The Alpha Next Door

Chapter 16 ⦔ Kudzu

Hugo was shocked. Hugo was horrified. Their mother was alive. For years he had believed she was dead. He had wept over her many many times. Yet she was out there somewhere.

Tears flew down his face, his fists were clenched, and Adelia quickly wrapped her arms around her brother.

"She left us. She left us to deal with him." Sobbed Hugo while Adelia just held him closer to her.

"I know, I know. But we made it. You and I, we got through it. We had each other. We didn't need her."

"Why did you tell me? You didn't have to. You could have kept it to yourself. Wouldn't it have been easier for you."

"Hugo I could never do that to you. I tell you everything. I would never keep something like this from you. Of course, it would have been simpler not to tell you but that would be horrible."

They stopped talking after that. They stayed for a while, just sitting and processing. When Adelia left to make dinner though only then did Hugo find the time to feel guilty. She told him everything. She always had and always would. Yet he kept so much from her. He had so many secrets.

Over the next few days, Hugo had an internal battle. He had been hurt by the knowledge his mother was alive but in reality, she was still dead to him. She wasn't there. She didn't care. They had lived without her for years and they would continue to live without her. They didn't need her.

"Adelia I need to tell you something." Said Hugo one morning when Adelia was painting and he had been reading in the corner, watching her. "You may want to sit down."

Adelia dropped her brush in a glass of water and went over to her brother. She sat crossed legged across from him staring into his eyes as she wondered if her brother was okay.

"Hugo you can talk to me about anything."

"I just don't want you to hate me after I tell you this thing.

"I won't hate you. I could..."

"You will." Said Hugo cutting off his sister. "You don't know what I have to say. I do. I know how horrible it all is."

"Well get it over with so I can prove you wrong."

"Adelia when you left Dad and I things got worse. I have no regrets about getting you out and it was a sacrifice I was happy to make but he became worse." Tears were streaming down Hugo's cheeks at this point but his voice remained strong and steady. "One day we began to fight. It was bad. He started to beat me like normal and when I started to fight back, I got the upper hand for once. Then the next thing I knew I picked up a side table and I smashed it down over his head. I didn't think he would die and I tried to treat him. I swear I didn't mean to."

Hugo broke down at this and he could no longer speak. He just curled into himself and sobbed.

"Hugo I don't blame you, okay? That man was a monster. He was evil. You were only acting in self-defense. I swear if you hadn't gotten me out I would have done it myself when I would have gotten the chance. You did nothing wrong."

Hugo threw himself into his sister's arms and the pair held each other close. Adelia owed Hugo everything. He had saved her. She had gotten free many years before Hugo had and she would never judge him for doing such a thing.

"We're free."

"Yes, Hugo and he can never come back to hurt us."

"Okay. I love you Adelia."

"I love you too."

Then Adelia went back to painting while Hugo sat in the corner watching her. Hugo knew he would always keep her safe. There was nothing in the world that would ever keep Hugo from protecting her.

Hannah was waiting for her brother, Myles to get home that night. He had been gone a lot and after trying to contact every single one of his friends to see if they were with him she was still very clueless as to where he was and who he was with.

It was around one in the morning when Myles slowly walked through the backdoor of their house. He walked up the staircase to where his room was and he was greeted with his sister sat at the top of the stairs.

"What are you doing?" Asked Myles slightly confused by his sister.

"Where have you been? You have been gone a lot lately and all of your friends have said they weren't with you and they haven't spent time with you in ages."

Myles didn't know his sister was this observant. How would he explain his time with Laila away. He couldn't risk telling her as who knows who she could spill his secrets to.

"Holy shit!" Blurted Hannah as she got up and threw herself into her brother's arms. "You have been seeing your mate in secret. That is so cute! When can I meet her?"

"Hannah you have to calm down and shut up. If someone hears you then I'm fucked. You can't meet her. I would love it if you could but that's just not gonna be able to happen. I'm taking a huge risk just being around her. You being there too would be far too risky."

"That's not fair." Snapped Hannah and Myles pulled his sister into his room, slamming the door behind them.

"No, you wanna know what's not fair. I found my mate and yet I can't be with her. Every single person in this pack, my family, preached to me about how important my mate would be and yet they won't let me be with her. My wolf is being spilt into two going against his Alpha's orders for his mate."

Myles slumped down against the wall and wrung his hands through his hair. Hannah cautiously walked over and sat next to him. She threw her arm over his shoulder.

"Call Uncle Julian. He is the Beta of the Ingens pack. They will take you in and they are one of the most powerful packs in the world. You can live happily with your mate."

"Can we really leave our lives behind?"

"You can always return when they let you. If they never let you then at least you have your mate. I'll go call Uncle Julian and you call Laila. Let's try and get you out of here by tomorrow night."

Myles was scared. If Laila didn't want to go with him he would accept that but he couldn't keep living without her. They were getting sicker and sicker without each other.

"Laila?"

"Myles why the hell are you calling me? Are you okay?" Laila sounded stressed and worried as she whispered into the phone.

"Remember how I said we could leave? Well, I'm not sure if I can truly live without you. My uncle is the beta of the Ingens pack. We could go and live there and we can return when our packs agree to let us be together."

"Myles I don't think I could leave my mother. She lost her mate already and I don't think she could bear to lose her daughter too."

"Laila we can't do this any longer. We are dying. Look meet me at 10 pm tomorrow night. Everything will be ready and if we leave then we leave and if we don't then we will just have to find something else."