gaius

The first thing I notice when I wake up is Onyx laying beside me. His breath is evened out and his eyes are closed. Despite being back, I still can't help but be thankful that he's here. I can't help but be thankful that he's by my side. It's funny to think that if I had just denied taking that extra shift, things could've gone so differently.

The bed begins to shift and I smile as Onyx's eyes flutter open. He blinks a few times before looking over at me and returning my smile.

"Good morning, Love," I greet.

"Morning," Onyx says as he rolls closer to me.

I wrap an arm around him and he smiles against my chest.

"What are you thinking about?" He questions.

"You," I admit.

Onyx smiles at my words and his arms wrap around me. "What's the plan for today?"

My smile dims slightly. I had to go and see Dad this morning and I knew Onyx would be willing to join me, but this was something I had to do on my own.

"Actually, I have to go visit the cellar," I say and he frowns slightly. "How about you go see Everest and then when I leave I'll come find you for lunch?"

His frown's still there, but he nods nonetheless. I'd want nothing more than to spend the day with him, but I knew that if I didn't to this then I'd regret it. I lean down slightly and kiss his forehead before climbing out of the bed and moving to the bathroom to get ready.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about seeing Dad. As much as I hated it, I still wanted him to come around and prove he wasn't a bad person. I wanted him to prove me wrong and show that he cared about me as a son rather than a beta.

At the end of the day, that's what I was; his son.

Once I finished changing, I moved to make breakfast for Onyx and I. We had thankfully gone shopping and there was now food in the fridge. As I cooked, Onyx came down a few minutes later and sat at the table. He was quieter than usual.

"Is everything okay?" I glance over at him.

There's a frown on his face and he's glancing down at the table. When he doesn't reply, I move towards him and crouch down beside him.

"Onyx, what's wrong?" I ask.

"You're going to see your Dad, right?" He asks and I nod. "I don't know...it just feels like I ruined your bond with him. Why did you choose to not kill me?"

The question has my heart breaking.

"Onyx, you did not ruin anything. If anything, you shined a light on the cracks in our relationship. My dad and I never really had the perfect father-son relationship and he proved that even before you shifted," I tell him honestly. "I thought we were okay, but we haven't been fine for a long time. Even before my mom died. You didn't break our relationship- it was already broken."

Saying that out loud hurts. Finally acknowledging the fact that our bond was broken hurts.

"What was your mom like?"

I tense slightly at the question. I hadn't talked to anyone about Mom in ages. Most people knew it was a sore subject and avoided it. In the past, I probably would've gotten angry at someone for mentioning her. When it came to Onyx, I wanted him to know her.

"She was...she was the sun. She was always happy and smiling despite the fact that Dad wasn't around so much. She loved the outdoors- the animals, running, just nature in general. She wasn't afraid to put you in your place either. I remember seeing her yelling at the former alpha, Gray's father, on multiple occasions and being scared that she might end up in the cellar or banished. She was the one that taught me to stand up for what I believed in," There's a small smile on Onyx's face as he listens to me. "She would've loved you."

"I wish I could've met her," Onyx says.

"Yeah," I say softly. "I wish you could've. She really was an amazing woman."

...

The cellar was just as lifeless as I remembered it to be. The occasional rogue glanced at me as I walked down the hall, but I was only interested in seeing one man.

When I stopped in front of Dad's cell, he didn't even bother to look up at me. Coughing slightly, I saw his jaw clench and finally his glaring eyes met mine. He definitely looked worse than before.

"So you didn't die," he scoffed.

"You know, most people would be happy to know their child is alive. Their child that got kidnapped at that," I frown.

Dad rolls his eyes. "If you died it would've been your own fault. I told you to get rid of that bea-"

"He's not a beast!" I interrupt him with a growl. Some of the rogues around us whine and I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "Onyx isn't a beast, he's my mate. What happened to you, Dad? Mom would be so disappointed with the man you became."

"What happened to me?" He laughs. "What happened to me?! You're so fucking stupid, Gaius! How did your Mom die?"

My brows furrow. "What does that have to do-"

"How did she die?!"

"By a disease," I reply with furrowed brows.

"Do you know how she got that? Because some mangy flea ridden mutt bit her before you were born. It killed our first born pup and that illness slowly ate away at her until she died," he growled out.

"First born? You never told me you had another kid before me."

Dad looks up at me and sneers. "Faya was perfect. I always wanted a kid when I was younger. Clearly the Moon Goddess has it out for me. I lose one and get a shitty replacement."

Replacement.

My jaw clenches at the word and my hands form into fists. "You're so un-fucking-believable. I've done nothing to you other than be a good son! You weren't even around when Mom was still alive! If anyone got a shitty replacement, it was me! You can't even hold a candle to Mom!"

He rolls his eyes and I shake my head at him before turning away. "You know, I hoped that maybe you'd come around and maybe we could fix our relationship, but it's too late for that. Enjoy your solitude and losing your son."

Dad watches as I leave but he says nothing. There's nothing left to say. As of today, we're practically strangers if we already weren't before.

...

"Are you okay?" Onyx looks at me worriedly when I show up at Everest's house. I thought I managed to pull myself together after seeing Dad, but of course my mate would be able to see past my façade.

"Yeah, just tired," I tell him. My mind was going crazy with the new information. I had a sister at one point.

"Do you want to head home?"

I shook my head. "How about we go on a walk?" I suggest.

He still stares at me with a worried expression, but nods before telling Everest and Novak goodbye. Once we leave, the two of us walk in silence. I can feel Onyx repeatedly glancing over at me and can't help but smile.

"You don't have to worry about me, Love. I'm okay, really," I offer him a grin.

Onyx doesn't smile back at me. He stops walking and pulls me into a hug.

"I'll always worry about you. That's my job." We stand there for a few minutes before his eyes meet mine. "Are you sure you're okay, Gaius?"

Am I okay?

I can't remember the last time I asked myself that question.

"I'm fine," I tell him.

Onyx doesn't seem convinced, but he says nothing else.

"Gaius!" Someone calls out from behind me.

When I turn around, I see Quinn standing there. She walks up and smiles at me.

"Hi, Quinn," I greet with a smile of my own. I can still feel Onyx's eyes on me.

"Thank you for brining my idiotic mate back home. Also, thank you for being there with him when Cloud woke up, it really does mean a lot to him even if he doesn't say it," she says.

I can feel my smile growing. "How is he?"

"Gray or Cloud?"

"Both," I say with a slight laugh.

"Cloud's doing better. It'll still be a while before he's able to be discharged but the doctors are hopeful that he'll be able to talk soon. Gray's by his side most of the time, he actually took Layne to meet Cloud today."

"I'm glad that their both doing much better," I tell her honestly.

Quinn nods. "I'm happy you are as well."

I nod at her, but say nothing else. Quinn turns to Onyx and the two of them begin to talk and I sigh quietly. I was tired of people worrying about me.

"Gaius?" Gray calls out through our link.

My brows furrow. What does he want? "Yeah?"

"I need you to come to my office."

"Why?" I question but no reply comes.

Onyx notices the confusion on my face and moves towards me. "What's wrong?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Not really sure, Gray needs me."

He frowns and I instantly feel bad. The two of us would have to plan a day that it would just be us. No interruptions, no visiting the cells, just us.

"Do you want to take a walk with me until Gaius gets back?" Quinn asks Onyx.

He briefly glances at me before nodding to her. I don't want to leave him though. I pull Onyx to me and kiss him before letting go.

"I'll be back as quick as I can," I tell him.

Onyx nods and I watch as he and Quinn begin to walk away before I begin to move to Gray's office. What could he want now? Was this about the witch? I was tired of all this.

The walk is short and when I get there, I make my way up to the office. My nerves are through the roof and I knock on the door before entering. Gray is sitting with Layne in his lap and Foster across from him. He turns and looks up at me before gesturing to the seat beside Foster.

"Sit down," he commands.

I take a seat and stare at him hesitantly.

"What's this about?"