Return Of The Bad Boy Alpha

Magnus

'She is going to be angry at us, Kairos says in my head as I stare down at my sleeping mate.

'I know,' I respond. I turn away from Naomi's sleeping form to finish getting dressed. I have to be as quiet as possible. I want to leave for Ghost River before she wakes up. I can't have her going there if strange things are going on. No one has died yet, but I can't risk the first one being Naomi. I pull on a black t-shirt and a pair of black and white camouflage pants. I pull my long hair into a ponytail and wear my black boots.

I pick up my bag and take one last look at Naomi. I hate lying and deceiving her, but I have to do this to protect her and our pups. I set the note I wrote on the end table and leaned down to kiss her. "I love you," I whisper before walking out of our room. I leave the apartment and head down to the garage.

"Magnus," Kerry's familiar voice calls to me. The King strides towards me, wearing only a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He looks so ordinary I can't help but chuckle. "Don't laugh at me."

"Sorry, Kerry. It's just I have never seen you look-"

Kerry rolls his eyes, "I am just a man, Magnus. I get up early to train before everyone else." He looks me up and down. "Where are you going?"

"Ghost River," I respond. "I told you I was going."

He nods slowly, "Yes, but not this early," He pauses. "You are leaving before Naomi wakes up, aren't you?"

I nod, "Yes," I respond. "I don't want her going."

"You are going to be in so much trouble," He huffs.

"I can live with trouble, Kerry. What I can't live with is allowing my pregnant mate to be in a potentially dangerous situation," I explain, and he throws his hands up.

"Look, I understand. I have a mate. You have to do whatever you can to protect them. But I also know Naomi is like Moira, and she will kick your a*s," He laughs."

"I don't know what is happening at Ghost River, and I just didn't want to risk her going," I sigh.

Kerry grabs my shoulder, "You are a good man, Magnus. That's why I like you so much," He laughs. "Anyways, I called my friend Cedric, and he agreed to help. I'll have him meet you at Ghost River. I must warn you. He has a habit of just appearing," He shakes his head. "Wizards."

I snort again, "Thanks for the warning. Anyways, I have to leave before Naomi wakes up," I pat his upper arm.

He releases me. "I'll try to keep Naomi from leaving."

"Oh right, thank you, Kerry." I huff. "Bye," I say, and he swats my back as I walk away. The garage is located at the far end of the building. The guard snores as I walk in. I have the keys to Loretta in my pocket and jingle them waking up the guard. "What?" He stutters and looks around wide-eyed, "Oh, Gamma Bowie," He stands up, and half salutes me. "I'm sorry I was sleeping."

I look him up and down for a moment and just smirk. "Just hope nothing got taken," I walk away and start whistling. I find Loretta parked in the corner. "Hello, darling," I say to my motorcycle as I roll her out of the garage. To access the complete chapters for free, visit Job ni b,c o m. The guard silently watches me. "Open the door," I tell him. I start her up and speed away from the palace.

It takes a few hours to get to Ghost River, and Kairos is pacing in my head by that time. 'What's up with you?' I ask him.

'She's awake,' He responds. 'And Ruby wants to tear us a new one!

I don't respond as I reach the gate. I slow down and smile at the guard. He appears to be new as he looks me up and down. "Name and purpose?"

I huff, "You don't know my name?" I lift an eyebrow, and he shakes his head. "When did you start?"

"A few weeks ago, sir," He says shakily as another guard walks up.

"Magnus!" the older one acknowledges me with a grin.

"Hey, Harry," I fist bump him. "How is it going?"

"Great, it's going great. Lacey just gave birth to our fourth pup," He laughs.

My eyes get big, "Fourth? Jeez," I laugh. "Poor Lacey."

"Hey," Harry looks at the younger guard, "Don't you know who Magnus is?"

The younger one shakes his head, "No, sir."

"He is Alpha Maximus's twin brother," Harry laughs. "This Gabe," He hooks a hand at the kid. "His family moved here the last few years, and Gabe has been working hard to be a warrior."Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

"I see," I nod. "So, boy or girl?" I ask.

"Girl, the third one," Harry replies. "We named her Kira."

"Pretty name," I pat his shoulder. "I am expecting twins with my mate."

"I heard that," Harry smiles. "Anyways, what brings you home?"

"The strange shit going on here," I respond.

Harry purses his lips, "Oh, that, yeah. My Mom got trapped in another realm or something for a few hours. It scared my Dad shitless. But we found her unharmed next to the diner."

"Well, I'm glad you found her," I say to him. "Anyways, I am going to go on in and see my brother."

"Okay, Magnus. It was good to see you, man," Harry steps back into the guardhouse to push a button. The arm on the gate raises, and I gun Loretta into the territory.

I hum as I drive towards the packhouse. The pack is just starting to wake up as some shops are opening. I wave at people as I pass them. Pops is standing in front of the packhouse as I approach. Smoke rises from his nostrils as he watches me drive up. A wide grin spreads across his aging face, "Magnus," He yells as I park the bike. "What are you doing here?"

I walk toward him and hug him, "Nice to see you too, Pops," I laugh.

We pull back, and he looks me in the face, "You know I love it anytime you visit. But what's this occasion?"

"I came to help you guys figure out what is going on," I explain. "King Kerry is sending a"

I am interrupted when a man suddenly appears beside us. Pops growls viciously as the man laughs. The man is shorter than either of us and looks at us through unkempt, dirty hair with golden eyes.

"Relax, pup," the man snarls at Pops. "I was sent here by King Kerry," He eyes me and holds a hand. "Cedric Mercutio."

He smells of sage and a variety of other herbs and plants. I look him up and down, and he appears to be a hobo, not a wizard with his holey linen pants and grey tunic. "Gamma Magnus Bowie and this is my father, Darryl Bowie."

Pops eyes the man, "You were sent here by the king?" He tilts his head.

There is another growl as Max rushes up towards us. "Who the hell is that?" My twin snarls at Cedric.

"You must be the alpha," Cedric rolls his eyes.

"Chill, Max," I put my hand on his chest. "This is Cedric Mercutio. He is a friend of the King's. He is here to help figure out what is happening around here."

Max eyes him and then looks at me, "You didn't need to come, Magnus. I can handle this on my own."

"I wanted to help, Max," I argue.

Max huffs and looks at Pops, "Did you tell him to come?"

"No, Max. But we could use the help," Pops explains to my brother.

"Just another reason for people to question my abilities," Max snorts and walks away.

I narrow my eyes and look at my father, "What the hell, Dad?"

"It's been a long week, Magnus," Pops breathes out.

Cedric stands quietly nearby, looking around. He sniffs the air. "Have you ever angered any witches or wizards?" He asks.

"No, I don't believe so," Pops replies.

"Can you show me where most of the activity takes place?" Cedric looks at Pops.

"It's been all over, Mr. Mercutio," Pops responds.

"Call me, Cedric," The wizard says. "I realize it's been all over, but is there any part of the pack that seems to see the most activity."

Pops thinks for a moment, "Actually, yes," He replies. "If you give me a moment, I'll call the beta," He tells Cedric.

Cedric shrugs, "It's your dime."

"Are we paying him?" Pops looks at me.

"Not as far as I know," I mumble.

"Someone is paying me," Cedric murmurs. "Kerry may be my friend and brother-in-law, but that doesn't mean I am working for free." "Brother-in-law?" I ask. "You are Moira's brother?"

"Half," Cedric replies and walks a few feet away from us. He looks up to the sky and frowns. "Are you sure you haven't angered any witches lately?"

"I'm pretty sure," Pops replies. "We just fought some nasty vampires."

"Yeah, I know that," Cedric mumbles.

Chance walks toward us. He appears to be half awake. Naomi's twin sister is beside him with their son, Arlo. "Hey, Mag," Chance smiles at me. "What's up?"

I hook a thumb at Cedric, "Cedric is here to help investigate what is going on," I explain to the beta.

"Oh, I see. Why is Max all pissed you are here?" Chance laughs.

"Where is Naomi?" Elena asks.

"She is back at the palace," I reply and look at Chance. "I don't know why he is pissed."

"People have been questioning his ability as alpha," Elena responds.

"Elena," Chance drawls.

She shrugs, "What? They have Chance."

I glance back at Pops, "Is it that bad?"

"I haven't heard anything, Magnus," He responds.

Cedric clears his throat, "I am not here to listen to pack drama. I need you," He points at Chance, "I assume you are the beta," He asks, and Chance nods. "I need you to show me where most of the incidents have been taking place. Then I can work backward from there."

Chance looks at Elena, "Go on to breakfast," He kisses her cheek and smiles at his son.

"Chance, you need to eat too," Elena whines.

"I'll eat later, baby," Chance grasps her upper arm. "Okay?"

She sighs, "Okay," She kisses him on the lips and then walks away.

"Naomi, let you come alone?" Chance asks. "I would think she would want to be here too."

I press my lips together and say nothing.

Chance shakes his head, "She is going to be pissed, dude."

"I know."

Cedric clears his throat again, "I have other things I need to be doing."

"Sorry," I mumble.

"Most of the incidents have been happening in the woods near the high school," Chance responds. "I'll get a car and take you there," He says to Cedric. The wizard nods and paces while we wait for Chance to return.

A blue Chevy pickup pulls up in front of us a few moments later. "You guys go on ahead," Pops pats my shoulder.

"You aren't coming, Pops?" I ask.

"No," He shakes his head. "I'll see you later, Magnus." He looks at Cedric. "Thank you for the help."

Cedric nods but says nothing as he climbs into the truck. I get into the backseat, and we drive away. We ride in silence towards the high school. We near the school, and students are arriving to start their day. Chance parks the truck, and we file out. "It's been quiet so far-"

Chance is interrupted by screaming coming from the front of the school. We all run towards the screaming while teenagers and staff run in all directions.

We get to the source and see what looks like a black hole swirling in front. It's sucking in everything around it. Cedric walks casually up to it, not caring that his dirty hair is blowing in all directions. He holds up his hand and loudly chants something, and the black hole disappears. He stares at where it was for a moment and sniffs the air. "Hmm," He mumbles and turns to Chance. "Is that all that has been happening?"

"No, sir," Chance shakes his head. "People have been randomly disappearing and reappearing later. We have lost our ability to mind link a few times. Even the lights flicker sometimes."

Cedric nods and scratches his chin, "Interesting. Can you lead me into the woods," He points behind the school?

"Uh," Chance looks at me and then at Cedric, "Okay." He starts walking towards the woods.

"Beta Chance!" A man shouts and runs up to him. I recognize him as my old math teacher Mr. Kramer. He glances at me, "Magnus!"

"What is it, Mr. Kramer?" Chance huffs.

"What was up with that black hole or whatever it was," Mr. Kramer snarls and stares at Cedric. "What's with the homeless guy?" Cedric rolls his eyes.

"We are investigating the incident, Kyle," Chance tells Mr. Kramer.

"It was a vortex," Cedric sputters.

"What?" We all look at the wizard.

"That was a vortex, not a black hole. Black holes are a bitch to create. Vortexes are like first-grade level shit," Cedric explains and looks at Chance. "Beta?"

"Og course, excuse us, Kyle," He says to Mr. Kramer. "Tell the students everything is fine, and it's okay to return to the school."

Mr. Kramer bows slightly to Chance. "Thank you, Beta." He turns to me. "Good to see you, Magnus."

Chance leads us into the woods behind the school, and we all freeze. My wolf bristles as a strange metallic scent wafts through the air. We walk towards the smell and hear a scream. We stumble upon a horrific sight.

A young guard is screaming while nailed to the tree crucifixion style. "Help me, Beta!" He screams as blood pours from the wounds on his hands.

"Hold still, Roger," Chance steps towards him.

"Stop!" Cedric yells. "It's a trap," He looks up, and there is an ax poised over the guard's head. "Make one move, and this young man's brains will be split open."

"What?" Chance yells. "What are we supposed to do?"

Cedric waves his hand, and Roger falls to the ground when the nails and ax disappear. "You are welcome."

Chance rushes toward the guard, "What happened?"

"I-I don't remember. I was doing my patrols when some guy in a cloak walked up to me, and then I woke up nailed to the tree," Roger explains.

Cedric looks around and picks something off the tree. It's a piece of brown paper with strange symbols on it. "Oh boy," He breathes out. "What is it, Cedric?" I ask.

He reads the note, and his eyes go wide. "Bram Abraxas wants his book back."

"What book?" Chance asks.

"The Tome of Abraxas," Pops appears behind us suddenly.

"The book in the vault?" I ask, and my father nods.

"Oh, and Magnus, your mate is here," Pops smirks.

"Oh, shit!" I curse.