Alessio's POV

"Mate." I said as I finally got a good look at his eyes.

'Our mate is so sexy.' My wolf Dominic said

'He is not our mate! He killed our pack members as well as other wolves. He deserves to rot here.' I told him as I continued to stare at Nassir. He sniffed the air as he stared at me. Then he smiled.

"You are called Alessio, correct? You smell very...pleasing. I wonder how you would taste." He said as he started walking closer to me.

'If it means I get to touch your sexy ass, I wouldn't mind if you-' Dominic started

'Shut up you horny wolf!'

Before Nassir reached me, Antone stepped in front of him. Let's just say that my wolf was more than a little frustrated.

"19, you can't eat him." He said

"Why?"

"Because he came here in order to get you out of this place. You owe it to him to not eat him. "

"Owe?" Nassir said with an incredulous look on his face. "You are mistaken, Antone. I did not ask for him to do this, therefore I owe him nothing. Also, you people seem to think that I am coming with you somewhere. I'm staying here."

"Why? Didn't you want...desire to see the outside?"

"Before you told me about it, I did not know that there was an outside." Nassir said as he stepped away from Clara, reached for his side, and pulls out the dagger that Thayer used to stab him.

"I have no purpose for this life of mine. Not anymore. My only purpose was to kill Thayer, the person who has restrained me and brought pain to me. But now he is dead." He said with a swish of his tail

"But you do have people who care for you. Me, Antone, and Barin. You are important to us. To me especially. Please, I don't want to be without you again." Clara said as she walks up to him and hugged him.

I watched as he just stood there. He was going to push her away but then he started swaying before suddenly collapsing to the ground.

'Mate! Go help mate you worthless human!' Dominic yelled at me. I just blocked him since I'm not in the mood for him.

"Nassir! Oh my God are you alright?" Clara asked him as Barin and Antone ran over to see him.

As soon as they were within range of him, he got into attacking position and snarled at them. He could barely hold himself up.

"Get away from me." He growled out. Barin and Antone stepped back while Clara slowly walked towards him.

"Calm down. We are not here to hurt you. We just want to help you." She said

"I wish you would leave me alone."

"That is not happening. I'm not moving until you agree to come with us." Clara said as she stubbornly sat down in front of him.

"So you will not leave me be?" He asked after ten minutes of silence.

"No. I won't."

"Stubborn female. Fine. I will go with you." He said as he tried, and failed, to get up.

"Settle down. Let one of us carry you." Clara suggested

Nassir looked up at us and quickly shook his head in disagreement.

"No. I do not trust those males."

"Then let me carry you. You trust me right?"

"I do not trust you. However, I do not sense that you mean me harm." When he finished talking, his bones started breaking indicating his shift.

Once he was done, a black eagle with blue eyes was left. He was so beautiful and stood proudly.

'Female, reach out your arm.' He said in the mindlink.

She did as told and held out her arm. He jumped up onto her arm and climbed up until he was perched on her shoulder. She went to stand up but then winced as his talons dug into her shoulder.

'Hmmm. I guess females are more fragile than males.' Nassir said as he hopped off of her shoulder.

"No, you're fine. I was just surprised when your talons dug into me. And please stop calling me female."

'Then what should I call you?'

"You should call me Clara."

'Fine, Clara, I believe you will find this form more fitting for you.' He said as he shifted into a black panther cub with blood red eyes.

She bent down, picked him up, and placed him in her arms. She then proceeded to walk out of the room.

"I'll be outside." She said to us.

Once I was sure that she was out of hearing range, I turned towards Antone.

"When we get to the pack house, that monstrosity is going to go in the dungeons. If you've got a problem with that then you can join him. The only reason I'm not putting you in there to begin with is because you are Clara's mate."

"Then what about your mate Alessio? He is your mate so why are you locking him up?" Barin asked

"Because he killed our pack members! Or did you forget that and the fact that he is part of the Underworld and has killed hundreds of people both good and bad? I am not letting a dangerous person, such as him, walk around my pack."

"Don't do this bro. Clara is not the only person who is going to have a problem with this."

"If they have a problem, they can take it up with me. Until then my decision is final."

'What the hell are you doing you idiotic human?! He is our mate! You can't just treat him like some kind of criminal!' Dominic yelled at me.

'I can and I will. Just watch me.'

'Fine. If it is war you want, then it is war you will get.' And with that he cut off our link and went to the back of my mind while I shrugged off his words as a tantrum.

"Umm, Alpha? Beta?" Antone asked

"What do you want?" I answered him, irritated beyond belief

"There's some stuff in here that is really important and I can't carry it all by myself. Could you help me?"

"Sure, we'll help you." Barin said before I could get a word in

"And how, pray tell, are we going to help him? We ran here in our wolf forms. We don't have anything to carry his stuff in."

"Actually, I have a solution for that. Could you guys shift into your wolf while I go get the stuff?"
He said as he walked into the room that Nassir went into earlier.

Barin gave me one of his pissed off glares before he shifted. I just shook my head and shifted. A few minutes later, Antone came back with some rope and two large pieces of metal that looked like doors.

He took the rope and tied it loosely around our bodies. Then, he tied the rope to one of the holes in each door. One for me and one for Barin. When he was finished, he started piling books onto the doors. There were a lot of books. They not only came from the room that he went into but also the room across from it.

He looked from us to the room and then back to us. A minute later, he was walking out the first room with six pieces of metal and a welding torch. He welded the pieces of metal to the sides of the ones that held the books so that the books won't fall out. Then he went back into the room. Five minutes later, he came out of the room and went into the other one. Ten minutes later, a dark brown wolf came out carting what I believe to be the last of the books. He walked up to us and nodded his head.

'Antone? Are these all doors?' I asked out of pure curiosity

'Yeah. Why do you ask?'

'No reason. It's just...Why are there so many doors here?'

'Oh. That's because of 19. Or Nassir. He would sometimes break his chains and then breakdown the door. Thayer kept spares so that once he got Nassir chained up again he wouldn't have to worry about leaving to get a new one.'

'Ok. Well, let's go.'

Just as I said that, Clara came running into the room with tears running down her face.

'Clara, what's wrong?' I asked

"It's Nassir. He's barely breathing." She sobbed out

'And this is a problem why?' I asked

Clara just kept on crying on the floor while Barin and Antone glared at me. Antone walked over to her and put a paw on her back.

'Clara, he will be fine.'

"He will?"

'Yep. He is in a hibernetic state. It's where his body shuts down for a time in order to heal him. Wanna know how I know?' Antone said before he tried to take Nassir from Clara. Next thing we know, his claws are coming out and clinging to her.

'See? He's fine. Now, hop into the cart so I can take you home.'

Too distraught to say anything, she just nodded and climbed into his makeshift cart. I had nothing to say, so I just ran out of the room first with the others behind me.
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It took a while but we were finally back at our pack house. Me, Barin, and Antone dropped the books into Clara's room that her mate will be sharing with her. After that was done, we went our separate ways. Barin to his room and me to go say hi to my parents.

I walked down stairs and to the kitchen where I know my mom and dad would be.

"Mom. Dad. I'm back."

Next thing you know I'm being tackled by my mom. My father just laughs and takes her off of me.

"I'm so glad you're back in one piece and not injured. So what happened? You came back later than everyone else did." My mom questioned

"We found the leader of the Underworld and the one who killed our pack members on that raid five years ago." I said as I searched for food.

"Really? That's good."

"Yeah. But then, it turns out that the guy who killed our pack members was Clara's long lost son. However, before we figured that out, he killed Thayer, the leader. I told Barin that I'm going to throw the guy in the dungeons. Him and Antone, Clara's mate and the guy who called for the raid five years ago, didn't like that idea very much. What do you guys think?"

"There has to be more to his story. If he is indeed Clara's son then he has been with Thayer since he was a baby."

"Your mother is right. You should talk to him. Or this Antone fellow. He should know something." My father said

"You're right. I'll talk to them. Right after I put him in a cell."

"Alessio!" My mom and dad said together

"What? Don't tell me that you have forgotten what they did to my uncle. Your brother. I'll never forgive them."

"We haven't forgotten. But we know not to take it out on somebody else." My mom said as she cried and left the kitchen

"That was the wrong thing to say son." Father said before he went after my mother.

I just sighed as he left thinking over the fact how nothing is going right for me. Ever since I encountered him everything is upside down. Actually, now that I think about it, I need to put him in the dungeons. With my mind made up, I finish up my food and walk through the hallways to Clara's room. I knocked and told her that I was coming in.

When I walked in I saw Antone sitting in a chair on the side of the bed while Clara was in bed holding a shifted Nassir who was sleeping. His head was on her breasts and his hands were holding onto her like a lifeline.

"Is there something you need, Alpha? He just shifted back and we were about to wash him so we could take a look at his wounds."Clara asked

"There's no need to wash him since he's going to the dungeons." I said as I started getting closer to her

"What? Why? He hasn't done anything wrong."

"You and Barin. All caught up in the good that he has done but what about the bad? He killed and ate our pack members."

"That wasn't his fault!" She cried

"Then when I interrogate him, he should confess that and there will be no problem."

I grabbed him by the back of the neck and dragged him from her room to the dungeons with Clara screaming behind me.

Clara's POV

"How dare he take my son away from me." I cried into Antone's shoulder

"Shh. Everything will be just fine." He soothed and as an idea popped up in my head, I was assured that he was right.

'Daniel? Aline? Can you hear me?' I mindlinked the alpha couple

'We can hear you. What's wrong?' Daniel asked

'I request to be present at the interrogation of my son along with my second chance mate and yourselves as well.'

'I don't know Clare.'

'He is my son. I want to make sure that this is fair since Alessio has practically rejected him.'

'What do you mean rejected?' Aline asked

'He didn't tell you? My son, Nassir, is your son's mate.'

'Your request is granted.' Aline said at the same time as Daniel.

'Good. Because he just took him. Let's hurry.'

Once I was done talking with them, I told Antone what happened and he followed me down to the dungeons where we met with the alpha couple standing outside of a room. When I looked in, I saw my son with his arms in chains that were connected to the ceiling. The next thing I saw was Alessio carrying a bucket of water towards him.

"Is that water?" Antone asked a little fearfully which made us all turn to look at him

"Yes, it is."

"Oh no. This is bad. Really bad."

"What is so bad?" I asked

"19-"

"Nassir." I corrected him

"Nassir is deathly afraid of water."

With wide eyes, we all turned and watched as Alessio threw the water on Nassir. He instantly woke up screaming and thrashing. As he yanked on his chains, he tried to look around only to start screaming in pain.

"What's wrong with him? Alessio hasn't done anything yet."

"He doesn't have to. Ever since he was born he has never seen light. His eyes are not used to seeing light and as a result hurts him." Antone explained to me.

"Is there a reason for this?"Nassir snarled out at Alessio with his eyes closed

"You killed my pack members five years ago." Alessio said

"I don't know what a pack is and I don't understand what you mean when you say five years but I do remember killing people who carried the same scent as you and Barin."

"Why? They were innocent people who did nothing to you."

"Because they were food."

And with that answer, Alessio brought the metal nine section whip down on Nassir's back. It left a trail of blood on his back as he screamed out in pain.

"Why did you kill them?"

"They were my food. I'm sure Barin has told you about it. How I ate them in front of him."

Again and again, the pattern repeated. Alessio would ask him a question, Nassir would give him his answer, and Alessio would whip him multiple times. This cycle went on for so long. By the end of the interrogation, Alessio was out of breath and Nassir's back was a tattered mess.

I couldn't hold it in anymore and cried. Cried for the pain that my son was in. I could tell Alessio heard me when he whipped his head in my general direction. Of course, he couldn't see me since it's a one way window.

He turned to Nassir, told him that this wasn't over, and then left him there bleeding in the room. He walked out of the room and over to where we were standing.

"It had to be done." He said and I was pissed

"It had to be done?! Is that all you have to say for mutilating my son's back? Huh?!"

"It's punishment, Clara."

I couldn't help but slap him. His face was right there. It was asking for a high five. In the face. With a chair. But sadly there was not a chair near me so I just used my hand.

"Then get ready to recieve your punishment because my son is innocent! Just watch." I said as I stormed into the room alone.

When I got close to Nassir, he growled at me before getting a good sniff and stopping.

"Clara?"

"It's me. I'm here to help you. Will you let me?"

"At this point, I think you and Barin are the only ones who have not harmed me yet. Go ahead."

Once I had his consent, I quickly made my way over to him so I could unchain him. When I did, he fell to the ground with a hiss. I immediately flipped him over onto his stomach and laid his head in my lap.

"Tell me why it is that people who I don't even know cause me no harm?"

"Because we see something in you. We just don't know what it is yet." I said before I started crying

"Why are you crying?"

"Because I couldn't protect you. I never wanted this to happen." I sobbed out

"You're crying...for me?" He questioned.

I nodded my head instead of trying to speak. Next thing I know, he is slowly sitting up and facing me. He reached out his hand like he is in search of something until his hand meets my face. He cups it and wipes away my tears while giving me a sad smile.

"I don't know how to make you stop crying. However, I wish to tell you that you are the first who has said that they wish to protect me." He said as he wiped my tears before collapsing on my lap breathing heavily.

"Are you the same as him and want to know about the people that I've killed?" He asked when he got his breathing under control.

"I am curious but I will wait until you feel like talking."

For a moment, he didn't say anything. But then he said "I know you were watching what he was doing to me. I could hear you crying out there. Just as I told him I will tell you. I do remember killing people who had the same smell as him. And yes, I did, and still do, consider them food. What else am I supposed to think of them as? In the place that Thayer kept me, I was alone. Even when I was small, I was alone. I did not know other people existed. To feed me when I was small, he would bring me meat. Raw meat. As I got bigger and could fight, he placed me in a small space with another person after starving me. Then he told me that if I wished to eat, I would have to eat that other person. I knew that I could not keep my strength up without eating so I ate him. As I got larger, my body changed. Sharper teeth and a desire for blood. Eating people is all I know.

"So now you know. I ask that you treat me as you have because I have never felt this...warmth that you have given me. I'm always cold but you give me a pleasant feeling. Don't take it away...from......me." He said as he fell asleep.

I could do nothing but stroke his hair as I cried again. For his pain.

For his way of life.

For him.