The Four Protectors

Forty Six

3rd Person POV

Cassius scanned the corridor for Azriel and found him nowhere. Instantly, he felt his heartbeat pick up a fraction. Tensions were high. Azriel wasn't defenseless but Cassius had left him to the wolves.

"Azriel," he called out.

"You brought Azriel? He'll be fine. He's probably outside," Leila reassured.

Cassius didn't miss the way her eyes had brightened when he'd called out for Azriel. He'd thought they'd only met once or twice but she spoke of him like a dear friend.

"You know him well," Cassius asked.

"Yeah we met when he came to help with the injected you rescued from the first compound. He was very kind despite how rude your father and brothers were to him. He worked tirelessly to keep those people unconscious so they wouldn't suffer, and he healed anyone who asked him to," she said.

She looked like she could have talked about him for hours. There was a lot of admiration in her tone and Cassius couldn't help but feel proud. He knew how kind his warlock could be but hearing it from someone else had him feeling warm all over.

"He is wonderful," Cassius offered.

Which was a bland understatement for the miracle of a human being that was Azriel.

They stepped into the courtyard outside the pack house to find Azriel seated under a tree across the clearing with two children sitting on either side of him. His hands were glowing with magic that the kids found fascinating. He hardly seemed to notice either of them as they approached him.

It was only when Leila cleared her throat that the two boys and Azriel glanced up. The two boys immediately ran over to her with identical sheepish looks on their faces. Azriel smiled, magic fading, as he stood up to greet Leila.

"I hear congratulations are in order," he said.

"If I can do justice to the responsibility I have, then yes," she replied.

"You're going to be a wonderful Alpha dear," Azriel said graciously.

Leila smiled at that while Azriel crouched before the two boys, who now stood on either side of Leila's legs. Cassius deduced that they were her two brothers and he sympathized with the responsibility on her shoulders of holding this pack and her family together. Azriel snapped his fingers and Cassius' attentions drifted back to him.

A box of chocolates appeared in his hands and the boys took it before running off.

"You shouldn't have done that. They'll finish off the entire box and my mother will give me an earful," Leila chastised.

"You're an Alpha. Surely you can handle your mother," Azriel retorted playfully.

Cassius realized then that Azriel was often too charming without even meaning to be. He bantered reflexively and he exuded a kind of gravity that pulled almost everyone in. Cassius could see how much Azriel's attention pleased Leila.

"We should get going. We're hoping to get back before it gets too late," Cassius said.

Leila nodded, and said her goodbyes before getting back to her office. Cassius trekked back through the woods with Azriel at his side. The tall trees provided welcome shade from the afternoon sun.

"I'm assuming that went well," Azriel commented.

"Yeah," Cassius replied vaguely.