Lockwood City: The Tale of Eloise

Fifteen

Lil Wayne ft. Eminem- Drop The World

Elias:

"I've never heard her talk to anyone like that," Victoria, Jax's mom steps into the study.

I've been standing here for a while now. Her words are running over and over in my head, suffocating me. I can't even begin to imagine what the weight of them must feel like to her. She's opening up to me but it doesn't feel like she's letting me in. No, if anything she's pulling away. Like she's making up an excuse to walk away from me.

"Can you check on her?" I ask, placing my hand on my chest. The storm is back. She's trying to block me out. No, she's trying to block herself out. All of her emotions. She doesn't want to feel them.

"Of course," she steps into me and places her hand on my head. "It's going to be okay, Elias. She was ready to leave that place. She's been ready. Just give her time,"

"Hey," Jax comes in after his mother excuses herself. "That was Chaos on the phone. We got to go,"

"Good," I whisper to myself and turn to face him. "Have someone come fix this s**t up,"

"Alright,"

"No one goes in that room. She's not going to come out of it the rest of the day,"

"I'll let my mom know," he nods.

This is my last attempt. Those were her exact words. They keep running in my head as I drive us to the clubhouse on Eastend. I look down at the tattoo on my left hand. She had been looking at it when we arrived at L.C. Tower yesterday. She knew what it meant. There's not a single person in Lockwood City that doesn't know what it means. She's a lot more aware than I thought she would be. I have no idea what it is I'm dealing with right now. What is she?

Phantom, Xander's right-hand man is waiting for us outside when we arrive.

"The fact that she knows him worries me," Jax admits. I look over at him as I park.

Worries him? I almost lost my s**t when she reached out to touch him like he meant the f*****g world to her. Like it was him, she had been searching for her entire existence. A part of me knows that she didn't mean it like that. That she was just glad to know she hadn't imagined him in that cell. The look in her eyes. He's real, she had repeated that over and over. I thought he had been you but he's real. God, I'd give anything to take that haunted look away.

What the hell was Xander doing in a cell next to her? I knew his dad had been a piece of s**t. What he had done to our mother said as much but to keep his heir in a cell? Why? What did that man do to him?

"He's waiting for you in his office," Phantom says when I pull the door open. "He just wants to talk,"

I pause and look back at Jax. I give him a nod so he stays outside. It's been a while since I've spoken to my brother. Ever since I stopped him from killing Tiffany. We divided everything between us and went our separate ways. Neither of us wanted to be caught dead in the other's presence. The fact that he called for me means he's going to want access to my mate. I don't know if I want him near her.

Yet, I know she's going to want to be near him. The smile on her face, the momentary peace he gave her. He was able to hold her in a way that didn't spark a violent reaction from her or her wolf. Xan is a master at masking his scent but he had let her find him. Letting her near him is going to hurt. A lot.

"Get out, Soph," he growls when I walk into the room.

His personal assistant looks up at me worriedly as she excuses herself. He doesn't look like he did yesterday. He has bruising all over his face. His lip is busted. His hands are resting on his desk. I can see the skin on his left hand is split open. He's been fighting again.

"What happened?" I ask sitting across his desk.

"Max," he looks up to meet my eyes. "He and his buddies raided the downtown bike shop. They were looking for a Z4. The red one you pushed through the city that morning,"

"s**t. That's my mate's car. She punked him for that G-Wagon," I sigh. He grins. It was pretty great seeing her get in his face like that. She's every bit the alpha her father is.

"She kept it?"

"She gave it to Tiff," I shake my head. Why did she do that? For me or does she really think Tiffany isn't a threat to her?

"This between us, we're going to have to work it out somehow, Mayhem. Things are about to change with Rapunzel out and about. She's going to burn down what she doesn't like and I plan to be on her good side when it happens,"

"What makes you so sure that she even wants to take the City?" I scoff.

He smirks and stands up. He walks over to the mini fridge and comes back with two beers He sets one in front of me and leans against the desk. His expression is now grim. I take the beer and down half of it. I'm going to need something stronger than this.

"About yesterday,"

"She told me about you already. You were in the cell next to her. She said you would try to get them to stop and after, you'd sing to her,"

"You're not in love with her yet but you do love her. Who was she to you?" he asks.

"We grew up together. My dad is the City's beta,"

"Oh," he nods. "Yeah, that makes sense. The only thing you're more loyal to,"

"Xan-"

"Don't do that. Don't Xan me," he scoffs taking the top off the green bottle with his hand. He takes a long drink before pushing off the desk and goes back to the chair. He takes the first-aid kit out from one of the drawers and cleans up the blood on his knuckles. "I was out of control. You've got a hero complex. You might not have done it for my sake-"

"I was doing it for your sake. So I was f*****g Tiff then. I was f*****g two other bitches, man. What you wanted was insane. I told you from the start. After what went down between me and Max. I don't want that for you. She was just some woman,"

"She's not just some woman though, is she?" he scoffs. "She's part of your mate's guard now. Now that she doesn't have her knight in shiny pack wolf fur, there's nothing keeping her from-"

"You and I both know that Tiff isn't Ruben,"

"They're brother and sister, Elias. That's how we know Rapunzel is going to start f*****g s**t up soon. That's Blitz Lockwood's older sister. He might be straight and narrow now but we both know how a Lockwood has fun,"

"Look, all I know is that Ellie needs help. She's-"

"Yeah," he nods leaning back. "I was there. If it keeps me up. I can only imagine her state,"

"What were you doing there? He was your father,"

"Yeah, well he wasn't a very good one. I was only eight when they brought her in. She was crazed. Killed two of my father's best fighters before they got her in that cell. I can only imagine how much worse she's gotten. Shifting straight into a feral state. I can't imagine the anguish she carries," he lets his head fall back on the headrest of his chair.

He listens to music all day as well. When I asked him about it, we were younger, he said it drowns out her screaming. For a long time, I thought he meant my mother's but the tormented look on his face now, tells me I was wrong. f**k. Such Small Hands by La Dispute is playing from somewhere behind him. His lips are mouthing the words.

"Xander," I say his name. He opens his eyes and looks at me. He has the song on repeat.

"I thought I was going crazy these past few days, Doc," he clears his throat. He started calling me that when I chose my profession. "I thought I was imagining the scent. I really thought she was dead. I've gone back there time and time again. The smell of her blood, the scent of her innocence. It's latched onto those f*****g walls.

"It's a really small f*****g world, isn't it? I was sitting next to your mate for two whole years. Listening to everything they did to her. Begging for him to kill us both," he rubs his chin. It's something he does when he's nervous. Smokes when he's keeping himself in check. He has a lot of anxiety ticks. The only one I've noticed Ellie display is when she curls into herself trying to make the world around her smaller. "I'm really sorry he did that to her, Elias. No one should-"

"It wasn't your fault," I look away from the guilty look in his eyes. I think that the hero complex is something we inherited from our mother. "You were a kid just like her,"

"Elias, Ruben killed our sister. It was only fair for us to take his. This is Lockwood City, brother. I am still owed blood,"

"I'm not going to kill Tiff to fix this, Xander. You're my brother. Xena was my sister too. We failed to protect her-"

"From Ruben," he growls. "And Maxwell f*****g Lockwood,"

"We took blood-"

"No, it's not enough," he slams his hands on the top of the desk. There's no talking to him when he's like this. "It's not enough. But I'm willing to let it go if you do something for me or rather. Us,"

"What?" I sigh. He reaches for a stack of papers and tosses them in front of me. I pick them up and start flipping through the pages. "What do you want with Sergio Aimsly?"

"I want his head," he answers with a shrug. "But I need you to bring him in alive,"

"Why?" I laugh tossing the stack back on the desk. "He's just some old geezer,"

"He's a gift for my brother's mate," he croaks. My eyes meet his. "Oh, did you think Luna Bes got all of them? I have an entire f*****g list sitting around waiting for the day the alpha opened her big beautiful eyes. There is no better therapy than seeing the blood of those who made you feel completely helpless, brother,"

"No," I shake my head. "You have no f*****g idea-"

"But I do," he stands up abruptly. "Elias, Eloise Lockwood needs to f*****g rage. She needs to let all the pent-up fury inside of her out. You need to help her control it. It's not the pain and suffering she endured that's keeping her locked away. It's the fear. The fear of knowing what she's capable of when she lets that fury out.

"It was the same for me. My wolf was eating away at my soul. I was scared of what I might do when I got out of there. Look at me now. I control my wolf. Once I gave him what he wanted, I was able to breathe again, Elias. She's drowning. Think about it,"

"I have to help her my way,"

"Your way isn't going to work," he shouts slamming his hands on the desk. "She's not some weak-ass empathetic emo girl. She's the alpha. Eloise needs the alpha's way out. You dealt with your pain by putting Maria Lopez on her knees and spraying Max in the face with her f*****g brains. She's not like them, Mayhem. She's one of us,"

"You're willing to sweep all of this under the rug for what? To help my mate get closure?" I scoff.

"It's not just about that. I love this job. I plan to run this city for the rest of my f*****g life. If I have the alpha on my side. I can do just that,"

"You say it like it's a sure thing,"

"Look that girl in the eyes and tell me it doesn't shake your soul," he laughs pointing at me arrogantly. "Tell me you don't see emptiness. She has nothing to lose, man. She's going to war in spite. She doesn't give a f**k about the pack or the city. She wants to feel alive again. You're going to have to put away your doctor's pants, brother. You're not dealing with a good girl here. That's not a Tiffany. Mock my words, Elias. She's going to make us all legends.

"You got my orders. If you want my forgiveness and to keep your little ex-lover alive, this is what I want. Take that with you. Talk it over with your superiors. The last page has the names of those still alive and their families. If your beloved alpha is so inclined. I'd love to join the fun. No one has to know. Now get the f**k out of here before Sarah gets here. She hates you for picking Tiff,"

"Are you f*****g around with her?"

"I don't do sloppy seconds brother. Least of all yours," he scoffs and sits back down. "You shouldn't bring up your little indiscretions to the alpha. She might go on a killing spree," he laughs. "She's perfect for you, Elias. You're about to pay for all the crazy s**t you've done over the years. I'll pray for you,"

"f**k off," I roll my eyes and take the stack of papers. I roll it up and stand. "The last thing I want to do is corrupt her,"

"We're not going to corrupt her. They did that,"

"So, what? We're just firing the weapon they loaded?"

"Better us than them," he shoos me away. "Welcome back, Mayhem. We missed you,"

I leave without replying. Jax and Caesar are both standing outside laughing when I exit the clubhouse. Caesar slips me my keys and gives me a nod letting me know that he put what he needed to in my jeep. Jax says goodbye and we leave. I have an opportunity here. I hate to admit it but my brother might be right.

"Are we good?" Jax asks. "With Chaos, I mean,"

"Do you miss this?" I ask him. "The turf wars. The drugs,"

"The women, the cars, the relief. Yeah, man. I miss it. We're out, E. We got out because we had a duty to the pack. To Tec, but if we can have both-" he takes a deep breath. "I want both. We wouldn't just have the pack. The City would be ours. All of it. The Underground and the Elite. We'd control everything. Crime and politics. No more us versus them,"

"I like the peace we have now,"

"That's the thing, Elias. You have peace. You got what you wanted. These are our people. They deserve peace too,"