The Missing Beta

Chapter 5

~Eddie~

I'm not sure how I did that. How the hell did I speak to my son without pulling him into my arms and never letting go? Every fiber in my body has been begging me to do just that. It wasn't just me; my wolf Jett was begging me to do it. He knows his pup even after all this time.

I have Shawna's hand tightly in mine; our mate bond is swirling with our feelings. “Did Sable recognize him?” Shawna's sharp intake of breath gives me the answer I'm looking for.

“Yes, she did. She said that Jett did too.” I nod in agreement. “She said she couldn't feel Dario. Do you think he's still there?”

“I believe he is. He still smells like a high-ranking wolf. Maybe we need to just find where he was buried.” I'm getting ahead of myself. There’s no guarantee this will go past us seeing his place today. I need to reel it in and remain calm.

Aston was right when he said he wasn't far from here. I don't like the look of this neighborhood, though. It's clear that he's barely surviving, and that doesn't sit well with me. The area looks seedy, and the apartment complex looks more than run down.

We park on the street and brace ourselves for being out in this mess. “Keep your distance, but stay alert. If anything seems amiss, mindlink me immediately.”

“Yes, Beta.” My door opens, and I step out of the car. I hold my hand out for Shawna and help her out of the car as well. We turn around to find Aston waiting for us. Walking up to him, we stand around for a minute, looking nervous. This is an awkward situation for all of us.

“S-, uh, As-, uh,” Shawna chuckles nervously, and I rub her back to help soothe her. “What do we call you?”

“I go by ‘A’. A Smith.” I swallow my chuckle. He doesn't know who he is, but some things are coming to him naturally. He turns and leads us to a downstairs apartment with paint peeling off the door.

When he opens the door and walks in, he stands to the side so we can enter. I let Shawna go in first and almost run into her. She's stopped in her tracks, and I feel panic through the bond. I push her a little and stumble the rest of the way in. My eyes land on the room in front of us, and I get her panic.

This isn't an apartment; it's just a room. This is a studio, and that's being generous. There's barely a kitchenette rather than a full kitchen. There are two doors; I can only guess that one is the bathroom and the other is a closet. There's a misshapen Queen-sized mattress against the far wall. The carpet is a dingy brown and is barely hanging on. The walls look like they haven't been painted in years. I will say that the space is neat and tidy. One thing about Aston is he didn't allow the Omegas to wait on him. He didn't hesitate to take care of things himself if need be. “I know it isn't much, but this is where I live.”

“How long have you been here?”

“About two years.”

“Uh, and what do you do?” I know this is eating Shawna alive, and I can hear it in her voice.

“I'm in construction.” Of course, he is. That makes sense for a werewolf living in the human world.

Shawna and I look around the room, not really knowing what to do next. There are no personal touches here: no pictures or decor pieces. This is the place of a lonely man, and the thought of my son living like this makes my heart hurt. “How do you know me?” Shawna and I look at each other. We were conflicted when we discussed this question coming up. We couldn't decide what the best course of action would be. So many things could go wrong, and we don't want to isolate him any further than he's already been. “Please. Sit down and tell me. How do you know me?”

~‘A’~

I can see the turmoil in their eyes as they look at each other. I know this could blow up in my face, but I need to know what this feeling is that I feel when they are near. It feels like there's a familiarity between us, and it hurts because I can't recall it. I can't remember either one of them. The fact that he looks like me is pushing me over the edge.

She sighs and takes a seat on my bed. I know there's nothing here, and they are probably used to way better surroundings, but this is all I have. I couldn't take having this conversation in front of a bunch of strangers.

I watch her pull on the man's hand, and he plops beside her. They look at each other, and that weird eye thing happens again. Their eyes clear up, and they look at us. She clears her throat with a determined look on her face. “I'm Shawna Banks, and this is Eddison Wiley. We…. you….” She sighs and closes her eyes. A tear escapes, and something in me wants to wrap my arms around her. I shake my head, not understanding where this feeling is coming from.

“I'm just going to jump right in. We know you as Aston Wiley. You're our son.” I gasp, and I feel like I can't take another breath. It literally feels like I'm suffocating. This would explain why he and I look so much alike. It doesn't explain where they have been and how I ended up in this situation.

I start to feel lightheaded with the lack of oxygen coming into my body. My head is buzzing, and I'm finding it hard to make out any noises other than my beating heart. The last thing I remember is Shawna running over to me before the darkness takes over.

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I open my eyes, blinking several times. My eyes focus on the big, ugly yellow stain on my ceiling. I have no idea where it's from. I remember how many times I've laid here, staring at that very stain since I moved here.

I feel a presence on both sides of me. I look to my left and see Eddison sitting there, and Shawna is on my right. I move to sit up, and a damp cloth drops from my forehead. “What happened?”

“I think we overwhelmed you with the news. Are you okay?” Shawna places a hand on my forehead. I touch her hand and remove it.

“So, you are my parents? Where have you been all this time? How did I end up here?” Shawna drops her head, and Eddison moves closer.

“We don't have a lot of answers to your questions, but we can tell you what we do know. The last time we saw you, you were on your way out to an ice cream date.”

“I had a girlfriend?”

“Uh, you were working on it. Anyway, you never made it to her house. You were snatched on the way and we couldn't find you.” I was kidnapped? That's not at all what I thought they would say.

“How long have I been away?” Shawna whimpers and wraps her arms around me. Eddison looks away. I touch his arm, causing him to look at me again. “How long?” He sighs and closes his eyes.

“You've been gone for four years since you were 18.”