I Scored Myself A Mate

"How long will just stand on your throne doing nothing? You said we had to find Alex" Mark told Theseus who was sitting on his throne with that bored expression again...

"We are searching. I have sent more than a hundred elves in the surrounding areas to search, putting their lives in danger" Theseus said "I also need to keep an eye on these wolves. I don't want them snooping around on my palace." 

"So what? Now we just sit idle and wait?" 

"Sometimes that's all we can do. Or maybe do you want to risk going out like that idiot Luke and getting caught, if we make a wrong move everything will crumble." He explained.

"Why are you so scared of these…hunters? Aren't you supposed to be really strong or something? Especially you." 

"Every species has its weaknesses and these people have mastered using them against us. Also yes, I am very powerful but tell me, what's the point of me flaunting my power out there acting like a buffoon since I have no information gathered and in the end getting caught and killed. Then my people will be without a king, vulnerable to them and every other enemy we have. I have responsibilities. I don't know how you operated with these friends of yours but here we think first and act later. Alex is alive and that's the most important thing right now" 

He was right. The wolves definitely didn't operate the same way the elf king did and that's why Alex found himself in this situation in the first place. Luke driven by his irrational heart had brought him at the compound risking his life. Everything began going downhill after that, and now they were here…somewhere in The Veil.

Mark looked around him at the wolves who had been given sleeping bags and pillows as they lied in the main hall. They didn't seem so scary now, having to conform under someone else's rule. No one even dared to speak and if someone did Ea would look at them like he would burn them alive if they continued. Theseus did everything to make it clear that he wasn't helping them out of the kindness of his heart but because he had to. The red haired boy couldn't really blame him, he would probably not even want to associate himself with them if they had massacred half of his tribe and had Adam as an Alpha who had seemed to disappear in some "scouting" mission leaving them behind. Mark could bet that he was too afraid to stay here after what Theseus did to him so he just went somewhere else to find shelter with his two lackeys, Daniel and Markus.

"By tonight my scouts will be back and we will move on from there with the info they bring." Theseus said and stood up from his throne, stretching his legs and arms.

"What about Luke? He is out there…isn't he in danger?" 

"He probably is. Honestly though I don't care."

"Look I don't like him either but I don't want him dead" Mark said not sharing the same thoughts as him. 

"If he dies it will be his fault. Now excuse me I have to find Ea. There is someone waiting for you outside. They will take you to a room. You can rest there and when I have news about Alex I will let you know."

"Okay. Thank you"

"And to be honest…Mark. I am not a good person; I never was so don't rely on me. It's only because it's Alex, the rest of them can burn in hell." Theseus told him and his flower colored eyes darkened as he left Mark alone.

Everyone in this place was mentally unstable. Mark thought and got out of the hall the moment Ea approached his master with a disappointed look. 

"Why did you lie? You have sent people watching over that stupid wolf."

"Because when you show kindness people notice and when they notice they start taking advantage of you and in the end you die. Like Alex did." He said and Ea sighed. 

Always, during many centuries Allias and Theseus were like the two ends of a line, like black and white, dawn and dusk. You would never believe that these two could coexist peacefully. And honestly their story was everything than peaceful but it remained alive through time, as the prince who tamed a beast and forged an immortal kingdom. That's why Ea and every elf that had remained wanted him back. They needed him and above all Theseus did. He was holding on to himself with difficulty, with so much pain and so many times he was tempted to just let go. But one thought kept him alive and that was the golden king.

….

Every part of his body was in pain and he realized it before he could even open his eyes. Even breathing was hard, the way his chest moved up and down caused him a huge sting through his whole torso and he tried really hard not to scream. His expression altered and his nose wrinkled as his jaw tensed.

"Hey, are you alright?" A concerning voice asked him. 

Alex opened his eyes slowly, his eyelids flattering to keep the tears away when he came face to face with an unfamiliar boy. He was a teen, barely seventeen with blond, really short hair and dark brown doe eyes. He had many freckles sprawled on his face and he was pressing his lips hard with a skeptic look while looking at him. 

"Where am I?" Alex asked his voice coming out sore as he tried to sat up. Obviously he couldn't. He felt like someone had clawed at his throat and he noticed that his whole body was wrapped in gauzes, up to his neck. He touched his face to notice that also his left cheek was patched.

"Umm, you are at my house. I am Joe. I found you coming out from that burning building and my father helped me to get you in. We patched you up because you had a few serious burns. I am surprised you woke up so soon. Let me get you some water" he said and stood up running towards an open door, probably the kitchen. He heard the sink running and suddenly he felt very thirsty. For how long was he asleep he didn't know, the only thing that was obvious was the aching pain on his body.

He looked around patrolling the simple house. He was laid on the living room couch. A comfy dark blue couch with matching pillows and a smaller one, to the right a pale yellow. In front of him was a burning fireplace, made of red stones and he hissed at the dancing flames. He couldn't remember how he got out of there exactly but he still could remember the feeling of the flames violating his body and wanting to cremate his flesh. The rest of the room was very simple. A big TV above the fireplace and some shelves where there were photographs and some books. He read carefully the titles. Books about guns and self-defense. Well it was obvious that in this house lived only men somehow since it didn't have a spec of elegance or femininity in it. 

Soon Joe returned and handed him carefully the glass of cold water. His palm moved behind his head raising it slightly, an appreciated help so he could drink. He gulped the whole thing down in one go and the boy smiled, relieved that he seemed to be kind of okay.

"Thank you." Alex said and he nodded.

"It's okay. It might take a while before you are able to move comfortably and honestly I think you are going to have a few nasty scars, especially on your face." He said pointing out the bandaged patch on his cheek. 

Alex traced it carefully with his fingertips and sighed. He knew he was lucky getting out of there somehow, he should care so much about the scars on his body since he was alive but that patch there really troubled him. No one would want to have a nasty burn mark on their face for the rest of their lives.

"At least I am alive" he said trying to kick that superficial thought from his head. Better alive and with a scar than dead and handsome. 

"That's the spirit. Well do you want me to help you contact your family? It would be a good idea if you went to a hospital." 

"Then why didn't you take me there in the first place?" Alex asked him and Joe avoided his eyes.

"Let's just say that my dad is not good with hospitals or places with a lot of people. He doesn't like to be…seen a lot." He tried to explain.

"Oh I see I understand." Alex said while completely not understanding. He tried to think of a way to contact Mark. He had hoped he had escaped safely. If he had he would definitely be trying to find help but Alex had no idea where he was and most importantly who were these people who had found him. "The thing is I…don't have a way of contacting anyone." Alex confessed and Joe looked at him confused.

"We have a phone, you know" he said chuckling and Alex tried to smile in his tragic misery.

"No, what I mean is I don't know their phone numbers or their address or anything. I don't have a way of contacting them."

"That's a bit weird isn't it?" 

"Believe me I know" He seemed like a very nice boy to Alex's eyes. He had saved him without knowing who he was after all and that was a very obvious act of kindness but the more Alex would let out the more his words would make no sense and that was a problem. Since he didn't want to trigger any suspicion. 

"It's fine. My dad will be here soon and I am sure once you are better he will take you around with the car, maybe you can guide him back home or somewhere …I don't really know" Joe said scratching the back of his head. He was definitely confused and Alex didn't really blame him, he hadn't given him a lot to work on anyways. He was literally a mysterious stranger just lying like a half burnt chicken on their couch. "Umm…your name?"

"Oh, yeah I am Alex…again thank you for saving me. I really appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it…I am going to call my…" Joe began saying when the front door was heard closing. The boy smiled and stood up so he assumed that his dad had finally arrived. Maybe he could help him to figure out a way of getting back safely. "Dad we are in the living room" Joe called out and at the door frame appeared a tall man. 

He was around forty years old, wearing an old worn out pair of jeans with brown boots and a white T-shirt. His hair was white and his eyes the same color as his son, a few wrinkles forming at the edges of his big eyes. On his right hand he had a pharmacy bag.

"Hey there. I brought the stuff you needed" he said "I see you're awake" he referred to Alex and looked at him lying on the couch.

The green eyed boy flinched as he saw the scary man and then froze. He had seen him before. He had seen him just a few days ago on the bus with Mark.

He was one of them. One of the two hunters that were searching for the wolf pack.

Alex had fallen right onto them.

"Shit" he mumbled and felt more than just pain. This time he was really screwed.