" Rylan asked, watching as tears poured down his face. "Or the fact that your mother probably doesn't even know who you are anymore?"

"Both." Black said, his voice coming out a broken whisper.

"It wasn't your fault."

Black laughed.

A hysterical broken laugh.

"Of course it was my fault!"

"Let me rephrase that then." Rylan said, turning the car lights on. "It wasn't entirely your fault. You weren't to know what you were doing. The Elders didn't find you quick enough. They didn't explain what the Alpha Eyes are capable of..." He rested both hands on the wheel. "Take your portion of the responsibility, but don't try to take it all."

"Easy for you to say."

"I'll have Finar come and talk to you once we've got you settled in your new room." He sighed, rolling out of the car park, accelerating back up the hill. "He seems to be better at calming you down than the rest of us." Rylan said, glancing over at the sullen man. "Let me know if you're going to be sick."

Black scowled. "Sure thing, Ry."

-----

ILLENIS HERE

You may be thinking that Black would never have touched alcohol with a ten foot pole after what happened to his parents because of it, but don't forget that curiosity is a dangerous thing. In essence, he likes getting drunk because it helps him to forget his miserable life.

Just thought I'd mention that.

See ya.

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