The Alpha and the Outcast (BoyxBoy/LGBT)

Chapter 23

Hello everyone! I know it's been months since I've last updated, and I'm so incredibly sorry for the wait. Thanks so much to any of you still reading this. I hope you aren't too angry with me.

As a sort of apology for the months I was MIA, I've posted the description and prologue for the sequel to this book on my profile, and I'd love it if you could all take a look and tell me what you think. I won't be updating it until I'm finished with this, but it's just to give you a small idea of what the story will be about.

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to SairahAn, because even though our brief conversation took place months ago, your messages were really thoughtful and supportive, and of course, very much appreciated. So thank you, and thank you to everyone else who's messaged me over the last few months. You guys are the best!

This isn't edited yet, but I hope it's alright, anyway. Please vote/comment :)

Nick's POV

Gazing blearily out over the assembled small army of growling, battle-ready wolves from the master bedroom of my adoptive father's house, vision mildly obstructed by the steady flow of blood from a nasty cut on my left temple, I was forced to conclude that my plan had not perhaps been an entirely overwhelming success.

 I had been mere inches away from retrieving the whistle from the tattered remains of my jumper and giving the signal when the Blue Moon Wolves had arrived, delivering what Mal had informed me previously was their signature battle cry. Needless to say, this had alarmed the Alpha, who had immediately grabbed me up and bundled me to the Beta, removing any chance I had of reaching my whistle, and derailing my plan completely.

"Alpha Nolan of the Blue Moon Pack, under any other circumstances perhaps I would have been formally welcoming you on behalf of my brother and Alpha to our territory. But you have harboured a fugitive from our pack, and lead an attack directly onto the soil of our pack lands. My pack has already been contacted, and I have been informed that, as soon as they have fought through the pathetic contingent of rogues Gabriel Farrell has had surround our pack house, they will run here to slaughter you all. You will be outnumbered, and your pack members will die," declared Beta Carmichael, who had always had a flair for the dramatic.

"However, Alpha Nolan, if all but you, your Beta, and Gabriel Farrell leave our lands immediately, your pack members will be spared, provided that they bring us Maxwell Denisov on their way home. I'm sure you know of Denisov, Alpha, and by now we have realised his betrayal of his agreement with our pack. He, you, your Beta, and Farrell will pay for your sins, but your pack members do not have to die. What do you say to that, Alpha Nolan?"

I really, really did not want to know what Mal had to say to that. 

From my rather excellent vantage point at the window, I could just make out the glints of the eyes of fifty-odd rogue wolves, still hiding in the surrounding undergrowth, almost invisible unless you were looking for them. Based on the Beta's previous speech, I was unsure whether they had even realised that there were rogues stationed here as well as at the pack house, and if they had not, the Blood Moon Pack wolves would arrive to find fifty more warrior wolves than expected- a fight even they could not win.

All I had to do now was escape Beta Carmichael's punishing grip before the Blood Moon war wolves arrived, allowing the rogues and Blue Moon Pack to fight them off without worrying about me, a disturbing trend I'd recently began to notice. 

Taking a deep breath and studiously avoiding Mal's desperate gaze, I took stock of my injuries. I had several bleeding lacerations across my back and thighs, a nasty cut on my temple, assorted bruises, a possibly broken ankle and two definitely broken ribs. Nothing life-threatening, which was good, because I estimated that I only had a few more minutes to act before Mal answered the Beta's demand. I had taken several questionable risks in order to save Mal and his pack, and I wasn't about to let him damn either one of them.