Fated To The Alpha (Complete Fated Series collection)

Book 4 Chapter 6

Sage

Jonah has once again managed to force everyone into panic mode. We scour every inch of the forest and the road leading into the town. And yet, no matter how far some of the pack members were ready to go, there is no lead to the little guy.

Even my heart beats out of rhythm in fear for where he might have gone. However, just at the very peak of the panic, Malik receives a phone call from Andrei and the worry fades from his features.

The entire pack seems to have regained the ability to breathe and exhale as Andrei tells Malik that Jonah has joined him and Derrick. Unexpectedly of course, but at least the boy is safe.

During the entire time of the search, Malik looked beside himself at the thought of losing Jonah, and he kept repeating to himself that he had lost Andrei's little buddy.

Apparently, all Jonah talks about is Mr. Andrei and Mr. Andrei’s wife.

Malik’s words about Jonah fills me with some foreign feeling that I’m not, and probably can’t get used to. The more I listen to the praises that have come from Jonah, the more I wish I could have kids.

I can only imagine how amazing it could be. To have a tiny copy of my mate and watch this kid grow into an amazing person, to hear our child speak so fondly of us. And yet, I am sane enough to understand and accept that it’s impossible.

Although many things must be written in fate for Andrei and I, kids aren't one of them.

Looking around, at the faces of the pack members, who were looking as desperate as ever just minutes ago, I smile. The moment we found out that Jonah went missing, Casen was the first to try to convince everyone that someone had kidnapped the boy.

Every single pack member dropped everything to go and search for the little boy. This is what it means to truly be part of a pack, not just a community with everyone living beside each other, but a family looking out for each other. I have no doubt that it doesn’t matter which member would go missing, the reactions would all be the same.

While I’m sure all of us have enough work on our hands, I find myself sitting aside with the rest of the pack. We are waiting until Jonah returns and we can see for ourselves that he is safe.

As soon as Andrei pulls his car into the driveway, everyone gets to their feet and rushes toward the car. Malik nearly rips the rear door off, reaching into the car and pulls Jonah out. He dangles Jonah upside down by his foot, and scolds him, yet, I can’t catch even a hint of anger in his words, just immense relief that the boy was ok and safe.

Jonah squeals, probably thinking it is hilarious as he dangles from Malik’s grip and tells everyone he ate berries and went on some adventure with Mr. Andrei and Mr. Andrei’s Dad. Derrick tells him to call him Derrick, but I suppose this has been quite an issue for a while already, so he just gives up on repeating himself with a shake of his head and a laugh.

Andrei is trapped in his car, still unable to get out while the pack members crowd around it. Jonah is hugged, crushed and tossed in the air by everyone. His laughter is contagious, exciting the pack even more.

It is truly amazing to see how one little boy can instill such fear and happiness in a pack full of only warriors. Grown, tough men gather around him as if their life could lose purpose if it weren’t for Jonah.

My eyes dart back to Andrei and I can’t help but chuckle at the annoyed look on his face. In fact, he is so over it that after another unsuccessful attempt to get out, he climbs over to the passenger side and finally escapes out of the car.

Andrei makes his way over, and stops next to me. Wrapping his arm around my shoulders we both stand aside, watching the pack members swoon over the boy.

Despite how visibly annoyed Andrei feels for the time he had to spend trapped inside his own car, something else surges through our bond, happiness. True, raw, bubbling happiness that I don't think either of us have felt in a long time. He is over the moon to see his pack this happy.

And all it takes to reach this point in life is a little boy. A rogue boy who keeps cheering as he retells everything about the adventure he had with Mr. Andrei.

“And how are you, Mr. Andrei?” I chuckle, wondering if he will ever live down the nickname given by Jonah. It seems the little boy doesn’t want to drop it, and it’s yet another thing for me to use to annoy my mate a little.

Andrei growls as he presses his nose into my neck. “Can honestly say he is the only person that actually calls me that instead of Alpha,” he grumbles.

And yet again, here he is, the grumpy Alpha Andrei. Or should I say it’s a role he’s trying to play? In fact, regardless of what my mate claims, I know he secretly likes Jonah and his attention. No matter how much he whines about how naughty and annoying the boy is.

Andrei stuffs his hand in his pocket and pulls out a plastic card to hand it to me. “That was Jonah’s father. Unfortunately, there is no date of birth, but I already sent someone to the city to go to that casino and look up his information.”

I nod, glancing at the card.

“What’s wrong?” Andrei asks.

“Nothing,” I lie. Having a mate is the most wonderful feeling until the moment they want to keep something a secret. Andrei feels my deceit and growls at me, nipping at my neck.

“What’s wrong, little wolf?” He whispers against my skin. I can feel the waves of worry surge though our bond, which makes me feel so freaking bad that I hate it.

“Nothing, Andrei, it is selfish.” I admit, embarrassed about even thinking about it.

He is about to press the issue and force me to tell him everything, but my little savior Jonah skips over to us, as excited as ever.

Andrei snorts as Jonah skips over to me and stops. “Hi, Mr. Andrei’s wife, I got you something,” he chirps.

I glance at Andrei, who clearly is having the time of his life since he knows something I don’t and focus my gaze back on Jonah. The little boy jams his hand in his tanned shorts pocket. I furrow my brows once I notice the pocket is stained purple, just like his lips.

“Her name is Sage, and you need to stop calling us that,” Andrei tells him.

“But you are Mr. Andrei?” Jonah pouts.

Andrei chuckles and shakes his head. Just like Derrick, Andrei realizes it’s time to give up. There is no point in trying to correct the boy if he isn’t listening, no matter how many times he is being told the same thing.

Andrei leans in a little closer to me. “He makes me sound so old,” he grumbles as Jonah finally fishes out what he was looking for.

With the widest smile I have ever seen on someone’s lips, Jonah opens his hand and raises it up for me. He is holding squashed berries, a rock, some leftover marshmallows from a couple of days ago, and some pocket lint.

“Look, I brought you some berries back so that you could try some,” he chirps, shoving his hand toward me. “You can have some too, Mr. Andrei,” Jonah adds excitedly.

“Oh, no.” Andrei shakes his head. “Those berries are Sage’s favorite, she won't want to share,” Andrei grins as he nudges my side and laughs at my misery.

I huff but still hold my hand out for the mushy blob and whatever else he crammed in that tiny pocket. “Ah, thanks,” I tell him.

“Don’t they look great? You will love that, try some.” Andrei snickers behind me. I glance over my shoulder and glare at him. How did he manage to get away from me that quick?

I look back at Jonah and realize he is looking up expectantly, waiting for me to try his delicious pocket gunk. Andrei nudges my back, still laughing like the traitor he truly is.

“We have eaten worse,” Sierra reminds me. I don’t want to remember anything before my pack, but she has a point.

Sierra is also very fond of the little boy. So I sigh, grab the tiniest chunk that looks the cleanest and close my eyes as I pop it in my mouth. I force it down before I can catch any trace of the actual taste of the berries and whatever else I just swallowed.

While I am trying to be nice, Andrei is trying to stifle his laughter behind me. He thinks he’s so smart and funny, huh?

I lean down to stay at Jonah’s eye level and grin. “Mm, that's delicious. I think Mr. Andrei should try some. I am feeling generous today and will share my delicious berries.” As soon as the words leave my lips, Jonah beams up at Andrei and nods his head as eagerly as ever.

Andrei’s laugh cuts off instantly, and he clears his throat. “I’m allergic,” he suddenly declares. Wow, would you look at that slick s**t!

Jonah scratches his head and his eyebrows furrow in confusion. “What’s allergic?”

“Means you get sick from touching something that your body doesn't like,” I explain to Jonah before Andrei can answer the question. The most important part of this odd situation is that if I had to eat those berries, so does Andrei. He can laugh all he wants, use every excuse under the sun, but he’s not getting out of this.

And before I can catch Andrei on his lie, Jonah does it for me. “Silly Mr. Andrei.” He laughs and waves Andrei off. “You were eating them when we walked back down the mountain.”

I raise an eyebrow, straighten my body, and glare at Andrei over my shoulder. Just like I thought, that slick s**t!

“They were different berries.” Andrei objects, raising his hands as if he didn’t tell a lie just seconds ago. I see what’s happening here. My mate is trying to dig himself out of this situation.

“Nope, definitely those. I got Jonah to help me pick them.” Derrick joins our conversation.

A wide smile spreads across my lips as Derrick sends me a wink and stands aside to stare at his son with a smirk. Would you look at how the tables have turned on the liar.

“See?” Jonah says excitedly.

I barely restrain myself from snorting with repressed laughter as Andrei mumbles something about being Alpha and his traitorous family.

I turn around to face Andrei and mimic the same smirk Derrick has. Andrei presses his lips in a line and gives me something that suspiciously looks like a warning glare. Before Jonah catches on to what he is doing, Andrei looks at my hand and he swishes my palm with his finger, hoping to find a clean piece.

“Sage said you could have the rest. That is very generous of your mate, so you better appreciate her efforts and willingness to share. So bottoms up, son,” Derrick encourages with a laugh.

Andrei glares at his father, and I grab his hand to dump the contents in his. Since I obviously am no monster, I pick out the rock and put it in my pocket.

“Come on, Mr. Andrei! I kept them warm in my pocket for everyone,” Jonah squeals.

“Yes, Mr. Andrei,” Derrick adds with too much enthusiasm.

To my surprise, Andrei growls, but quickly tosses the berries into his mouth. It’s a massive chunk and definitely needs a lot of chewing.

“Is it good?” Jonah asks, and Andrei gives him a thumbs up. His cheeks puff out like he is fighting the urge to gag, but he manages to swallow it all. He’s a champ. And if it weren’t for the rather pained expression on his face, even I could believe in his lie.

“Yep, delicious,” Andrei tells him.

Jonah bounces on his feet excitedly. “Good, now I can give Casen, Malik, and Vince the rest in this pocket,” he says as he rummages through his other pocket while his eyes are already scanning the surroundings as Jonah looks for his next victims.

He calls out to Malik, who doesn’t hesitate when Jonah offers him some of his special, squashed berries.

“He has an iron gut,” I mutter while watching Malik.

I turn back to Andrei and almost laugh at the view before me. A deep, annoyed growl leaves my mate as he glares at us and pinches at his tongue. He pulls some lint off and cringes. “I need to go brush my teeth and tongue,” Andrei grumbles and stalks off, heading inside the house.

“I think he is upset. Best to feed the pouting man-child. I feel like pancakes, let's go make pancakes for dinner,” Derrick muses as he drops his arm across my shoulders and tugs me inside.

Andrei mutters something to himself as soon as we step inside the house. While I could go and check on my mate, the safest option seems to be his dad. So without any hesitation, I follow Derrick to the kitchen.

I put the kettle on while Derrick grabs ingredients from the pantry and the fridge, to make pancakes for dinner.

Derrick cooked every night when he stayed the three months with us. He never cooked at home because he had no one to cook for and felt silly cooking for himself. But I can tell just how much he loves cooking as he hums to himself while making the batter and heating a fry pan.

“Coffee or tea?” I ask him.

“Ah, after that hike we had, I might have a coffee. Thank you." As I grab the coffee and sugar to prepare his drink, Derrick speaks up again. “I see Jonah gave everyone quite the scare,” he ponders.

Once again, I just nod as a smile spreads across my lips. He’s right, Jonah did give the entire pack a massive scare. Everyone was running around like headless chickens.

“He is a little ball of energy,” Derrick comments.

“That he is,” I agree, pouring some milk in his mug.

“Sage?” Derricks calls my name, grabbing my attention. I look up from the mug and at him, Derrick instantly stops mixing the batter.

He has an uncertain look in his eyes, as if he is still contemplating if he should speak his mind, but Derrick breaks out of the haze and clears his throat. "Andrei and Kat gave me a hard time mentioning you and Andrei having children. I had no idea you couldn't." His eyes dart away from me, and return the next second. "I apologize for bringing it up, and my intention was never to upset you,” he says.

“It’s fine, you didn’t know, and it's not your fault, so don’t feel bad,” I reassure him, a little shocked that Andrei confided in his dad.

A shy smile spreads across his lips. “You know, you don’t have to carry a child to be a parent. My mate, Shirley, wasn't Kat’s biological mother, but she loved her all the same. Andrei wasn’t Anthony’s either, yet he raised him and loved him. He was there for my boy and did the job I should have done,” Derrick whispers the last part. Regret radiates off him.

Honestly, I have no idea what I am supposed to say to that confession. This is the first time he has ever mentioned not being a good father to Andrei. Derrick turns back to the fry pan and returns his attention to us making pancakes.

“One thing I have never forgiven myself for is walking out on him. I should have taken him with me, I just hope I can make it up to him. I blamed Anthony for my mate's death, though Andrei had her killed,” he muses, shocking me. Had I heard right? I did not know that Andrei killed Kat’s mother.

“Andrei killed your mate, and you forgave him?” I ask, unable to keep the shock from my tone.

“No, not him directly, but he helped Jackson's men do it. I understand though, he saw Shirley as the one that took me away from him. Like I said Sage, I wasn't a good father to Andrei. Anthony was a far better man than me. We all do things we regret, and I was honestly shocked when I discovered my son was raised by the one man I destroyed. So, don’t feel bad for me. Andrei had every reason and then some to hate me, this is my karma,” he explains.

“Yes, but everyone has regrets,” I argue.

“Do you have regrets?” Derrick asks.

I have no idea why I decided to mention anything about regrets in the first place. This has to be the first time that I have ever admitted that I have one. If only to myself.

Derrick is one of those people who has a comforting aura. Like anyone who stands near him would instantly feel comfortable to be around him. Besides, he reminds me a lot of Kat, with his no judgment policy. And he seems to honestly have a way of understanding people.

“Just one,” I whisper before I can stop myself.

“And what do you regret?” He asks.

“I regret asking my father if we could visit the flower meadow,” I confess.

“That’s the place on the other side. Near the town of the Bright, opposite side of the mountain, that flower meadow? Lovely place, we drove hours down there in spring to take Kat there when she was little. She loved that place, filled an entire basket full of flowers, and pressed them when she got home.” Derrick smiles as he recalls obviously pleasant memories. I wish mine were the same.

“Yes, that’s the one,” I answer softly as I force down the lump in my throat.

“You would be the first person I have ever heard to regret going there, so why is that?” He looks at me over his shoulder, arching an eyebrow.

“Did Andrei tell you about when he found me?” I ask him.

“Yes, he told me,” he says, and I nod.

“We were traveling in the opposite direction. We were supposed to go to the next town over, but I asked my father if we could go to the flower meadow. He agreed, mom also wanted to go, so we went there instead. When we left, we decided to camp just outside Bright on the outskirts of the forest surrounding it. That’s when they stumbled across us, killed my father, took my mother and me,” I tell him, my voice shaking by the end.

“You know that isn’t your fault, right? You did nothing wrong there Sage, you just stumbled across some bad people.” Derrick tries his hardest to reassure me that I hold no blame, yet no matter how many times I repeat that to myself, I still fail to believe those words. Deep down, I still feel guilty.

“I know it’s not my fault, but we also would have been in the next town if I never asked, and both my parents would still be alive,” I stress.

“Either way, those rogues would have caught someone. Unfortunately, you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Your parents took you there because they loved you. Just remember that there was nothing you could do about it. What they did is on them, not you,” Derrick comforts, and I nod.

I don’t want to talk about this. The thing is that I know that what Derrick is saying is true. I really understand that now. However, as a nearly thirteen year old at the time, back then, all I saw was fault.

“My mate, Shirley, took a bullet for Kat. Jackson’s men took a shot at Kat. It would have killed her too, but Shirley shoved her out of the way. She saw it coming, and she threw herself in front of it to save our daughter.” Derrick gazes in the distance, looking like he is reliving the experience right before my eyes.

“That’s horrible,” I whisper. The worst part is that I don’t know what to say to comfort Derrick. Hell, I have never been able to comfort myself, let alone someone else. I feel terrible for Kat. I have no idea how her life has been, but one thing I know for sure is how awful it is to live, knowing her mother died for her.

“Not as terrible as knowing your daughter was capable of saving her,” Derrick whispers as he looks at me over his shoulder again. “She was going to, but I knew it would cost my daughter her life. So I took Shirley away before she could. I had to make a choice. I had to let one go, and I would have always chosen Kat. I don’t regret it. But I let one die to save the other and the hardest thing I have had to do was turn my back on my daughter while she begged me to let her save her mother,” he says as he scoops out another pancake and puts it on the plate.

Since I don’t say a thing, Derrick takes it as his cue to keep on explaining himself.

“I made the mistake of choosing my mates over Andrei, I wasn’t going to do the same again. Kids should always come first, and you don’t have to be their biological parent. However, sometimes the best parents aren't their real ones. Anthony and Shirley showed me that, though Shirley’s character would be considered questionable to some, she loved Kat enough to throw her life away for her. Just like Anthony chose to forgive and raise my boy and love him, knowing I was the reason his daughters were dead along with his previous partner.”

Wait, why do I feel like Derrick is laying out the story of his life for a specific reason? I lean against the counter, tilt my head and cross my arms in front of my chest. “Is that why you were asking about Jonah?” I ask him.

He chuckles and nods. “Yes, I overheard you talking to Andrei earlier. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” he apologizes as he flips another pancake in the pan and reaches for the mug to take a sip of his coffee. “Andrei showed you Jonah's father's card, I noticed you got upset about that,” Derrick adds. I nod, wondering where exactly he is going with this conversation. “It’s not selfish,” he stresses.

My eyebrows pinch and I look at Derrick as if he just grew another head. The thing is that I never mentioned anything about why that ID card upset me, so it can’t be that he knows.

“What?”

Derrick shrugs. “You said it was selfish, and it was nothing. I know you meant you hoped he didn’t have a family because you were hoping he could stay. It’s not selfish to be willing to love someone else's child. It's the most selfless thing you can do. And you know what?” He gives me a grin.

“What?”

“I hope we don’t find any relatives either. You and Andrei will be good parents to that little boy, and it isn’t selfish for wanting to be,” Derrick stresses and smiles.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and shake my head. “I think it may take some convincing for Andrei, though, if he doesn’t have family and can stay,” I correct.

“Nah, Andrei wants him too, just too scared to admit it because the boy drives him crazy. But I don’t think he will need much convincing. Anthony raised him right, and he will be a good dad.” Derrick grins at me even wider than Jonah did when he handed us the berries.

Something pulls at my heart as I think back to the overjoyed expression on the boy’s face. Ever since I saw him following Andrei, I keep wondering what his life was like before he came here. But after such a small period of time Jonah has spent in this pack, he looks so happy. So damn happy it pains me to think the happiness and excitement could fade from his bright, hopeful eyes.

I shake my head to rid myself of the thoughts, just to realize that Derrick is looking at me. “You are a good man Derrick, I am glad you are in Andrei’s life now." I mean every single word that I say. I can see why Kat is such an amazing and selfless person, and I know she will make a great Queen. She will do anything to put her needs and wants aside just to help others with theirs.

“Nah, far from it. But I am trying to make up for it, even if it means dying to make it up to my kids. I hurt both of them the most. The two people I never should have let down,” he relays with a shrug.

“For Shirley?” I ask, confused as to how he has hurt Kat.

“No, I walked out on her too after Shirley died. Came back thanks to Andrei, but I still left when I shouldn’t have. I know better now, I will always choose my kids' happiness over mine no matter the cost, I won’t fail them again.” Derrick explains, and once again, intense regret radiates off him.

I part my lips to say something, but Derrick cuts me off and changes the subject.

“Can you grab the ice cream? Dinner is ready,” he chimes, holding up a huge pile of chocolate chip pancakes.

I chuckle at the s**t-eating grin on his lips, shake my head and grab the ice cream, while Derrick dishes dinner out onto plates.

“Speaking of my son, where the hell is he?” Derrick asks, looking around the kitchen.

I was so lost in our conversation that I didn’t notice that Andrei never came back from brushing his teeth. Just like Derrick, I peer around the kitchen, fully expecting my mate will appear out of nowhere, like he always does, but nothing.

I try to feel for him through the bond, but he blocks me out. My eyebrows pinch together in confusion. Have I done something to upset Andrei so much as to block me out for good? The berries and Jonah, it was just a joke, a little teasing and payback for him, forcing me to eat them. He wouldn’t go that far because of some fun, would he?

Derrick carefully hands me the plates, and I place them on the table. He walks to the kitchen door and yells, “Andrei, dinner is done!”

I glance to the side, where Derrick stands at the door and raise an eyebrow as I place the last plate down.

“Andrei?” Derrick repeats his name, his voice trembling. Dread creeps up on me as soon as I hear it. My eyes focus on him as Derrick looks like he is scared of something, and then wanders out of sight.

I forget the dinner and walk over to the door. Slowly, I stick my head out to see Derrick stop at the bottom of the stairs. “Son? Why didn’t you say you were out here?” He asks in a whisper.

Cautiously, I step out of the kitchen and freeze. Andrei is sitting on the bottom step with his head in his hands and well within hearing distance.

“I’m sorry, Andrei. I didn’t mean to upset you, have you been here the entire time?” Derrick gulps, cupping the back of Andrei’s neck.

“I’m sorry. I had Shirley killed,” Andrei apologizes and Derrick doesn’t bother, or he just can’t, hide how his face crumbles in pain. He swallows and looks up at the ceiling for a second, then, back at Andrei.

“Not as sorry as I am for leaving you. You don’t need to apologize to me, Andrei. We have all done some messed up s**t, I don’t deserve your apology. However, I hope you accept mine because I mean it, son. I will never make that same mistake. I will never abandon you again,” Derrick vows as he kneels in front of Andrei and grasps his face in both hands. Derrick forces Andrei to lift his head from his hands. “I swear on my life son, I will make it up to you,” he promises as tears well up in his eyes.

After a moment of tension-filled silence, Derrick releases his hold on Andrei, wipes his eyes and jumps to his feet nearly with as much enthusiasm as Jonah would. “Now come on, I made dinner, so let's hug it out in a manly way. I know you don’t like hugs and need to keep up this cold Alpha appearance.” Derrick jokes, making Andrei chuckle.

“I never said I don’t like hugs,” Andrei objects as he stands up and embraces Derrick.

“Oh, so it's just my hugs you try to escape? Too old to hug dear old dad,” Derrick laughs as he hugs Andrei and rubs his back. It’s such a wonderful moment. Painful and tense, yes, but the outcome brings them closer together so I am glad to stand here and watch the miracle happen.

“Something like that,” Andrei admits, as I slip back into the kitchen, out of their sight.

I hurry back to the table and sit down, pretending that I wasn’t listening to their heart to heart conversation.

Derrick's warm voice drifts through the air even at this distance. “Now, that boy Jonah, he is really something, isn’t he?” Andrei huffs as he comes into view, but doesn’t reply. Instead, he leans down to kiss my cheek and sits beside me.