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CHAPTER 5 He Stole Your First Kiss

Lexi looked between the group of men with a curious look as Brad did exactly the same.

"Greyson, are you seriously hiding from us?" the man tried again, stepping forwards as he tried to get a good look at him.

Greyson's shoulders sagged as he exhaled loudly and turned back to face the men that were looking at him curiously.

"Yeah, it's me." He answered, his voice deadpan and his face like stone.

Both Lexi and Allen could sense the tension in the air rising as the two men faced off against one another, neither one of them breaking eye contact.

"You know each other?" Brad asked, the confusion plain on his face as the little boy in his arms began to cry.

"No… well… at least I don't know who these guys are. Come on Brad, we just got here. How could I possibly know who you and your jacked-up friends are?" Lexi retorted almost instantly.

"I see you and your sharp tongue hasn't changed a bit," He snorted with a small smile which was erased in seconds as the baby's cries intensified.

"Geez, you're still as fucking useless as ever, give him here, " Lexi muttered as she took the baby boy from Brad's arms and rocked him gently.

"Listen, whatever's going on with you fleabags, I'm gonna take the kiddo away from it, okay? Poor kid doesn't need you fucktards creating anxiety for him in a new place" She hissed towards Greyson and the unfamiliar men as Eleanor scurried after her, offering to show her to her room.

Allen watched her leave and desperately wanted to follow her but at the same time, he didn't want to leave Greyson alone here with these men until he knew exactly what was going on.

"Greyson… where have you been? You just… disappeared dude!" One of the stocky men said, his face lit with a mixture of happiness and disbelief.

"It's not like I had much choice, Sebastian," Greyson growled.

"What? Of course you had a choice! Nobody asked you to leave." The man now identified as Sebastian snapped back, anger clouding his face suddenly.

"And nobody asked me to stay either," Greyson growled back, taking a step forward and staring furiously at Sebastian as if he wanted to tear him apart.

"Guys, listen, not in front of…" the smaller of the four males pleaded with a nervous glance toward Brad who was watching the interaction with interest.

"Shut up Hudson!" Greyson and Sebastian snapped angrily at the smaller man who stepped back with a sigh and a resigned look on his face.

"I hate to interrupt, but I just want to remind you both that you're in my pack house. I would really rather you didn't spill each other's blood here because I'm going to have to answer to both the Lycan king and our beloved Alpha Queen. So, to save me the headache of dealing with unnecessary bureaucracy in explaining why the Prince's and the mate of the Queen's Beta were tearing each others' throats out, would you mind terribly saving your disagreements until you're actually off my property?"

"The disagreement that you allude to is nothing more than a fictional confrontation or insult that my dear brother has imagined himself." Sebastian hissed as Greyson snarled warningly.

Allen's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked between the two of them, and glanced across at the men standing quietly behind them.

He was fully aware that Greyson was Lycan, but he had clearly kept his lineage a secret up until now. But another thought troubled Allen, just what exactly were the sons of the Lycan King doing so far up North? It was rare for them to leave their own kingdom as they held true to the belief that as Selene's first children, they were superior to other shifters in every way.

Allen had a feeling that Greyson did not share this belief though, as otherwise, he would not have been working in the service of the former Alpha King with the containment facilities. As a commander of one of the posts, he was tied to the Enclave, and not to the Lycan's containment facilities they had in their own region, and Allen had to admit that the reason why intrigued him.

However, his relationship with Greyson was not yet close enough to warrant him asking these, seemingly personal questions. He would have to mention this to Lexi at the first opportunity he got, perhaps she would have better luck getting the information out of him.

"You should have everything you need in here for you and the baby," Eleanor said as she opened the door and led Lexi into a bedroom, furnished in the same antiquated style as the rest of the pack house.

"Thank you," Lexi said in a hushed voice as she tried not to wake the little boy in her arms.

"I'll have someone bring up your bags. Just make yourself comfortable dear. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call. If I don't hear from you, I'll have someone fetch you for dinner, is that okay?"

Lexi nodded as she gently placed the little boy in the cot at the side of the bed and straightened up, turning back to Eleanor.

She sighed slightly and smiled, a concerned look settling on her face.

"Why don't you take a short nap, dear? I know how tiring it is when you're up through the nights with a baby."

Lexi smiled gratefully and nodded, ignoring the sharp pang of guilt in her gut as she did so. She didn't want to correct her that it wasn't the baby that was keeping her up through the night, but she would quite happily take this opportunity to catch up on a little shut-eye.

The disturbing dreams of her damn uncle that haunted her every night were making sleep a luxury, and she really didn't think dealing with Brad while she was sleep deprived was a good idea.

As soon as Eleanor excused herself and shut the door behind her, Lexi made a last check on the little boy, making sure he was still settled, before she threw herself gratefully on the bed. She sighed happily as she nestled down into the pillow and felt the haze of sleep settle over her.

When she opened her eyes again though, she was no longer in the safety of the room that she fell asleep in and was instead somewhere that was wreathed in darkness, the plants and trees around her cloaked in eerie shadows.

Suddenly, the figure of a teenager came hurtling past her and Lexi tried to call out to her but as soon as she opened her mouth, no sound came out at all.

With little option left, she raced after the girl, still trying and failing to call out to her.

A deep sense of fear began to creep its fingers under her skin, as her arms and legs pumped relentlessly, propelling Lexi headlong through the undergrowth and further into the darkness around her.

The damp, earthy odour of the forest and the scent of the pine needles that were crushed under her feet as she ran  filled her senses, invoking a familiarity in her that she couldn't quite place.

After what seemed like an eternity of pursuit, she broke through into a clearing and came to a screeching halt as she was suddenly confronted with an image that instilled pure terror into her heart.

The overbearing figure of Eromaug towered above the little girl who sobbed and pleaded on her knees at his feet.

"Please Uncle! Let him go! He didn't do anything wrong!" the little girl pleaded as she watched in horror.

"Nothing wrong?" Eromaug sneered as he brought his arm forward, allowing Lexi to get a clear view of the struggling boy that dangled ominously in the air, Eromaugs fist wrapped tightly around his neck, "He stole your first kiss, did he not?"

The sound of both the girls sobbing, and the boy's gasps for air, filled the clearing as the little girl shook her head violently.

"No! I promise you! That's not true!" she wailed

"DON'T LIE TO ME LITTLE ONE!" Eromaug roared, his face unrecognisable in his fury as he glared down at the little girl in front of him.

The girl sobbed pitifully as Lexi finally recovered her wits and surged forward, trying to call upon her soul's abilities, but when she reached inside herself, she could feel nothing.

"Please Uncle, don't hurt him!" The girl pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper as Lexi turned in horror to find a familiar face staring back at her.

"He had no right to take your first kiss from you, Lexi." Eromaug growled ominously as his grip tightened around the boy's neck, "It did not belong to him."

With a flick of his wrist a stomach churning crack sounded in the clearing and Eromaug tossed the lifeless body of the little boy at the little girl's feet.

"No male will ever touch you again, Lexi, and if they do… I will make sure they never see another sunrise again." Eromaug snarled loudly over little Lexi's hysterical sobbing.

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